Chapter 638: Battling the tentacled monster

The creature was massive, but from what he was seeing, that also made its movement incredibly slow, so much so that Elion would have an easy time defeating it alone as long as he went all out for a moment.

However, he wanted to see how everyone worked as a team, their strengths, and their weaknesses. That way, he would understand how he would fit in without doing all the work for them.

’Let’s see what you’ve got!’

He reached the fallen tentacle first, planting one foot against its slippery surface before pushing himself upward.

Yaana followed close beside him, an excited, almost crazed grin on her face, with her scythe trailing behind her as they rushed along the thick limb toward the creature’s body.

The surface rippled beneath their feet, forcing Elion to lower his stance as the monster began lifting its tentacle out of the grass.

However, before it could throw them off, Mayumi’s blade struck near one of its enormous eyes, drawing a furious shudder and a rumbling groan from the creature.

Its head turned toward her, and Elion took the opportunity to jump, raising his sword above his shoulder as mana rushed along the blade.

Bam!

Yaana’s leg muscles bulged for a moment, and she sprang powerfully from the tentacle a moment later, swinging her scythe in a wide arc toward the lower side of its head.

"Heh!"

Both weapons struck together, cutting deep lines through the dark, rubbery flesh.

Blue blood spilled over Elion’s sword and splashed across his sleeve, but his brows rose in surprise when the blade slowed before sinking as deeply as he had intended.

Even without the void-touched edge active, such a thing should not have been possible.

On the initial plunge, he had been able to easily slice through the flesh like a hot knife through butter, but then it was almost like something stopped his blade along the way.

A moment later, he got his answer.

A current of mana passed through the fleshy tentacle, coating the limb in a faint glow. The limb pulsed as if trying to hold his sword in place.

’It can use mana!?’

Elion quickly wrenched his sword free before the pulsating flesh could close around it. Beside him, Yaana pulled back on her scythe with both hands, tearing it loose just as a shadow passed over them.

"Above you! Pull back!" Maya shouted, and Elion swiftly looked up to see another tentacle descending toward their heads.

He caught Yaana around the waist and kicked away from the creature, his wings unravelling on his back, to carry them clear before the limb slammed against the place they had been standing.

The impact sent a heavy spray of water over the bank, but they were already landing several paces away.

Elion released Yaana, and she adjusted her footing without complaint, her gaze remaining fixed on the monster as Mayumi and Cole moved in again.

Cole rushed toward the opposite side, forcing the creature to divide its attention while Mayumi continued threatening the wounded eye.

Neither lingered after attacking, and although their blades left much smaller wounds than Yaana and Elion’s, the monster seemed considerably less willing to let either of them get close to its vulnerable face.

A tentacle swept low across the bank toward Cole’s legs, but a flash of fire magic struck it from the rear, searing and knocking its tip off course.

Maya already had another spell gathering around the tip of her staff, her eyes moving constantly between the four fighting in front of her.

"Cole, keep moving! Uta, stop that one!"

Three of Uta’s dark, grotesque limbs shot forward, striking the tentacle reaching around Cole’s blind side and forcing it back.

The boy’s feet slid through the grass under the strain, but he held long enough for Cole to escape before hurriedly withdrawing.

Elion glanced toward him, though there was no time to say anything.

Nora’s voice sounded behind them, and a faint shimmer spread across the monster’s lower body, making the movement of several tentacles noticeably sluggish.

"Now!" Maya called, and Yaana was already running before Elion could look toward her.

He followed behind her, his sword hanging at his side as they approached the wound they had opened earlier.

This time, he pressed mana into the ground beneath them, raising a broad slab of earth at an angle. Yaana stepped onto it without hesitation, using the rising surface to launch herself higher while Elion pushed off beside her.

"Haaaa!!!"

Her scythe caught the edge of the wound, and she pulled with all her strength, dragging the curved blade through the damaged flesh.

The monster recoiled, its head tilting away from Mayumi, but Elion was already above the opening, bringing his sword down with both hands.

His blade sank deep, and dark blue blood burst across his chest as the creature’s entire body convulsed.

A horrible sound rolled out of it, deep and wet, making the water around its body tremble.

Elion pulled his sword free, but the tentacle beneath Yaana suddenly jerked upward, throwing her off balance.

He reached for her arm just as she caught his sleeve, and the two dropped back toward the bank together, landing and creating shallow grooves through the grass.

