Chapter 271: Innovative Use Of Spells

Alex watched the battle with intense focus, refusing to let even a single movement escape his attention. Despite strengthening his physical senses with the Superior Body Reinforcement Spell and enhancing his mind with the Advanced Battle Instinct Spell, he was still having trouble keeping up with the speed of the two High Rank monsters.

Every exchange happened far faster than anything Alex had experienced before, and even with his enhanced senses, he sometimes struggled to understand what had happened before the next attack was already underway.

He carefully watched every movement, trying to understand how the two monsters used their abilities while also searching for an opportunity to attack.

As he continued observing the battle, Alex noticed something that immediately caught his attention. The adult Basilisk could apparently control its petrification gaze, unlike the unborn Basilisk that seemed to petrify anything containing enough energy and Will.

Several trees stood around the battlefield, and Alex had confirmed that they contained a high concentration of Origin Energy along with a moderate amount of Will. Yet despite being within the Basilisk’s field of vision, none of them had been turned into stone, proving that the adult Basilisk could choose what it wanted to petrify.

’That makes its ability even more dangerous,’ he thought.

The battle soon reached its climax, and both monsters were already in terrible condition. The Grim Ape had been poisoned by the Basilisk, and the poison had spread through its body while one of its legs had already been completely turned into stone, making its movements increasingly unstable.

The Basilisk was not in much better condition either. Three enormous lightning spears had pierced through its body and pinned it to the ground, and every time it tried to move, the spears tore through its flesh and caused even more damage.

Both monsters were standing at death’s doorstep. No matter which one won, Alex suspected that the surviving monster would probably die shortly afterward, although he could not completely rule out the possibility that a High Rank species possessed enough life force to survive injuries like this that would have killed an ordinary monster many times over.

"Now!"

The shout came from across the clearing, and the man who had been holding the piece of glass immediately broke out of the forest and sprinted toward the battlefield. Another man raced behind him while carrying a massive sword, and both of them headed directly toward the Grim Ape.

The Basilisk and Grim Ape immediately noticed their approach, but something astonishing happened before the two men could reach them. The third man, who was still hiding in the forest, suddenly did something that Alex could not understand, and the air around the running pair began to warp as though ’space’ itself had been distorted.

The distortion interfered with the Basilisk’s vision, preventing it from properly seeing the two men as they approached. They continued running straight toward the Grim Ape without slowing down, apparently relying on the third man’s ability to hide them from the Basilisk’s gaze.

Alex finally moved.

He began preparing his strongest Mana Shuriken, loading an obscene amount of Fire Element mana into it while using the Disruption Mana Blade Spell to make its edges as sharp and lethal as possible.

He had already seen how powerful this attack could be when used against a Mid Rank boss monster, but this time he was using it at full strength.

"Everyone spread out!" Alex shouted as he released the Mana Shuriken.

The spinning weapon shot forward at tremendous speed, producing a loud whirring sound as it tore through the air.

The blades rotated so quickly that they became difficult to see, and the enormous amount of compressed Fire Element mana made the entire attack extremely destructive.

The Basilisk reacted at the last possible moment and turned its head toward mana construct. The Mana Shuriken immediately began turning into stone under its gaze, but it was already too late because the projectile had almost reached its body.

The Mana Shuriken struck the Basilisk’s scales and continued spinning, producing a horrible screech as though two enormous pieces of metal were grinding against each other.

Sparks flew in every direction as the weapon forced its way through the scales, penetrating nearly a dozen inches into the Basilisk’s body before the compressed mana finally became unstable.

The Mana Shuriken exploded.

A bright flash illuminated the clearing as the explosion released a powerful shockwave that swept through the battlefield. The surrounding trees bent violently from the force, and Alex raised one arm to protect his face while maintaining his balance against the sudden gusts of wind.

He knew this attack would not be enough to kill a High Rank species, but it should still have caused serious damage. Alex immediately turned his attention toward the others while preparing for his next move.

"Emma, Joseph! Target its eyes!" Alex shouted, giving the commands. "Sarah, Yulia, protect them and keep watching our surroundings in case another monster tries to ambush us. Petra, stay on standby, and if anyone gets hit by the petrification gaze, flood their body with Faith and prevent the Origin Energy from spreading too deeply."

Alex immediately dashed sideways at full speed. Faith had an easier time moving through another person’s body than mana and aura, so Petra should be able to use it to interfere with the Origin Energy before the petrification could spread too far.

As the explosion cleared, the Basilisk’s body finally became visible again.

Two of the three lightning spears had been shattered, while a deep wound had appeared where Alex’s Mana Shuriken had struck, but despite the damage, the Basilisk was still alive and continued looking around for the attacker.

Alex immediately launched another fully powered Mana Shuriken. This time, however, the Basilisk was ready, and the moment its gaze landed on the projectile, the Mana Shuriken rapidly began turning into stone.

..

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