Chapter 80: Coordinated Spellcasting
To keep the monsters from losing sight of him and breaking aggro, he even had to deliberately slow down, leading the pack of demons along as if he were walking a dog.
A huge, weathered rock loomed ahead, marking a sharp, almost ninety-degree turn in the path.
Because of their frenzied pursuit, the swarm of Stone Shell River Crabs behind him had become separated.
The fastest few, the vanguard, had already pulled three or four body-lengths ahead of the main swarm.
Lance’s eyes narrowed.
’Now!’
He exploded forward, instantly ducking into the blind spot behind the massive rock.
The five blood-crazed Stone Shell River Crabs had no time to think, brandishing their pincers as they charged right after him around the bend.
Atop the giant rock, Cecilia’s eyes flashed.
’An opening!’
She instantly blurted out the Spell she had prepared, her finger pointing precisely at the narrow corner.
One Ring Spell: [Oily Skill].
There was no delay.
The instant the crabs set foot around the corner, a viscous, shimmering film of oil with a rainbow-colored sheen spread across the once dry, rough gravel.
The riverbed was already uneven, and the demons were pushing off with all eight legs to make the sharp turn.
The consequences of suddenly losing their footing were disastrous.
"CRUNCH! THUD!"
It was followed by a series of chaotic collisions.
The Stone Shell River Crabs at the front couldn’t stop. Their immense inertia sent them careening out of control. They crashed into each other like bowling pins before tumbling pathetically onto their backs, legs flailing in the air.
In that instant.
Lance, who had been fleeing, acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
"SCREEECH..."
The soles of his leather boots dug a deep trench in the ground as he executed an incredible dead stop and pivot from a full sprint.
In his field of view.
The overturned Stone Shell River Crabs, their soft underbellies exposed, were now flashing with glaring red spots of light.
Those were the fatal weak points identified by Weakness Insight.
Lance bent his knees, using the centrifugal force from his turn to launch himself into the air.
The Ether Energy in his body burned like a raging floodgate had been opened, and his Stamina Bar plummeted.
[Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style: Dragon Jaw Shattering]
A terrifying 10.5 points of Power all converged on his right knee.
He descended like a heavy hammer, the wind whistling around him, and smashed down viciously on the struggling crab’s abdomen.
"SQUELCH!"
A dull, bursting sound echoed across the riverbed.
Under the combined effect of absolute Power and a strike to a weak point, the seemingly tough abdominal shell was as fragile as paper.
It shattered instantly.
Yellow-green ichor and shattered organs sprayed everywhere.
Lance didn’t spare the thoroughly dead demon a single glance.
As he landed, he immediately rolled with the momentum, slamming the Kite Shield on his left arm down with brutal force.
"CRACK!"
The edge of the shield shattered the fragile joint of a nearby crab that was trying to counterattack with its pincer.
Then, with a flash of cold steel.
Lance’s Short Sword plunged with unerring precision into the red-marked weak point on its abdomen.
Two demons died instantly.
By now, the main swarm surging from behind had also charged into the area affected by the Oily Skill.
They slipped, collided, and piled up.
The entire Vanguard Team was thrown into chaos, completely unable to organize an effective attack.
Lance seized the golden opportunity, his Short Sword becoming a life-reaping Scythe of Death.
With every swing of his blade, another three crabs became cold corpses.
But the situation on the battlefield could change in an instant.
Just as Lance was getting into the rhythm of the slaughter, two smaller Stone Shell River Crabs, having been pushed to the outer edge by their kin, managed to bypass the area of the Oily Skill by sheer luck.
They silently flanked him from the other side of the massive rock, appearing directly at his rear.
"Watch out!"
Cecilia, who had been observing the entire battle from her high perch, cried out in alarm.
Ringless Spell: [Frozen Beam].
Two beams of pale blue light shot through the air, precisely striking the two crabs just as they were raising their pincers.
The damage wasn’t high, but the slowing effect from the Frost Energy was instantaneous.
The crabs’ previously swift charge-up motion slowed to a crawl, as if a slow-motion button had been pressed. It became noticeably choppy.
But at that moment, Lance, his Perception boosted to 8.3 by his Breathing Technique, had already heard the faint crackle of ice forming behind him.
He showed no sign of panic.
Using the recoil from killing the previous demon, he spun around sharply.
Castro Swordsmanship!
His blade flashed like lightning.
It struck precisely at the slowed crab’s pincer joint.
With the crisp sound of shattering frost, the frozen-brittle joint snapped.
Lance then flicked his wrist.
Guided by the extreme stability of his Specialty, [Trench Rat’s Bite], the tip of his sword didn’t waver in the slightest as it plunged directly into the soft flesh at the base of the crab’s eyestalk.
Its brain was instantly pulped.
The other ambusher couldn’t escape its fate and was easily dispatched by Lance while still slowed by the frost.
In just a dozen seconds, seven demons lay dead.
But this high-intensity killing spree had delayed Lance’s retreat.
The main swarm, which had been held back by the Oily Skill, finally regained its footing. Some even clambered over the corpses of their comrades to charge forward.
Before Lance could even catch his breath...
A dozen furious Stone Shell River Crabs had already surrounded him.
They had him pinned in the dead end in front of the massive rock.
"KLAK... KLAK..."
A synchronized scraping of carapaces filled the air.
The five crabs in the front row simultaneously drew back their thick, mutated pincers.
Five heavy lances, each capable of piercing a steel plate, were poised to strike.
Heavy Armor Stab!
Behind Lance was a cold rock wall; before him, an impenetrable wall of crabs.
The timing was perfect—so perfect that even Cecilia, from her high vantage point, had no time to chant another support Spell.
There was no escape.
Faced with several heavy pincers thrusting at him simultaneously, Lance could only raise the Kite Shield on his left arm and brace for impact.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
A continuous, deafening clang of metal on metal exploded in front of the rock wall.
A shower of blinding sparks erupted from the surface of the Shield.
Had this been the Lance of yesterday, the massive impact would have surely left his arm numb, if not knocked him backward.
But things were different now.
As two streams of scalding white vapor shot from his mouth and nose, the Attribute bonuses from his [Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique] surged through his body.
It was a Power that surpassed mortal limits.
Far from retreating a single step, Lance let out a low grunt at the moment of impact. He put his core into it and shoved forward with all his might.
"BANG!"
The immense counterforce actually knocked the two Stone Shell River Crabs at the very front onto their backs.
And in that very instant.
In the split second that the encirclement loosened...
Cecilia, who had been observing the battle from her prone position on the high rock, finally seized the fleeting opportunity.
She had already formed the spell model in her mind. Her lack of practice with this particular Spell had made the preparation take too long, but it was finally ready.
One Ring Spell: [Seven-Color Spray].