Chapter 195: The Pregnant Firebird (5)

Chapter 195: 195: The Pregnant Firebird (5)

The crystal in Elowen’s hand answered. She felt a small vibration against her palm.

That was the signal.

Elowen took a deep breath and gathered her light mana. She was only a First Circle mage. Compared to the two monsters fighting above, her power was almost nothing. However, she did not need to hurt either of them. She only needed to create a moment of confusion.

Elowen closed her fingers around the crystal.

"Light Flash!"

White light burst from her hand.

The crystal absorbed the light and sent it toward the first hidden crystal near the rocks. From there, it passed to the second, then the third. Cedric moved his wand carefully, changing the angles.

Instead of forming one large flash, the white light split into several smaller beams traveling between the rocks. The beams reached the final crystals before shooting toward the Nightfall Behemoth’s head from different directions.

The light struck near its eyes.

The Behemoth reacted immediately. Its six eyes narrowed, and it turned its enormous head away from the sudden brightness. The light had not injured it, and its earth mana was already blocking some of the beams. However, the unexpected attack disturbed its concentration for a short moment.

That was enough.

Lucard moved.

His Blood Claw expanded suddenly. The five claws grew longer as more blood entered them. Lucard swung his right arm toward the damaged slope, and the enormous red claw followed his movement.

It struck the thick roots holding several large rocks together.

Crack!

The roots split apart.

Lucard changed the angle of his hand and attacked again. This time, the claws cut through the weakened stone beneath the roots.

The slope trembled.

Several large rocks began sliding downward.

Lucard immediately pulled his Blood Claw back before the Behemoth could identify the source of the attack.

The first rock struck the ground beside the monster. Another followed, while the third crashed directly toward its damaged shoulder.

The Nightfall Behemoth noticed the falling rocks and released a roar.

Earth mana surged around its body.

The rocks suddenly slowed.

Cedric stared at the scene. "It stopped them!"

The Behemoth was controlling the falling stones. With a simple movement of its head, it forced several of them to remain suspended in the air.

Elowen’s eyes widened. "Did we fail?"

Lucard watched the Behemoth carefully.

"No."

The monster had stopped the rocks, but that required attention. Its head was turned, and its earth mana was divided between the mountain, the suspended stones, and its own body.

Most importantly, the damaged left shoulder was exposed.

Lucard looked toward the Crimson Sunwing.

Now attack.

The enormous bird had just finished destroying the remaining stone spears that had been aimed toward its swollen belly. It turned toward the Behemoth, keeping its lower body safely away from the broken rocks below.

For one moment, its golden eyes remained fixed on the strange sight.

The Behemoth was holding several large rocks in the air, and its head was still turned away from the bird.

The Crimson Sunwing immediately understood the opportunity.

Its wings spread wide, and flames began gathering around its body.

Cedric noticed the change and became excited.

"It saw the opening!"

Lucard did not answer. He was watching the enormous amount of fire mana gathering around the bird.

The Crimson Sunwing was preparing something much stronger than its previous attacks.

The flames around its wings moved toward its chest, then toward its throat. A bright red magic circle appeared in front of its beak.

Elowen stared upward.

The air around the bird became so hot that the nearby clouds began moving away.

The Crimson Sunwing opened its beak.

A narrow beam of white-red fire shot downward.

It was much smaller than the earlier streams of flame, but its power was concentrated into a single attack.

The beam struck the Nightfall Behemoth’s damaged shoulder.

BOOOOM!

The explosion shook the mountain.

The Behemoth released a terrible roar.

Its suspended rocks fell to the ground as the earth magic controlling them broke apart. Flames spread across its left shoulder, burning through the already damaged armor.

Several black scales shattered, and the fire reached the flesh beneath them.

Dark blood burst from the wound.

Lucard’s eyes widened slightly.

Seventh Rank blood.

He could feel it clearly.

The blood was so rich in energy that even the small amount spilling from the wound made his Fourth Blood Circle react.

His body wanted it. Every blood thread inside him seemed to reach toward the powerful blood in the distance.

Lucard forced himself to remain calm.

Not yet.

The Nightfall Behemoth staggered sideways.

