Chapter 154 Tall Boss Monster
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Before us stood a towering creature, reaching a height of five meters. Its long, skeletal hands measured three meters each, extending from its body in a ghastly manner. Composed entirely of bones, these hands added to its unsettling appearance. Furthermore, the creature possessed five black skeletal heads, each facing a different direction on its body. Its numerous small feet spread out like cockroaches. The overall grotesque appearance of the creature evoked a sense of horror and revulsion, resembling a macabre creation from the darkest recesses of our nightmares.
"Lily! Fire at it!" Alistar shouted, snapping us out of our stupor. I directed the dragon towards the fleshy monster, and as the dragon unleashed its flames, the creature roared in response. The flames were dispelled, causing my dragon to swerve to the right.
"Chance!" Edelweiss swung her staff, seizing the opportunity and bombarding it with spells that hit home.
The creature cried out in pain as Edelweiss's spells gouged out its flesh. As it cried, numerous skeletal and fleshy hands rose around it, and skeletons poured out, even more numerous than before.
"Rally! Rally to me, everyone!" Alistar screamed, and Ghander took the vanguard. Behind me, Ghander chanted, his sword glowing blue.
"One is all, All is one."
"Swords become me, I become swords."
"I am Many, Many is Me."
"United I stand, Divided I fall."
"Come forth, my Legion!"
Ghander finished his chant, and as his swords glowed blue, they separated, with shadows of himself splitting out from him. Multiple copies of Ghander poured out, each possessing the same skill as the real Ghander.
"Lily!" Alistar shouted again, but Lily shook her head.
"I have tried, but that thing dispelled the fire!"
"Damn it."
"Should I risk close combat?" I asked Lily, and she nodded.
"Charge!" Lily raised her sword, dashing toward the abomination.
The abomination didn't stay put; with a roar, the ground shook, and more hands emerged from the ground. Vargmuth, skeletons, and zombies appeared, but the copies of Ghander decapitated them as we ran toward the abomination. I directed my dragon and slammed it into the monstrosity. The creature possessed a barrier, similar to the wight's, but much stronger. The barrier cracked under the dragon's intense flames coating its body, but it held nevertheless.
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The dragon battled against the creature, shooting flames at it, while the abomination retaliated with its long hand. Despite the thin skeletal hands, the impact of its punch managed to send the dragon sprawling on the ground.
"Wait! We can't leave the soldiers by themselves!" Edelweiss shouted. The soldiers were struggling; when Ghander chose to help me clear the way, it inevitably created gaps in our defenses.
"Defeating it takes priority! They are soldiers, not civilians. They can take care of themselves! If we defeat that thing, the undead bothering them will vanish!" Alistar argued.
Edelweiss bit her lip but followed Alistar. As I looked at our escort, their faces were filled with determination, screaming their lungs out as they fought to survive. Several of them nodded at us and even cheered us on, even as we left them to face death in order to vanquish the evil abomination.
The abomination swept at us with its other hands after delivering a devastating blow to my dragon. Alistar braced himself with his shield, and a loud bang reverberated across the battlefield. The shield creaked as Alistar struggled to keep it steady. The abomination was stunned that its punch, which had sent a dragon flying, was easily blocked by a seemingly insignificant human.
We didn't let this opportunity slip away. Ghander, accompanied by his twenty clones, slashed at the abomination, gouging out putrid flesh and blood from its horrifying body. Meanwhile, Lily climbed onto the creature's hand and stabbed at its black skull head.
Edelweiss rained down her earthen spears, not targeting the boss but aiming for the approaching Vargmuth. As a compassionate saint, she couldn't bring herself to obey the order to abandon the soldiers. From a distance, she sniped the Vargmuth with her spears, aiding our entourage.
When the monster regained its bearings and attempted to charge us with its massive form and two hands, my dragon grabbed it from behind. The dragon wrestled it to the ground, and its flame-coated body ignited the surrounding field. As the flame lizard opened its mouth to spew fire, the living flesh of the abomination screamed once more. However, in such close combat, the flames reached the abomination, bathing its body in white fire.
When the flames dissipated, the monster stumbled. Its body turned black like charcoal, and as pieces fell off, its black core was exposed. Ghander hurled his sword at it before it could gather its flesh, and the throw struck it directly in the center. The curse seed cracked and exploded, unleashing the dark mana that washed over us.
The sky cleared instantly, and the heavy sense of corruption dissipated. Although dead grass and trees remained, we could feel the ground welcoming the return of the sun. The exhilaration we felt was soon replaced by exhaustion as we breathed sighs of relief. The skeletons were gone, and we had liberated one of our lands.
"Hurray!" our entourage cheered, raising their hands triumphantly as the earlier exhaustion seemed to have vanished.
"Our job isn't finished yet. Edelweiss, where is the leak?" I asked.
"Right here." Edelweiss retrieved her detector, and when the flying mote of light dipped into the ground, she knew it was the correct location.
"Alright, four more stakes. Lily, could you assist us?"
"Shiro?"
"Alright." I dismissed my dragon, feeling a trickle of mana returning to me. Together with Edelweiss and two other soldiers, we drove the stakes into the ground.
"Before we begin, may I heal our soldiers?" Edelweiss looked at Alistar, who nodded in agreement.
"Sure, take your time. Now that the seed has been destroyed, this area should be safe," Alistar replied. Ghander lay down as if he were dead, but when we approached him, he assured us it was just a side effect of his blessings.
We set up camp at the site of the leyline leakage, which quickly transformed into an emergency infirmary for Edelweiss.