Seconds before Irana screamed, Athven sent a warning message to Darian. But he just nodded cheerfully, not ordering any interference.
Moments later, the ground beneath the army cracked open like it had exploded. The moment Irana shouted, everyone focused their attacks in the same direction.
*BOOM!*
The ground shook, and then they all saw something serpentine, glowing with a metallic shine, twisting through the soil and escaping.
At that exact moment, they felt the enemy moving underground... and then simply vanishing. But the sense that it would launch another sudden strike was overwhelming.
Everyone broke into a cold sweat. That enemy was like a fish in the sea, moving around without causing much disturbance. It didn't have a fully solid body and could go ethereal, avoiding detection until it was right about to strike.
Immediately, all the Spiritual Guardians stopped attacking the beasts ahead.
