Before the group could recover from the shock of seeing a small crater just due to the guardian removing his sword from the ground,
BOOM!
The group was caught off guard as they scrambled to evade the onslaught. The swords made a deafening sound as they cut through the air, and the force of the swings created gusts of wind that threatened to knock them off their feet. The guardian's movements were swift and precise, and it became increasingly clear that facing it would not be an easy feat.
As the swords clashed down on the ground with a loud boom, a wave of dust and debris rose into the air, obscuring their vision of the guardian.
As they picked their way through the swirling maelstrom of dust and debris, the group knew they couldn't afford to stay separated for long.
There was still an otherworldly aura of power hanging in the air.
Following the initial, abrupt attack, the guardian surveyed its surroundings with a gaze that was filled with resentment. Eventually, its eyes landed on the weakest member of the group, and it didn't take long for the guardian to single them out as its target once again, despite the fact that the attack had only just occurred seconds prior.
The teen boy, who was unable to perceive the events that had occurred mere moments ago, was overcome with a sense of impending doom. The level of dust and debris in the air was unusually high, obscuring his vision, but he was acutely aware of the perilous situation he found himself in.
As if to confirm his suspicions, he observed, from his own perspective, a massive entity drawing near, brandishing a pair of mammoth blades.
A realization that was not previously present suddenly came upon him, and as he became aware of this, he trembled in fear. The entity that was slowly approaching him with its massive blades was none other than the guardian.
The realisation dawned on him, and he gradually closed his eyes in fear as the entity that was approaching him with its massive blades became more and more apparent. The only thing he could do was pray.
He was quivering with fear, his entire body shaking uncontrollably as he heard the unmistakable sound of air being sliced by those massive swords. His mind was racing with terror.
He waited for his impending doom while quivering in fear.
Time ticked...
tick
tick
tick
The ticking in his head sounded like the grim reaper was ripping his ticket to the hereafter, but
Clanggg!
Clanggg!
He heard the sound of swords colliding and could feel the intensity of the pressure and heat generated by the collision of blades. The sound was so loud that it made his ears ring, and the heat was so intense that he could feel it on his skin.
His physical state, which was characterised by a shaking movement, came to a halt. The large cutting tools were not able to make contact with his body, and he was able to hear an authoritative voice saying, "Zen, concentrate."
He subsequently heard another voice, which was much more cheeky and audacious in nature, saying, "Our dear baby Zen, you did not happen to urinate in your pants, did you?"
After hearing the previously mentioned remark, he immediately proceeded to open his eyes and direct his gaze towards the source of the cheeky voice, ultimately staring at her with a bewildered expression but refraining from speaking any words.
He stood up, his body still dazed from the realisations he had just experienced. Unable to fully comprehend the situation, he once again heard a voice coming from behind him and a strong hand supporting his back.
"Hey, let's go assist Miss Kate and kick this guardian's ass."
Completely aware of his surroundings, he struggled to regain his bearings and comprehend the situation. He looked towards the sound of swords clashing, fully understanding the predicament the group was in.
None of the individuals in the group voiced concerns about his subjectivity as being an impediment to the group, despite the fact that his actions created a certain level of difficulty.
Once again, he heard the same voice from behind him. The voice said, "Don't worry. The first time we were caught off guard, but we won't be caught off guard again."
Without even wasting another minute, the man behind him left his side and went straight towards the battle. He didn't hesitate or even look back. It was as if he knew what he had to do and was determined to see it through to the end.
Zen gazed towards the departing figure and grasped the intentions; he could observe Hannah's vines interrupting the movements of the guardian, his big sister Kate using her inferno to combat the guardian, and Rex, who without any hesitation jumped into the battle and initiated the creation of small shields to safeguard big sis and to obstruct the guardian.
Zen's face twisted into a mocking grin, and he spoke to himself in a tone of derision: "Ha! I almost wet myself just now. I need to step up my game."
At the very moment that he uttered those words, a magnificent pair of wings sprouted from his back, causing him to effortlessly float upwards into the sky.
While levitating in the air, he began to emit a delicate golden light and began utilizing his S-ranked talent, The Holy.
He was not very helpful in battles; however, it was his talent that provided him and his group with buffs, making him an essential asset to their team.
At that moment, as this event was taking place and the group began to receive various buffs, a warm and comforting smile gradually spread across the faces of all those present.
"Baby is back, huh!" while grinning, Hannah mocked Zen.
Zen did not respond and simply reminded the group that "we only have three minutes left and we need to kill it quickly or my talent would go on cooldown."
The group already knew that and began fighting with greater efficiency. Kate commanded Rex to create shields in the air and then ordered Hannah to prevent the thing from jumping, to tie its leg, and to reduce its momentum.
While avoiding the swings of the guardian's blade, Kate began to move with increased speed, as if her momentum had doubled. She then headed towards the guardian's leg, seemingly with the intention of injuring it and thus reducing its mobility.
Hannah's vines also helped her reach her destination, and she then started producing more vines that formed a road. Rex's rocky shields were larger than before as they stopped the guardian's blade continuously by breaking and reassembling.
She approached the guardian's leg, and in a matter of seconds, her sword began to glow with a bright red hue. As the temperature of the surrounding environment began to increase at an alarming rate, space itself appeared to warp and bend in response to the intense heat being generated.
Flames appeared on the sword she was holding; the flame looked very distinctive as if it didn't belong to this world. The flames were grey in colour mixed with a dark orange intensity.
Amidst the greyish-dark orange flames was a cacophony of screams. These screams were not ones of despair or fear but rather of judgement, as if to seal the fate of the enemy.
Kate had a very strenuous and challenging expression on her face as she listened to the ear-piercing screams. 'Even when utilising its power to this extent for a mere few seconds, it becomes quite arduous for me,' she thought.
With an unshakeable resolve, she assumed a stance and took a moment to carefully aim at her target. The veins on her forehead, neck, and hands began to bulge as she prepared to release a frothy blast of energy. Without further delay, she unleashed her attack while shouting as if to relieve the pressure of bearing these flames in her sword and made contact with the back of the guardian's leg.
Aaaaaaahhhh!
The guardian who saw this could do nothing to stop the assault on his leg.
Boom!
At the precise moment that the sword, which was ablaze with flames, made contact with the guardian's leg, a loud and deafening sound was produced. This sound was indicative of the amount of damage that the attack had done to the guardian's HP, which was quite significant.
-1200
The formidable guardian appeared to lose its footing for a moment but remained upright and steadfast by planting its formidable blades firmly into the ground below.
The group could see the HP of the guardian, which still had large chunks.
The Guardian
[6,300/8,000]
Without wasting this chance, the group launched an attack frantically at the moment when the guardian's blades were stuck in the ground.
Hannah tightened the grip of her vines around the guardian's leg, took her spear out, and attacked.
Using her skill [thrust] to hit the other leg of the guardian, Rex also attacked the other leg.
As they both looked on, their eyes were drawn inexorably towards the injured leg of the guardian, where Kate stood panting heavily after having just engaged in the fierce attack.
They attacked the guardian even more viciously as they saw that.
Rex kept crashing his shields into the guardian with all his might and causing damage.
slowly, but the damages were enough to take out another 500 HP.