Due to Ishtar's and the Skeleton Grand Archer's harassment of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, the Mosquitoes were able to take advantage of the situation and collectively bombarded the Mantis with Venomous Sprays that whittled its health away.
The other Insects who realized that their leaders were losing the battle decided to shift their attention to the Skeletons that had appeared out of nowhere. However, Diablo stood in front of his subordinates and fought with Blood Moon in hand.
Although two more Skeleton Fighters died during the collision, Diablo was more than enough to hold off several enemies at once. After all, he was a Rank 2 Monster, and he had a Mythical Weapon on hand.
The Mosquitoes had figured out that the Skeletons were on their side, so they used this opportunity to deal significant losses to their enemies.
In the end, Diablo and only two other Skeletal Fighters remained as the vanguard, while Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers fired volley after volley of attacks aimed at the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in the distance.
Five minutes later, the eyes of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis glowed brightly. This was a sign that it was about to use its Berserk Skill, which Lux and Diablo had been waiting for. As soon as the Alpha Monster showed signs of going berserk, the Skeletons immediately stopped attacking and ran away like there was no tomorrow!
A few seconds after they left the battlefield, an angry screech that was similar to nails scratching a steel resounded in the surroundings.
The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis' berserked state doesn't happen right away. It was a gradual strengthening that increased all of its stats by 50% after several minutes had passed. The best way to fight against it was to let it activate Berserk, then run away until its duration ended.
All Alpha Beasts and Field Bosses had Berserk Skills. This was why they were the hardest to fight, and also why they were more dangerous than normal monsters.
The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis was a High-Tiered Rank 2 Beast. Although it was only Rank 2, it was stronger than most Rank 3 Monsters.
Once it entered its berserked state, its strength would reach the middle stages of Rank 3, which would put it on par with a Rank 4 Monster at its peak.
Since it was a High-Tiered Monster, its Health and Defenses were stronger than most, so it was impossible to fight it alone, even if the opponent was also a Rank 4 Monster.
Lux had looked for all of the information related to the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis because it was one of the most dangerous Alpha Beast in the Beginner's Zone, only second to the Field Boss, the Forest Wolf King.
Those who had reached the Rank of Apostles would usually challenge this Alpha Monster as proof of their strength before leaving the Leaf Village, just like Frederick's Party did when their party had reached the Apostle Rank.
Powerful gusts of wind blew in every direction as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis unleashed a devastating attack against the mosquitoes that had encircled it.
Its sharp claws sliced anything in its path, including the Rank 2 Monsters, the Scaled Torment Mosquitoes.
The Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes, who were Rank 3 Monsters, stayed outside of its attack zone and only hurled Venomous Sprays from afar.
The Alpha Beasts knew that it was fighting on borrowed time so it jumped towards one of the Rank 3 Mosquitoes like a cannonball. It then opened its wings for an extra burst of speed, closing the distance in two heartbeats.
The Mantis claws sliced the Ruthless Venom Mosquito's wings cleanly off its body, which made the Rank 3 Monster fall to the ground.
Surprisingly, the Mantis didn't go for the kill. In fact, the moment it landed on the ground, it leapt towards another mosquito and sliced its wings in half.
Mosquitoes can walk and crawl, but their speed was nothing compared to how fast they could fly in the air. The moment they landed on the ground, several angry insects, who were weaker than the mosquitoes mobbed them, despite the latter being stronger.
One by one, the Rank 3 Mosquitoes fell on the ground until only four were left. These mosquitoes had already flown to a height that couldn't be reached by the Mantis, which prevented the Alpha Monster from continuing its rampage.
Since that was the case, the Mantis focused its attention on the Rank 3 Monsters that it had crippled earlier and were now being attacked by the angry insects that they had terrorized for days. Even so, these Mosquitoes were still Rank 3 Monsters, so they overpowered their enemies and killed them one by one.
The Red-Eyed Mantis was really the only one that could cut through their defenses, and that was what it did. It slashed at them repeatedly until green blood oozed out of their bodies.
After killing the last Ruthless Venom Mosquito, the glow on the Alpha Monster's eye waned, signaling that its berserked state had passed. This was the moment that Lux and the Mosquitoes were waiting for.
p After seeing that their nemesis had stopped moving, the remaining Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes swooped in for the kill. This was a once in a lifetime chance to suck the Alpha Monster's blood dry, and gain the chance to evolve into a higher specie.
This was the ultimate goal of all creatures. Even Common Monsters had the ability to evolve, but only if they consumed enough Beast Cores, or if the requirements for their evolution was met.
The Skeletons, who had now returned to the outskirts of the battlefield, observed this from afar. Although they were all made up of bones, a look of anticipation could be seen in the flickering lights within their hollow eye sockets.
Lux, who was safely hidden inside the Ant Nest, smiled evilly as he waited for the battle to end.
The Alpha Beast was on its last legs, and it was only a matter of time before it fell. Right now, it was a race against time for both the Mosquitoes and the Insects that were putting up a strong resistance until the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis recovered from its weakened state.