Chapter 200: Who is this #####? Is she another one of your $$$$$$?
From their previous encounter, they had gleaned that long-range attacks were the most effective way to combat the Dungeon Walker.
As the Whitebeam came to a halt,
/Earth, heed my call, shape and bend to my will/
Marie chanted, manipulating rocks to launch them at the brown spots on the Dungeon Walker's body.
/Mysty/
Amber called out, commanding the mist to engulf the creature, obscuring its view.
"Blood Arts: 1st Form"
Two boomerang knives materialized from blood, and with precision, Rize hurled them toward the Dungeon Walker just as it attempted to dissipate the mist.
"chckk"
Rize's boomerang knives hit their mark, slicing through the brown areas. The blades then gracefully returned to her.
The Dungeon Walker, that had rarely experienced pain from simple attack, suddenly flinched from the stinging sensations in its injured regions.
It furrowed its monstrous no-eye brow, slowly realizing that the brown spots on its body weren't regenerating as expected.
"So, it's truly that bitch's subordinate" the Dungeon Walker muttered as it attempted to locate Asher Eli.
As the Dungeon Walker sought Asher Eli,
'chukkk'
'kallkkk'
'cckkk'
Rocks hurled by Marie struck its body, causing the creature to stagger and lose ground.
While not all of the rocks landed directly on the brown spots, some hitting its black body, these minor injuries swiftly regenerated.
"Tsk" Marie couldn't hide her frustration, adjusting the aim for her next attack.
"..." Oliver and Arlyne were only proficient in close combat, so in order to support others, they fired low-level spells that had little effect due to the Dungeon Walker's dark mana absorption.
"..." Alysia didn't know what to do as others not even looking at her.
She considered the drastic measure of using Alexander as leverage, but hesitated, glancing behind she was unsure of the best course of action....so decided to ask someone.
Amid the chaotic battle,
Eli fixated on Eva Dolphus, the woman with arsenic-colored hair, who was grievously wounded and beyond simple healing.
However, her expression was a stark contrast to her dire state, as she blushed and gazed at Eli with an eager look.
Eli returned his focus to assessing his injured leg, his face scrunched in concentration.
"What?" he asked, somewhat annoyed, but still not looking at Eva....There was no way he gonna forget how this woman eliminated his teammates.
"..." Eva, her expression flustered and eager, struggled with her words in response to Eli's question.
.....She couldn't find the right words to express herself.
Eli didn't seem to pay her much attention, continuing his self-examination, 'Damn, Tibia and Fibula1 are fully broken' Eli thought to himself.
But he wasn't discouraged because he just thought something more cruel way to take Tiana out...
"I said, don't come near me, didn't I?" Eli sternly reiterated, his gaze still fixed on his leg.
However, Eva wasn't dissuaded. She moved closer to Eli, despite the pain of her own injuries.
Her voice quivered as she asked, "D-Don't you like me anymore?"
"???" Eli's brow furrowed as he heard the pain and despair in her voice, 'What?' Eli went blank for a second.
'Shit, it seems to affect others' mentality' Eli cursed himself and just as he was about to address this, another voice broke through.
"A-Ash-er Eli" a shy voice called out, drawing his attention.
"...I-I...aa---You k-Know..." A silver-eyed woman tugged her silver hair behind her sharp ears which were twitching like fish.
"...." Eli pinched between his eyebrows before saying,
"Alysia, give me a small wooden piece"
"Huh? O-Oh, I-I don't m-mind, Here" As she took a small wood.
Just about give him directly,
"Throw it"
"H-Huh?...." Alysia was flabbergasted but seeing Eli's serious expression,
'Ba-dump, Ba-dump'
'What the hell is wrong with you, Alysia?' She screamed inwardly before throwing the wood, even so, her heart beating crazy whenever she saw his long eyelashes.
As Alysia threw the piece of wood, Eli skillfully used it to create a makeshift splint for his leg, securing it with a torn piece of cloth.
Eva, still flustered, then blurted out, "Who is this bitch? Is she another one of your lovers?" She pointed at Alysia with a furious expression.
"..." Alysia felt insulted by the comment and replied with disgust, "Are you training this dog?"
"..." Eli found himself caught in the middle of their argument, not knowing how to react.
He chose to ignore their exchange and focused his attention back on the Dungeon Walker, who was now wounded on every brown spot.
"They make a good team" Eli thought as he watched Amber, Marie, and Rize fighting against the creature.
However,
Something about the Dungeon Walker's behaviour bothered him.
"It's up to something, isn't it?" he muttered, his sharp mind picking up on the unusual situation.
Alysia concurred, saying, "Yes" She also felt that the creature was acting strangely.
"It's gathering every dark mana around this dungeon" Eva said, adding to the sense of unease.
Eli turned to ask for her but...
What he saw left him stunned,
".....Why are you holding each other's throats?" Eli asked, his confusion evident.
Yes, He was dumbfounded by the sight of the two women holding each other's throats as if locked in a deadly struggle.
Both Alysia and Eva seemed just as baffled by their actions, and they released their hold with awkward laughter.
"Hahah.."
"haha...."
However, before anyone could make sense of their bizarre behaviour,
"arhh"
-verified
"arhh"
This continued, with the two of them repeatedly locking eyes and engaging in a strange, threatening dance.
