Chapter 197: Hunting the Noble Star Beast (2)
Asher straightened and stared at the unnerving sight.
An army of armoured skeletons spat out from the mouth of the Blue Void.
Summoned minions of the Noble Star Beast hiding behind the cover of a sand cloud. Each one wasn’t as strong as the scorpions—but their great number made up for quality. From a simple sweep of the eyes, there should be a few hundred of them.
All are clad in rusted armour, but their body-sized shield and sword are glistening.
Durable and sharp without a doubt.
"Makos." Asher looked over his shoulder. "Care to do your thing?"
"Gladly." Makos nodded.
He stepped forward with heavy steps while holding the battle axe firmly in his hands.
As the physically strongest Angel within the squad, he would be the one to lead.
Behind, Fimos took out his flask and charged mana into it.
"Legacy Skill, Celestial Wine. Blue," the flask glowed with a bluish hue. He opened the lid and shoved the flash into his mouth, chugging the wine inside before he made a leap. He spat the blue wine out of his mouth.
Glowing blue droplets spread across the army of skeletons.
And before they landed, Makos already slammed his battle axe onto the ground and charged.
Like a bull, he lowered his head and ran straight to the army.
Behind him, Damas and Asher followed closely with their enchanted swords in hand.
Despite being skeletons, they weren’t mindless. Seeing the charging Makos, they planted their shields into the ground, creating the phalanx formation and braced themselves for impact. It’s a perfect response, which was commendable.
But they have no chance of stopping Makos as the blue wine corroded their armour visibly.
Crash—!
Shields bent inward. Skeletons were thrown back. And the formation shattered.
Makos pierced through the formation without any sign of stopping.
Boasting nearly eight feet in height, he towered over the skeletons that were barely seven feet, overpowering them without much difficulty. Some of them lunged from behind and hacked their sharp swords at Makos.
Damas parried the attack, swatting it off course easily, without bothering to counter.
It was the same on the other side; Asher easily intercepted any attack that came their way.
Even if some attacks slipped through, Makos’s enchanted leather armour and thick skin made it impossible for the skeletons to hurt him. In an arrow formation, the three Angels cut through the formation and head straight for the Noble Star Beast.
Kai and the other porters watched this from a safe distance.
Further back so that they won’t interfere with the Aegis Unit’s work.
The porters from Aurelian Academy, along with Barbara, had a cage strapped onto their backs. Inside every cage were three winged boots—flapping around aimlessly. With twelve of them in total, the number of winged boots matched exactly.
Kai remembered there were thirteen winged boots in total inside the tent he geared up in.
But they were only carrying twelve of them.
One must be for backup.
Kai and Bree were carrying equipment and items.
Spare weapons, first-aid vials, and other niche things were stored in the bags on their backs.
Even though the porters weren’t going to participate in the fight, they still carried a sheathed weapon at their side. Only Bree held hers ready—a steel staff gripped in both hands, designed to boost her mana output whenever she activated a Legacy Skill or Imprint.
Bree was the only porter with supportive abilities, so she was allowed to help.
"What about the skeletons on the sides?" Sabas turned to Rob. "Are you going to step in?"
"Our task is solely to kill the Noble Star Beast," Rob answered—with a shrug. "It’s the Aegis Unit’s task to deal with the minions. Fimos might help, but it’s not our focus. As for me—I am watching them to see if they need any help, which I doubt."
"Why don’t they use their Legacy Skills or Imprints to make this fast?" Barbara asked.
She watched as Makos, Asher, and Damas were solely using their weapons and physicality.
No sign of them attempting to use a Legacy Skill or Imprint.
Back in the First Sky, she constantly used her Legacy Skill or Imprint whenever she fought.
"Angels in the First Sky is still naïve in battle." Rob smiled at Barbara—friendlier than the look he gave Rob. "Conserving mana becomes paramount in order to close a Sky Gate, as running out of mana means losing the protection of our Halos. And losing our Halos would expose us to a greater risk of being corrupted and turned into slaves to the Blue Void. Many died because of their lack of ability to conserve their mana and pay attention.
"Only use a Legacy Skill or Imprint when there’s a battle-ending chance or being in danger."
Rob and Barbara nodded, learning a lot from this.
Just moments ago, they had also spotted the winged boots inside one of the tents. Oddly, the seniors hadn’t put them on right away. Since they have been Angels for years, they should be experts in using winged boots, so there shouldn’t be any reason not to use them.
Now, they realized the seniors were conserving mana.
Perhaps they were going to use the winged boots later when it was time to enter the Sky Gate.
Kai was also listening attentively, but his eyes were somewhere else.
He was staring at the battle and couldn’t help but notice one thing.
