Alastor, a blur of motion, closed the distance between him and the stunned Deathstinger with incredible speed. He had spent the last few days honing his dagger skills, and his movements were precise as he aimed for the vulnerable skin beneath the beast's cracked armor.
A roar erupted from the Deathstinger. Momentarily stunned by Arthur's lightning, it had just recovered when Alastor's attack struck, sending a jolt of pain through its body.
Alastor pressed his advantage, his speed a whirlwind as he unleashed a flurry of blows, inflicting wound after wound on the creature before it could react.
In a desperate attempt to survive, the Deathstinger lashed out with its pincers, aiming to crush Alastor. But the attack was too slow, too predictable. Alastor effortlessly dodged the snapping jaws, using the creature's momentum to reposition himself for another attack. With a grunt, he plunged his dagger deep into the same spot he had been targeting, his strength maximized for this final blow.
The Deathstinger, overwhelmed by the relentless assault, finally succumbed to its wounds and collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Alastor's victory was short-lived. Arthur's cry for help sliced through the air, pulling him back to the present danger.
"Alastor, over here! I need help!"
Alastor whirled around to see Arthur on the verge of being overrun by a swarm of Deathstingers. Without hesitation, he sprang into action, a blur of motion as he reached Arthur's side and pulled him free from the encirclement.
"Nice work, Alastor," Arthur gasped as Alastor deposited him in a safe location.
"Good job, team! Now that the big guy's down, the rest should be easier," Marcus announced, his voice booming across the battlefield.
Alastor silently agreed. They had encountered a group of nearly fifty Deathstingers, four of which were two-star creatures – one early stage, two mid-stage, and one at its peak.
Kayla, Craig, and E were currently battling the two mid-stage and the peak-stage Deathstingers, along with roughly half of the horde, mostly composed of one-star creatures. Alastor, Arthur, and Marcus were tasked with holding off the remaining Deathstingers, including the early-stage two-star creature.
Their original objective was to simply hold out until the others finished their fight, but taking down the strongest Deathstinger had significantly boosted their confidence.
"Arthur, can you unleash a large blast of lightning?" Alastor asked, formulating a plan.
"Yes, but it takes time and a lot of energy," Arthur replied.
"Okay, start charging it up. I'll handle this group, and Marcus, you make sure none of them get through to Arthur." Alastor's tone was firm, authoritative, surprising both Arthur and Marcus. He wasn't usually the one to take charge.
There was no time for questions. Trusting Alastor's judgment, they quickly set his plan in motion.
Alastor darted forward, a whirlwind of steel and speed, meeting the oncoming horde of Deathstingers head-on. With each movement, his dagger found its mark, carving through the creatures with deadly efficiency.
"Damn, he's incredible. At this rate, none of them will even get past him," Marcus muttered, awestruck by Alastor's skill.
As if to challenge his words, a lone Deathstinger managed to slip past Alastor's onslaught. However, it was heavily wounded, clearly more focused on escape than attack.
"Damn it, too strong," Marcus mumbled, before swinging his axe in a swift arc, ending the creature's misery with a single, decisive blow.
'Why did he even need Arthur's lightning?' Marcus wondered, glancing back at Alastor after finishing off the last Deathstinger.
'Don't tell me he's planning to help the others after dealing with all these…' A thought struck him, and he realized he was probably right.
Alastor knew maintaining such incredible speed while battling the Deathstingers would drain his energy. By the time he finished this group, he wouldn't have much left to help E's group. That's where Arthur's lightning came in.
Even if the attack didn't inflict massive damage, it would at least create a wide area of effect, injuring and paralyzing the horde, making Alastor's job of finishing them off much easier.
One might wonder why not let the others join in and conserve Alastor's energy. The answer was simple: Alastor wasn't about to share these precious Exp points.
'What a battle freak,' Marcus thought, finally understanding Alastor's motivation, though his reaction might have been different if he knew about the system and Exp points.
Thud!
The last Deathstinger finally crumpled to the ground, marking the end of a perilous fight.
Alastor paused, taking a moment to catch his breath, before turning to face Arthur and Marcus. He was greeted with looks of pure shock.
"Dude, that was freaking amazing! Never knew speed could be so cool! Maybe I should've gotten that as my bloodline ability instead," Marcus exclaimed, his jaw practically on the floor.
"Shut up, you think your clumsy self could move like that?" Arthur retorted, delivering a playful smack to the back of Marcus's head.
"Ouch, not cool, man," Marcus whined, but Arthur ignored him.
"Is your attack ready?" Alastor asked, turning to Arthur.
"Yep, ready to go whenever," Arthur confirmed.
"Great, let's go help the others," Alastor said, leading the way toward the sounds of the ongoing battle.
It wasn't far. The sounds of clashing metal and furious roars echoed through the cavern.
They soon arrived at the scene, and the devastation that greeted them was shocking. Large sections of the cavern walls were shattered, burn marks scorched the floor and walls, and patches of frost testified to Kayla's ice abilities.
"What's up, guys? Why are you here?" E asked in surprise, the first to notice their arrival.
"We finished our part, so we thought we'd come help," Marcus announced, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look cool. Arthur rewarded his arrogance with another smack to the back of the head.
"Who's 'we'? Like you actually did anything," Arthur muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Marcus to hear.
Kayla, Craig, E, and Molly – who was mainly providing support with her healing abilities – were stunned by Marcus's announcement.
How did they finish already? They all wondered simultaneously.
Kayla was the most shocked. She knew that the trio had only awakened their bloodline abilities a few days ago. How were they already this powerful?
'How did my good-for-nothing brother and his friends manage to pull that off?' She couldn't help but wonder.
Though she hated to admit it, she had always been secretly competing with her younger brother. This rivalry had intensified after their father named Arthur as heir to the family business, fueling Kayla's desire to prove she was the more capable sibling.
The shock she felt now bordered on fear and insecurity. If Arthur and his friends were already this strong after only a few days, did that mean he had more potential than her?
She quickly pushed these thoughts aside. This was no time for distractions, not in the middle of a battle.