Alysia totally forgot what she had come here to ask.
"..." Eli didn't know what to say anymore... then, Eli noticed something peculiar. As he glanced down, he observed the black blood of the Dungeon Walker moving in an unusual manner, which widened his eyes.
"Alysia, create a tree up to the ceiling!" Eli shouted, instructing her to use her abilities.
"Huh? Y-Yes," Alysia stammered before performing her chanting,
/Arboreal Ascension/
'Trrrrr'
The ground trembled as small leaves sprouted and rapidly grew into a full-fledged tree, reaching up to the ceiling.
Simultaneously,
/Domain/
A hoarse voice echoed in the chamber, causing the black blood to tremble before receding.
As everyone tried to comprehend what had just occurred, they were pulled down to the ground.
"W-What was-Huh?" Oliver, in the middle of saying something, was stunned and fell.
"B-Broth---"
"...."
Amber, the only one still upright, had a moment to understand the situation when the Dungeon Walker appeared in front of her, poised to attack.
'sckk'
'sckk'
'sckk'
'sckk'
'sckk'
Hundreds of black spikes suddenly sprouted from the ground, surrounding everywhere.
She felt trapped, with no way to escape. She resigned herself to the inevitable, but just as the spikes were about to strike, she felt something on her white furry tail...
"Ouch, ouch, arrhhh, ouh, M-My tail, s-top"
Eli had acted swiftly, attempting to pull everyone to safety just like before he used his Domain to pull down everyone. However, he had lost control when he tried to pull Amber, and the Dungeon Walker's domain was too powerful for him to counter.
In desperation, Eli decided to shoot Ember toward the ceiling, creating a temporary anchor point and used to swing up toward Amber. However, due to the Dungeon Walker's sudden attack on Amber, Eli instead of catching her body, caught Amber by her tail.
"W-What are you doing 'Ouch' YOU bastard??" Amber shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment as she struggled to see Eli.
"Huh?" But before she could react further, she was unexpectedly thrown, screaming, "aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh".
"Caught You" Amber's panicked descent was abruptly halted when Alysia caught her with the branches of the giant tree that had appeared out of nowhere.
As she dangled in the air, Amber's heart raced, and she looked around at the others who were also suspended by the tree's branches, all of them wearing bewildered expressions.
Alexander also stuck to the branch in a weird way.
"You annoying Ant.....Now! I know you!!! You're the man who used those 'Celestia Rays' before!!!!!" Dungeon Walker shouted in frustration when it remembered, that it killed Eli in a single punch and yet, 'He is standing in front of me'.
And what's more, Dungeon Walker was hell-bent on killing Amber, who had proven to be as resilient as a cockroach and now Eli also added to the list.
Eli carefully observed the growing spikes around him.
Without hesitation, he let go of Ember and fell toward the deadly spike below.
"ASH!!!"
"Plasma Arts: 1st Form"
Just as the spike was about to pierce him, Eli disappeared in mid-air, leaving behind a trail of yellow sparks.
"W-Where did he go?" Rize questioned, her eyes scanning the area.
"H-He's become....faster" Eva muttered, her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to keep track of Eli's movements.
Eli's pupils shimmered with yellow sparks as he leapt from one spike to another, using the slope sides to manoeuvre with astonishing agility.
'chukkk'
Eli thrust Celestria forward, aiming for a precise strike at the vulnerable spots(Brown spots) on Dungeon Walker's body. The Celestria pierced the monster's flesh, causing it to freeze in momentary shock.
However, Dungeon Walker wasn't an easy opponent it quickly concentrated on Eli It anticipated Eli's next move and tried to ensnare him, replacing its initial intention of delivering a counterattack.
Using its monstrous appendages, it sought to capture Eli within its grasp.
'clang, clang'
In the nick of time, Eli yanked Ember from his left hand. The chained knife soared towards one of the menacing black blood spikes, and its chain wrapped around the obsidian protrusion.
With a swift pull, he was catapulted across the Dungeon Walker, leaving trails of sparks in his wake.
"..." Dungeon Walker was stunned for a second.
"sshhh"
As Eli landed on another spike, Eli's eyes glinted with a cunning smile. With his right hand wielding Celestria, he hurled the Trident with incredible force, creating a blinding arc of light. The weapon spiralled through the air, aimed directly at Dungeon Walker's vulnerable spot.
Meanwhile, Ember was still anchored to a spike, and Eli had other plans. He pulled himself closer to Ember, then swiftly retrieved it. As he landed on another spike, he used Ember to launch himself at Dungeon Walker, aiming for a strategic attack that would exploit the monster's momentary vulnerability.
As Celestria's blinding arc of light closed in on Dungeon Walker, the monster had no choice but to use its gauntlet-covered hand to defend itself.
"TTIINNGGG"
The Trident struck with immense force, causing Dungeon Walker to stagger backwards.
With a fluid motion, Eli disengaged Ember from the spike he had used to reach the monster, and it returned to his grasp then using his momentum, with a swift, calculated movement, Eli focused his attack on Dungeon Walker's calf.
"Flame Arts: 1st Form"
"ccckksssskkkk"
Flames enveloped Ember as it sliced through Dungeon Walker's calf, searing the flesh as it cut.
"AAarrrhhhh"