The environment had been too much for her. If she did not have confidence in Herbert's strength then she would have long left this place. She was already very reluctant to enter but knowing that she would get left behind without the protection of Herbert filled her heart with fear. She would rather go with him on the front lines than wait for him outside where monsters might crawl out and kill her easily.
Little did she know that there were also similarly ranked awakened among the guards that Herbert had brought along. But due to their secretive nature, they never got the chance to show off as Herbert did.
The more steps they moved forward; the whiter bones appeared. Originally, the bones came from small creatures, but eventually, there also came bones from creatures of medium to larger builds.
They had already seen how large a rank 9 monster could get with their earlier battle. Judging by the size of its prey, this time, they could only wonder how much stronger the monster in front of them would be.
With his sharp eyes, Herbert soon saw numerous pieces of long and thin layers of a substance that resembled that of a snake's molted skin. Looking at its size, Herbert recognized the difference between the supposed Transcendent rank White-Horned Snake and the Three-Headed Snake. The most common type of White-Horned Snake was twice the size of the Two-Headed Snake.
While the rest were still walking forward alertly, Herbert once again halted his steps. In a flash, black feathers once again materialized. His transformation from an alert state to a battle-ready position left the others no time to react.
Due to the nature of the cave, Herbert had a lot more leeway as their enemies would only be coming from one direction. This was a lot easier for him as he wouldn't have to be worried about protecting those that came with him.
Comparing it to when he was surrounded on all sides, he would prefer this type of battle where the enemies would only come from one side despite the low visibility at any time.
As an awakened, Herbert did not only have an enhanced physical capability, but his reflexes, perception, and mental capabilities were also strengthened to the point that he could perceive the dangers that lurked ahead far before anyone else.
In front of him were the majestic bodies of snakes that had beautiful pure white scales. On their foreheads was a long horn that looked magical and enchanting. One look can make a normal creature mesmerized.
He then raised his left hand and made a gesture that only those from the Ravenmoon family understood. In an instant, all of the guards that he had brought along had elusively taken out a leaf-shaped object from their pockets and placed it in their mouths. When Herbert had placed it in his mouth, he felt refreshed and tasted the minty flavor that came from the leaf.
As someone who came here, he wouldn't lack any least bit of preparation. This also included his main method of killing the monsters. The White-Horned Snakes were included in the area that was not frequently monitored by the Ravenmoons due to the nature of their abilities.
Their horns were capable of producing illusions that could severely cloud one's judgment, but this could be counteracted by the Silver Moon Leaf which was commonly produced in the local area. However, its effects were relatively weak and it could only last up to ten minutes once one kept it inside their mouth but one can only consecutively use it up to three times before it turns into poison.
This means that their current raid had a time limit of thirty minutes. Going over that would mean that they would become influenced by the illusions produced by the White-Horned Snakes.
In front of them were hundreds of White-Horned Snakes that were curled around and resting in their lair. Before they could get the chance to awaken, Herbert instantly rushed to throw his black feathers to target them in their sleep.
Herbert was a silent farmer that quickly harvested the lives of those poor White-Horned Snakes., but it did not take long for them to realize that an intruder was present in their surroundings so they quickly roused their comrades and started their own counterattack.
With the nature of their powers, they grouped themselves into two, with the first group taking the front lines to become their swords and shields while the second provided support by launching illusions to distract and confuse the enemy.
This caused Princess Amelia's group to become the prime target of the illusion. After being inflicted with this they entered a trance-like state and become absent-minded. However, Herbert and his men were unaffected and continued with their assault.
Holding their weapons out in the open, Herbert and his men unleashed a wanton massacre and washed the cave in blood. They were like strong and long spears that pierced through whatever is in front of them.
When the White-Horned Snakes noticed that their illusions weren't working, the second group also joined the others to launch melee attacks. With all of their forces clumped together, herbert had a lot of fun releasing large-scale attacks that damaged a huge portion of the snakes.
Unfortunately, their advantage did not last long. Facing an unknown enemy that suddenly appeared in their liar, the alpha of the group awoke. From the deepest parts of the cave, a loud slithering sound emerged.
Judging from the sound, it was something that was extremely heavy and gave off a lot of pressure. Its movements gave off tiny tremors in the ground but the White-Horned Snakes that were previously losing had once again regained their fervor and launched even more reckless attacks.
Due to the terrain, Herbert was unable to exhibit one of his strengths, the size of the cave had limited him in his movements and he was unable to make use of his speed. As a Ravenmoon, it was very unfavorable for him to fight on land when he was able to make use of aerial maneuvers to outclass his enemies.
Nevertheless, he still deemed his actions necessary to lure out the Transcendent rank snake that was laying deep inside the cave.
At his command, the awakened soldiers that he had brought alongside him unleashed their powers and a pair of black feathered wings appeared on their backs. Since he had already done a good job as bait, it was now time for them to retreat.
Because they had brought along others, some soldiers had to carry them as they retreated outside the cave, but because their direction was straight ahead their speed only continued to accelerate.
As they made it out of the cave, Herbert who was carrying both Lady Elena and Princess Amelia gently placed them down in a safe corner and asked a couple of guards to protect them. From their battle to their tactical retreat, roughly about ten minutes had already passed.
Herbert could already feel the effects of the Silver Moon Leaf weakening. So, he decided to spit out the one in his mouth and replaced it with another one. The others who saw him also mimicked his actions as they braced themselves to face the full force of the monster lair in front of them.