Seeing Mirion engage the beast, I charged forward as well, tightening my grip on the sword, raising the shield slightly, ready for any sudden retaliation.
The creature's size made any attempt to strike its body pointless. Its hide was too thick, the layers of muscle and fat providing natural armor against shallow cuts. A frontal assault would accomplish little. So I veered toward its right flank instead, aiming for the joints where even the strongest beasts were vulnerable.
Mirion, however, had other plans. He hadn't activated his skill yet, a sign, I thought, that he was playing it cautiously. But then, as he closed the final few paces, he leapt high, raising his axe overhead and letting out a fierce battle cry.
His fighting style is too reckless… I almost facepalmed.
The beast reacted instantly. Its right arm snapped upward, the massive hand arcing toward Mirion like a battering ram, intent on swatting him out of the air before he could bring the axe down. But before it could connect, crimson tendrils of dark magic wrapped around the limb, locking it in place mid-swing. Aria's magic surged, the binding spell pulsing with energy as it held back the monstrous limb.
Then, another barrage struck its exposed chest - Ninali's fire magic burst against its fur, flames licking across the bald patches left from the first assault. Arrows followed close behind, embedding deep and exploding in bursts of force, causing flesh to crack and split. The creature bellowed in rage, its breath steaming violently in the frigid air, but it refused to fall.
Its left arm lunged forward toward Mirion, who was still airborne, but before it could fully extend, the tendons at the elbow convulsed violently, as if something had severed the very strings controlling the joint. Blood sprayed in a fine arc as Lucas appeared in a blur, his twin blades carving across the vulnerable joint with surgical precision. The arm slackened instantly, the muscles spasming as control was lost. And then, just as quickly, Lucas vanished again into the falling snow, as if he'd never been there at all.
The beast let out another deafening roar, thrashing wildly now, furious but still standing.
I had reached its right leg by then, moving in close under the cover of its chaotic swings. Up close, its immense body looked like a wall of flesh and fur, the sour stench of sweat and burned hide choking the air. My stomach twisted from the smell, but I forced it aside, raising my sword and channeling mana into the blade. The green edge gleamed faintly beneath the shadow of the giant creature as I swung in a clean arc, aiming just above the ankle where movement was most essential.
I hope the effect activates…
The blade bit into its flesh with a shallow cut. The sword I wielded now was far lighter and faster than my greatsword, offering better control and flexibility. But at the cost of raw power. Against something this massive, it felt like trying to pierce a wall of stone with a dagger.
But I wasn't aiming to bring it down in one strike. I only needed the venom effect embedded within the blade to seep into the wound. Even the strongest beast would falter if its joints stopped obeying.
I couldn't help but smirk as I watched the white fur blacken, the flesh around the wound decaying almost instantly. The venom worked. Gundir had worked tirelessly when crafting this blade, reforging it from the spider's chitin and remnants of my crimson shield. But even then, the sword was not the true masterpiece of his effort, it was only one component of something great he had built.
"AVENOR, NOW!" Mirion shouted, his voice cutting through the roar of wind and beast alike.
I retreated, widening the distance with the beast, and turned just in time to see Mirion clinging desperately to his embedded axe, dangling from the creature's skull as it flailed and bucked in wild, uncontrolled rage. The axe was buried deep, but not deep enough. The beast thrashed harder, trying to dislodge him, the heavy muscles on its neck rippling violently.
The familiar green glow was already starting to seep from the creature again, the regeneration returning as its wounds began to seal once more. Its resilience was absurd. Every strike we landed would soon become completely useless, unless we disrupted its healing.
That was my cue.
I planted my feet firmly in the snow, feeling the earth's weight beneath me as I braced myself. My boots sank deeper into the packed ice, locking me in place. I lifted my shield with my left arm and slammed my blade against its polished surface, mana surging through my body as both artifacts responded.
A burst of yellow light erupted from me, rippling outward in all directions like a silent pulse of pressure. But luckily, the wave could be targeted. I guided it carefully, allowing it to wash over the beast alone.
The moment it struck, its effect was immediate.
The creature's eyes bulged bloodshot and wild. Its body lurched, muscles coiling unnaturally as the regenerative glow vanished entirely, replaced by sheer primal fury. It snapped its massive head toward me, jaws wide open, as if nothing else in existence mattered except tearing me apart.
This was the taunt ability Gundir had engraved into the shield. It was a dangerous tool. On a battlefield with multiple enemies, it would've been suicide to use, but here, with only one foe to focus, it was perfect. The frenzy erased its survival instincts, reduced it to blind rage, opening its defenses completely.
And that tiny window was all Mirion needed.
With a powerful yank, he ripped his axe free, repositioning himself on the creature's skull. Without hesitation, he slammed it back down, angling it toward the thinner plates of bone. The axe sank deep with a sickening crack as Lucas emerged once more in a blur, using the distraction to his advantage just like Mirion. In one swift arc, his blades slashed through the beast's eye sockets, carving deep into its skull.
Shit… if I ever have to fight him, unless I manage to land the first blow, he'll kill me before I even realize it. I couldn't help but feel dread as I watched Lucas vanish into the snow again.
The monster howled one final time, but its movements were slowing. Its enormous body swayed as Mirion continued chopping through the skull like a woodcutter splitting logs. The thick hide offered no resistance anymore - the venom, the wounds, the relentless assault of magic and arrows had finally broken it.
Its massive frame collapsed heavily into the snow, sending a burst of powder billowing into the air. Mirion leapt free just before it crashed to the ground, but even as he landed, he spun immediately on his heel, gaze still locked on the beast's corpse as though expecting it to rise again. Without pause, he buried the axe one final time into its motionless head, this time striking with enough force to split the entire crown. A grotesque squelch filled the air as yellow fluid sprayed out, likely its brain matter.
