Chapter 446 - 445: Mental Offensive
Colin focused his mind, quickly driving the throbbing pain from his head while drawing upon the energy stored in his Armor to maintain the Haste spell.
A dark shadow lunged down from above.
Taking a closer look, he saw it was a tall, slender figure.
It wore a long black robe, the chest of which was covered in pale silver metal plates that resembled some kind of Armor. The creature’s head was that of a purple-skinned, four-tentacled octopus, slick with slime.
A tentacle on its octopus head extended, and a low voice once again echoed in Colin’s mind. ’Drop all your weapons.’
’Yes, that’s right. I really should drop my weapons.’
’In a chaotic battle like this, I have to drop my weapons to make sure I don’t become a target. I’m a Caster, so this is exactly what I should do.’
Colin drew the Giant Sword from his back and Burning Blood from his waist, one after the other, and threw them to the ground.
In his peripheral vision, he glimpsed his companions.
Everyone except for Dorn was standing frozen in place, as if they had fainted on their feet. Their eyes were completely devoid of life.
This was the Mind Flayer’s signature ability: Mind Blast.
This attack directly damages a person’s brain, shattering their psyche and leaving them paralyzed.
The moment he threw the dagger away, Colin’s mind suddenly cleared, and he instantly realized what he had just done.
’Damn it, that was Spiritual Energy! Something like the Suggestion spell!’
THWAP!
With a slimy noise, the view slit of his Helmet was suddenly covered by writhing suckers.
Immediately after, Colin felt the ground disappear from beneath his feet.
The Mind Flayer had grabbed his Helmet with its tentacles and was now lifting him straight up into the air with its Spiritual Energy.
Unable to lock onto a destination with his eyes, Colin had no way to use Misty Step to escape.
Just then, the suckers covering his vision began to glow with a faint, silver light.
Colin felt a chill spread from his scalp down into his brain, slowly seeping past his cerebral cortex and into its very core.
’Now, become my servant, Warlock,’ the Mind Flayer’s voice seemed to come from all directions, reverberating endlessly in Colin’s mind. ’Only then can your talents be truly realized. This is your only chance to live.’
Colin focused his mind, struggling to resist the external influence.
’The reason Mind Flayers can enslave those Dwarves is because they’re experts at controlling other creatures with their Spiritual Energy. If one of them gets control of you, it’s all over...’
Colin clenched his jaw.
One hand pressed against the Spellbook at his waist while the other pointed at the top of his own head, and he began to chant a Spell.
’A Mind Flayer’s skin has a certain resistance to Magic. A spell like Tasha’s Hideous Laughter probably won’t be enough to interrupt it now.’
’I’ll have to bet on a damage spell and see what happens!’
Colin could feel the Mind Flayer trying to rip off his Helmet. At the same time, something wet and slimy seized his wrist, attempting to pull his hand away.
However, Colin was far stronger; his opponent couldn’t budge his outstretched hand in the slightest.
The Spell for Burning Hand was complete. A violent gust of wind immediately howled around him, accompanied by a sharp, sizzling sound.
At the same time, a strange illusion appeared before Colin’s eyes.
He was leading Kase and the others to meet up with Dorn, preparing to enter the sewers. ’Wait a minute,’ he thought. ’Was that Mind Flayer just a dream? Or...’
"Die, you octopus-face!"
At that critical moment, Dorn’s roar echoed in his ears.
Colin’s mind cleared in an instant.
The illusion before him melted away like a snowflake on a bonfire, and he felt the force pulling him into the air suddenly weaken.
Colin began Spellcasting again, accompanied by the RUSTLE of flipping pages.
Countless gray-white feathers materialized at his sides, guiding his descent back to the ground.
He looked back and saw Dorn grappling with the Mind Flayer in mid-air.
With one hand, he clutched the tentacles on the creature’s face, while with the other, he frantically stabbed a Dagger into its flank. Slimy blood splattered everywhere.
It was obvious the Mind Flayer was desperate to throw the Dwarf off, but Dorn’s iron-pincer grip was not about to let that happen.
Colin glanced around.
The Mind Flayer hadn’t carried him very far. Now, Karen Stone Heart, holding her Large Shield, and the few remaining Intellect Devourers were staring him down menacingly.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Colin used Misty Step to Teleport to his weapons and snatched Burning Blood from the ground.
The moment he entered his Sword Dance stance, he chanted a Spell, and his blade instantly erupted in flames.
CLANG!
His blade slammed against Karen’s metal Large Shield.
A numbing shock ran through Colin’s hand, but the Large Shield before him didn’t move an inch. The flames that exploded from the impact instantly coalesced into a ball of fire, blasting a heavily wounded Intellect Devourer to the ground.
Immediately after, a bizarre purple mist erupted around two of the Intellect Devourers on the ground.
Colin felt his vision inexplicably swim, as if something were shaking his brain. ’This must be some kind of psychic attack from the Intellect Devourers.’
The other two Intellect Devourers charged forward, SPLASHING through the water.
The two creatures slashed violently at Colin’s calves with their front claws, which were tipped with jet-black nails.
Their strength was considerable, and their claws scraped showers of sparks from his metal Greaves, leaving behind several white gouges.
Had a normal person taken that blow, chunks of their flesh would have been gouged out.
Colin ignored the surrounding Intellect Devourers.
He delivered another backhanded strike with his Emerald Flame Sword against Karen’s Large Shield, once again blasting an Intellect Devourer away.
The monsters continued their assault, but his companions still hadn’t woken up.
Colin could hear Dorn’s furious roars and occasionally glimpse strange flashes of silver light.
’I remember reading somewhere that the manifestation of Spiritual Energy produces a silver glow,’ he thought. ’Perhaps the two of them up there are fighting with Spiritual Energy.’
Colin had no time to help Dorn. He kept his eyes fixed on the monsters and the controlled Karen in front of him. His mission now was to prevent the creatures from reaching his other companions.
Flames flickered nonstop as sharp, hoarse screams echoed without end.
Colin used every trick up his sleeve to deal with the enemies before him.
But with the constant interference from the Intellect Devourers and Karen, he couldn’t find an opening to cast a powerful spell like Lightning Bolt. He could only rely on the simpler Burning Hand and various Cantrips to keep the enemies at bay.
Just as the battle reached a stalemate, Colin faintly heard the sound of Ale chanting a Spell.
Immediately after, a biting cold wind swept over him from behind.
The Intellect Devourers, already tormented by his flame Magic, were frozen solid by the cold wind. After that one spell, almost no mobile Intellect Devourers remained.
However, Karen Stone Heart, still holding her Large Shield, remained standing firm.
CLANG!
Colin smashed his sword against his opponent’s Shield once more.
A silver flash immediately streaked across the corner of his vision. He instantly hopped backward, taking advantage of Haste, and sent a Flaming Arrow smashing into her calf, just below her shield.
Only after he completed this maneuver did the Armed Sword in Karen’s hand finally arrive, stabbing nothing but empty air.
She unhurriedly retracted her blade and raised her Large Shield once more, looking like an insurmountable wall.
Colin panted, catching his breath.
’She’s unbelievably tough,’ Colin thought. ’She’s taken so many hits, yet she doesn’t show the slightest sign of breaking, let alone being defeated.’
"Die!"
Just as Colin was about to use Lightning Bolt to see how much more she could take, Dorn’s shout echoed from above.