Chapter 211 Parasites (1/2)
Boom… boom… boom…
Each step felt like a steel hammer pounding at their hearts. The mercenaries held their breath and stared at the black silhouette until the light completely revealed it.
”Oh Holy Soul…”
The moment Kavos saw the figure, he lost all sense and left his jaw agape. He was terrified to the extent that his daggers almost fell to the ground. Luckily, Kavos realized what was happening and regained his composure.
In front of them was a huge, fat and bloated abomination.
It appeared to have some features of a human — and perhaps it used to be a human, but at the moment, it was just a corpse decayed beyond recognition. Under its skin were bulging 'balloons' filled with fluids. Its massive head was squeezed between its shoulders with no neck in sight and its face was so crammed with fat that even the eyes couldn't be located.
Marlene extended her arm and quickly put it down. She wanted to hold her neck and push the vomit back into her stomach. However, she realized that doing this would create an opposing reaction, so she immediately stopped. Lize held her mouth and retreated to the back of the crowd. Anne didn't change her expression, but she still clenched her fist into a ball. It appeared that even Anne couldn't tolerate such things.
”Parasite.”
Only Rhode remained the same. From his usual calm voice, it was as though this revolting piece of flesh didn't exist.
”It looks like the brave adventurers from before have become part of the nest. Keep your distance and beware of the tentacles.”
Rhode raised his sword and pointed forward. All ten of the Parasite's fingers transformed into soft, flexible tentacles, lashing left to right continuously, crashing on the rock walls. On each tentacle, there were rows of small teeth, and even if they hadn't fought with them before, the mercenaries knew these small teeth weren't for having a meal…
”…!!”
The Parasite opened its mouth and roared. No one knew if it was suffering in pain or was it just purely enraged by instinct. However, it didn't affect Rhode. As the parasite roared, Rhode took this opportunity to dash forward with the battle angel Celia following closely behind. Her swords were raised high, and soon enough, a silver flame erupted from her blade.
The Parasite retaliated by lashing one of its arms at the duo. As a devil-type, it definitely couldn't tolerate the bright holy radiance that Celia emitted naturally.
Its hatred brought some sort of grievance — if the abomination could complain, then it would probably scream at these people to leave him alone.
Can't you see I'm deep underground to avoid this damnable light? Why can't you people spare a thought for me before bringing that thing here?
Isn't this considered bullying?
Of course, Rhode and Celia didn't bother about its feelings. The tentacle shot towards Rhode at frightening speeds, but Rhode, who managed to dodge it, followed up by crushing a green card that materialized in his palm. The Spirit Bird made its iconic cry as it pierced through the air.
At the same time, a lightning-fast attack struck from above Rhode, but he quickly parried the attack with his Crimson Blade. Before the Parasite could attack again, a bolt of lightning smashed into its body, causing it to retreat a few steps back in panic. Positive and negative energy always contradicted one another, so Celia was well-prepared for this. When facing the numerous tentacles, the angel had to just cast a small defensive barrier to guarantee her safety.
However, the other mercenaries were having a hard time.
Those tentacles that missed its target ended up being a stray attack which disrupted the mercenaries at the rear. The mercenaries weren't as strong as Rhode or Celia, and furthermore, they were inexperienced against fighting this foe. Should they rush up to attack? Or should they focus on defending?
The indecisive mercenaries took a few steps back. At this moment, Anne finally stepped into battle. Although Rhode's orders were to protect Marlene and Lize, as a Shield Warrior, Anne carried out her duties flawlessly. She quickly barreled to the front and expanded her golden shield, protecting the mercenaries to the rear.
”Bang!!”
The tentacles that struck the shield rebounded backward. Similar to the fiends, once the tentacles entered the ring of fire, the exterior flesh immediately charred. However, they weren't as weak as the fiends. While the damage dealt was quite noticeable, it did not stop lashing out at the mercenaries.
”You bunch of idiots, MOVE!”
Kavos reacted quickly and rushed forward with his daggers. Swish! He slashed at a tentacle but his attack wasn't powerful enough to sever it.
Kavos then drew back the corners of his mouth and attempted to try again. However, at this time, a silent figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Another pair of burning daggers moved so quickly that it transformed into a furious blaze. Kavos only saw a flash, and suddenly the tentacle retreated in a hurry. The tentacle was gravely injured, and Kavos knew it definitely wasn't him that did it.
He blinked his eyes in shock and saw a young man with a wide smile waving to him before disappearing into the shadows. His movements were as swift as the wind, and each strike was as fluid as the flowing river. Kavos recalled that this young man's name was Joey. If he remembered correctly, this lad was a newbie who had only recently became a mercenary for less than two years. But judging from the speed and precision from Joey's attack, Kavos couldn't believe that it came from a newbie. As a thief, he could naturally see it wasn't an easy feat. At least in this area, Kavos didn't feel that this Joey fellow was any weaker than himself. Moreover, his movements seemed to be much more flexible than himself… and he was much younger…