Chapter 1275 (1/2)

Perhaps the other Nemesai were relieved to see Randidly Ghosthound’s image leave, but the Winged Serpent felt sweat trickling down its scales as activity slowly resumed in the powerful man’s absence. The forces that would kill the Nemesai took the chance to take a breath and gather themselves.

But the Nemesai needed every extra second they could get.

Randidly Ghosthound had kept everyone enthralled as the Winged Serpent was rather helplessly continuing to maintain the ritual that he had gotten from Straud. When the Ghosthound had arrived, the Winged Serpent had largely continued to operate the ritual just to maintain the status quo and not draw unnecessary attention. And it continued to do so during the Ghosthound’s pursuit of Straud, it became clear that this image hadn’t been concerned with them at all and the Winged Serpent had been content with watching.

But now… The Winged Serpent’s tongue flicked out nervously. Its image had been so tightly wound through the powerful ritual that extracting it quickly was impossible. Which mattered not so much when Randidly was present because the Ritual would finish quite soon, but now became important as seconds ticked by and the Winged Serpent could only watch and flap its wings.

It would still finish soon, but not soon enough.

It glanced to the right and met Thea’s gaze; it seemed their minds were on the same page. It was time to play their last card. It probably wouldn’t completely even the scales, but it would buy them the time they needed.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, Thea released a loud whistle that was so loud and piercing that everyone looked over toward her. Then she reached into her pocket and pressed the switch while the other Nemesai rapidly gathered around her in a loose circle. As they did so, the Winged Serpent examined the individual fighting capabilities of the Nemesai. The Bandit King and the Grey Lich were largely unharmed after the initial scuffle, although it seemed that finally seeing Randidly Ghosthound and finally understanding why the Nemesai on Earth were so cautious had been something of a shock to the Bandit King. His face was pale and he kept shaking his head.

Thea looked slightly scorched and scratched, but would be fine. The girl was hardy. Meanwhile, the Obsidian Duke was clearly nursing his right leg as he hobbled back over to join his allies. The Jade Prince watched him with an intense gaze the entire time. As the guards from the Order Valorem flooded onto the field, it seemed like the Jade Prince was preparing to make his move.

The Winged Serpent let the lids of its eyes slide to half-closed. About thirty more seconds… if we can just hold out until the wheel of destiny aligns and this damn ritual-

The secret platform beneath the turf behind the stage exploded upward along with another wave of shimmering fireworks, as the Nemesai had planned. But rather than the teeming flood of Raid Bosses that the Winged Serpent had expected to be released, perhaps only a dozen hopped out of the lowered platform and looked cautiously around.

More monsters soon followed, but it was nowhere near the number that it should have been. There were some lesser monsters and some lieutenants that accompanied the Raid Bosses, but these monsters didn’t possess a very high Level; they were chosen for their ability to reproduce. A handful wouldn’t make much difference.

With the shuddering sound of mechanical servos engaging, the platform the Nemesai had prepared was lifted up to the level of the stage. And as it did so, everyone saw that two wounded men were facing off against three powerful monsters, surrounded by the corpses of Raid Bosses.

As the platform shuddered to a stop, the central monster spun forward and brought its brass saber crashing down at the two men.

Twenty seconds. The Winged Serpent recognized at least one of the figures, although the symbol on their shoulders made his intestines twist. These were representatives from the Order Ducis, and the man standing in front with his fists raised was Naffur.

Naffur’s fist blasted outward and met the Rakshasi’s strike directly. The Level 86 monster was actually on the losing end of the contest of Strength and took several steps backward. In his offhand, Naffur brought up a long knife and slashed forward, cutting a deep gash into the Rakshasi’s side. Naffur settled back into a defensive stance and slowly surveyed the situation on the field.

The Rakshasi that the Nemesai had struggled for months to find and convince to join them was covered in wounds. They were less serious than the wounds on the two men from the Order Ducis, but the bodies of the raid bosses around them was a testament to the high cost that had to be paid in order to wound them to this degree. At this point, it seemed like the special present the Nemesai had prepared had been completely neutralized by the Order Ducis.

Our destiny on this day is not auspicious. Fifteen seconds.

Alana hopped of the Dragon Broodmother’s back and the beast loped forward to assist against the Rakshasi. The fanged monster screeched again and raised its two heavy brass sabers to ward off the new threat. But Wivanya didn’t slow down at all. While the two began to fight in a series of lightning-quick clashes between saber and wing, Alana spun her spear and began walking directly toward the Winged Serpent.

Despite the fact that they were on opposite sides, the Winged Serpent had a deep respect for Alana Donal. She was not a foe that could be distracted from the truly important points in a fight.

Thea raised her hammer as fast as she could, but Alana stomped her foot and accelerated faster than Thea could adjust. The Bandit King was there in Alana’s path, but he seemed to still be a little numb from seeing the capability of Randidly Ghosthound; when Alana’s Sunstrike smashed into his jagged blade, his attack was held at bay and she slipped past.

Ten seconds.