Chapter 183 — The Manticore Boss

Chapter 183: Chapter 183 — The Manticore Boss

Chapter 183 — The Manticore Boss

Victor was the first to move.

The moment the giant Turtle Manticore finished its roar, Victor vanished.

Flash Step.

His body appeared directly above the beast’s enormous head.

Without hesitation, he tightened his grip around his dagger and drove it downward with all the strength he could use.

Bang!

The dagger struck the creature’s skull.

Victor’s arm shook from the impact.

The blade barely entered.

His eyes widened slightly.

Man... what is this thing made of?

He looked down at the tiny portion of his dagger that had managed to pierce the hide.

Literal diamonds?

The Turtle Manticore suddenly roared and swung one of its enormous claws toward its own head.

Victor’s expression changed.

"Seriously?"

He immediately activated Flash Step.

His body disappeared just before the claw swept through the space where he had been standing.

The massive claw tore through the air with enough force to send water spraying across the swamp.

Victor reappeared on the other side of the creature’s head.

This time, he wouldn’t rely on physical strength alone.

He quietly poured Spiritual Energy into his dagger.

He drove the blade downward again.

Pfft!

The dagger pierced the hide.

This time, it sank nearly a foot into the creature’s head.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

Got you.

The Turtle Manticore froze for half a second.

Then—

ROOOOOAR!

The roar shook the entire swamp.

Water rippled violently around its feet. Birds burst from the trees, and the strange creatures hiding beneath the surface scattered into the darkness.

The beast was furious.

This tiny human had actually managed to break through its defenses.

Its head suddenly disappeared.

The entire body folded inward as it withdrew into its enormous shell.

Victor blinked.

"What?"

A deep rumble came from inside the shell.

Then it started spinning.

The shell became a massive blur of green and black.

Victor’s expression changed.

The creature suddenly launched itself forward.

The spinning shell tore across the swamp, sending water and mud flying in every direction.

Victor’s eyes widened.

This looks strangely familiar.

The shell grew larger in his vision.

I could have sworn I’ve seen something like this somewhere before.

He didn’t have time to remember.

"Forget it."

Flash Step!

Victor disappeared as the spinning Turtle Manticore tore through the spot where he had been standing.

The beast crashed through several trees before finally slowing down.

Victor reappeared several dozen feet away, right beside Zack.

Zack glanced at him.

"Good job, Victor."

Victor looked at him.

"For what?"

"You pissed it off."

Victor couldn’t help laughing.

"How was I supposed to know this thing had a special move like that?"

Grace, standing nearby with her sword in hand, looked at Victor for a moment.

Then she slowly shook her head.

She didn’t even bother responding.

Zack, meanwhile, stepped forward.

His fists tightened.

"Then let’s put a stop to this."

He launched himself forward.

The spinning Turtle Manticore came directly toward him.

Zack didn’t dodge.

Instead, he planted his feet and pulled one fist back.

His muscles tightened.

The beast came closer.

Then Zack punched.

BOOM!

His fist slammed directly into the spinning shell.

The impact sent a shockwave through the swamp.

Water erupted around Zack’s legs.

For a moment, the two forces collided.

The Turtle Manticore continued spinning against Zack’s fist.

The ground beneath Zack’s feet cracked.

Zack gritted his teeth and pushed harder.

The spinning shell stopped.

For one brief moment, the swamp was silent.

Then the Turtle Manticore suddenly popped out of its shell.

Its five eyes locked onto Zack.

It looked even angrier than before.

And then it moved.

Its speed increased dramatically.

The beast lunged forward like an enraged tiger, its massive head shooting toward Zack with enough force to tear through him.

Zack’s expression changed.

I can’t take that head-on.

He immediately dashed to the side.

The Turtle Manticore’s jaws snapped shut where he had been standing.

The impact alone sent water splashing across the swamp.

Zack barely avoided the attack.

And that left an opening.

Grace moved.

She shot forward with her thin sword already raised.

Her eyes remained fixed on the creature.

She had watched Victor attack its head.

Even with Victor’s strength, his dagger had barely managed to pierce the hide.

Then where is its weakness?

Grace’s gaze traveled across the creature’s body.

Its shell was nearly impossible to damage.

