The centipede's screech echoed in the air as it reared up again, towering over us, its mandibles clicking in an eerie rhythm. Artemeni was quick to recover, rolling to her feet, but even she looked rattled by the sheer power of that strike.

“Stay sharp!” I called out, pulling back on Shadowchaser's Eclipsebow once more. This time, I infused more mana into the arrows, activating Hunter’s Mark. Extra darkness damage and enhanced tracking would help greatly. I released a volley, each arrow splitting through the air. The centipede shifted, but not fast enough—the arrows struck its smaller eyes with a sharp crack, causing the monster to let out a shriek of pain. Black ichor poured from the wound, but the creature didn’t falter. Instead, it turned its massive form toward me, its many legs clattering against the ground as it charged.

Aurora, standing beside me, extended her hand, glyphs spinning in the air as she focused the barrier surrounding us to focus on its attack. The centipede slammed into Aurora’s barrier with terrifying force, the impact rippling through the protective dome like a shockwave. I could feel the sheer weight of its power through the vibration in the ground, but Aurora’s barrier held—barely. Her face was strained, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she maintained the barrier’s integrity. She made hand signs while chanting behind her clenched teeth and the invisible barrier shifted, surrounding the centipede like a net.

“I can’t hold it for long!”

Before she could finish her sentence, I leaped forward, activating both Beastification and Monstrous Strength while manifesting my sacred sword. As I surged forward, the transformation from Beastification coursed through me, my muscles swelling with strength and power. My senses sharpened, honing in on the centipede’s every movement as the world seemed to slow around me. My sacred sword materialized in my hand with a crackle of energy—its weight familiar yet empowering, humming with the intent to strike.

(You acquired a body similar to Magical Beasts. Duration of Monstrous Strength lengthens by 15 seconds.)

With Monstrous Strength amplifying my movements, I closed the distance between us in an instant. The centipede writhed, its many legs thrashing against Aurora’s weakening barrier, but I could see the opening—just below its armored head, where the segments of its body were slightly exposed.

I swung the sword with all my might, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp, whistling sound. The edge of the sacred sword collided with the centipede’s carapace, sparks flying as the blade bit deep. I felt the resistance of its thick, chitinous armor, but my enhanced strength, combined with the sword’s innate power, allowed me to carve through it.

Black ichor sprayed from the wound as the centipede screeched again, a deafening, bone-rattling sound that made my teeth vibrate. It twisted violently, trying to throw me off, but I held firm, digging my feet into the mud as I pressed the attack. I unleashed a flurry of strikes, aiming for the same weak spot, each blow widening the wound, sending more of the dark, viscous blood pouring out.

Artemeni was back on her feet now, and she didn’t waste a second. With a ferocious battle cry, she launched herself toward the centipede’s side, her spear glowing with mana as she thrust it deep into the creature’s body. The spearhead sank into one of its joints, and with a twist, Artemeni shattered the leg, causing the centipede to lurch to one side.

“Keep it off balance!” she shouted, pulling her spear back and immediately going for another strike. Her movements were swift, precise—each one calculated to cripple the beast further.

Gökbörü darted in from the other side, his small, lithe form a blur of motion. He leaped onto the centipede’s back, his fangs gleaming as he tore into its exposed flesh with savage ferocity. Blood sprayed as he ripped into its soft underbelly, the centipede thrashing wildly but unable to shake him off.

Meanwhile, Blanche’s lightning bolts crackled through the air, striking the centipede’s carapace, each bolt sending a jolt through its massive body. The beast convulsed under the relentless assault, its movements becoming more erratic.

"Focus on its head!" I called out, my voice barely audible over the cacophony of battle. I could see the damage we were inflicting, but it wasn’t enough yet. This thing was far too resilient, its size and power making it difficult to take down.

(You managed to absorb some mana.)

(You managed to absorb some mana.)

(You managed to absorb some mana.)

Aurora, still maintaining her barrier, was straining to keep the creature contained. Her face was pale, her breaths coming in short gasps. "I can’t... hold this much longer!"

I gritted my teeth and channeled all the mana I managed to absorb from the creature into my sword and released it with Mana Erupt. The blade connected with a sickening crunch, slicing through the remaining layers of its armor and severing the head from its massive body. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as the centipede’s head tumbled to the ground, its body convulsing in a final, violent spasm before collapsing into the mud with a thunderous crash.

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“Fuck.”

I gasped loudly as my sword nearly slipped out of my grasp. My arms felt as if they were ready to fall off my shoulders. But looking at the monsters coming out of the mist, I knew it wasn’t time to rest. Regeneration and Rapid Healing worked quickly to heal the self-inflicted wounds as I regrouped with others.

