The Winged Swordsman Ant took off again. His movement was abrupt, as if he had just been shot from a crossbow. The wings left a greenish-black plume behind, and the air flared with cutting vibrations.
I barely had time to raise my daggers, the Scarlet Bud and the Mist Leaf intersected, forming a translucent cross of light.
With a dull clang, the blow landed on the blades. I was thrown back a step, my heels sliding on the wet stone, but I kept my balance.
—Fast… damn fast.
I felt my fingers go numb from the recoil. The ant leaped up, hovering in the air as if assessing the situation. Its eyes, composed of hundreds of tiny facets, shimmered with green light. It seemed to be scanning me, trying to find the slightest weakness in my stance.
I took a deep breath, concentrating, and then said quietly:
—If he's looking for a weakness, he'll find another one. Blinding him.
I cast a quick glance over my shoulder, where Fritte was sitting.
—Fritte, can you use that light spell... like in the Misty Garden, against Morna Lunn?
—Do you want me to burn his retina? Clever. But I warn you, it's risky, if I miss, you might not see anything for a few seconds as well.
—It's okay, as long as he doesn't see me.
Fritte waved a tiny wand that appeared from his cloak, and the space around him began to shimmer, as if a tiny sun was burning in the air.
Small waves of light spread throughout the cave, reflecting off the luminescent mushrooms and the damp walls. The ant immediately became alert.
His compound eyes began to quiver, reacting to the sudden increase in light. His pupils dilated, then contracted. He let out a short, irritated click and jerked violently to the side, as if he couldn't quite place the target.
—Now, Fritte!
A flash of light pierced the darkness, blinding even the rocks. For a moment, the entire tunnel was white.
The Ant-Swordsman roared with a sharp, vibrating screech, and lost his bearings. He crashed into the wall, leaving a trail of molten acid, and twitched, losing his balance in mid-air. Without wasting any time, I lunged forward, the green aura on my daggers flaring.
—Let's see how you like being hit back!
And I jumped right into the center of the blinded whirlwind of wings. The daggers flashed like two lightning bolts and plunged into the chest armor.
The sound was dull, as if the blow had struck bone. The ant staggered, and a green liquid poured from beneath its body, not blood but viscous acid.
I jumped back, feeling the air sizzle against my soles. The ant was still trying to stay in the air, but his movements were becoming erratic.
— Well, at least he's not such a formidable swordsman anymore!
— Great job, keep going.
Fritte was still floating just behind me, emitting a soft glow like a tiny living lantern. Its light was disorienting the Winged Ant-Swordsman, but it was gradually adapting, the black pupils within its compound eyes began to constrict, and its slender, membranous wings began to hum with renewed vigor.
The monster growled, a vibrating tone that echoed through the tunnel.
It realized where the threat was coming from, and it snapped upward, striking the air with a powerful wave. Tiny fragments of mushrooms and dust swirled around.
Then, like a spear, the Ant plummeted down, straight at Fritte.
— Fritte, be careful!
The monster's wings shone like sharpened blades. It flew so fast that the air whistled.
If it hit, the little fairy might be reduced to glowing dust.
Fritte soared upward, but it was too late, and the Ant's shadow blocked the light. Instinctively, I reacted.
I pushed off the floor, activating [Aura Separation]. My body felt lighter, and my movements became faster. The aura flared with a green glow, and the daggers rose into the air, creating green projections of hands.
I managed to wedge myself between the Ant and Fritte, and, turning 180 degrees, I struck back. My blades met the edge of his wing, and there was a crackling sound, as if a glass thread were breaking.
The force of the impact knocked me back, but I used the momentum to roll across the stone and get back on my feet.
The Ant slowed down for a second, as if he hadn't expected a counterattack. His wing was cracked along the edge, and a viscous, smoking substance was dripping from the crack.
Meanwhile, Fritte took advantage of the moment, and the light around him flared up again, but this time he directed it not at the Ant's eyes but at the ceiling itself.
Hundreds of luminescent mushrooms glowed brighter, reflecting the light, turning the entire hall into a dazzling display.
—You finally managed to raise the daggers into the air, well done!
Now I could see every movement of the enemy, his shadow danced on the walls, and the glaring eyes could not focus.
The ant tried to escape upward again, but I threw one of the daggers straight into the wing. The blade worked as an anchor, cutting through the membrane and making the monster lose its balance.
He collapsed on his side, scratching the ground with his paws.
His movements became ragged and erratic, but he was still dangerous.
—You're not much of a swordsman if you're blinded by a little fairy.
Fritte struggled to maintain his concentration. His light spell flickered, as if it might fade at any moment. The creature flailed furiously, screeching and making metallic sounds.
—We can't take this! We need to leave now!
Fritte shouted, feeling his magic slipping through his fingers.
—No, if we run now, he'll catch up with us and tear us apart.
The ant began to act unpredictably, leaping high into the tunnel ceiling, then plummeting back to the ground, crashing into the earth, and raising clouds of dust.
His movements became so chaotic that even Fritte lost sight of where his front was and where his back was.
And it was at that moment that I made my decision.
—Now or never!
I rushed forward, my aura on my arms flaring with green light, raising my blades into the air.
As the Ant dove again, aiming to pierce Fritte with its bone-bladed wings, I leaped forward.
Time seemed to slow down: I saw the monster flying at me at a sharp angle, felt its whistling gust of wind, and smelled the burning chitin and dry sand.
The aura-enhanced blade cut off one of the Ant's wings. A piercing screech echoed through the tunnel as the creature lost its balance and crashed to the ground, scattering dirt and debris.
—That's air out of the way, now let's see what you can do on the ground.
The Ant let out a crackling roar as it rose to its six legs and attempted to attack again, but its movements became slower, as if some of its energy was draining through the wound on its back.
He lunged forward, delivering a series of strikes, but I was already used to his pace. I dodged, slid under him, and used the momentum to deliver a powerful blow to the joint of his armor under his belly.
Click!
The blades entered exactly between the plates, and the monster's body twitched in convulsions. After a second, everything was quiet.
The interface screen flashed before my eyes:
[System notification]
[ The first floor's mini-boss, the Winged Ant Swordsman, has been defeated. ]
[ Floor 1 of the Adalaza Ant Nest has been cleared. ]
[ Received: experience +1280 ]
Fritte let out a heavy breath, feeling the tension ease.
—You're just crazy…
—Crazy? Maybe. But now we're one step closer to the next level.
Aka-32 approached from behind, her dark ants already dissolving into the air, turning into a cloud of black.
—Good job, but if this was just the mini-boss on the first floor… I'm afraid the second floor won't give us even a chance to rest.