The others froze when they saw Myles’s knees sink under the monster’s strength. They saw his black sword shake violently, sparks bursting at every scrape of the creature’s claws as a sign that there’s some magical energy coming from the clash.
If even Myles, who was the strongest among them, struggled like this, then the enemy before them was beyond anything they had fought so far. Nadine and Victor even thought that maybe this monster was even on par with the monster in the apartment.
Fear rippled through the survivors. Daniel’s knuckles whitened on his makeshift pipe and Clara’s lips trembled as she muttered something, barely able to form words.
Their fear wasn’t just for themselves—it was the realization that if Myles now died, none of them would stand a chance.
Nadine’s spear shaft creaked under the pressure of her grip.
"I’ll help him." she said suddenly. Her voice was sharp, cutting through their frozen state.
Victor stepped closer to her and he was still able to speak in his tone steady. "We should help him, but we can’t be rash. If we rush in just like that, we’ll only get in his way. We need to watch and see what this thing can do first."
Victor managed to keep his head in a calm place and that grounded them again.
The others nodded quickly.
Nadine’s eyes burned with impatience but she understood.
Then Victor cupped his hands and shouted toward the front. "Myles! Try to expose its movements! we’ll back you when we see an opening!"
Myles heard that and his teeth clenched, sweat running down his temple as he twisted under the weight of the monster’s hands.
He then shifted his blade sideways just in time to deflect a claw that nearly ripped across his chest.
"I’ll... try my best!" he said. His voice came out rough but steady.
The crowned monster snarled, its horns glowing brighter as it swung again.
Myles dodged to the side and rolled across the fleshy ground.
The claws tore deep gashes where he had been a second earlier, the ground trembling from the impact.
Myles rose to his feet immediately while breathing hard.
He focused. His eyes locked on the monster’s rhythm of movements while he moved to dodge or block its attacks.
He then saw that the motion of its massive arms and pulse of its glowing horns had a pattern.
The monster relied on overwhelming strength, but its speed faltered at the end of each wide swing.
He feinted forward, forcing it to slam both arms downward in another crushing attack.
He then spun away, his boots sliding against the slick surface, then dashed in close again before the monster could lift its arms again. His black short blade carved a deep wound on its torso and slash across one of its glowing veins that run inside it.
A screech came out from the creature’s throat, it sounded louder and sharper than before.
Its body jerked back, greenish dark light flickering violently on the veins where the cut had landed.
Myles’s eyes narrowed. That flicker could be its weakness. It looked like veins of energy in the fleshy wall outside. So probably when struck it would disrupt the monster’s energy flow.
"The veins! Aim for the glowing veins under its body!" He shouted without hesitation, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Behind him, Nadine and Victor exchanged a sharp glance. Now, they finally had a target.
They already understood the monster’s rhythm, and with Myles holding its attention they believed the three of them could really kill it. But then Myles said that he had found another weakness.
The moment Myles shouted about its glowing veins being another weakness they didn’t hesitate. Both of them dashed forward to attack together.
The crowned monster reeled, still shuddering from the wound Myles had carved across its torso.
Its focus wavered and its glowing horns pulsing erratically. The survivors seized the chance immediately.
Myles pressed in first and forced the beast backward with a surge of attacks. His short free hand pulsed with red veins as he unleashed his Fireball skill, the sphere of flame exploding against the monster’s face.
Heat scorched the air and the creature howled and staggered as Myles lunged closer and carved fresh cuts across its chest and limbs. The slashes deepened the bleeding effect caused by his passive skill. Then his blade’s Predator’s Edge skill multiplied the damage already inflicted.
Nadine appeared at his side, her makeshift spear thrusting forward with both hands.
The sharpened metal tip punched into the monster’s torso, piercing through skin until it tore into another glowing vein beneath.
A burst of green-black fluid sprayed out and the monster’s screech rose to a maddening pitch.
Nadine smirked grimly at the sight before yanking her spear free and leaping backward to avoid the spray or retaliation.
Victor moved next, his large kitchen knife slashed across the monster’s back. The wound wasn’t deep enough to reach a vein but blood spilled nonetheless.
The monster seems enraged and twisted its massive body and swung a clawed arm directly at him.
Victor braced himself, knowing that he couldn’t dodge in time he activated his Stonehide skill.
His skin hardened to stone, his body rooted in place as the claw slammed into him.
The impact echoed like something hard hitting on a rock, forcing him back a single step—but he did not fall.
The monster froze, its glowing eyes widening in what almost seemed like shock.
Its claws scraped uselessly across his hardened skin.
For those few seconds, its attention was locked on Victor.
That was all Myles needed. He appeared behind it, his short black blade glowing faintly as his Bloodthirsty Slash passive getting wilder.
The black-red sword carved deep into the creature’s exposed back a few times in quick succession and this time the cut opened another of the glowing veins.
A gush of greenish-black blood spurted violently, spraying across the ground.
The monster staggered, its body trembling, its strength clearly beginning to wane.