When I saw the creature above our heads, I had to order Hernesto to analyze it.
[Hernesto, use that annoying skill!]
We couldn't risk being discovered by having things that aren't seen in this world, so I used the system to send him a message. He stood still for a moment before looking at me annoyedly, then looking at the creature and sharing its information with me.
[Puppeteer]
[Union made by Terror Spider and Homunculus]
[Spider of Terror (B+)]
[Its most notable feature is its speed of movement and attack. It can create and throw complex webs to trap its victims.]
[Weakness: Mint]
Mint!? I haven't even seen anything like that since I came to this world!
I shook my head to concentrate, looking down at the Homunculus' status window
[Homunculus (S)]
[An ancient Homunculus that failed to protect its creator, causing it to become corrupted by not being bound to a soul]
[Full control of: Rank A Mage and Rank A+ Tank]
"Holy shit, those skeletons are Rank A!?"
Before I could continue checking the status window of the creatures attacking us, another elemental arrow came at us, this time made of water.
Before I could react, the girl in charge of covering us raised her shield. This deflected the attack and mitigated the damage. However, the force of the arrow itself was enough to push her back behind us.
"Are you okay?"
I asked her, at the same time charging a wind spell, aimed at the long-sword skeleton charging at us.
[200 Mana Points have been spent]
I cast the spell, putting a large part of my mana into it, hoping it would get rid of the Tank for a few seconds.
Miraculously, my magical attack, a ball of condensed air, hit the Tank squarely in the chest, pushing him back dozens of meters. He was then swallowed up from beneath the earth and dragged away by chains of stone that I managed to form, chaining him indefinitely.
[-100 mana points]
I wanted to invest more mana in the chains, but I didn't have enough time and only put 100 points in total.
"That will give us time. You three take care of the wizard, we'll try to get rid of the puppeteer as quickly as possible!"
At my command, Alice glanced at me quickly before giving orders to her group and charging at the wizard who had moved away.
Hernesto nodded at my words before rushing in the direction of the Puppeteer.
Knowing what he wanted to do, I lifted several rock pylons from the ground, creating a path for him to the creature on the ceiling. The creature was not far behind, as the spider spun a ball of silk at an absurd speed before throwing it at Hernesto.
He reacted quickly, cutting the silk and making his way towards the creature.
The Homunculus standing on the back of his mount decided to move, extending fine threads from the flesh of his own fingers, then guiding them towards Hernesto. He tried to do the same as with the silk, but his sword bounced off the hardness of the fine threads.
"Drop that!"
I shouted, throwing a fireball at it, which, once it made contact, pushed it aside and opened a clear path to the creature.
This time Hern was faster, appearing in an instant in front of the Puppeteer. Unfortunately, the main role of the Spider of Terror was to stay away from danger, while its companion took care of the dangers. In the blink of an eye, the spider hung behind Hernesto, throwing a silk ball that took his sword and stuck it to a wall.
"I still have my fists!"
Hernesto shouted, before standing in front of the spider with one of my pillars. He threw a determined punch at the Homunculus, but it didn't even flinch.
Before his fist made contact, several cuts appeared on Hern's hand.
"Get out of there!!"
I said, creating a strong wind that dragged him backward, away from danger. Several threads so fine they were barely visible surrounded the puppeteer, creating an invisible cage around him.
I was thinking of throwing another fireball to get rid of the threads, but I was surprised from the side. The Tank of the group had been thrown towards me, taking me with her. I reacted as quickly as I could and caught her, then lifted a pile of earth and wet it with water, creating mud and mitigating our impact.
When I could see her clearly, one of her arms had been cut off and half of her face had been burned. I turned to the others, tensing up when I saw Alice with one of her legs pierced by a stone and her companion next to her with a bleeding arm bent at an abnormal angle. The skeleton remained a few meters away from them, waiting for their next move.
I set the paladin aside, but not before attaching her to the wall and covering her with a thick layer of dirt to keep her hidden.
"We can't drag this out any longer, Hernesto. Let's go all out!"
"All right!"
As I spoke, I began to create a stone bolt in my hand and spin it as fast as I could.
Please, anime knowledge, don't fail me now! I threw the bolt, which had reached great speed and headed straight for the spider.
[Mana: 137 / 800 (-300 Mana Points)]
Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere, placing a large sword in front of the spider and blocking the attack. As a result of the power, the sword was split in two.
"Damn you!"
I shouted at the skeleton that had stood in the way, defending my attack and accomplishing its mission.
"HAAA!"
Hernesto appeared from the side, making another horizontal cut and cutting through the threads in front of him as if they were butter. He quickly changed the position of his weapon, stretching out to lunge at the Homunculus.
The Homunculus tied several threads around the halberd, slowing its speed a little. This allowed the skeleton to stand on a platform created by the spider's silk and held up by the Homunculus's threads. This enabled it to land a strong punch on Hernesto's side.
"Lar-"
Before he could speak, a dagger was embedded in an opening in the skeleton's armor, causing it to divert its attention elsewhere.
When I looked to see who it was, I saw Alice being held in the air with her neck surrounded by the skeleton wizard's hand, which was holding her tightly. Her companion was on the ground, unconscious.
But thanks to her intervention, I managed to create a fireball with my remaining mana, which hit the skeleton squarely and separated it from Hern.
Hernesto regained his strength and embedded his weapon in the homunculus's head, before being kicked away by the skeleton.
The creature slid off the spider's sword, falling in a nosedive. Homunculi used to have a mana crystal that was like their heart, so once it was broken, everything would end.
Contrary to my expectations, the homunculus moved, creating thick threads to cushion its fall.
"This ends here!"
I shouted, throwing my staff aside and lunging at it. Even though I was a mage, the benefits of my body were, at the very least, great. Thanks to this, with a few strides I reached the homunculus, attacking its chest.
If a spear to its head didn't work, then it would be to its chest! The homunculus couldn't react in time, so he took my blow head-on and ended up embedded in the ground by the force. I thought it was all over, but a fireball appeared in front of me, hitting me just as hard.
I was thrown backwards, hitting the wall and then falling to the ground.
My vision began to darken, slowly robbing me of consciousness...