“Welp. I haven’t had to use all of my arsenal since the invasion of Whifur.”

I manifested Megalithic Ward of the Water and activated Ward of Protection, deflecting spikes shot by some hedgehog-like creature.

“Everyone.”

I started.

“Rest and gather your strength a little. I will be going all out.”

Artemeni wiped the sweat from her brow, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

“Let me join you, Champion!”

I grinned, feeling the strain in my muscles loosening as Rapid Healing did its work.

“You will. Just rest for a minute.”

Aurora, still shaky from maintaining the barrier, shot me a look of concern. “You can’t keep up this pace forever, Champion. Don’t push yourself too far.”

I waved my hand dismissively before leaving the ward, Gökbörü in my shadow. As the mist began to part, the first wave of creatures charged forward—gnarled beasts with grotesque, spiny bodies, moving with surprising speed for their size. Their claws aimed for my throat but I dodged one while grabbing the other, feeling its bones creak under my grip before I slammed it to others as if it weighed nothing. My hands were more like claws under the effects of Beastification and my armor morphed to fit me better. Increasing the effectiveness of Monstrous Strength was a welcome chance too.

I gripped another beast’s throat and crushed it effortlessly, the wet snap of its spine barely audible over the din of battle. The surge of power from Beastification and Monstrous Strength made me feel unstoppable, my body coursing with raw energy as my claws tore through their ranks. Gökbörü entered and exited out of my shadow to tear the throats of monsters who thought they could get a sneak attack on me while manifesting ice walls to limit the directions I could be attacked.

Even though each monster seemed more vicious than the last, their spines bristling with sharp quills and venom dripping from their fangs. But they weren’t the ones who worried me. Through Gökbörü’s Enhanced Senses I could something bigger and meaner in the mist and it was about to step into my vision range.

I spat out a curse, eyes narrowing as I tried to make out more details. It looked like a hate child of a rhino and a tank. It was smaller than the centipede but the muscles which bulged through heavy plating told me it was not weaker. To my horror, the moment it locked eyes with me it started to charge towards me. The ground trembled as the beast barreled toward me, its bulk shattering smaller monsters with each thunderous step.

At that moment a light bulb lit up in my head.

“I can use you.”

I muttered, a grin tugging at the corner of my lips. Previous monsters didn’t hurt each other but this one seemed to not give a fuck about friendly fire. Channeling my mana through Gökbörü, we coated the battlefield in a slick sheet of ice. The smaller monsters around us skidded, some collapsing as their legs went out from under them. But the real target was the charging behemoth. Its massive body, driven by blind rage, was too cumbersome to stop in time. When it hit the ice, its momentum worked against it, and the creature slid uncontrollably, plowing through the ranks of its own allies.

Smaller beasts screeched and scattered, but it was too late for many of them. The monster’s bulk slammed into them, snapping limbs and crushing spines beneath its weight. Quills, fangs, and blood flew everywhere as the beast’s path became a whirlwind of destruction, wiping out anything unlucky enough to be in its way.

Artemeni, picking up on my plan, darted forward, her spear ready. She didn’t attack the rhino beast directly but instead focused on funneling other creatures into its path. Each thrust of her spear drove smaller monsters toward the charging behemoth, where they met a gruesome end beneath its stomping feet.

As the monster skidded to a stop, surrounded by the broken bodies of its own allies, I seized the moment. With a surge of mana, I manifested a copy of the enlarged Wurm-Scale Earthshaker, its weight barely contained in my hands. Coated in maximum amounts of Armor Collapsing Claw, I brought it down. The Wurm-Scale Earthshaker slammed into the beast’s side with a resounding crash, and the impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield. The massive club, amplified by Armor Collapsing Claw and Monstrous Strength, tore through the rhino-like creature’s dense armor, shattering its thick plating with a sickening crunch. A deep, gaping wound opened along its side as blood gushed from the creature, and for the first time, it let out a bellow of pain.

"Artemeni, now!" I shouted, my voice raw with adrenaline.

Without hesitation, Artemeni darted in again, her spear glowing with intense mana as she aimed for the wound I had created. She drove her weapon into the exposed flesh with deadly precision, twisting the spearhead deep into the creature’s side. Another cry of agony tore from the beast as it buckled under the combined force of our assault.

(Monstrous Strength ended. You will not concur any penalties as you acquired a body fit for it.)

As the creature died, I fell down to my knees, ending Beastification. Damn. The stamina drain was too much.

“Not now.”

I growled as more monsters exited out of the mist. But I felt a familiar warmth on my back. It was Thalia.

“We will take this from here.”