Its hide was incredibly tough.

Its limbs were thick and powerful.

Even its head was heavily protected.

Then she saw them.

Its eyes.

Five eyes arranged around its mouth.

Grace’s gaze sharpened.

"There."

She immediately shouted.

"Target its eyes, Victor! I’ll keep it distracted!"

Victor heard her.

His eyes immediately moved toward the creature’s face.

Then he smiled.

Good plan.

He disappeared.

Flash Step.

Victor appeared directly in front of the Turtle Manticore.

Its massive mouth opened.

Rows of teeth snapped toward him.

Victor twisted his body sideways.

At the same time, his dagger flashed twice.

Pfft!

Pfft!

Two of the creature’s eyes were pierced.

Greenish-black blood exploded from the wounds.

The Turtle Manticore jerked its head violently.

Victor immediately disappeared again.

Flash Step.

He reappeared safely several dozen feet away.

The creature stopped.

For a moment, it didn’t move.

Then its entire body began to tremble.

Its head slowly turned.

The creature’s remaining eyes locked onto Victor.

ROOOOOOOAR!

The roar came from somewhere deep within its body.

It wasn’t simply angry anymore.

It was enraged.

And now—

It only had eyes for Victor.

The beast charged.

Victor’s expression became serious.

Flash Step.

He disappeared.

The Turtle Manticore followed.

Victor appeared on its left.

The beast turned.

Victor disappeared again.

Every time the creature got close, Victor vanished and reappeared somewhere else.

For the next several minutes, the swamp became a blur of movement.

Water exploded beneath the beast’s feet.

Trees snapped as it tore through the vegetation.

Mud splashed across the roots and surrounding rocks.

Victor couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

The Turtle Manticore’s speed had increased again.

It seemed to be burning everything it had left just to kill Victor.

Is this its last stand?

Victor disappeared again.

The creature crashed through several trees behind him.

He reappeared on a nearby branch.

The moment his feet touched the wood, he vanished again.

Flash Step.

He appeared directly in front of the creature’s face.

His dagger stabbed forward.

Pfft!

Another eye burst.

Victor immediately disappeared.

The Turtle Manticore roared.

Three of its five eyes were now damaged.

Green-black blood poured down its face, running over the remaining two eyes.

Grace noticed its vision was becoming worse.

It’s struggling.

She tightened her grip on her sword.

"One more push."

She suddenly sprinted forward.

Her speed exploded.

She lowered her body and slid across the wet ground.

At the same time, something strange began to gather around her sword.

Victor noticed it immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

What is that?

The air around the blade seemed slightly distorted, as though the space itself was bending around its edge.

Grace continued forward.

The Turtle Manticore didn’t notice her until it was too late.

She slid directly beneath its enormous body.

Her sword passed through its legs.

The blade phased through the flesh as though the creature’s body wasn’t even there.

Then—

Slice!

It’s leg was severed in a single motion.

The giant beast lost its balance.

Its enormous body toppled sideways.

The swamp erupted beneath its weight.

BOOM!

Water surged outward.

Zack’s eyes widened.

"Now!"

He launched himself forward.

His fist slammed directly into the Turtle Manticore’s face.

BOOM!

The impact twisted the creature’s neck violently.

Its head bent almost completely sideways.

The beast crashed into the ground.

The swamp shook.

For several seconds, there was nothing but the sound of settling water.

Then it stopped moving.

Dead.

Silence returned.

Victor stood several dozen feet away, breathing slightly harder than before.

His chest rose and fell.

He had spent nearly five and a half minutes constantly using Flash Step.

Even with his current Spiritual Energy, it had taken a toll.

Victor looked at the dead Turtle Manticore.

Then he smiled.

"Well... that was fun."

Zack looked at him.

He shook his head.

"You’re weird."

Victor ignored him.

He walked toward the enormous corpse.

"Let’s take care of this thing. We need the core and the hide."

He looked between Zack and Grace.

"And then we should get out of here as quickly as possible."

Neither argued.

The three of them immediately got to work.

The Turtle Manticore’s hide was difficult to remove, but with the three of them working together, they eventually managed to collect what they needed.

Victor secured the Beast Soldier Core.

The hide was divided between them.

Once everything was stored, the three left the area.