Chương 68: Strike Back

Down in the bushes, I risked a quick look past June's frantic clothing-dusting operation to check on our immediate survival prospects. The other Rot-Vine Creeper, the highly persistent stalker that had been aggressively chasing my lagging rear end through the foliage earlier, was currently perched high up on a sturdy branch in the middle distance.

The only reason this hyper-speed botanical assassin had suddenly paused its campaign of terror and refrained from turning my remaining internal organs into a pincushion was entirely due to the fact that Aiko had decisively planted herself right in our defense line. Our resident, hyper-anxious berserker was currently standing directly between us and the looming danger, her petite frame practically vibrating with a fresh, monumental wave of pure existential dread.

She was actively shivering from head to toe, her teeth clicking together like castanets as her voice dropped down to its usual hyper-delicate, low-volume whimper, desperately muttering a frantic stream of polite apologies and terrified prayers into the chilly forest air.

Yet, despite the fact that she looked like she might literally pass out from sheer panic at any given second, her tiny, cloth-wrapped hands maintained an absolutely iron, vice-like grip on the mountain-wolf hide wrap of her monstrous Spine-Breaker's Reaver. There was something undeniably terrifying about this incredibly shy, deeply traumatized girl that made the agile monster seriously second-guess its life choices.

Even with her stuttering and whimpering, the raw, light-absorbing malice radiating from that massive black-iron step-blade was a statistical nightmare that the creeper's primitive brain simply could not calculate. The creature stared down at her wild, predatory silhouette through the branches, visibly hesitating to dare launch another assault against a pint-sized engine of pure, unadulterated violence.

Realizing that a head-on collision with a panicked berserker was a fantastic recipe for immediate structural liquidation, the vine monster decided to tap out of the fight entirely. It violently slammed its razor-sharp wooden talons directly into its own bulbous violet flower head, immediately triggering its highly annoying Spore-Burst Vanish ability.

The floral crown exploded into a dense, blinding cloud of toxic purple gas that completely obscured the canopy from view, and the sneaky assassin rapidly rushed away into the deeper undergrowth, utilizing the chaotic screen of smoke to make a cowardly, high-speed retreat into the distant forest shadows. With our immediate botanical stalker officially escaping into the deep foliage, my attention immediately shifted back toward the primary clearing where the main event was still actively underway.

Over on the other side of the brush, Dimitri was currently engaged in a deeply personal, high-stakes wrestling match against the six remaining health-bloated Fungal Shamblers, working in perfect, highly aggressive tandem with Fiona who was still securely locked into her giant crimson bear shape. Even while buried beneath a literal mountain of angry rotting logs and suffocating moss, our burly savior managed to twist his neck around to check on our operational status.

"It brings the grandest joy to my warrior soul to witness that the two of you have emerged victorious and unscathed!" Dimitri's thick Russian accent boomed over the roaring sounds of splintering wood, his tone radiating that spectacular, completely unshakable tide of pure kindness as if he were simply checking on guests at a backyard barbecue.

"Now, my magnificent companions, let us combine our strength to bring a swift and triumphant conclusion to this glorious struggle!" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Right beside me, June let out a sharp, highly dignified clearing of her throat, desperately trying to scrub any remaining traces of her recent panic dance from our collective memory.

"I shall recommence my high-tier elemental invocation immediately," June declared, her thick British accent swiftly snapping right back into its usual layers of condescending royal grandeur and narcissistic majesty.

"Do try to utilize your peasant eyes to scan the perimeter for any further uncultured interruptions."

"Right behind you, princess, let us put these walking compost heaps out of our misery," I replied, feeling the strange thrill of combat overrule the lingering ache in my spine. With a quick mental command to my inventory, I instantly summoned my Training Prototype-7 right into my trigger hand. The bulky, unpainted iron revolver materialized with a reassuring weight, its heavy frame settling comfortably against my palm wraps to ensure my steady hand wouldn't slip during the upcoming finale.

Beside me, June raised her Scuffed Juniper Branch high into the air and began chanting her elemental skill. The ambient air currents around her pristine linen tunic immediately began to warp and distort as a brilliant, shimmering aura of pure crimson fire started to violently brew around her sandals, lighting up the dim forest with a spectacular display of magical heat. I turned my head slightly to look down at our resident, pint-sized engine of mass destruction.

"Time to clean up the garden, Aiko-chan," I said with a highly confident smirk beneath my squint-guard bandana. Aiko gave me a very slow, deeply hesitant nod, her wide eyes still shivering with an overwhelming wave of existential dread behind her messy dark bangs.

Yet, despite her hyper-delicate, low-volume whimpering, she effortlessly hoisted the light-absorbing black-iron mass of her giant Spine-Breaker's Reaver onto her slight shoulder and began a steady, grounded jog straight toward the chaotic battlefield ahead. With my Training Prototype-7 firmly secured in my grip, I locked my sights onto the nearest health-bloated Fungal Shambler currently engaged in a deeply personal, high-stakes wrestling match against Fiona's giant crimson bear form.

I squeezed the smooth trigger twice in rapid succession, letting exactly two precious points of my mana pool drain away to manifest a pair of heavy magical bullets inside the chamber. The bulky, unpainted iron frame barked twice, its weighted grip doing a phenomenal job of absorbing the massive kickback so my hands wouldn't slip while the projectiles hissed aggressively through the damp forest air. The twin rounds slammed brutally right into the center of the lumbering monster's hardened wooden frame.

The very instant they connected, the unique armor-breaking utility inherent to my revolver took effect, causing a sharp crackle of energy to completely shred through a significant portion of its dense outer defenses. The thick shelves of fungi lining its back visibly cracked and splintered, completely exposing the raw, rotting timber underneath. The sudden, catastrophic loss of its protective shell completely hijacked the monster's attention.

It completely ignored Fiona's massive claw strikes, unhinging its gaping, dark maw as its blind wooden face locked onto my position with absolute, unmistakable hostility. The heavy quadrupedal beast reared back onto its trunks and immediately charged straight toward me, leaving a trail of rapidly growing mushrooms in its wake as it prepared to turn my skeletal structure into a collection of very expensive splinters.

Before I could even think about executing a tactical repositioning maneuver, I felt a sudden, hyper-speed silhouette come rushing right beside me. It was Aiko, who had seamlessly sprinted forward to plant her petite frame directly in the danger zone between me and the oncoming monster. Our resident, hyper-anxious berserker was practically vibrating with a fresh wave of existential dread, but her hands remained absolutely vice-like on her weapon as she prepared to unleash pure, unadulterated violence.

[Activating Skill: Brutal Cleave.] Instantly, the massive, matte-black iron blade of her Spine-Breaker's Reaver erupted with a terrifying, light-absorbing crimson radiance as she channeled her raw, inner panic directly into the weapon. Aiko swung the monstrous hunk of black iron in a wide, catastrophic horizontal arc, the jagged step-blade making a low, haunting whistle through the air right before it connected.

The resulting physical impact was so utterly devastating that it completely defied the standard laws of biology. Because the monster's medium physical defense had already been thoroughly compromised and shredded by the armor-breaking effects of my revolver, Aiko's bone-cracker bonus effect completely amplified the destruction.

The heavy, jagged blade tore clean through the dense wood and packed soil like a silver butter knife through warm cheese, leaving a faint trail of red mist in its wake as the sheer force of the strike caused the very ground to crack beneath her feet. The massive log-beast let out a wet, gargling choke and groaned loudly in pure, unadulterated pain, its heavy body violently staggering backward as its high vitality pool took a monumental, statistics-shattering dive.