Chapter 192: Squad 69 Training Session (5)
Yerin narrowed her eyes while slowly lowering her stance.
"Listen carefully," her calm voice immediately pulled everybody’s attention toward her.
"The Bloodprayer Mantis has a paralytic toxin inside those forelimbs. The moment those blades cut through your skin and taste your blood, your body will immediately start locking up for around five seconds."
Shima’s expression immediately stiffened slightly.
"Five seconds?"
"Yes," Yerin answered without taking her eyes off the creature.
Arlok lightly rolled his shoulders while gripping his poleaxe tighter.
"Bla bla bla so basically... don’t get hit."
"Sounds easy," Shima muttered.
"Also... the paralysis effect becomes stronger depending on how deep the wound is. So, if one of those blades properly digs into your body..."
Her tone became colder afterward.
"...Just endure the pain. It’s just a simulation after all. But the pain will still be there."
Right after that, the Bloodprayer Mantis suddenly let out a low clicking sound.
KRRRRRK!
Its massive forelimbs slowly unfolded outward. The sharp crimson scythes reflected the chamber lights with a terrifying glow.
Ruvian’s eyes slowly narrowed.
’It’s coming.’
"Formation!"
The moment Yerin gave the order, everybody immediately moved.
Arlok stepped toward the front left side while dragging his massive poleaxe along the white floor, causing faint sparks to scatter behind him. At the same time, Yerin moved toward the front right side with her sword already unsheathed completely.
Shima positioned herself directly behind them at the center.
Ruvian and Horren immediately took the rear positions.
The five man formation instantly stabilized.
And almost at the same moment.
BOOM.
The floor beneath the Bloodprayer Mantis violently cracked apart.
Its gigantic body exploded forward with horrifying speed.
The air itself almost seemed to burst apart from the force behind its movement.
Shima’s eyes widened slightly.
’Oh, it’s fast.’
The creature crossed nearly half the arena in only a blink.
Its gigantic crimson body rapidly enlarged inside everyone’s vision as both bladed forelimbs swept forward viciously toward the frontline.
CLANGGG.
Arlok swung his poleaxe upward with brute force.
The heavy weapon collided directly against one of the mantis blades, causing a violent shockwave to burst across the arena floor.
At the same time, Yerin immediately intercepted the second blade from the opposite side. Her sword flashed sharply as she redirected the incoming strike away from the formation.
Sparks exploded everywhere. The sheer impact alone forced both Arlok and Yerin to slide backward several steps across the floor.
Yet neither of them broke formation.
The Bloodprayer Mantis immediately continued attacking.
The gigantic creature twisted its body unnaturally before unleashing another barrage of rapid slashes from both forelimbs. The crimson scythes moved so quickly that faint afterimages almost started appearing behind every strike.
The arena echoed endlessly with metallic impacts!
Arlok grinned wildly while raising his poleaxe once more.
"HAHAHAHA! Now this is more like it!"
His muscular body augmented with [Body Enhancement] as he forcefully smashed the shaft of his weapon against another incoming strike.
The impact violently shook his arms.
Even then, Arlok still pushed forward instead of retreating.
The floor beneath his feet cracked apart repeatedly from the sheer pressure of every collision.
Ruvian quietly observed from the backline.
’That guy... his raw strength is honestly absurd.’
Normally, most Class B scholars would already lose balance completely after trying to directly block attacks from a Wretched creature multiple times in a row. But Arlok somehow continued standing his ground through pure physical force alone.
On the other hand, Yerin fought in complete contrast beside him. Unlike Arlok who relied on overwhelming power, Yerin moved with near flawless precision.
Whenever the Bloodprayer Mantis tried shifting its attention toward another angle, Yerin would instantly reposition herself to intercept it before the creature could fully exploit the opening.
Her sword continuously redirected the mantis attacks away from the formation while creating small windows for counterattacks at the same time.
And it was during one of those moments that Ruvian’s eyes slightly narrowed.
’There.’
The Bloodprayer Mantis had just finished colliding against Arlok’s poleaxe while Yerin simultaneously forced its right forelimb away from the centerline.
For a brief second, its posture became unstable.
And it seemed Shima saw it too.
Her eyes immediately sharpened.
Violent lightning suddenly erupted around her falchion. Purple electrical currents rapidly wrapped around the blade while sparks continuously scattered around her body.
Then, she immediately rushed forward.
