359. Moon-Hiding Flower Steps (閉月花踐)
359. Moon-Hiding Flower Steps (閉月花踐)
***
That problems would arise from the very stage of closing the distance with Zervallua was a variable Serin had not anticipated either.
She had somehow endured the first shockwave of Demonic Energy that came like a tidal wave, but Serin could not bring herself to hurl her body forward again.
Because the Zervallua in her vision was opening its mouth once more, showing signs of generating another shockwave.
Swish.
As she adjusted her grip on the Crescent-Moon Weight, she felt the presence of her companions. Split to the left and right, they had not closed the distance with Zervallua as much as she had expected.
Considering the Demonic Energy shockwave that would soon surge forth again, I could not recklessly throw myself forward either.
'I'll create an opening.'
The first objective—generating a wide-area shockwave to draw its attention to me—had gone awry. But I still had to make it happen.
Only if I closed in on Zervallua from the center and created a gap for them to approach could the first step be taken.
Belua and Arianne, and the other two as well, also had to coordinate their damage as if balancing the scales so that Zervallua's attention did not tilt to one side.
At the moment my judgment was complete, my vision was dyed entirely red.
KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KOOM!
As the deep dark-red blood-colored shockwave swept across the ruined city once more and surged toward me, I deployed my skill again.
SHSHSHSHSH!
Against the blood-colored shockwave surging forward while mercilessly destroying space, countless white flashes filled the air. As if dim moonlight were casting its traces across the space, brilliant moonlight radiated against the blood-colored shadows.
While I continued to parry the Demonic Energy pouring from the front—
I noticed something strange in an instant.
The majority of Zervallua’s countless eyes were not directed at me.
Hundreds of eyes aimed at them, split to the left and right.
That meant it was paying less attention to me than I had expected.
'An opening!'
The moment I thought that, my body moved first, hurling itself forward.
The blood-colored shockwave’s residual ripples kept crashing over me as if leaving aftershocks, but I broke through, striking back hard with the Crescent-Moon Weight as if shaking off the ripples with force.
KRA-KA-KOOM! KRA-KA-KOOM!
Merely parrying the ripples produced enormous bursts of force that scorched the surroundings, but I pressed forward regardless.
That moment.
I saw a tiny fraction of the hundreds of eyes turn toward me.
As if I had been waiting for it, I deployed my skill.
—Using Special Skill 'Moonlit Night'.
*
————
- Moonlit Night: Changes an open area where the sky is visible into a quiet night world where moonlight exists for 1 hour. (Cooldown 24 hours. Cannot be used in Unique Domains or Absolute Domains.)
Gain bonus damage equal to 200% of Attack Power due to the effect of the Crescent-Moon Weight 'Moonlight'.
————
*
The world, already lightless and steeped in darkness, spread its darkness even deeper, but soon an enormous full moon appeared on one side of the sky and brilliantly illuminated the earth.
At that moment, feeling a vast power surge within her, the moonlight cast upon the Crescent-Moon Weight held a brightness that was almost dazzling.
The reason I had thought of the two beings called Stars and yet chosen to stand alone in the center lay in this skill.
Swish...
Soon after, following my hand as it swiftly split through space, the Crescent-Moon Weight flaunted its presence splendidly. Amid the densely filling white flashes, the blood-colored ripples could no longer exert their aftereffects; rather, I pierced straight through them and scattered brilliant moonlight.
—Moon-Hiding Flower Steps (閉月花踐).
Moonlight shimmered along my hand as it fluttered through the air, embroidering the space, and my steps riding that moonlight were light beyond measure, as if I had stepped on flower petals resting on the water’s surface and sprung forward in a single bound.
As I closed the distance with Zervallua in an instant, countless blood-colored energies suddenly surged from the dark-red wolf’s form and bore down on me.
I had anticipated that, which was why I had used Moon-Hiding Flower Steps, so I was not flustered in the slightest even as I faced it.
Rather, when I felt the presences of those on the left and right rapidly closing the distance with Zervallua, I smiled faintly.
'It turned into a roundabout approach, but still...'
At least the first objective—closing the distance with Zervallua—had been accomplished.
I would open a path, and they would deal damage with their destructive skills.
Originally, I was supposed to deal damage as well, but I had no intention of shouldering everything beyond my role right now.
'If it's them.'
The two stars of the Grandelia Empire... and Sua and Yujeong.
Because I believed they could perform well enough.
At the moment I thought that—
————!!
From a space not far away, an enormous blue light and pitch-black darkness burst forth explosively.
***
As Serin in the center charged out in a single breath and drew Zervallua's attention as if dancing a beautiful dance alone.
Arianne and Belua. Sua and Yujeong unleashed their auras in an instant and hurled themselves forward.
Once the Demonic Energy shockwaves that had been restricting their movement vanished, closing the distance with Zervallua was truly over in a flash.
Surging in from Zervallua's left and right, they each deployed enormous skills.
—Praise of Light.
As Arianne's radiant light-blade, steeped in blue light, slashed wide as if to split the sky, the enormous blue trajectory itself surged toward the giant wolf's shoulder, carving out a great wave.
