Chapter One Hundred and Two: Fierce Battle

Jens asked gravely, “Do we kill it, or charge through?”

Lando and Stran answered at the same time, “Kill it!”

They exchanged a glance, and Stran went on, “The situation on the fifth floor is still unclear. We have to clear our retreat completely.”

Everyone immediately agreed with him and began preparing to sweep the area.

A sharp cry rang out.

In a space this vast, the Crystal Winged Dragon finally had room to show its worth. The moment it emerged, it gave a piercing screech and rode the gale straight toward the giant crystal scorpion.

While the Crystal Winged Dragon held the giant crystal scorpion in place, the others had to quickly clean out the “small monsters” in the cave, while James, the designated support, stayed behind and stood ready to raise barriers to block the aftershocks of battle so the cave itself would not be damaged.

A quick glance showed that, aside from the giant crystal scorpion, there were some four or five hundred smaller ones. “Small” was only relative to the giant one; even the smallest among them stood nearly two meters tall and four meters long.

Most of the crystal scorpions were level seven, with only a little over thirty at level eight. Compared with their level seven kin, the level eight ones generally grew to more than five meters in length.

Just as everyone was using their own abilities to clear the scorpions, a shrill, agonized cry changed every face on the field.

They turned and saw the Crystal Winged Dragon fleeing in utter disgrace beneath the giant crystal scorpion’s pursuit. One side of its abdomen had been torn open, and the blood spilling from the wound carried a faint green tinge. It had clearly been injured by the scorpion tail’s venomous sting.

Jens’s expression changed. “This won’t do. The Crystal Winged Dragon is too far outmatched by the giant crystal scorpion. It’s no match at all, and that poison is vicious. It won’t hold out for long!”

By then they had only cleared a few dozen scorpions. If the giant crystal scorpion joined the fray and coordinated with the hundreds of ordinary ones, then even if they won, it would likely be a devastating victory.

Stran turned to Lando and said, “Only you can make a move now. Work with the wounded Crystal Winged Dragon to hold that giant scorpion in place and buy us time.”

At Stran’s words, the teammates fighting nearby all glanced over, waiting for Lando’s answer. After so many days fighting side by side, everyone had a rough sense of one another’s strengths and limits. With Lando’s unusual talent, even when he tried to keep a low profile, he still stood out sharply.

If Lando agreed to help, they still had a real chance of clearing this scorpion cave in one swift push. If he refused, then they would have no choice but to withdraw and think of another plan.

Feeling everyone’s attention on him, Lando simply said a quiet, “All right,” and vanished in a flicker.

That single movement made his teammates breathe easier. They had worked so hard to reach this point, and the entrance was already within sight. No one wanted to give up now.

In another flicker, Lando appeared beside the giant crystal scorpion and sent a punch crashing into the pincer that was about to strike the Crystal Winged Dragon, knocking it off course. The Crystal Winged Dragon recognized Lando. Though still angry over the ambush that had once knocked it unconscious, it also knew this was its master’s ally, and now was not the time for temper. It immediately moved in to coordinate with Lando’s assault.

With Lando’s arrival, the battle there temporarily reached a stalemate. But the wounds and poison on the Crystal Winged Dragon could drag it down at any moment, and without that large body to delay the foe, Lando alone could not hold the giant crystal scorpion in place.

Both sides were now racing against time.

As time passed, half the crystal scorpions in the cave had been cleared away when the Crystal Winged Dragon finally seemed unable to endure any longer. It suddenly faltered. The giant crystal scorpion’s tiny eyes flashed with savage delight. Ignoring Lando’s attacks altogether, it seized the opening, thrust out both pincers, clamped onto the Crystal Winged Dragon’s wings, and tore with brutal force!

The Crystal Winged Dragon let out a weak, pained cry. One wing was ripped clean off, and the other drooped helplessly, clearly no longer fit for battle.

Just as the giant crystal scorpion was about to finish it off, the Crystal Winged Dragon dissolved into a scatter of light points and vanished. Jens, seeing that things were going wrong, had directly recalled it with his innate ability.

The situation turned in an instant. Seeing its opponent disappear for no apparent reason, the giant crystal scorpion was instantly driven into fury. It disregarded Lando’s interception and charged straight toward Stran and the others.

“We have to stop it, or once it joins up with the ordinary crystal scorpions, it’ll be even harder to beat!” That was everyone’s shared understanding.

Stran took a deep breath. “Keep going. I’ll work with Lando to hold it back!”

He did not wait for a reply. He immediately broke from the battlefield and charged head-on at the giant crystal scorpion.

A strange, heavy hum sounded.

Everyone heard it and saw Stran wrapped in a layer of earthy yellow radiance. In an instant, he swelled into a ten-meter-tall figure like a living earth elemental, slamming into the charging giant crystal scorpion and forcing it to halt.

That display truly opened the teammates’ eyes, and they all fought with even greater effort.

Stran looked imposing enough, but in truth he was suffering miserably. Just blocking the giant crystal scorpion’s charge already demanded everything he had. Worse still, he could clearly feel its tail already aiming at him, ready to strike at any moment. The Crystal Winged Dragon’s fate was still fresh in his mind; he had no desire to taste that venom himself.

At that moment, Lando appeared beside Stran and struck the scorpion tail with a punch just as it shot toward him like lightning. A sharp clang rang out like metal on metal, and a tremendous shock sent the tail flying. Even the giant crystal scorpion swayed slightly. Taking advantage of the opening, Stran quickly broke free of the entanglement and steadied himself.

“Thanks!” Stran shouted.

Lando nodded in reply.

The two of them then worked together to keep the giant crystal scorpion pinned in place. Stran’s newly displayed methods also astonished Lando. He could freely shift among the four elements.

As earth, his strength was immense and his defense formidable. As water, he could alter his form at will, and his attacks carried a chilling slowing effect. As fire, flames burned around him with searing heat, and every strike came with a burning aftereffect. As wind, he was even more astonishing: his entire body could scatter into wisps, impossible to grasp, and wherever he passed, it was as though the air itself had been slashed apart by invisible blades.

Lando was no less impressive. He unleashed all manner of strange and varied abilities, dazzling the eye.

Gradually, the number of crystal scorpions around them dwindled. When the last one was finally destroyed, everyone let out a breath of relief, then turned their attention to the only battle still raging.

Under Lando and Stran’s assault, the giant crystal scorpion could do nothing but rage in helpless fury, watching its kin be exterminated before its eyes.

At last, despair and madness surfaced in its gaze.

A roar shook the air.