A sharp swish sounded as Rasie's and Zaefal's swords slashed the creature's back simultaneously.
The creature let out a hoarse screech of pain, but it didn't fall. It slammed the base of its spear hard onto the ground. Instantly, the cave floor beneath Rasie and Zaefal cracked and surged upward in the form of sharp stone pillars. Both of them were forced to jump back to evade.
The creature now turned around completely. It braced itself on its sturdy legs, using its spear and control over the earth as its defense. It growled, and dozens of sharp rock chunks lifted from the ground around it, then shot toward Rasie and Zaefal from various angles.
Zaefal immediately moved forward, positioning himself in front of Rasie. His black sword moved quickly, destroying each incoming rock with a dull impact. The black energy on his blade seemed to dampen the projectiles' force. Behind him, Rasie took a stance, his eyes looking for an opening amidst the barrage of stone attacks.
The moment Zaefal destroyed the last chunk of rock, Rasie charged forward. He weaved between the newly formed stone pillars, closing the distance at high speed. The creature once again let out a piercing shriek, trying to disrupt Rasie's concentration.
Rasie gritted his teeth against the pain and kept moving forward.
Zaefal moved in from the opposite side to perform a pincer attack.
The creature tried to dodge backward, aware of the danger from two directions. However, its movement was too slow. Blood spurted from both sides of its back. With two coordinated slashes, the creature's wings were successfully cut off by Rasie and Zaefal.
Fyar kept running, changing positions to shoot the creature from a distance.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
One by one, Fyar's shots hit its now-flightless body. The creature shifted its gaze to Fyar and shot toward him, completely ignoring Rasie and Zaefal.
The skin on the nape of Fyar's neck prickled.
I might actually die! Haha! Instead, Fyar grinned widely as he watched the creature charge straight at him.
Just as the creature's claws and beak were about to tear into Fyar's body, Zaefal shot in from the side. With one powerful slash, he cut off one of the creature's legs.
The creature screamed, releasing a sound wave so intense that it made Fyar's ears bleed again. Rasie appeared from the other side and slashed off the remaining leg.
The creature collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. It had now lost both its wings and its legs.
Fyar ran away, then turned to Illya. "How many more minutes?"
"I can cast a teleport spell now, Fyar," Illya replied. Her eyes watched the surrounding area warily.
Fyar looked toward the tree that had golden leaves. "Teleport me there."
Illya nodded and focused her gaze on the area around the tree. She murmured an incantation. In an instant, Fyar and Illya vanished from their position and reappeared near the golden tree.
Meanwhile, the creature's severed limbs began to slowly regenerate.
Zaefal shot forward and quickly slashed off one of its regrowing legs. The creature opened its mouth, planning to scream again. However, Rasie quickly stabbed the creature's mouth with his sword.
"FIE!" Rasie muttered. His sword instantly ignited, releasing a larger flame and burning the creature from the inside.
Zaefal dashed in, slashing the hand that was still holding the spear. He closed his eyes and muttered, "Void." Instantly, the area around them became completely dark for a few seconds.
T-this move again... Agh, I can't see anything! Rasie thought as he tried to peer into the darkness around him.
When the darkness dissipated, Rasie who was now standing on the creature's chestrealized that its head had already been cut off.
Just how strong are you... Rasie narrowed his eyes at Zaefal.
Zaefal let out a sigh of relief and turned to Rasie. "Good work!"
Meanwhile, Fyar was observing the golden, apple-shaped fruit in his hand. I just have to eat this, right?
Illya, whose magic energy had partially recovered, was busy observing the pools of golden liquid near the tree. "So this is it..." she murmured. She then looked over at Zaefal and Rasie, who seemed to have finished their fight.
She waved her hand. "Nice wooooork!!!"
"They're done?" Fyar sighed in relief and began to eat the golden fruit.