” (Is that Analysis Magic…? How troublesome.)”
There was an unpleasant sensation of 〖Mana〗 crawling up my spine.
It seemed to be coming from the Demon Beast Cult’s man in the mine.
Is he staying there to continue his analysis, or to observe the Demon Beasts’ fighting styles?
He might even be giving them remote instructions.
…Well, I don’t have the luxury of worrying about him right now. I need to focus on the 〖Feral Beasts〗.
“GRYUUOOOOOOO!”
The first to move was the third 〖Feral Beast〗, a deep green Dragon.
It leaped into the air, kicking off the ground with its two powerful legs. From the tip of its horns to the end of its tail, it was the very image of a dragon.
Unlike the slender, Eastern-style dragon of the Machine God’s left arm, this one had the classic Western dragon look, with wings and reptilian features.
“(It’s actually the first time I’ve seen a Dragon, huh?)”
While I was thinking such carefree thoughts, the Dragon grabbed the air with its two wings, propelling its massive body forward.
In a flash, it closed in on me, swinging its huge claws that could probably slice a truck in half.
“(〖Cross Counter〗, 〖Compact Slash〗!)”
I narrowly dodged the claws, passing behind it and slashing with my halberd.
But, it was a hard impact. Even with the 〖Toughness〗 ignoring a certain percentage, the Dragon scales were incredibly tough.
“HIIYUUWOOOO…!”
Behind the giant Dragon was the first 〖Feral Beast〗 summoned, a skeletal monstrosity.
Its head, neck, shoulders, and chest closely resembled a human skeleton, which was somewhat scary, but I was used to seeing them in pictures and drawings.
However, the problem was everything else.
From the shoulders down, and below the ribcage, it was made of a tangled mass of rotting arms. It was super grotesque.
The tangled arms were unnaturally long, and they branched out into multiple limbs.
I’m used to long arms thanks to Fiss’s 〖Physical Extend〗, but seeing so many arms writhing around was just creepy.
That skeleton was now closing in on me.
It had three legs. The mass of arms extended like a camera tripod, moving erratically.
“(Well, I have eight legs!)”
I felt a surge of competitiveness.
It entered my range. The skeleton tried to touch me, using its number of arms, reach, and skillful footwork.
“(If it’s trying so hard to touch me, it must mean something, right?)”
When I was knocked down by these arms earlier, I felt a strange sense of weakness and some of my cells died. My 〖Life〗 also decreased a little.
It didn’t hurt, so it’s probably not the 〖Toughness〗 ignoring type.
I don’t know what it is, but it’s best to be cautious.
“(Well, I won’t get hit by such a slow attack!)”
I have eight legs, after all. I won’t lose in footwork.
With the 〖Multi-Weapon Style〗 buff, I can swing four weapons quickly and efficiently, and I can cover any missed arms with Forest Shackles.
As a result, all the arms were cut off before they could reach me, and not a single finger touched me.
The arms were growing back from where they were cut, and this regeneration felt similar to my 〖Stockpile〗. It’s probably replenishing with 〖Life〗 stock.
If I keep cutting them like this, it will eventually reach the limit of its regeneration.
More importantly, what I should be worried about now is…
“(Where did the third one go?)”
The last 〖Feral Beast〗 that I can’t see.
In that moment when I was focused on the Dragon’s charge and counter, the third one disappeared.
Based on past experience, I’m guessing it has camouflage or invisibility, so I’m on guard, ready for an attack from anywhere.
“(I also have to be careful of the Dragon, this is tough.)”
I positioned myself so that the skeleton was between me and the Dragon, to prevent it from joining the attack.
It’s refreshing to fight while paying attention to my surroundings like this.
“(Wha- what’s this!?)”
While I was clashing with the skeleton, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks.
It was less than a second, but I was frozen in place as if I had been paralyzed.
“(Damn it, Lightning Strike!)”
To buy myself time to evade, I used my 【Unique Skill】 to repel the approaching arms.
In that gap, I repositioned my weapons, and just before I was about to cut the arms, I 〖Leaped〗 to the side.
“(So it was from there?)”
“Kukekekekeke!”
Suddenly, the shadow at my feet swelled up.
The third 〖Feral Beast〗, a black shadow figure, jumped out from there.
As soon as it appeared, it threw an uppercut.
I barely managed to jump away, but the air behind me was torn apart.
–BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!
“(Whoa!?)”
At the same time as the explosion, I was hit by a tremendous blast of wind.
The Black Shadow hadn’t done anything special. It had just clenched its fist and swung it.
And yet, it unleashed such a high-powered attack that could be heard with just that sound.
“(Ahaha, amazing. Is its 〖Power〗 just abnormal?)”
It could be an attack 〖Skill〗 with restrictions and drawbacks like my 〖All-Out Throw〗, but for now, it’s best to avoid its attacks as much as possible.
“(No, that goes for all of them.)”
The Dragon attacked from above, now that I had moved away from the skeleton.
A set of large fangs suddenly approached.
“(〖Blink〗!)”
I dodged the powerful bite that could have crushed me in one go by flattening myself to the ground like a puddle of water.
It’s a technique that takes advantage of my slime body and 〖Soft Body〗.
Then, I used 〖Leap〗 to create some distance.
The Dragon landed with a flap of its wings, and the three 〖Feral Beasts〗 stood side by side.
We paused for a moment, glaring at each other.
“(It’s nice that they’re lined up like this, it makes the 〖Zone Control〗 easier to understand.)”
All three of them are currently activating their 〖Zone Control〗.
The center is the skeleton’s graveyard 〖Zone Control〗, and several tombstones have appeared within its range. This one has the widest range.
The Dragon’s 〖Zone Control〗 next to it is fire. The entire ground is covered in flames.
I remembered that the first 〖Zone Control〗 I saw was also fire, which was a little nostalgic.
And on the opposite side, the Black Shadow’s is exactly what it sounds like, a shadow 〖Zone Control〗.
It’s faintly dark, like twilight, and without 〖Clairvoyance〗, it would have been difficult to even see the Black Shadow.
“(Hmm, nothing seems too dangerous for now.)”
The graveyard is a nuisance, but my 〖Power〗 can crush it even without going all out.
The Dragon’s fire was lukewarm compared to the Red Lizard’s magma, and the Black Shadow’s can be nullified with 〖Clairvoyance〗.
There are probably some additional effects besides the terrain changes, but the proficiency of their 〖Zone Control〗 is below even “Hanji”.
They can’t harm me, protected by the 〖Armory〗.
“(Electrification)”
I reapplied the buffs that were about to expire, and once again glared at the 〖Feral Beasts〗.
“(They probably still have some tricks up their sleeves, but I’ve got a general idea of their abilities.)”
The skeleton steals 〖Life〗 by touching.
The Dragon’s claws and fangs, and possibly all of its attacks, ignore 〖Toughness〗.
The Black Shadow has an exceptional attack power.
I don’t know all the tricks, but as long as I know what could be dangerous, I can deal with it.
“(Alright, alright, let’s start figuring out how to corner them—wait, huh?)”
Just as I was filled with fighting spirit, a strange sight caught my eye.
It was beyond the three 〖Feral Beasts〗, further back. The mountain where the Demon Beast Cult man was.
I couldn’t see it clearly because it was over a hundred meters away, but it looked like Fiss, with an axe, was attacking the man.