The ground shook as the Beast advanced…

Each step creates deep furrows in the soil. Its claws were longer than spears, its limbs were filled with muscle and scale.

This Beast was terrifying… The screech it released was more than a roar… It seemed that it was a command to all Glimmermucks!

Several of these beasts suddenly turned away from attacking the city as they redirected toward Arial's team!

Vanna, the dual blade fighter, reached the beast first… Her twin blades were already glowing with various enchantments, and she didn't wait for an opening… she created one!

With a burst of speed, she dashed beneath the creature's swinging arm and slashed upward, carving a shallow gash across its underbelly.

It was not too deep but still, acidic blood hissed against the air…

Despite the injury, the beast barely flinched.

Torren dropped to one knee, hands pressed to the ground.

"Oh stone that binds the wild…

Grasping Pillars!"

Thick columns of rock erupted around the beast's legs, anchoring it in place.

The Greater Beast roared and thrashed, but the terrain held… for now.

Edward had already climbed a ruined watchtower, ignoring Arial's positioning orders. He drew his enchanted bow and fired three arrows in rapid succession.

The first struck the beast's shoulder. The second embedded in its neck. The third… was aimed with deliberate spite that pierced its left eye.

Thud!

The creature reeled and this time, it was finally screeching in pain.

Jiya stood behind the front line with her staff raised.

"Oh unseen shield of flowing nature…

Mana Shield!"

Just like that, a mana dome enveloped Vanna just as the beast's tail whipped toward her.

Crash!

The impact shattered the barrier, but Vanna rolled free, unharmed.

Arial, on the other hand, found an opportunity to strike…

He charged in, ducking beneath a claw swipe and driving his sword deep into the beast's flank. The wound was clean and precise, but not fatal.

The creature twisted in pain, but it was still trying to crush him with its bulk! Thankfully, Arial was fast as he rolled to avoid it and slashed again, carving through its fin!

Torren shifted his stance as he found another chance…

"Oh earth that anchors the storm…

Weight of the Mountain!"

The terrain beneath the beast's feet sank, dragging it down slightly.

Its movements slowed, but its rage intensified.

At this time, Jiya realized that the beast was releasing some sort of green mist and it could be dangerous…

Without waiting for confirmation, she cast another Spell..

"Oh light that cleanses the corrupted…

Purity Veil!"

A wave of cleansing energy swept across the battlefield, neutralizing the acidic mist now leaking from the beast's wounds.

The group was coordinating really well as Edward fired another volley, this time aiming for the joints.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

His arrows struck, but the beast's hide was thick. Just too thick for even enchanted steel to pierce deeply.

"My turn!"

Vanna leapt onto the creature's back… She carved into its spine, dodging spines and fins as the beast thrashed violently.

Furthermore, they noticed that the beast was gathering a huge amount of mana within its stomach! It was about to do something!

Arial shouted… "Keep pressure! Don't let it cast!"

The Greater Beast didn't falter.

Despite the coordinated assault, its movements grew sharper and became more destructive. The wounds it suffered began to pulse with green light, and the acidic blood that leaked from its body thickened into a corrosive sludge that clung to weapons and armor!

Arial's blade hissed as it sliced through another fin, but the Beast twisted violently, slamming its tail into the ground with enough force to crack the terrain.

"Brace!" he shouted.

But the impact still sent several adventurers stumbling…

"It's adapting!" Torren frowned, shielding his face from the debris. "My bindings aren't holding!"

Vanna skidded across the dirt, narrowly avoiding a claw swipe. "It's reading us… This thing's not just strong, it's smart!"

Edward loosed another arrow from his spot struck the Beast's shoulder and bounced off.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Hide's thickening. I need a better angle."

Jiya's eyes widened as the Beast's chest began to expand unnaturally.

"Mist incoming!" she warned. "Get out of range!"

A pulse of green fog erupted from the creature's core, spreading fast.

The cloud clung to skin and armor, eating through cloth and metal alike.

"Fall back!" Arial shouted. "Don't breathe it in!"

Screams erupted as the mist burned through gear. One mage nearby collapsed, clutching his face as his goggles melted.

"I can't see!" someone cried.

This time, Arial knew that they needed help!

"Shieldbearers, regroup!" Arial barked. "Form a wall! Buy us time!"