Its enormous left front leg struck the ground heavily. Part of its shoulder had been burned open, leaving a deep wound that continued releasing smoke.

The Crimson Sunwing cried out again. This time, its cry sounded victorious.

Elowen raised both hands toward her mouth.

"We did it!"

Cedric smiled broadly. "It worked! It actually worked!"

Lucard looked at them. "Do not celebrate yet."

Cedric’s smile weakened. "What?"

"The Behemoth is not dead."

As if answering his words, the Nightfall Behemoth raised its enormous head.

Its six eyes were no longer pale. They had turned dark yellow, and earth mana poured from its body in waves.

The damaged shoulder continued bleeding, but the monster did not seem ready to retreat. Instead, its anger became even stronger.

The Behemoth slowly turned its head toward the rocky slope, where the unexpected attacks had originated.

Cedric felt the change first.

His smile vanished. "Lucard..."

"I know."

The Behemoth had noticed something. It might not know exactly who had attacked it, but it understood that another enemy was interfering.

Its enormous head lowered, and a deep growl escaped its mouth.

Cedric immediately recalled his crystal magic. The small crystals hidden among the rocks began losing their glow.

Elowen looked toward Lucard’s position, waiting for instructions.

Lucard raised one hand. "Retreat."

Cedric did not argue. He quickly moved away from the lower rocks and followed the path they had prepared earlier. Elowen also started moving.

But the Nightfall Behemoth was faster.

It struck the ground with its enormous tail.

The entire rocky slope trembled, and several of Cedric’s crystals shattered at once. A large crack opened beneath the lower path.

Cedric jumped backward just before the ground collapsed.

"Damn it!"

He landed beside a tree and immediately looked toward Elowen. She was still moving along the upper shelf, but several rocks had begun falling around her.

Lucard raised his hand.

A blood thread shot upward and wrapped around a thick root beside Elowen. He pulled the root toward the rock wall, creating a narrow support for her to cross the damaged section.

"Keep moving!" he shouted.

Elowen grabbed the root and climbed across.

The Behemoth released another roar.

Lucard looked toward it.

The monster’s shoulder was still burning. The concentrated fire had caused serious damage, but it had also made the creature furious.

The Crimson Sunwing saw the Behemoth preparing another attack and immediately descended.

Its wings burned brightly.

The bird struck the monster’s back with its claws.

The impact forced the Behemoth to lower its body, and several bone spikes broke beneath the bird’s grip.

The Behemoth twisted violently and tried to bite the Crimson Sunwing’s leg. The bird released another fireball directly into its face, forcing the monster backward.

Lucard watched the exchange with growing interest.

The Crimson Sunwing had changed its fighting style. Before, it had been avoiding direct contact to protect its swollen belly. Now it was attacking more aggressively, using the wound on the Behemoth’s shoulder to limit its movements.

It was intelligent enough to recognize that someone had helped it.

However, intelligence did not mean gratitude.

Lucard had no intention of trusting a Seventh Rank beast.

He moved toward Cedric while keeping his attention on the fight.

Cedric was waiting beside a broken tree.

Elowen reached them a moment later, breathing heavily.

"Did we hurt it badly?" she asked.

"Yes," Lucard answered.

"Can the bird win now?"

"Possibly."

Cedric looked toward the burning battlefield. "Then we should hide and wait. We have already done our part."

Lucard nodded.

For once, he agreed completely.

They moved behind another group of rocks farther from the mountain. From there, they could still see the two monsters fighting, but the Behemoth would have more difficulty finding their exact location.

Cedric sat down and released a long breath.

"My hands are still shaking."

Elowen looked at him. "Were you scared?"

"Of course I was scared! I was controlling six crystals while a Seventh Rank monster was trying to destroy the mountain."

Elowen smiled faintly. "You did well."

Cedric looked at her, then straightened his back slightly.

"Well, I am a talented mage."

Lucard looked at him. "You almost fell into your own collapsing path."

Cedric’s face changed. "That was not my fault!"

"You placed the crystals there."

"The Behemoth destroyed the ground!"

"You should have expected it."

Cedric opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Elowen laughed quietly.

Lucard turned his attention back to the battle.

He had seen enough to understand one important thing.