Four Split Personalities

Accompanied by a piercing howl, a total of ninety-four Screamer Heavy Crossbows collapsed after firing that single arrow, and nearly a hundred meters away, the Mutant Groups were enveloped by hundreds of light bands at the same time. The once intermittent howls suddenly became unbearably painful, and at least five hundred of the monsters at the forefront fell to the ground without a sound. Their bodies, which were a mix of decay, toughness, and foul odor, bizarrely caught fire and quickly turned into some sort of gray-white powder within seconds, sinking into the marsh, leaving no trace.

Despite its low cost and unremarkable features besides sufficient toughness and penetrating power—attributes shared by most crossbow arrows—the Screamer γ•Holy Silver Arrow, made mostly of refined steel with only the arrowhead coated in a bit of silver powder, transformed after several high priests had stayed up for two nights to bless them. These arrows, with a third of their structure hollowed out and each injected with nearly half a pound of Holy Water, had collectively stepped up in quality and, in addition to their inherent traits of "Penetration" and "Toughness," had acquired additional effects such as "Magic Break," "Purification," "Splash," and a "20% increase in damage to Undead Creatures." Even without being used as disposable items, holding them was like wielding a fine enchanted weapon.

With a small amount of Divine Power bestowed by the high priests, the remarkable Holy Water capable of devastating most undead creatures, and the powerful one-time discharge of the Screamer Heavy Crossbows under the "Multiple Shots" enhancement, only this device could eliminate swathes of Mutants merely by hitting, not directly striking, their heads.

With ninety-four powerful Holy Silver Crossbow Arrows and the derived arrows glowing with reduced yet still substantial penetrative power under "Multiple Shots," the Screamer commando team wiped out or gravely injured over seven hundred Mutants in an instant. They then hoisted their weapons and dived down from the platform, sprinkling arrows over the monsters still struggling in the marsh.

For a moment, countless tensions and howls echoed throughout Hodir Pass, nearly a hundred mid-to-low rank Rangers hopping within about thirty to fifty meters of those monsters, each picking the most convenient angle to shoot at the most unwelcome foes, buzzing fiercely like vicious wasps!

Although the mages around the back two Resonance Towers continued their chanting, the surging land slowly stabilized. There wasn’t much time left to extend their success!

Impact Arrows glowing with angry red cold light, Cold Stream Arrows trailing blue streaks through the air, Shifting Arrows constantly changing their positions, Invisible Arrows leaving only a faint shadow on the ground, Mother and Son Arrows "falling" like rain all enhanced with Multiple Shots, Helix Arrows surrounded by sharp cyclones, and arrows tipped with red crystal shards for Explosive Shots...

Under the Rangers’ indiscriminate assault, which spared no expense, tens of Mutants fell every second as they were struck by several arrows through their skulls; concurrently, dozens of elemental beings materialized from the air. They had no fixed shape or face; some were simply whirlwinds or bursts of flame. Yet, they created plenty of trouble for the monsters with an abundance of Fireballs, ice arrows, Wind Blades, and flying sand, significantly increasing their difficulty in freeing themselves from the marsh.

These were small elemental spirits summoned ahead of time by the Shaman Independent Group during the second phase, specifically to harass the Mutants once they were held in place.

Boom!!

Suddenly, two massive rocks fell from the sky, smashing directly into the monsters blocked behind by their kin, instantly turning dozens of Mutants into mosaics.

On either side of the three Resonance Towers, two belated war Old Trees finally rooted themselves on Hodir Trail, anchoring themselves at the very front of the first engagement zone on the mountain walls. Under their canopies, the two old faces filled with woody lines appeared grim and stiff but moved without any apparent delay. The left tree used its intertwined thick arms to constantly mix stones and mud, then hoisted them above its head and forcefully hurled them at the Undead—their common natural foes. The right tree kept "plucking" spiky fruits from itself and threw them at the Mutants every two seconds. While each throw only toppled three or four of them, the sheer quantity and speed made up for it.

"How much longer can everyone hold out?"

Beneath Resonance Tower Three, Bellia, with her big wavy hair, quickly jumped down the spiral staircase, scanning the surrounding flushed faces with urgency, "The Screamer’s results seem lower than expected. Although the Rangers are now desperately shooting, we can’t reduce the number of those monsters quickly enough!"

The slender middle-ranked Dwarf Mage, leading the seventh chanting of the "Marsh Technique" at that moment, responded with a bitter smile, stretched out his short index finger, and shook it vigorously before swiftly shrugging his shoulders.

"The last attempt?!"

Maintaining attention on Engagement Area Zero, Bellia exclaimed in shock and added blankly, "But..."

"No buts, Miss Bellia."

The young elf named Gandalf wobbled as he sat down on a pile of empty bottles, spread his hands, and said, "Everyone has done their utmost to delay things. If we don’t leave after this last joint casting, none of us will survive. Don’t worry, the Commander is already aware of the situation here; he has authorized us to retreat after the last attempt."