But the Beast didn't wait.

It surged forward, dragging its bulk across the battlefield with terrifying speed.

Its claws slammed into the ground, carving trenches as it bulldozed through the front line.

A shieldbearer raised his barrier in hopes of blocking the large murloc…

"Hold!"

Bang!

Unfortunately, the shield shattered instantly. He was thrown like a ragdoll, crashing into a pile of broken stone.

"Formation's broken!" Vanna shouted, retreating toward Arial. "We need backup!"

Arial gritted his teeth as blood trailing from a cut on his cheek. He raised his blade again, but the Beast was already gathering another pulse.

"Jiya!" he called. "Can you cleanse it again?"

"Not fast enough!" she replied, her voice strained. "We need a counterstrike!"

They weren't fast enough!

Soon, a pulse of green mist began to swell in the Beast's chest. It was thicker, heavier, and more concentrated than whatever it had released from before.

Arial braced himself. "We're out of time!"

From the rear trench, Rayven watched the chaos unfold. His eyes squinted as he tracked the Beast's mana signature with his Detect Mana Source.

"It's about to cast again," he said calmly.

Miki gripped her greatsword. "They're not going to hold."

Narra crouched low as she held her short blades… "We move?"

Rayven didn't answer and pointed at the Beast.

"Fireball"

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A compact sphere of flame shot from his hand, arcing over the battlefield and striking the Beast's exposed flank.

Boom!

It wasn't enough to wound it, but it was enough to interrupt the casting.

The green mist faltered.

Arial blinked, confused. "Who--?"

Rayven didn't stop.

"Gust Step"

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

Wind surged beneath his boots, propelling him forward across the battlefield. He landed behind a fallen shieldbearer and immediately scanned the terrain.

"Miki, left flank. Narra, with me."

Miki charged in, her blade cleaving through a Glimmermuck that had turned toward Rayven's position.

"You better have a plan," she muttered.

"I do," Rayven replied. "Don't die."

Narra dashed beside him, her short blades flashed as she intercepted two beasts trying to flank the adventurers.

Arial turned to Vanna. "Who are they?"

Vanna shook her head. "No idea. But they're not amateurs."

Rayven raised his hand again.

"Mist Shroud"

[ 2 Gold Coins deducted. ]

A veil of thick, obscuring mist enveloped the left side of the battlefield, cutting off the Beast's line of sight and giving the adventurers a moment to regroup.

Indeed, the spells weren't just to conceal his position but also to block the creature's vision!

Torren blinked through the haze. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Vanna muttered as he repositioned himself. "But it's helping."

Rayven didn't speak to them as he stepped into the mist…

"Whisper Link."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A faint thread of mana connected him to Miki and Narra.

"Narra, flank the rear leg. Miki, draw its attention. I'll interrupt its casting…"

The two were shocked when they heard Rayven's voice if he was close to them, whispering… They had no idea that Rayven had such an incredible ability!

However, there was no time to deal with that matter…

"Copy," Narra replied.

"Already moving," Miki added.

The Beast roared, confused by the sudden loss of visibility. It slammed its claws into the ground, trying to clear the mist… but Narra was already beneath it!

Ssak! Ssak!

Soon, blades started carving into the tendons behind its knee.

"Got a weak spot!" she shouted.

Miki leapt onto a broken tree and launched herself toward the Beast's shoulder, her greatsword crashing down with a burst of force.

Thud!

The blade bit deep into the creature's upper back, just below the barnacle-like growths. The Beast roared and tried to push Miki away…

"Gust Step."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A burst of wind launched him sideways just as the tail slammed into the ground where he'd been standing. Dirt and debris exploded upward, but Rayven landed cleanly…

"Stone Skin."

[ 3 Gold Coins deducted. ]

A layer of hardened mana crawled across his arms and chest just in time to absorb a glancing blow from a Glimmermuck that had broken through the flank.

The impact staggered him, but he didn't fall.

Nearby, Jiya raised her staff again.

"Mana Shield!"

A shimmering barrier formed across the front line, catching a spray of acidic mist before it reached the wounded.

"There are too many Glimmermucks! Many of them are stopping their siege on the city to focus on us! Not good!" Jiya shouted.

Arial didn't respond. He was too busy watching Rayven's movements…

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