Chapter 27: Helliopolis City - Part Two
Ayana's POV
Gosh. This mob is terrifying. An AI-category monster—meaning it can think on its own. Like a player. A freakin' PK player. And he's insanely overpowered. Just blocking his attack chipped 5% off my HP. If I took that hit directly, it might've been a critical. I probably wouldn't be standing.
I quickly cast a healing spell to speed up my regeneration. No room for complacency here. Good thing my gear's strong and my stat buffs are high.
"Get ready!" shouted Zaphro, finally looking stable again.
"Full buffs, everyone!" I called out to the team.
"Go ahead, waste your energy. You lot couldn't beat me if your lives depended on it," Amaymon taunted smugly.
Aryus and Jin moved forward, shields out. Erik and Erenir shifted to the rear to prep their spells. As attackers, the rest of us positioned behind Aryus.
Zaphro launched the first attack—a lightning-fast forward stab. But this wasn't his usual speed. He was moving way faster. Almost like he'd doubled his agility.
The mob reacted just as fast, blocking Zaphro's blade with its scythe. But then Zaphro vanished and reappeared behind it—like a blink skill, only faster. He struck again, but Amaymon suddenly teleported above him, the skull in his left hand glowing ominously.
"Soul Burst," it whispered.
A beam of light shot out, but this time, it was laced with eerie moans—like the screams of tormented souls. It sent chills up my spine.
"Zaphro!" Shion shouted, shifting into battle armor again.
"Light Speed Set!" he activated, drastically increasing his speed. In a flash, he reached Amaymon and knocked its hand off-target. The attack veered away, barely missing Zaphro.
"You dare?!" Amaymon roared and raised his scythe, ready to bring it down on Shion.
But just before it could strike, a crystal barrier appeared out of nowhere.
"Crystal Hex!" came a voice beside Zaphro—Gwydox, flying with a scowl.
I was starting to get the hang of their strategy now.
"Slicer, use a ranged skill!" I shouted.
"On it! Guardian Push!" he yelled.
The attack hit Amaymon—who absorbed it without a scratch.
"Now!" Zaphro commanded.
"Heaven's Judgment!"
Nice. We baited him into using his passive absorb skill. I followed up immediately.
"Stone Curse!" I cast an anti-movement spell to root him in place.
Shion shifted forms again and rushed in, striking with a flurry of sword attacks. Jin and Aryus charged right behind.
"Crushing Blow!" Aryus roared.
"Broken Blade!" shouted Jin.
Aryus' lance generated a massive shockwave that slammed into Amaymon. Jin's attack—a split blade technique—sent the weapon's sharpened edge flying straight into the mob.
"Grand Summon—Zodiac Spirit: Pisces!" I unleashed my twin summons, who grabbed Amaymon's arms, locking him in place.
The anti-movement skill wouldn't last long. His magic resistance was probably off the charts.
"You pests!" he bellowed.
"Now, Erik! Erenir!" Zaphro signaled.
"Way of Destruction #25: Marching Death!" chanted Erenir.
"Perfect Storm!" called Erik.
Aryus, Jin, and Shion quickly pulled back, leaving only my summons restraining Amaymon. Erenir's dark magic and Erik's wind element combined into a powerful unison skill.
It struck dead on, slamming into Amaymon and my summons. The force of the combo skill drove everything into the ground, ripping apart the terrain.
"Damn, that was badass!" Slicer blurted.
"Where is he?" Verillion asked. We all scanned the area. My summons were still there, nearly out of HP—but Amaymon had vanished.
"That's impossible. I saw him take the hit. He was restrained—he couldn't have dodged that," I said.
"He's gone. That's for damn sure," Gwydox grumbled.
"But how?" asked Zaphro.
"He burrowed, dumbass. Used a goddamn burrow skill and slipped underground," Gwydox explained, clearly irritated. "This whole map is crawling with hidden dungeons. He probably dove into one of them while you were all busy showing off."
"Wow, what a coward," Slicer muttered.
"Pfft. Be glad he ran, idiot. If he'd gone full aggro before we set him up, we'd all be dead. And no, not even Papa here could've kept up with that freak's speed," Gwydox snapped.
Zaphro sighed. "He's right. We got lucky this time."
"Let's move. We still need to find the village. Double the caution from here on out," Verillion suggested.
We all nodded and resumed our flight eastward, deeper into Helliopolis City.