Maybe I should switch to heavy weapons…
I could not help but admire how his axe had managed to break through the beast's defenses. With my strong physique, I'd have been able to use heavy weapons even more effectively.
"Aria, come quickly!" Mirion called sharply, already motioning for her to use Crimson Rite.
I stood frozen for a moment, my heart still racing as the adrenaline began to ebb. We had won.
Just like that…?
It hardly felt real. We were strong, there was no doubt about that. The party was packed with Gold-ranks, and Mirion wasn't just strong - he was a brilliant battlefield leader. And yet… these creatures were supposed to be nearly unbeatable. At least, that's what I was told.
Were they exaggerated?Or… are we stronger than I thought?
…
I watched, satisfied, as my elite party brought down the creature with far less struggle than I had anticipated. The beast was far stronger than the spider mutants the tribe had fought before, but they handled it in such coordination that made the battle feel almost one-sided.
But beyond their individual skills, what impressed me most was the equipment forged by Gundir. The Drukyr had only been here a short time, but his craftsmanship was already showing clear results. All he had used were the spider chitin and fragments of the crimson shield I had previously forged for Avenor, yet somehow, from these meager materials, he had crafted two sturdy shields and a curved sword.
[Gundir's Sharp Sword – Rare]
When infused with mana, the blade applies venom, causing rot upon contact.
Set:
Part of a matching set. Current set pieces: 2/2.
[Gundir's Sturdy Shield – Rare]
If the set effect is active, infusing both sword and shield with mana and striking them together will activate the skill Taunt. The skill releases a powerful wave in all directions, drawing the attention of nearby creatures. If fewer than 5 creatures are within 100 steps, targets may be selected. If the number exceeds 5, targets will be chosen at random.
Taunt: Forces a targeted creature to attack the skill user. The target is overwhelmed by rage and loses conscious control for 3 seconds. Activation condition: the user's Willpower or Intelligence must exceed that of the target.
Set:
Part of a matching set. Current set pieces: 2/2.
The equipment wasn't anything absurdly overpowered, but it was brutally effective and perfectly tailored to serve the party's needs. Every piece had been forged with clear purpose. Avenor, being one of the toughest members of the group while also possessing agility far beyond the others, except for Lucas, thanks to his Phantom Step, was best suited to draw the enemy's attention. It was simple - let him absorb the monster's rage while the damage dealers capitalized on the openings. And as I had just witnessed, the plan worked flawlessly. The towering beast now lay cold, its massive form crumpled into the snow, its life force extracted by Aria.
But what drew my attention most was what came next - for the very first time, I witnessed not one, but two essences form simultaneously. They hovered above Aria's palm, swirling into shape. The first was small, no larger than a fingernail, and translucent like a glass sphere. Inside, faintest specks of light drifted, swirling like stars caught in a current. The moment I laid eyes on it, I felt a pull. A deep, instinctive recognition that ran deeper than simple curiosity. Both memories I had gained from Avenor's dungeon adventure and the very essence of my divinity resonated with it.
[Soul Essence – Faint]
Stores up to 10 Divinity Points.
The second was larger, roughly the size of a thumb, its dense, earthy brown hue revealing its nature even before anyone spoke. By the hungry gleam in the eyes of the warriors, especially Mirion, it was obvious they recognized it as a physical attribute essence.
"It's Fortitude," Aria confirmed, though I sensed a faint hint of disappointment in her otherwise calm tone. Unlike the melee fighters, Aria sought magical attributes or at least mental ones. Still, she extended her hand toward Mirion, offering both essences for him to decide their fate.
"Give them to Vaelari for safekeeping," Mirion ordered without hesitation. "The healer will always be the last one standing. It's better if he holds them."
His tone was cold, practical, as if discussing logistics rather than lives. The Velmoryns were pragmatic by nature, but every time I observed this casual indifference toward death, I was reminded just how far removed their culture was from my past life's notions of morality and values.
"And the Soul Essence?" Aria asked, glancing upward at the sky as dusk slowly bled into night. "Shall we prepare the offering ritual?"
Mirion paused for a moment, hesitating, before shaking his head. "No. We can't disturb High Father every time one forms. We'll offer them together when we return."
I nearly sent them a vision… If only they knew how delighted I would be to be "disturbed" if it meant receiving divinity points. The corner of Avenor's lips curled upward… he clearly understood the irony as well.
"We'll set up camp not far from here," Mirion continued, already scanning the terrain. The sun had dipped low, casting long, cold shadows across the snowy expanse. This would be their first night camped out in the open, and though part of me remained cautious, watching their performance so far had greatly eased my worries.
With the immediate danger behind them, I finally allowed my attention to shift.
Now that I'd grown more adept with the Window, I could comfortably monitor three locations at once, though no more than that. It wasn't due to my inability to multitask, but rather a limitation of the Window itself. Even then, divine power was far less forgiving - doing more than one task with it always meant wasted energy.
Because of that, I had focused my full attention on the hunting party. But with their strength proven, I could afford to turn my eyes elsewhere.
My next priority was already decided.
The time had come to expand my influence, to turn my gaze beyond my small tribe. Of the five remaining Velmoryn tribes, there was one that stood out as the clearest target.
The one that was not fanatical about the Goddess, or atheistic, or had a mage with the Goddess' lingering power attached to them - the Yellow Tribe.
They would be next.
**
A/N-
I added a little animation as an experiment, hope you will like it xD
The next chapter on Friday
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