Chapter 294 Too Late
As Adam landed on the ground, spurting blood from his mouth, he couldn't help but curse inwardly as he felt his ribs crack, Damn it, that didn't go quite as planned!
While he, Edward, and Lisa were battling the Iron Mammoth at close quarters, he cast Dingy Illusion at the last moment to make it appear that the beast had struck its trunk three times to attack them.
However, the truth was the beast had only struck Adam and not the other two. The Iron Mammoth didn't excel in speed but in defense. Edward and Lisa had only pretended to be injured and jumped back miserably.
But Adam had ended up really getting injured.
His entire focus was on ensuring that the illusion of his friends getting hit by the beast's trunk was flawless. This led to him being severely bruised instead.
It was a Rank 1 spell, after all. The illusion could only take place within a 5x5 feet area. He was still far from casting large-scale illusions and fooling everyone, allies and enemies alike.
But this injury wasn't something that he could not deal with. He had been through worse.
The youth secretively glanced at Edward and Lisa, who were motionlessly lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
Heh, you sure can act, ya bastards.
Meanwhile, the Iron Mammoth was completely flabbergasted, glancing at the three of them in utter confusion. It must have been thinking to himself that he had only struck one human, so why did three fall down?
As for Alex and his team, they were completely and utterly speechless. Only a moment ago, things seemed to be going so smoothly. Everything was going according to plan.
But at the last moment, this behemoth of a beast seemed to have channeled the spirit of its ancestors and erupted with deadly speed, striking Adam and his team away in quick succession.
"W-What the hell?!"
"How is that even possible?!"
"Did the beast suddenly advance?! How is it so quick?!"
But they didn't have too long to think about this when suddenly the Iron Mammoth glanced at them with its bloodshot eyes.
Thinking that it had already dealt with Adam and his team, the beast recklessly charged in Alex's direction.
"Not good!" Alex's expression turned solemn. "Get into the pyramid formation. Quick!"
Soon, Ivan and Kelley got into position with serious looks and started battling the beast at close quarters. Now, they could have chosen to flee instead of fighting, but that would have been a very bad idea for a couple of reasons.
The forest terrain had been heavily altered after the heavy rainfall. This would drastically impede their movement. Moreover, the commotion caused by the mammoth chasing them would surely draw the attention of other beasts, making their situation even worse.
Earlier, they still had slight hopes of escaping from the mammoth while Adam and his team were dealing with it. But now, since they were the ones dealing with it directly, they simply couldn't leave. Not without severely injuring the beast at the very least.
The air was thick with the sound of intense battle as Alex's group desperately fought the massive mammoth. Although they were fighting a losing battle, they stood their ground.
For if they stopped fighting, only death awaited them.
"Adam, quit fooling around!" Alex screamed in fury. "I know you can hear me!"
Adam, who was lying flat on the ground, lightly clicked his tongue in annoyance, thinking to himself, I guess that was all the time I could buy… But it's fine, I've already achieved my objective.
The youth grimaced in agony and struggled to get to his feet. He glanced at Alex and his team with a pained expression, "B-Boss! Hang in there!"
"You bastard!" Alex crouched low, evading the iron-like trunk of the mammoth. "Hurry, provide support! Now!"
Adam lowered his head, hiding the cold smile blooming on his face.
The tables had turned.
Alex and his team were now fighting the mammoth at close quarters, while Adam and his team would be providing support from long range.
Adam, Edward, and Lisa hurriedly took their positions at a safe distance and started to cast long-range spells, effectively easing the situation that Alex and his team had found themselves in.
While the two squads were cooperating and fighting the mammoth, Edward and Lisa had found plenty of chances of killing Alex and his team. However, Adam had instructed them not to.
There was still a magical mechanism that Adam was highly on guard against. Until and unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't wish to kill Alex and his team with his own hands. Or have his friends directly kill them.
Although he wasn't sure if this mechanism would be found in Alex and the rest, he didn't wish to risk it.
However, this didn't prevent him from making it difficult for Alex and his team. Every now and then, he would cast spells that would lead to the other squad getting severely injured by the mammoth instead of actually helping them.
Of course, all Adam could do was 'sincerely' apologize and continue to help out.
There were also times when Alex tried to bring the mammoth over to Adam's side or even Edward's or Lisa's sides, trying to switch battle positions.
But during those times, Adam would once again make certain 'honest' mistakes that would make things difficult for the other squad yet again, forcing them to remain in their positions.
The battle was intense and grueling. The mammoth's sheer size and nigh-impenetrable defense made it a formidable enemy.
Alex and his team were heavily injured, cuts and bruises marring their bodies. Whereas Adam and his team were greatly exhausted. Their mana reserves were depleted from casting spells for so long.
As the conclusion of the battle drew closer, Adam's expression turned grim. Must I really kill them with my own hands?
He really didn't want to. For if he did and if that mechanism that he was so vigilant about really was on Alex or his team, he would have to face harsh consequences. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with slight disappointment as he saw an opening that Alex and his team were about to capitalize on. Moreover, it would be too late to make one of his honest mistakes again.
I guess it can't be helped… I'll look for other ways to have you killed.
Finally, after close to an hour of combat, Alex and Kelley cast a joint spell and immobilized the Iron Mammoth to the ground.
Ivan roared as he gathered mana in his hands. He ran up the mammoth's trunk and snapped two of its tusks with his bare hands. Then, he leaped toward the beast's head and stabbed the broken tusks straight through its eye sockets!
The Iron Mammoth crashed to the ground immediately after, its vital signs slowly disappearing, until finally, it perished. The jungle suddenly turned silent, only the sound of the waterfall could be heard.
Alex's team fell to the ground, completely exhausted. Adam and his team were also drained, however, their situation was slightly better than the former.
Looking at Alex's unguarded back, Adam's eyes gleamed with viciousness. But the next moment, he clenched his fists and calmed himself down. No, I must be patient. I need to find other ways to indirectly kill him.
Adam then put up a friendly appearance and jogged toward the mammoth's corpse with a wide grin on his face. "We finally did it, Boss!"
Alex hatefully glared at him, wanting to tear the Rank 2 magic scroll that Morden had given him and use it on Adam this very instance. He slowly got to his feet and spat through gritted teeth, "Piss off!"
Adam had an aggrieved expression on his face, "B-Boss, why are you acting this way? I think we did a pretty good job—"
"Shut your mouth!" Alex roared. He then glanced at Ivan and Kelley and hurriedly instructed, "Let's take all the loot we can. The fight earlier caused a lot of commotion. There might be other beasts on their way—"
However, he didn't even get to finish the words he was about to say when the ground started trembling once again, causing everyone's hearts to be gripped by fear and anxiety.
Adam expanded his Sphere of Resonance to the maximum, his senses finally picking up the cause of this sudden disturbance.
The youth's dark pupils dilated, his expression turning frighteningly grim.
"It's too late."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