Now that they are in battle, I can sense their mana more clearly. Aside from Asher and Damas, Makos’s mana is less than mine, and yet his physical prowess is insane. I know he’s a Supernal of Minotaur—but this strength he exerted is abnormal. Stronger than even Matilda.
In truth, Kai already noticed this odd thing from earlier.
Most of the seniors are only Grade-3 Awakened Supernal, a sub-rank higher than him.
And yet, they were able to kill a Star Beast easily.
It took only one hit from Makos to crush the scorpion earlier, which was as strong as the Star Beast Barbara killed in the Dead Range—the skeleton deer. Kai knew that this squad is filled with experienced Angels, but this was abnormal.
"Senior," Kai called politely. "I mean no offense, but how can they be that strong even though they are only a Grade-3 Awakened Supernal? I’m a Grade-2 Awakened Supernal—and yet my raw strength is nowhere near theirs."
"You will learn soon enough," Rob said with a shrug. "The Star Beasts here are on the low end of Pest-class. Even the Noble Star Beast is mediocre in terms of raw power. Summoning types are annoying, sure, but they’re rarely strong on their own. And our squad? We’ve got the exact lineup to handle this kind of situation."
Roar—!
Kai stared ahead as Asher, Makos, and Damas reached the Noble Star Beast.
It was Damas who struck first, but his sword was blocked.
But in doing so—the Noble Star Beast exposed itself as the swing it did sweep the sand cloud aside, revealing a nine-foot armoured skeleton. Its eyes burned like red orbs in the gloom, and its four arms wielded a curved sword each.
As soon as it roared, the wave of corruption that detonated from it was horrendous.
Kai could see the aura from his Halo flicker.
This... This thing is considered a mediocre Pest-class Star Beast? Maybe meeting a Scourge-class isn’t a good idea.
A wry smile crept onto Kai’s lips.
Had was hoping that there might be a chance to encounter a Scourge-class Star Beast, but now, in the face of a Pest-class Noble Star Beast, that hope evaporated. Stumbling across a Scourge-class Star Beast wouldn’t be a fun experience.
It would mean certain death or being corrupted.
Killing it is out of the option.
"Rob," Grines came from behind. "Should I help Fimos deal with the minions?’
Rob glanced at Grines and paused for a good second. And then, he looked ahead again.
"Conserve your mana—for later." He said flatly, dismissing Grines completely. "It’s only the first Noble Star Beast, and we have two more after this. You still have more chances later. I’m sure Asher would give you that chance.’
"Okay," Grines stepped back.
But he was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.
And that didn’t escape Kai’s eyes; Grines is anxious as he needed to perform well in this mission, but he couldn’t argue with Rob as he wasn’t even the main member of the squad. If he forced it too much, then he might get kicked out.
"Besides, it’s going to be over soon," Rob muttered inwardly. "Asher already marked it."
Just as Rob stated, the battle was coming to an end.
Swoosh—!
Asher charged inside the arc of the Noble Star Beast’s swing, rolling under another slash from the third arm, and struck the back of the four-armed skeleton’s knee without sparing a glance. It stumbled and fell to one knee.
Damas, as if sharing the same mind with Asher, charges from the front like an arrow.
He thrust his sword at its breastplate, but it only pushed the four-armed skeleton back.
It fell on its back, but the breastplate held.
But cracking the breastplate was never his intention; knocking it down was.
Asher mounted it and placed a hand against its forehead.
Mana surged from his palm and struck the four-armed skeleton square in the frontal bone. Its sear left a mark shaped like a lamb. A concussive blast erupted from the four-armed skeleton’s body as it unleashed a deafening roar.
It hurled Asher backward and skidded across the sand, carving two trenches with his feet.
Knowing that it was in trouble, it slammed its fists against the sand.
And from beneath the sand, countless skeletal hands burst forth and wrapped around its body tightly, weaving together into a cocoon of bone. Inside, the frantic sound of digging echoed—it was trying to escape.
"I marked it!" Asher roared and charged his sword with mana. "Open it!"
Makos charged like a bull, rushing past Asher from behind.
His head transformed into that of a bull as two horns protruded from the side of his skull.
Crack—!
Upon impact, the compact cocoon of bone shattered open—revealing the four-armed skeleton inside that was surprised that its cocoon couldn’t buy it more time. "It’s time to go back to the Blue Void, you skeleton bastard," Makos smirked.
He leaped away.
As his form fled from its vision, the four-armed skeleton’s burning red eyes fixed onto Asher.
His sword already raised overhead, mana trembled along the blade.
It was another Legacy Skill or Imprint.
Smoothly, he made a single vertical swing—the energy slash screamed across the desert and through the Noble Star Beast. For one frozen heartbeat, a glowing line split it from the top of its skull to its groin.
Then it fell apart, cleanly severed in two.
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