Honestly, at first glance, their coordination actually looked fairly decent.
Arlok and Yerin held the frontline together while Shima immediately moved in to exploit the opening the moment it appeared.
Even Ruvian had to admit their instincts individually were not bad at all.
But then...
The flaws immediately started revealing themselves.
"Shorty, MOVE!!"
Arlok suddenly roared loudly.
Hearing the sound coming from her left, Shima’s eyes widened.
At almost the same moment she charged in, Arlok had also committed toward a massive horizontal swing using his poleaxe, while Shima had recklessly entered directly into its trajectory.
"Tch!"
She forcefully bent her body backward mid-charge.
The massive poleaxe barely missed smashing directly into her face by only a few centimeters. The strong wind pressure alone caused her hair to scatter wildly.
"WATCH WHERE YOU’RE SWINGING, YOU IDIOT!"
"How was I supposed to know you’d suddenly rush in?!"
The Bloodprayer Mantis instantly reacted toward that tiny disruption. Its glowing yellow eyes immediately locked onto the exposed gap between them.
But before the creature could fully exploit it.
CLANG!
Yerin suddenly stepped in between them.
Her sword intercepted the incoming forelimb strike just in time. The impact forced her entire body backward slightly.
"Both of you. Focus!"
Yerin coldly shouted.
"This isn’t the right time to fight!"
Arlok clicked his tongue while immediately pulling his weapon back into position. Shima also hurriedly retreated several steps with an annoyed expression.
All the while, from the backline, Ruvian silently watched the entire exchange unfold.
’Hmm, this is too messy.’
’The timing of that attack was inconsistent and their positioning overlapped.’
He lightly sighed.
’Haa... I guess they are still fighting based on individual instincts instead of properly synchronizing their movements together.’
Then, Ruvian shifted his eyes toward Horren beside him.
The archer still had his bow raised.
But strangely enough.
Not a single arrow had been fired since the battle started.
Horren’s eyes continuously moved between Arlok, Yerin, and the Bloodprayer Mantis as if searching for the perfect timing.
Yet every time he looked ready to shoot, he hesitated again.
Ruvian immediately understood the problem.
The frontline battle was moving too chaotically.
Arlok especially kept forcing the formation into unstable positions through his aggressive swings, making it difficult for Horren to confidently release any ranged attack safely.
The creature suddenly screeched loudly.
KRRRREEEEEEKKK!
Its gigantic body abruptly twisted again before disappearing from everyone’s vision.
The next moment, the Bloodprayer Mantis suddenly appeared directly beside Arlok. Its bladed forelimb violently slashed downward.
Arlok barely managed to raise his poleaxe in time.
But unlike before, the creature immediately chained another strike from a completely different angle.
SHING!
A sharp cut instantly appeared across Arlok’s left shoulder.
Blood scattered lightly into the air.
Arlok’s expression immediately froze.
"Huh...?"
The giant man’s body suddenly stiffened.
The fingers gripping his poleaxe immediately lost strength.
Yerin’s eyes widened slightly.
"Arlok!"
"You gotta be kidding me!" Shima shouted.
The Bloodprayer Mantis immediately used Arlok’s paralysed state to its advantage. The creature suddenly lunged forward again with explosive speed.
Shima instinctively rushed in to intercept.
"I got him!"
Lightning burst beneath her feet as she swung her falchion toward the creature. But the Bloodprayer Mantis moved even faster than she expected. The gigantic creature suddenly lowered its body before smashing one of its forelimbs sideways.
"GUH—?!"
Shima’s entire body was sent flying across the arena before crashing directly toward the immobilized Arlok.
BAM!
Both of them immediately collapsed together across the floor in a messy heap.
"OI! GET OFF ME!"
"...cough!...cough!"
Shima couldn’t reply as she was still coughing some blood after receiving the hit.
Standing at the rear, with a deepening frown, Ruvian quietly watched the entire disaster unfold in only several seconds.
Then slowly, he let out a long sigh while lightly shaking his head.
’Okay... this is seriously way worse than I imagined.’
Honestly, at this point, he was already starting to wonder whether Squad 69 would even survive long enough to see the second half of the Vazrun Island Test without accidentally getting themselves wiped out first.
’Should I still have faith in this squad for the Vazrun Island Test...?’
Well, truthfully speaking...
Even he wasn’t sure.
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[Chapter 192: Squad 69 Training Session (5)]
