As soon as I gave the order, Fatima pulled the trigger. With a loud explosion, the shell flew forward at sonic speeds.
*BOOOM!*
Everyone watched as the artillery shell flew, tracking it with their eyes.
When the shell landed on the center of the Void Beast's chest, a wondrous reaction occurred.
*CRACK!*
The "shell" that was protecting the Void Beast from any and all attacks broke into shards, scattering in the air. As soon as everyone saw this, and while the Void Beast was reeling from the artillery shell that got embedded deep in the center of its chest, everyone moved.
The first to land their attacks were those close by. Zeshion and Omicron!
""[Sky Fall]!""
Calling the skill's name at the same time, the two waved their swords down at the Void Beast's shoulders. The two attacks left a deep wound, enough that its body hidden under the tough-looking armor became visible.
"Just f*cking die already! [Octaslash]!"
Ajax was up next, waving his dagger at the same spot as before—the gap between the helmet and armor, where the opponent's nape was. Each swing he made gouged out the Void Beast's meat, digging deeper and deeper after every strike.
Vermeil moved after Zeshion opened up its armor, creating a flaming lance as big as the Void Beast's arm.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"[Sun Spear]!"
The attack she made, the spear made out of flames, burned brightly, like the sun itself. The heat it exuded was so powerful that everything around her began to burn. The spear is as hot as the sun's surface itself!
With a short humph, she threw the lance forward, aiming for the gap in the armor that Zeshion and Omicron made. When the spear landed, the scorching heat melted a large part of the Void Beast's armor and singed its body hidden underneath.
"Not yet!"
I could tell that even after the series of attacks, the Void Beast was far from kicking the bucket. As expected, it's too tough!
"Fatima!"
"On it!"
Upon my prompt, Fatima cleared up the artillery and quickly changed her armament to the sniper rifle. With the pesky shell out of the way, her attack that ignores rank should be able to inflict enough damage.
*GRAAAAAAAGH!*
After taking countless hits, the Void Beast raised a powerful roar, pushing everyone back by a few steps and sending those flying nearby several hundred meters away. In a single move, it gained a few moments of time to gather its defenses again!
"But not on my watch!"
I didn't let it finish repairing its defenses and moved right before its eyes. I waved my sword right where its forehead was, and with a powerful stab, I cracked its helmet open!
"Assassin's Heavenly Path, Second Strike! [Shadow Piercer]!"
As the sword pierced through the helmet, reaching the gigantic Void Beast's forehead, its movements suddenly stopped. [Shadow Piercer] has a powerful binding effect, a hex, that activates after pinning the opponent's shadow.
Since everything under its helmet was filled with "shadows," the technique's effect was activated!
"Nice one, Will! Everyone, attack now!"
Zeshion, although he was sent blasting off earlier, managed to return to his previous position an instant later. Even Omicron was right on his tail, sword at the ready.
Ajax was a step faster, going around the same spot as before as if he had beef with the Void Beast's nape.
Zeta created a thin portal, about a few moles thick, on the Void Beast's arm and teleported only the part that was within it. It was a forced teleportation of only a section of the enemy's body, but it still consumed a good chunk of her energy.
Still, thanks to her move, the Void Beast's right arm began to fall right at the shoulders. With this, the number of attacks that we would suffer fell by half!
Fang, Minerva, and Hekate also pitched in, activating their domains.
Fang's [Darkness Domain] blocked the Void Beast's senses, especially its eyes and ears. Hekate's [Fleeting Dream's Embrace] interfered with its mind, trying to lull it into sleep, while Minerva's [Palace of Endless Mirrors] created a "clone" of the Void Beast that started attacking as soon as it appeared.
"..."
Was Minerva's domain this OP? Although the clone's damage wasn't as high as the original, it was still quite powerful!Anyway, with the three's support, everyone's attacks started to flow faster and faster, giving the Void Beast not a single chance to retaliate. Essentially, we're ganging up and bullying the Void Beast!
The enemy's energy started to dwindle faster and faster, letting me know that the end was near. The others probably noticed it too, as their attacks gained intensity. Like flies, we all circled around the Void Beast, landing one attack after another.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAnd then, just as the finish line was in sight, a panicked voice called our attention.
"EVERYONE! RETREAT!"
It was Alpha's desperate cry, going as loud as she could. It sounded as if her throat was about to rupture, with her voice turning scratchy.
Partly by reflex, I retreated as she ordered, not missing a beat. Zeshion and Vermeil did too, quickly backing out, along with Omicron, Tau, and Psi trailing a short distance away. However, one didn't bother listening to Alpha's words... Ajax.
"Did you go senile?! This b*tch is about to fall in one more hit! I'll end it right now!"
"AJAX, NO!"
Alpha sounded desperate, but she couldn't stop Ajax with her words alone. Vermeil saw Ajax's action and was slightly in agreement with his words. In the end, she also decided to land one quick attack before retreating completely.
"[Sun Spear]!"
The same attack as before started to gather in the palm of her hands. Ajax was faster and was already swinging the daggers in his hands down, about to land the final hit.
*SLASH!*
"...!"
However, at the last moment, everyone's eyes opened wide.
Behind Ajax, a figure suddenly appeared. It was so abrupt that it seemed a little unrealistic.
Its claws swung wide and sliced Ajax's body into six chunks before they started to scatter as they fell. Vermeil was shocked upon seeing who had appeared and quickly retreated, but she was still too close.
*FWOOOM!*
An energy blast, a signature move of Void Beasts that I once saw before, came out of its mouth and aimed at Vermeil.