After listening to the brief description from the Melusine officer, the group immediately decided to split up and head to different coastal villages.
Once everything was settled, they would regroup at the Opera Epiclese.
Su Yuan, Clorinde, and Neuvillette formed a team and headed to Erinnis, a village in the northern part of the Cersyl District, which had suffered the most severe damage.
By the time they arrived, the autonomous machines of the Gardes, the musketeers of the Special Patrol Unit, and the Melusine officers from the Marechaussee Phantom were already engaged in battle against a large number of Armored Crab.
Moreover, crimson and pitch-black auras emanated from these crabs—undoubtedly the influence of the Eerie power.
While the autonomous machines and musketeers' physical attacks were able to hinder and damage the armored crabs to some extent, their efficiency was still too low.
After all, as their name suggested, these crabs were heavily armored, boasting exceptional defenses.
With the enhancement of the Eerie power, they had become even stronger.
The coastal village, now in ruins with shattered walls and debris, was littered with bloodstains and severed limbs.
According to the Melusine officer, most of the deceased were elderly individuals who were unable to flee in time…
The younger generations had all left for Fontaine's capital in search of better job opportunities, leaving only the elderly behind in the village.
"Lord Neuvillette! Lady Clorinde!" Someone noticed Su Yuan's group arriving and called out in relief.
"This is great! With the two of you helping, we'll definitely be able to fend off this rampaging Oceanid species with ease!"
"Let's work together to protect the people and defend Fontaine!"
However, Neuvillette spoke up instead: "You've all worked hard. You can return now. Leave this to us."
Some of the guards looked confused and hesitantly asked, "But, Lord Neuvillette, there are so many of these rampaging Oceanid creatures. Can the three of you really handle them all on your own?"
"Our strength may be limited, but we can still provide some support and assistance!"
"Oh, what are you worrying about for no reason?!"
"With Lord Neuvillette and Lady Clorinde here, what could possibly go wrong?"
"No matter how many of these rampaging Oceanid species there are, aren't they just a bunch of crabs?"
"We should hurry up and leave this place to support the other affected villages instead!"
Before long, everyone around them had left.
Only Su Yuan, Clorinde, and Neuvillette remained, watching as the swarm of heavily armored crabs steadily advanced, crushing everything in their path…
The sight unexpectedly reminded Su Yuan of a certain wild dove that longed for freedom, unleashing a rumbling catastrophe to flatten the world. *AOT reference Lol
Though, unlike that overwhelming force, these crabs—despite being controlled by the Eerie power—were nowhere near as oppressive.
"Clorinde, I'll leave it to you," Neuvillette said, turning to her.
Clorinde nodded, stepped forward, and drew the rapier from her waist…
But to be honest, her expression looked somewhat awkward at this moment.
She had never imagined that one day, she would find herself challenging a group of crabs to a duel…
"…Come… duel me…"
"I… I surrender…"
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of Eerie power erupted from Clorinde's body!
What followed was a one-sided massacre!
A few Eerie armored crabs were no match for an Eerie Clorinde.
When the last armored crab was sliced cleanly in half, Clorinde slowly sheathed her sword and opened her eyes, returning to normal.
"With this, the crisis here is temporarily resolved," Clorinde said calmly.
"Next, let's check on the other affected areas."
However, at that moment, Neuvillette furrowed his brows.
He could clearly sense a powerful presence rapidly approaching from beneath the sea, not far from the shore!
"Clorinde! Fall back!"
Neuvillette shouted, and Clorinde quickly retreated several steps!
The very next moment, a massive splash erupted from the sea, and a colossal figure emerged from the water!
As the water settled, the group finally got a clear look at its form—
It was a giant Armored Crab.
But more importantly… its shell was purple.
Su Yuan recognized it instantly—wasn't this the legendary armored crab from the depths of Fontaine's waters?
But which one was it? The Ocean Circuit Judge? Or the Iron Viscount?
Even it had been tainted by the Eerie power?
This was bad—it was both incredibly tanky and dealt high damage…
Su Yuan couldn't help but worry.
If other affected areas were also facing such powerful armored crabs, could they handle them?
Moreover, it seemed that only this one species of Oceanid creature had been corrupted this time…
Then what about the pinnacle of armored crab evolution?
That world boss, the Emperor of Fire and Iron—had it also been tainted by the Eerie power?
Clorinde looked up at the massive figure before her and drew her sword once again.
"Now this is more like it…"
"Come! Face me in a fair and honorable duel!"
................
"Phew, finally done…" Chevreuse let out a long sigh of relief as she looked at the battlefield littered with armored crab corpses.
"There were only about a dozen Eerie armored crabs, but if this fight had dragged on any longer, I would've run out of bullets."
"Mm, as long as it's resolved," Chiori nodded.
"Now, let's head to another location and provide support."
Just as Chevreuse and Chiori were about to leave, a massive splash erupted—
A colossal purple figure emerged from the water…
"Looks like… the fight isn't over yet," Chiori murmured.
..............
"Huff huff…" Wriothesley panted slightly, a smile on his face as he looked around at the armored crab corpses.
Cheerfully, he said, "It's been a while since I've enjoyed the pure thrill of hand-to-hand combat like this."
"Here, Duke, after your workout, have a milkshake I personally made to replenish your fluids and energy," Sigewinne said, handing him a cup of milkshake.
Wriothesley chuckled helplessly and downed the milkshake in one go.
But in the very next moment, a massive purple figure suddenly emerged from the sea…
"Sigewinne, I'll leave this one to you. I need a short break."
Sigewinne nodded, took out a small cookie, and stepped forward.
"Mr. Armored Crab, would you like to try a cookie I specially prepared for you?"
................
"Haha! Battle! So refreshing!"
Tartaglia held a longsword in his left hand and a spear in his right, expertly using various weapon techniques without any interference between the two hands, relentlessly attacking the armored crabs!
"Fighting like this, without relying on elemental powers and purely using physical strength and technique—this feels so good!"
Aether, Paimon, and Kirara stood off to the side, watching as Tartaglia single-handedly dominated the battlefield, enjoying the fight.
They didn't even know what to say…
They hadn't had a chance to even join in the battle…
Tartaglia truly lived up to his reputation as a battle maniac… and indeed, he was a master of all weapons, handling each one with incredible skill.
It didn't take long before all the armored crabs were easily defeated by Tartaglia.
"Traveler, how exactly were you able to fight evenly with Tartaglia before?" Paimon asked, looking confused.
Aether chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's not that I didn't know I needed to use physical attacks against the Eerie... That hilichurl didn't fight fair, I was tricked and ambushed, that's why I couldn't beat it…"
"Once my injuries heal, I'll show you my true strength!"
But in the next moment, everyone suddenly felt a wave of intense heat coming from beneath the sea…
Isn't sea water supposed to be cold?
Why does it feel like there's a heatwave?
Could it be that an underwater volcano erupted?
Then, accompanied by a cloud of steam and mist, a massive figure appeared before them—a creature with two horns, pincers, and burning pitch-black flames on its body…
Emperor of Fire and Iron, tainted by the Eerie power, made its grand entrance!
---------------
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