Chapter 1207: Blue demon (3)
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The beast attacked again. A particrly powerful gust caught Erik off-guard, mming through his outermost barrier like it was made of paper.
Pain exploded across his chest as the attack connected, and only the enhanced durability of his Absolute Castle armor prevented lethal injury.
Even so, he felt ribs crack under the impact, and the air rushed from his lungs like oxygen escaping a spaceship''s hull breach.
<What the fuck...?>
As Erik struggled to maintain altitude, he noticed the beast observing him. It was clearly ying with him—if it had wanted him dead, thatst attack would have torn him in half instead of merely injuring him.
His power was running out fast while trying to defend himself. Even though his Absolute Castle shield was very strong, it used up too much energy to keep working.
For the first time in his life, he felt with no option. Even when he came across the Leviathan Serpent, he wasn''t so desperate. At that time, he only needed to find a way to escape, but here, instead, he had to resist the beast''s attacks.
It was just that there was no simple way. The creature he faced was just too powerful-even his best defense wasn''t enough to stop it.
Besides, he was creeped out by the beast''s behavior. What was it that made him interesting enough for this monster to y with rather than kill him?
<I feel like a mouse in front of a cat.>
[Because this is what basically you are, right now...]
<Oh, this makes me feel better.>
[I''m not saying this to mock you in a life and death situation. I''m telling you this because if that thing eats you, or makes your head explode, I will die with you. Remember? BIOLOGICAL supeputer system, I''m alive.]
<Then give me a hand!>
Below them, Erik saw his Chimaeric Demons still battling the ckguards. Each death fed more experience into him, but it wasn''t enough-not nearly enough to close the vast gulf between him and the creature he faced.
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
The Cerulean bird''s power was simply on another level, belonging to a world Erik had only glimpsed in his encounter with the Leviathan Serpent.
The bird then started getting closer again.
<SHIT! WHAT DO WE DO?!>
[PUMP UP ABSOLUTE CASTLE TO THE MAXIMUM!]
The bird attacked again, this time with a series of quick jabs from its beak.
"AAAH!"
Each strike hit with the force of a freight train, the shockwaves alone pulverizing anything nearby into dust.
Though the beast was ying with him, each blow threatened to tear Erik apart. His barriers shuddered and crackled like ss about to shatter, while his armor splintered and reformed.
Erik felt like a rabbit cornered by a hawk-his every desperate dodge and evasion only dying the inevitable strike. His powers, which had served him so well against lesser threats, now seemed as useless as a paper shield in a hurricane. Each second that passed drove home just howpletely outmatched he was, his usual confidence reced by raw, primal fear.
Yet the beast was still ying with him and stopped a little to observe Erik''s reaction.
<Damn, this is humiliating!>
Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, Erik looked at the battlefield below. The Chimaeric Demons went far in their ughter of the ckguards, but even they died. However, each fallen enemy immediately rose as an undead, joining the growing army of the dead.
The undead forces had reached critical mass, their numbers enough that they could handle the ckguards without further input from the Chimaeric Demons.
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
But even as the experience flowed into him from the carnage below, Erik knew it was meaningless against the Cerulean Bird. No amount of level-ups could bridge the astronomical gap between him and the beast.
That simple thought was enough for Erik to realize he could do nothing without the Chimaeric Demons.
They could try luring the bird away, distracting it with multiple targets, or inflicting minor wounds to annoy it. Even if their attacks were insignificant, having multiple allies harassing the creature from different directions would be more effective than facing this overwhelming force of nature alone. The Chimaeric Demons could divide their attention and potentially create openings that Erik could exploit, and that was what Erik wanted to do.
<I need your help! Now!>
Despite his pride, Erik had no choice but to ask for help. He hated having to do it, but the truth was clear-without their help, he would die, and with his death, everything would be lost. Erik also worried about what the Cerulean Bird might do after killing him, and that prompted him to ask for help.
The Chimaeric Demons sensed Erik''s fear through their mental link. They looked up at the sky, where the huge Cerulean bird made their master look tiny inparison.
The clones trembled as they realized just how bad the situation was. The bird''s energy was so strong it seemed unnatural, and even the surrounding air looked twisted and wrong.
Without hesitation, they answered Erik''s call for help. It was their purpose to protect him and fulfill his wishes—they would fight for him until theirst breath.
Yet a troubling thought crosse I the clones'' minds: what could they possibly powerful creature?
against such a
They all knew theycked enough mana to harm the beast. Their attacks would be weaker than mosquito bites.
