Alex watched Phoebe run toward them. On her forehead, a silver horn slowly materialized with a faint light, pulsing with magic.
A staff then emerged within her grip, which she pointed at the Windrazor Harpy Matron, whom Nessia’s killing array had critically injured.
Vines rose from the ground and entangled themselves around the Boss Monster, preventing it from flying back to the sky.
So far, everything had gone according to Alex’s plan.
He had deliberately thrown his shield earlier to block the monster’s view of the Flame Spear created by Nessia’s killing array, catching the Harpy by surprise.
By the time the Harpy had deflected the thrown shield, the flame spear had already taken flight.
Alex and Nessia had had a lengthy discussion about their opener act and settled with this strategy, believing the element of surprise would help them deal with the Boss Monster better.
For the killing array, the Rank 4 Core of the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf served as the main ingredient, significantly boosting its offensive properties.
As expected, the flaming spear cut down the Boss Monster’s health by more than half, proving its power.
Professor Isolde smiled in satisfaction as she watched the young lady, whom she had already set her sights on, accomplish this amazing feat.
The other Professors were also impressed by the power of the killing array, improving their already-good impression of Nessia.
"Tear off its wings!" Alex roared as he activated his Shield Charge to close the gap between him and the Boss Monster.
The young man’s shield slammed on the Harpy’s head, stunning it briefly.
Bob, Grint, and Jorven all aimed at the monster’s right wing, hacking it as if their lives depended on it.
Renard, being Renard, ignored Alex’s order and smashed his fists into the Harpy Queen’s head, intending to deal as much damage as possible in the limited time he had.
Lavinia targeted the left wing of the Harpy, unleashing quick and devastating strikes that were meant to cut it down.
Charles also hacked the same area Lavinia had targeted, successfully tearing off one of the Harpy’s wings.
An ear-piercing screech escaped the Harpy’s lips as one of its wings was cut off from its body.
But before it could take revenge on the teenagers who had decided to put their lives on the line to fight it, a giant flame spear appeared above its body as Nessia unleashed the true power of the killing array.
"Everyone, back away!" Alex ordered before running away.
This time, Renard heeded his command and distanced himself from the Boss Monster that was about to be skewered by Nessia’s ultimate attack.
"Hellfire Spear!" Nessia shouted as she swung her staff, commanding the giant spear to descend at the Harpy, who was helplessly held in place by the vines entangling its body.
A bloodcurdling scream threatened to burst everyone’s eardrums as the spear pierced through the Harpy’s body, killing it in one strike.
Alex knew how powerful Nessia’s killing array was, especially since it was empowered by a Rank 4 Core harvested from a powerful Boss Monster, but he was still a little taken aback when he witnessed it in action.
As the Harpy turned into particles of light, Dim Dim once again appeared to snatch away the sigil and the monster core.
Before the candidates could even celebrate, the sound of countless glasses breaking at the same time reached their ears.
The Stonehide Tyrant and the Hellmaw Basilisk had finally broken the barrier.
However, the two Boss Monsters had been too late—one of their comrades was already dead.
"Run!" one of Phoebe’s teammates yelled.
Her teammates all ran in different directions, hoping Alex’s team could buy them some time to distance themselves from the Boss Monsters.
"Charles, protect Nessia!" Alex ordered. "She needs some time to use the power of the killing array again. Lavinia, Phoebe, Bob, Grint, Jorven—work together to fend off the Basilisk!
"Dim Dim, Renard—we’re dealing with that stone ape! Nessia, once you’re ready, kill the Basilisk first!"
After giving his orders, Alex didn’t hesitate to charge at the Stonehide Tyrant to keep it at bay.
Dim Dim was hot on his heels, looking at the Boss Monster with a face filled with determination.
Renard understood that Alex made the right call, as only he would be able to deal a serious injury to the Stonehide Tyrant.
With that in mind, the teenager decided to cooperate with him for the time being.
The Stonehide Tyrant was intelligent, so it understood what Alex thought. Putting that into consideration, it decided to attack the other team, which had now clashed with the Hellmaw Basilisk.
"Come here, Donkey Kong!" Alex shouted.
< Taunt [EX] activated! >
The monster, long used to getting its way, let out a roar as it shifted its attention to Alex, intending to swat him into oblivion.
When the two were only a few meters away from each other, the Stonehide Tyrant unleashed a punch that should crush the puny human’s shield.
However, Alex did something that no one expected.
Even Ramza and Cairo blinked as they watched this happen, knowing Alex’s tendency to face the attacks of the monster head-on.
"My Agility stat is not just for show!" Alex roared. "Eat this!"
The young man unleashed an uppercut using his shield to hit the monster’s jaw, creating a loud clanging sound as metal hit stone.
"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim shouted as it crawled up Alex’s body before jumping off from his head and throwing a brittle vial filled with a green liquid.
Renard heard the sizzling sound of acid as Dim Dim’s attack landed on the monster’s face.
White smoke rose up to block the monster’s vision, preventing it from seeing the teenage boy’s deadly attack.
"Titan Breaker!" Renard roared as he unleashed the punch that had crippled the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf.
His fist landed squarely on the monster’s "ahem," breaking whatever was located there.
Since the monster was three meters tall, Renard had been torn on where to punch it.
He could have punched its legs to reduce its mobility, but thinking of the frustrations he wished to vent out, he decided to attack the monster’s "weak spot" with all the strength he could possibly muster.
A bloodcurdling scream reverberated in the surroundings after the deed was done.
Given its stone body, dealing a serious injury to the Rank 4 Boss Monster was difficult.
But Renard was a bad matchup for it.
When breaking stones, blunt weapons were usually more effective than swords.
And Renard’s fist was the strongest blunt weapon their party possessed right now.
The Rank 4 Boss Monster rolled on the ground in pain after receiving such a devastating blow.
At least that was what Alex and Renard thought at that time.
However, the Boss Monster turned into a rolling boulder and launched itself in Renard’s direction like a cannonball.
It was fast. Renard couldn’t possibly dodge in time.
At that critical moment, Alex activated his skill, Oathkeeper’s Duty, instantly teleporting in front of Renard to tank the blow.
While Alex’s timing was perfect, the monster’s attack was no joke, and both teenagers were both sent flying by the transmitted force.
The giant boulder then started to roll in their direction, intending to finish off what it had started.
All the spectators of the academy watched with bated breath as this battle, which would determine the fate of the trial takers, suddenly tilted in the Boss Monsters’ favor.