Haru was unsure what he did out of order to the point of gaining attention from the Monarchs.
He accepts that he has been clearing many high-ranking gates all by himself and also has played a vital role in the Jeju-do but was that enough to invite the monarchs?
'Well, who cares... ' Haru asked the System if he could get a language skill to understand the elf but the system just told him bluntly that if Haru wished for something, he needed to clear the floors and hope to find his desired reward.
That pissed him off since being cursed by the elf without having any source of understanding of the creature was annoying in itself.
Before the Frost Monarch could finish speaking his opening speech, Haru teleported behind the elf's back and using his bare fist, launched an attack only to realize that the frosty wasn't a monarch for nothing.
[Quite sneaky...]
Even though The King of Snow Folk sounded nonchalant, he was barely able to conjure ice to block the punch or he knew that attack would have inflicted quite damage on this vessel.
The block of ice shattered into pieces after being struck by that hit before all three monarchs leaped to make some distance from the Anomaly.
[My children... ] The monarch of plague regretfully gazed at the numerous carcasses of the ants that the group of hunters annihilated some moments ago before her arrival.
Her deadly eyes were directed toward the group of hunters standing nearby with a menacing look adorning her face.
[You! You all would pay for the sin you should have never committed!! ]
Just the aura of a Monarch was enough to make the cameraman fall unconscious and mostly every hunter deathly pale in fret. Only Cha Hae-In and Baek Yoon-Ho were able to maintain their bearings as they faced the beastly creature with a strong front.
However, the slight tremble of their hands and legs gave away the facade as they saw the raven-haired humanoid monster summoning a long centipede which allowed the inhumane to reach meters higher than the ground.
The hunters were so focused on the woman that they never noticed the movement on the surface as numerous raven-scaled centipedes made their way toward the humans.
"LOOK OUT!" Every gaze turned toward the sudden appearance of Jin-Woo who slashed his dagger sidewise and created an air pressure enough to throw the pests away.
[The Vessel~ You truly are pathetic to be someone chosen for the job]
Jin-Woo frowned upon hearing that but he didn't let his guard down even for a second, already being aware of what kind of danger this woman was.
[You think you can save them? ]
Jin-Woo's eyes widened and surely did everyone's as suddenly several large hands appeared from thin air ready to squash the hunters in one go.
"Tusk!" Hearing the call, the giant appeared behind Jin-Woo's back, ready to deploy the Hymn of Protection the very moment, when suddenly...
*SHAAAAAA*
A whip of frost brushed across the group and the shadow summoned which made Jin-Woo realize something.
'That elf can also freeze my shadows?! '
As absurd as it sounded, it was a fact that not only all hunters' feet but Tusk as well were frozen under the ice released by the Frost Monarch.
[I provide you with the chance to crush the Vessel, my fellow Monarch. ]
The Ice elf wasn't able to maintain his cheeky grin for long since he soon had to duck and dodge Haru's attack.
'Damn it!' Jin-Woo gritted his teeth before he took out the sword of Demon King Baran from the inventory. Lightning crackled from the sword gaining the attention of the fellow hunters.
"Here it comes!!"
Jin-Woo's eyes flashed with a cold glint as he saw the green hands darting in their direction at a furious pace.
"Beru, Igrit, Iron. " Jin-Woo calmly called out for his three best warriors before he swung his blade to bisect the three arms flawlessly.
*RUMBLE*
Lightning crackled from the sword as the immediate danger was soon dissipated with the assistance of Igrit's sword, Iron's shield, and Beru's claws.
"Igrit, take this and free Tusk up. "
Jin-Woo threw the sword toward the knight before he inhaled deeply and converged all his strength in his legs. Blood and mana rushed into his hind limbs before...
*CRACK*
The ice cracked and soon he was out of the ice. Thanks to the small yet much-needed moment of rest, Cha Hae-In was able to pull herself together as she used her mana-imbued sword to pierce through the ice and free her slim body out of it as well.
The other hunters needed help, most importantly, Choi Jong-In who still was pale from blood loss and half-treated injury.
Min Byung-Gyu was exhausted from all the assistance he provided during the raid and also trying to defend himself. He had very little mana left yet he was doing his best to keep Choi Jong-In alive.
[You, traitorous child! Going against your mother would grant you the punishment of death! ]
The Monarch of Plague roared and received a deadly hiss in return from Beru who wasn't responding to the Monarch's call of enslavement at all.
Jin-Woo prepared himself for another round of battle with his dagger being conjured in his hand and slight annoyance creeping down his spine when suddenly someone crashed in front of him at a terrifying pace.
**DHAAAK**
Jin-Woo's eyes slightly widened as he saw the giant wolf lying in the dust with countless wounds and bruises over its massive body.
He didn't check on the ice elf but from the looks of it, the beast-man had received a good amount of beating from his opponent.
"Everything is fine on your end, Sunbae?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Jin-Woo turned his head to praise the young man for such a remarkable feat when Jin-Woo got another shock, this time worse than the previous one.
Haru was in tatters.
****
A/N: - I would be extending the battle for some more chapters.
You already might have realized why Haru is doing this and not using his mist dispersion. Like won't every battle end before even starting properly if I make Haru use it?
I won't be nerfing him at any moment in this fiction but to let the plot develop and Jin-Woo grow, I needed to take this step.
The next chapter is almost prepared. Will drop it either tomorrow or the day after.
Drop a comment if you liked the chapter~