Yet even a mosquito bite was better than nothing. The Cerulean Bird seemed more interested in toying with Erik than killing him. Like an irritated cat, it might abandon its ything if annoyed and disrupted enough.
Another wing sweep from the massive bird sent Erik violently tumbling through the air, his body spinning uncontrobly at high speed. The attack came so fast that his reflexes failed him-he couldn''t even make his protective barriers in time.
The attack tore through the few defenses Erik put up and sent waves of pain through his body. Blood filled his mouth, and he realized with growing dread that he was mere centimeters
away from death.
[HEAL YOURSELF!]
<Fuck!> Erik pumped mana frantically through his body, directing the energy to close his wounds. His whole body glowed as he channeled all that mana.
The long gash across his chest knitted itself together at astonishing speed, muscle and skin regeneratedyer byyer until his skin was unblemished.
[IT''S GOING TO ATTACK AGAIN!]
The beast created a sphere ofpressed air in front of Erik, simr to what he''d seen it use
against the wyvern. The pressure began to mount.
"FUCK! DO SOMETHING!" Erik said to the Chimaeric Demons, who immediately left everything they were doing and channeled mana as best as they could.
The ckguards found themselves with a little bit of respite, but the undead were still there,
and fighting against things that didn''t die easily wasn''t exactly a walk in the park.
A barrage of starlight fireballs suddenly streaked through the sky like a shower of shooting
stars.
The Chimaeric Demons activated their brain crystal powers, unleashing hundreds of zing white and blue projectiles toward the massive bird.
Each one crackled with energy and left trails of light as they streaked through the air.
The clones couldn''t allow themselves to go easy on the creature, and despite needing the mana to fight against the ckguards, they still channeled all the mana they had into the brain crystal power in order to maximize the damage they would do to the Cerulean Bird. That if it was enough to damage it to begin with.
The attacks connected with devastating impact, creating a spectacr disy of lights. Hundreds of fireballs detonated against the bird''s body, each explosion releasing intense heat waves that turned the winter sky into a summer one.
The explosions spread all over the gigantic bird''s body one after another, lighting up the sky like fireworks. As the attacks kepting, the bright shes made it easy to see the bird''s massive shape against the sky.
Yet, to everyone''s dismay, the Cerulean bird didn''t even flinch. The fireballs were powerful enough to incinerate humans and most thaids on Mannard, but they still dissipated against
its feathers.
However, Erik realized the beast''s eyes narrowed slightly, and the surrounding winds
intensified.
"OH SHIT!"
The massive bird showed signs of irritation. It wrapped itself in a spinning shield of wind,
trying to brush off the attacks like they were nothing more than annoying bugs. That wind alone was enough to shatter Erik''s armorpletely again, and for that reason, Erik was forced to push more mana into it while also creating a barrier with the barrier masters'' powers and with Nathaniel''s one.
At the same time, he realized that while the attack had been no more than an annoyance for
the creature, it still worked.@@novelbin@@
"DO IT AGAIN!"
The Chimaeric Demons obeyed. Fire filled the air once again. The attacks converged from multiple angles, forcing the giant bird to take notice.
The clones'' army grewrger, as more and more Chimaeric Demons joined the fray, leaving
the ckguards below a lot of free space and time. Some of them even decided to leave the
battle, but of course, that would happen only if they were fast and smart enough to get past the undead.
Thebined attacks weren''t strong enough to harm the giant bird, but they created bright explosions across the sky that made its immense body clearly visible.
Some clones even had the idea of partially shapeshifting into the Luminous Leviathan so that they could use its power to blind the beasts. The clones realized it wasn''t the strength of the attack that annoyed the beast, but rather the blinding lights they created. What was best to create blinding lights than a power made for that exact purpose?
The demons kept attacking without stopping. They fired countless beams of energy into the
sky, forcing the Cerulean bird to keep its wind shield up and blinding it so many times it started to get enraged.
The bird turned to Erik. Somehow, it knew Erik was there and that the pesky creatures below
obeyed him.
Its massive head tilted to the side as if considering a particrly interesting puzzle, but its
eyes were closed.
Below, more ckguards fell to his forces, and Erik felt the familiar surge of experience
points flowing into his body.
The bird then flew toward him. Its shadow blocking the sun below and engulfing Erik
completely.
"What the fuck is it doing now?"