Chapter 243 The Bigger Picture (2/2)

”Hmph, a bunch of useless fools!”

Seeing the group slip into a fluster in an instant and suffer heavy casualties as they were attacked by the Man-eating Vines, the Red-robed Cardinal Kayseri let out a low grunt. He murmured for a moment before casting the Holy Barrier, protecting the group. He was unwilling to exhaust the Magical Energy in his body unless he absolutely had to. Unfortunately, the cruel reality was that he could not restrain his abilities any longer.

He was clear that if all of his knights, archers and Spellcasters were to meet with misfortune, it was impossible for him to charge through the strange Shauna Valley alone, no matter how strong his abilities were!

With the protection offered by the Holy Barrier, the army of the Church quickly stabilized and retaliated quickly after getting into formation, manically letting out the fury in their hearts.

The archers took aim at the blood sacs at the roots of the Man-eating Vines and shot out sharp arrows. They would usually cause a Man-eating Vine to slump helplessly onto the ground with every arrow they shot.

The Spellcasters clenched tightly on their magical staffs, releasing Walls of Fire and strings of fireballs, burning the Man-eating Vines that could not dodge in time to ash. The knights were responsible for resting up, and were going to deal a fatal blow at the critical moment.

Thump…

Having been forced back to the entrance of the cave by the army of the Church and having nowhere else to run off to, the Man-eating Vines had no choice but to attack even if they received fatal blows. Their long appendages swirled in the air before crashing fiercely onto the barrier of the army, again and again, continuously slamming onto the same spot and releasing a dull thud.

Unlike the ordinary Man-eating Vines that were manically attacking the army like moths to a flame, the giant Man-eating Vine chose to dodge to the side. Its horde of appendages flailed in the air, releasing different combinations of sounds, as if it were issuing an order, instructing the many Man-eating Vines to form teams and fiercely attack the opponent's barrier from all angles.

Under the protection of the Holy Barrier, the army of the Church looked as though they had the complete advantage, recklessly attacking the Man-eating Vines that approached them. However, the Red-robed Cardinal Kayseri who was sustaining the barrier by himself was cursing under his breath. A thin layer of cold sweat formed on his forehead as the Magical Energy in his body got lesser and lesser.

The barrier expended a portion of his energy every time it suffered from an impact and would soon scatter if the Magical Energy was not replenished into the barrier. Even though the Holy Barrier temporarily did not vanish under the manic attacks of the Man-eating Vines, it was becoming shaky, its surface covered in thin, web-like fractures!

Creak, creak…

Hearing the sound made by the shaky barrier, Kayseri did not have to say much for the men to understand that the barrier could not last much longer. The knights took a deep breath before pulling down their masks, while the archers and Spellcasters gave their best efforts in their attacks. Them killing one Man-eating Vine now meant that it would be a little safer later!

The Man-eating Vines also paid a heavy price in order to scatter the barrier of the army. All around the barrier were rope-like, motionless Man-eating Vines. A blood-like substance had flowed out of their blood sacs after they had been ruptured. The scene of the battle was a bloody red!

Chitter…

Seeing the opponent's barrier about to crumble, the giant Man-eating Vine that was hiding by the side let out a shrill cry, instructing the rest of the Man-eating Vines to swarm forward in unison. In that instant, the Holy Barrier finally crumbled with a creak, scattering in the blink of an eye.

Without the protection of the barrier, the army of the Church instantly had to directly face the close-ranged attacks of the many Man-eating Vines. Pathetic cries filled the air, with many people falling to the ground from time to time. Even Kayseri himself was nearly killed in one strike by a Man-eating Vine pouncing toward him!

After commanding the rest of the Man-eating Vines to launch a manic offensive, the giant Man-eating Vine did not attack Kayseri and the rest with the most powerful battle abilities. Instead, it roamed around the perimeter and insolently attacked the defenseless archers and Spellcasters. An ordinary Man-eating Vine only had an attack radius of five meters, while the giant Man-eating Vine had a range of more than double that. Its spine-covered appendages extended and contracted like a spring, instantly killing off dozens of people.

At the same time, against the attacks of the Man-eating Vines, the rest of the men left in the army of the Church retaliated with all their effort, each one more wild than the next. Some of the knights even charged forward in their berserk, picking the blood sac of the Man-eating Vines up with their lance. They completely disregarded the spines near them, willing to perish together with their enemy!

Both parties suffered heavy casualties, blood flowing down the battlefield!

Soon after, the Church had suffered heavy casualties and had not many people who could move left; The Man-eating Vines were not much better off, the ground covered in limp, paralyzed Man-eating Vines. Rivers of blood flowed near the entrance of the cave, creating a jarring scene!

”Hmph, you came at the right time!”

Seeing that his subordinates had basically been exterminated, Kayseri knew that it was not possible to complete his mission this time around. However, it would not be too bad if he could obtain the large blood sac of the giant Man-eating Vine. He unraveled a Petrification Scroll after letting out a cold grunt.

In its carelessness, the speedy giant Man-eating Vine got hit by Kayseri's petrification spell, rendering it as still as a statue in an instant. Its spine-covered tentacle-like appendages had already closed in toward Kayseri's chest, head and genitals, but could not advance another step.

After successfully casting the petrification spell, Kayseri did not dare be tardy. He whipped out a sharp dagger and was prepared to tear off the blood sac of the giant Man-eating Vine before leaving quickly using his Teleportation Scroll. Unexpectedly, just as he was crouching down and about to take action, a ripple appeared behind him as a sharp dagger pierced into his body, its blade showing through his chest.

At the critical moment, Yang Ling had teleported behind Kayseri using his Earth Evasion Technique, stabbing him with the sharp Blood Elf Dagger. He then pressed the index finger he bit open onto the body of the giant Man-eating Vine and recited the Wizard Mantra used to tame creatures. Soon after, mysterious symbols appeared on the body of the Man-eating Vine!