The Dungeon Boss released a shrill screech. Its loyal soldiers followed its lead, a cacophony of high-pitched sounds resounding within the interior of the misty passage.
Not paying the eerie squealing any heed, Nico bent his knees, preparing himself to unleash carnage on these hateful Demons. The fear of whether he would get to see the light of day ever again was the furthest thing out of his mind right now.
He would channel all his concentration into dealing as much damage to his foes. And, if he went out with a bang, he'd be content.
The thought of leaving Charlotte behind did sadden him a bit, though.
Softly shaking his head, Nico entered a pseudo-meditative state - enough to clear a portion of the thoughts plaguing his over-active mind and use them for the upcoming battle -, and inhaled some of the crisp, chilly air.
He watched three of the arachnids split off from the main group and scuttle towards them under their leader's orders.
A spark of hope lit inside Nico's chest.
It seemed the Dungeon Boss wanted to toy with them slowly now that it had them firmly in its grasp. And while the three approaching Demons were still quite the handful, they were much less dangerous than the combined might of the whole group.
Gripping his spear, Nico allowed Leon to take a half-step forward, the half-blood shielding him with his burly frame. As the scuttling of the spiders finally ceased, the brown-haired boy sensed the Demons halt a couple of metres away from their position.
Then, a staring contest ensued.
The half-blood, who now stood as the sole vanguard, refused to buckle under the ineffable pressure. His back straightened, absolutely refusing to cower.
Gazing into the crimson flame of madness burning deep within their many eyes, Leon held on, clenching his teeth so hard he feared they would burst.
After a few moments of tense silence, the first spider made its move.
An alarming amount of silk shot out of its underbelly.
Releasing a bellow, the half-blood leaned his shoulder into the aegis, mitigating the force behind the ranged strike. He blocked twice more, the other two spiders joining into the tentative foray.
Seeing that their initial strike had bore no fruit, two of the Demons stayed back firing off threads of silk one after the other, while the third and final arachnid hurriedly scurried forward to deal with their pesky but delicious prey.
Taking a quick peek over Leon's shoulder, Nico frowned.
These abominations possessed a little more awareness than the mindless husks his group had been encountering so far. Though, if were to venture a guess, it was probably a result of being hand-picked by the Dungeon Boss.
Anyone who directly served it was bound to be anything but weak… compared to the ordinary denizens of the Dungeon, at least.
Still, this information did nothing to ease their current situation.
It only made the brown-haired boy feel as if their chances of making it out alive had just slimmed considerably.
Nico bit the inside of his cheek.
Since he could not take advantage of the arachnid's simplistic nature as he had before, he would just have to adjust accordingly.
Oh, well. His goal remained the same.
The method with which he would achieve that would be the thing that changed, however.
'Power. I need to amass as much power as I can into one strike to finish off those lumps of ice quickly.'
To do that, he'd have to combine all that he learned during the considerable number of battles his squad had faced. He'd have to use his refined technique and battle intuition if he had any hope of inflicting serious damage to the arachnid.
'I've got this!' he chanted inwardly, hypnotising his brain.
Taking a few steps back to give himself ample room to dash forward, Nico inhaled, waiting for the right moment to strike.
A couple of seconds later, it was time.
Pushing off the smooth ground with all his power, the brown-haired boy activated the First Form.
As the trident-like spear neared Leon's burly form, the half-blood shifted at the last moment, allowing his companion's weapon to hit the approaching arachnid.
The spear scraped off the ice with a shrill ring.
Not to be discouraged, Nico used the remaining momentum to flow straight into the Third Form. His shoulders unleashed a barrage so vicious and destructive that the carapace of any weaker spider would have already crumbled.
Unfortunately for the brown-haired boy, this wasn't just any run-of-the-mill spider. It was among the direct underlings serving the Dungeon Boss and thus had the durability to back it up.
Still, that didn't stop cracks from forming on the frigid carapace.
The half-blood also sent his sledgehammer into the fray whenever he was able.
The result was an arachnid on the verge of being completely overwhelmed. Luckily for it, the Labyrinth announced its intention to shake at that precise moment.
Nico gritted his teeth.
Blast this cursed Dungeon.
He paused his relentless barrage, and kicked the arachnid's icy carapace for good measure, before using the momentum generated from that action to push himself back.
Isaac and Oliver who had been sending arrow after arrow trying to pick off the two Demons peppering the half-blood's shield also paused. They watched with bated breath as a wall rose and engulfed the other side of the corridor.
It seemed that they had been separated from the formidable army of the Dungeon Boss.
…Which was honestly relieving.
However, they noted with grim apprehension that they still had to defeat the trio of Demons that had been transported alongside them.
Nocking another arrow, conscious of their dwindling supplies, the two elves poured all their energy into deciphering any weak points they could find in these new and improved arachnids.
Their previous method of targeting the eyes no longer worked; the density of armour now surrounding the organ had grown exponentially compared to that of the common arachnid.
Hopefully, their arrows could still prove useful in the upcoming clash.
If not, then… well, it was probably best not to think of the consequences.
Realising that the danger wasn't over yet, the savage air around Nico returned. He bolted forward to help Leon, who was quickly drowning under an ocean of silk heading his way.
"Oliver! Isaac!" he called urgently.
"On it!" the two elves replied, quickly launching another round of flaming arrows.
This time, instead of just wasting a precious dart, one of them aimed towards the arachnid's legs, while the other aimed at the ceiling above the Demons' heads.
Since a jagged barrier had risen effectively trapping the abominations' path to retreat, the trio of bloodthirsty monsters had nowhere else to go, now akin to a flock of sheep trapped in a pen.
Their only hope was forward, but a stalwart burly youth blocked that avenue.
With the fear of losing their precious legs, the Demons shrieked, and sent an overwhelming layer of silk toward their limbs, hoping to protect them from those blasted flames.
The plan worked.
However, these abominations failed to account for the fact that there were two archers instead of just one. Isaac's arrow promptly struck the ceiling, the fire rapidly dislodging multiple stalactites.
The spikes then fell and peppered the Demon's heads, shattering the ice protecting their skulls. Oliver's arrow instantly lodged itself into one, swiftly killing it, while Nico and Leon rushed to deal with the remaining arachnids.
Spear and sledgehammer in hand, they blitzed through the opposition. The ominous weapon in Nico's hands seemed to grow fiercer the longer the clash went, relishing the experience of skewering its wielder's foes.
The half-blood's utilisation of his aegis and oppressive weapon did not lag. One could even say it was more impressive.
Leon blocked when needed, and attacked when the opportunity arose. Adding on to that, the fact that the arachnid barely had any room to manoeuvre, its fate was swiftly sealed.
Watching the deadly combination of the archers and vanguard play out, the cloaked figure internally clicked his tongue. He consoled himself that eventually they would tire and the spiders would get more chances to inflict potentially fatal wounds.
Then… and only then, would he carry out his grand plan.