"Rotate!" Maya shouted before they even grounded themselves properly.

Mayumi and Cole rushed past them, giving neither the monster nor its wounded head any chance to recover.

Elion let out a breath, wiping blue blood from his cheek with the back of his wrist.

The cuts they had made were very deep, but the creature was still moving far too well for his liking, and the sight of fresh flesh slowly gathering along the edges made his brows draw together.

"It’s healing," he said. "Keep those tentacles away from me for a moment."

’Okay... Let’s put some of Uncle Dorian’s techniques to good use.’

Maya’s gaze snapped toward the wounds, and she immediately understood. "Nora, keep slowing it down! Everyone else, give Elion an opening!"

Yaana moved to his side, her scythe raised as a tentacle came swinging toward them.

She stepped into its path and cut through the narrower tip, sending the severed length tumbling across the grass while Elion drew more mana into his sword.

The blade began to glow, its edge growing brighter as he steadily increased the flow.

He could feel Nora’s magic strengthening his arms and shoulders, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he adjusted his grip.

"Mayumi! It’s left eye!"

She moved swiftly, darting beneath a raised limb while Cole attacked from the other side.

Her blade struck near the already wounded eye, and the creature turned sharply toward her, lifting its head to pull the vulnerable spot out of reach.

That was all Elion needed.

He launched himself upward with a powerful beat of his draconic wings, clearing the tentacles reaching to stop him in one leap.

Below, Yaana severed one that tried to follow him, while Maya’s wind spell struck another and Uta forced a third away from his path.

’Ah, how good it feels, having such great support. All I have to worry about is finishing off this beast!’

For a brief moment, Elion hovered above the enormous head, his sword raised, and his wings spread wide behind him.

Then he folded them and dropped, driving the glowing blade straight into the wound he and Yaana had opened.

"Khaaaa!" Twisting his blade, Elion channelled more mana into his blade, letting it overflow and wreak havoc on the creature’s body, while also activating void touch edge for easier penetration.

The resistance lasted barely a moment before his sword tore through, the force of his descent carrying the blade deep into the creature’s head.

The sight of it was disgusting, almost as if the creature was being cut in half, and a fountain of its dark blue blood began to splash out.

Booom!

A violent shudder passed through its body, and Elion rapidly kicked away before the filthy blood could wash over him, dragging his weapon free as the tentacles began thrashing wildly beneath him.

"Back! Everyone, get back!" Maya shouted, already pulling Nora away from the water.

The others retreated as the enormous head sagged to one side, its eyes losing their focus before its weight finally carried it down.

Booooom!

It struck the lake with a deafening crash, sending a wall of water rushing toward the bank. Elion landed beside the others and thrust his free hand forward, raising a thick barrier of earth just before the wave slammed into them.

The ground shook beneath their feet, and water spilled over the top of the barrier, soaking his hair and shoulders.

He stood still until the force eased, then lowered his hand and looked around to make sure everyone was accounted for.

All seven simply listened to the water rushing back into the lake while also checking to make sure that the monster was dead. Then Maya drew in a breath behind him, her voice a little less steady now that she no longer had to shout.

"Is anyone hurt?"

They all shook their heads, and Maya smiled with relief. "Nicely done. Good job, everyone!"

"Y-yeah," Cole replied with a nod. "T-that was one hell of a fight, though."

Maya soon noticed that he seemed to be struggling to keep his gaze on her face. His eyes kept shifting away whenever he looked at her, as though he couldn’t quite decide where he was supposed to look.

"Hmm?" She glanced down at herself and finally realised the problem. Somewhere during the fight, her robe had come loose.

"Kyaaa!!!" A loud scream echoed across the bank as Maya hurriedly crouched down, pulling the robe tightly around her body.

Elion, Uta, and Cole immediately looked away, hoping that this would at least save them some face.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before they were chased away again, though this time, Elion managed to convince Mayumi to let him dry Maya’s clothes with magic before they left.

Once he was done, the three retreated behind the trees while she quickly dressed.

By the time they returned, Maya seemed to have finally gathered her wits again.

They regrouped at the edge of the lake, looking at the corpse of the great beast they had just slain, which was gradually drifting farther from the bank as the disturbed water settled.

Its dark blood had turned the water around it into a murky, blue mess.

Clearing her throat, Maya broke the silence. "We should harvest its core, and maybe some of its flesh as well. The meat should be edible, I think."