Chapter 191: Lava Turtle, Losing Control (1/2)

”We should scout the goals in the east first before planning anything strenuous.” Shimika Doppler began to return, glancing around the swamp once to take in all the details. Based on Vishen Walta's line of sight, she observed the broken rock pillars, watching them half-submerged in the swamp, arriving at the same plan as him.

They both made eye contact, smiling at the other party's thoughts. Hruna Bone was silent, thinking of something as she gazed at a certain Lava Turtle retreating from the battle. A moment of realisation later, her eyes widened in shock.

She pulled back the two retreating people, pointing at the Lava Turtle. ”That Lava Turtle has been behaving strangely for some time.”

”Which one…” Vishen Walta paused, feeling a shock course through his spine. The Lava Turtle was indeed behaving strangely; its head gazed at the sky while its body moved forward. It headed towards a goal, its intentions unknown.

The stranger point to note was the lack of Hunter Clams on its back. It didn't seem as if they had died in battle considering its lack of injuries. The Lava Turtle emitted faint sounds, blowing off steam from its nostrils.

The steam condensed into a small cloud, one that hovered above its head. It swirled around, forming a vortex, creating a dispersed pair of arms. Within a second, the cloud dispersed. A similar phenomenon occurred every time the Lava Turtle exhaled, which happened once every 80 seconds.

After seeing it for the third time, the three Cadets looked at the faces of one another, feeling nervous, retreating a good distance into the land.

”It is about to lose control.” Hruna Bone muttered.

The Lava Turtle seemed to be in pain, its cries unheard by its brethren thanks to the ongoing war with the Floating Spiders and the ensuing sounds. It finally seemed unable to bear any longer, its neck stiffening up, erect like a pole.

Its face gazed towards the sky, opening its mouth, creating a large geyser. It was an Amplifier Lava Turtle; the geyser created as a result of losing control, one produced through strain was quite powerful, impacting the psychic energy barrier hovering a hundred metres above.

The impacted water spread around, turning into water droplets that fell like rain. The war between the Floating Spiders and the Lava Turtles paused for a moment; the Floating Spiders retreated like a wave, shielding themselves from the rain—condensed from boiling water.

Only now did the Lava Turtles notice the oddity of the situation, slowly turning around to gaze at their brethren in the back; it was on the verge of losing control. With a final cry, its voice cracked. In response, its shell too cracked, beginning to split into three, each making an angle of 120 degrees.

The swamp around the Amplifier Lava Turtle bubbled, with each bubble produced as big as its head, growing in intensity with each passing second.

”It's here!” Shimika Doppler muttered, her expression serious, her posture battle-ready, enacting maximum alertness.

”I knew it wouldn't allow such a situation to develop further.” Vishen Walta motioned for Hruna Bone to hide behind him, watching the bubbles around the Lava Turtle become as big as its body.

Followed by a gust of steam that covered its entire body, a gaping maw emerged behind the Lava Turtle, sporting a face similar to a turtle but one that was elongated, bearing a faint resemblance to an alligator.

The gaping maw bit on the Amplifier Lava Turtle's shell, clamping shut immediately; it caused cracks to form, breaking the shell into innumerous pieces. The maw opened and closed once again, biting off a huge chunk, spilling out copious amounts of blood.

The blood spilled onto the swamp water, immediately raising steam in large volumes. The third chomp completely severed the body of the Amplifier Lava Turtle into two. As it spit out the remains, the gaping maw slightly retreated.

Four Hunter Clams jumped out from its back, all Amplifiers. They dug into the severed body of the Amplifier Lava Turtle, tearing through flesh, unaffected by the high temperatures. They soon exited its body, holding a spine.

It was cylindrical in shape, coiled around by numerous nerves, all leaking blood. The middle portion had an evened out bulge, thinning along the ends. The end on one side was even smaller than the other, also possessing two spokes.

It wriggled, desperately resisting confinement. The four Amplifier Hunter Clams wound their tentacles around it, constricting its movement. They floated on the swamp water, raising the bound spine towards the gaping maw, waiting for its decision.

The Gaping maw closed; a thick gust of mist escaped its nostrils as it retreated into the swamp. The four Amplifier Hunter Clams raised the strength in their tentacles, twisting the spine and ripping it apart into five pieces. They paused for a couple of moments, watching each of the five severed spine parts twitch erratically, turning limp one after another.