As if matching that rhythm, Sua immediately thrust her rapier, wreathed in brilliant golden light, deep into the blue light, and the enormous golden light amplified between the blue, drawing a new trajectory as if golden flashes intertwined.
—Death-Piercing Strike (死娑卽穿).
The two daggers that left Belua's hands drew enormous pitch-black lines across the void as if scribbling madness into the air, and at the end of it all, they painted a darkness close to frenzy toward the Demonic Beast's head. As if death itself were dancing closer, drawing a strange melody.
Immediately after, as Yujeong greatly amplified the fresh blood dwelling in her claws and slashed her right hand upward from the ground to the sky.
Another five streaks of blood-colored fresh blood joined the dark melody weaving chaotically through space.
A splendid chain of skills, linked so perfectly it was hard to believe it was their first time coordinating.
【@^$#%$%^】
The thousands of eyes of the Demonic Beast that perceived it moved grotesquely up, down, left, and right, repeating the motion, then suddenly stopped.
KRRRACK!
Just before the trajectory of enormous blue light and brilliant gold struck its leg. Zervallua swelled its own leg enormously.
Muscles terrifyingly huge, wrapped in red fur, and the light of blue and gold that touched it seemed to carve a great wound into the leg. But the result was futile.
As if leaving only a shallow scratch, it left a trace and then vanished, consumed by the blood-colored Demonic Energy. Then, as the pitch-black melody drawing death toward its head approached, thousands of eyes emitted a great blood-red light. An enormous blood-colored barrier formed and enveloped the Demonic Beast's head.
CRACKLE!!
Immediately after, the darkness that touched the blood-colored barrier rebelled fiercely as if to pierce through it, and only when the five streaks of fresh blood's trajectories joined in, overlapping, could they break through the blood-colored barrier.
But by then, the power had already been spent, and all it could do was strike a few dozen of the thousands of eyes, dealing minor damage to the enormous body.
"......"
As their near-perfect coordinated assault achieved only meager results, the four watching could not help but feel deflated.
But only for a moment. Belua and Arianne urgently shouted toward the people beside them.
"Dodge!"
"Get away!"
They had shouted after noticing Zervallua's incoming attack, and Zervallua proved them right with its actions.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!
A blood-colored aura rippled across Zervallua's massive form, and soon countless blood-colored lines began to seize control of the surrounding space in a dazzling display.
As the blood-colored energies surged up in countless numbers and rushed at them as if to pierce them through, they lost even the leisure to speak.
As each of them hurled their bodies away to neutralize the blood-colored energies.
Serin, who had been continuously parrying the blood-colored energies surging from the front with Moon-Hiding Flower Steps, was feeling an indescribable sensation.
Their attack just now could not be called completely blocked, but it was hard to call it a meaningful hit. But she had expected that to some degree. She had not thought they could easily deal major damage.
That was why she had planned to accumulate damage on Zervallua over time, anticipating a prolonged battle.
However, Zervallua's response, attitude, and reaction felt strange even as she watched.
It was as if... it was not something that could be called a Great Demonic Beast. It seemed like a rational being calmly wielding its power.
Even though it had taken damage, however small. Zervallua did not let out a horrifying shriek, nor did it thrash its enormous body in a frenzy.
At that, Serin could not help but think absently.
'Should I... consider this fortunate?'
It was threatening enough even now, but if Zervallua moved as it had in her memories, it should have been far more overwhelming.
Proof of that was that I had not yet faced any great crisis.
SSSSSH...!
From the front, hundreds of blood-colored energies surged endlessly, but none of them reached me.
Following my hand, white trajectories filled the space completely, continuously neutralizing them. I was swinging the Crescent-Moon Weight without a moment to breathe to maintain this formation. But as far as I could tell, this was not a situation where I felt myself in mortal danger.
A situation she could handle by moving her body on instinct.
But precisely because of that... I could not help but feel a strange sense of dissonance.
—Zervallua’s massive form contained power as immense as in my past memories.
—It had perceived me first, yet had not launched a massive attack as if relying on instinct.
—It responded to attacks one by one.
—Even when damaged, it showed no reaction befitting a Demonic Beast.
—The Devour trait...
Recalling the facts I could identify one by one, I searched for what exactly was wrong.
Why I felt such unease.
I kept searching for the reason.
All the while I parried the blood-colored energies entering my vision, I saw blood-colored energies surging toward my companions—truly numbering in the thousands.
A terrifyingly threatening sight. Still, my companions were all dodging well. I had thought they would all dodge well, but...
Why did I feel so uneasy watching it? Even I could not tell.
Just deflecting the countless blood-colored thorns pouring from the front was enough to make my body cry out its limits and try to cut off my thoughts.
But as if entranced, I found myself gazing at the blood-colored energies surging from above.
THOOM!
At that moment, without even realizing it, I kicked off the ground hard.
It was like breaking away from the center front line, but I felt that was not what mattered right now.
—A Great Demonic Beast that swelled its body through Devour possesses intelligence.
I had to realize what that meant... sooner.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!
I perceived countless blood-colored energies surging vertically right after me.
But right now, I had not a single moment to spare for them.