Chapter 340
Slightly Better Fodder
Natsuki was silent as she stared at him with that look while he began to speak once again as the wind stirred around them.
"There are only two things I need. One is how often she can let out that ray. Two… you to listen to my instructions."
The words were directed straight at Natsuki, who for yet another time was being told that she would have to follow his instructions as he seemed to already have a plan forming in his mind.
She was reluctant.
But she wasn't stupid.
In a situation as perilous as this one, she had to take the best option available to win, and if his words carried some sense, then she would follow them.
IAM saw her give him a slight nod and understood the gesture immediately.
"Look, the worm is injured and in pain. This is your chance to kill it!"
Natsuki shifted her attention back to the worm that would no doubt be feeling that it had been treated rather unfairly.
Not only had it been the first high spawnling creature to be targeted, it had also been deemed the weakest among them.
But even then, it had possessed its own trump cards.
And just as it had been about to take control of the battle against that ascender, its compatriot had decided to attack at the exact same time, causing not only its surprise attack to fail but also severely injuring it.
At the corner of the massive grey eye itself, the surface was shriveled and blackened around the point of impact. The worm's enormous body spasmed violently as the ray had carved out a massive chunk, leaving behind a glowing pink and red wound that smoldered against the grey surface of the eye.
It was a gruesome sight.
It wasn't even able to bleed out properly, the heat from the ray so intense that the flesh had sealed itself the moment it was torn apart.
Natsuki was not going to waste this chance.
She pounced.
Her sword was flung once again, cutting through the air as it aimed directly for the wounded area.
The creature could barely sense its surroundings anymore. With its eyes injured it could no longer properly observe the danger it was in.
But a foreboding feeling overtook it as it instinctively began to crawl away.
Yet it was a lost and weak crawl, its movements lacking direction or purpose as the massive body dragged itself clumsily across the ground.
Natsuki's sword simply curved slightly in the air as it adjusted its path.
Then a moist impact was made.
The sword entered through the wound as it went as deep as possible, forcing its way into the damaged eye and deeper into the creature's body. As it sank in, slick fluids and loose eyeballs were pushed out along the blade's path, spilling from the wound as the intrusion caused the worm to writhe in the utmost agony.
Yet…
Natsuki seemed unsatisfied.
She wanted to kill it more decisively and with greater pace.
Her will sharpened as she commanded the sword again, her intent clear and absolute.
The blade responded dutifully.
Instead of withdrawing, it suddenly drove forward even deeper, almost burrowing into the creature's body through the ruined eye. The motion forced its way through layers of soft tissue, pushing aside organs and clusters of half-formed eyeballs as it carved its way further inside.
The worm's enormous body convulsed violently.
Now inside the creature, the sword began to wreak havoc.
With a small gesture of her hand, the blade jerked to the left.
With another, it shot to the right.
Left.
Right.
Then up and down.
Each movement tore through the worm's interior, shredding whatever fragile structures lay within. From the outside, the effects were disturbingly visible as uneven bulges began to appear across the worm's thick flesh. The movements of the blade inside forced the body outward in shifting lumps that traveled beneath the skin like something alive crawling under it.
The creature twisted and writhed helplessly as the sword gleefully destroyed its insides.
Then suddenly—
The blade burst through the creature's outer flesh, ripping its way back into open air in a spray of fluids and ruptured tissue.
Once free, the sword spun violently through the air, shaking off the clinging bits of flesh and foreign liquid before flying cleanly back toward its master.
Moments later it returned to Natsuki's side, steady and obedient once more.
Natsuki nodded, seemingly satisfied as the worm began to fade, signifying the first high spawnling to fall.
IAM nodded as well before speaking.
"Now draw the attention of the yeti to you. Engage with it as it's the closest to you. How confident do you feel about taking it on simultaneously with the other mid spawnlings?"
Natsuki, who had begun to get an inkling of what IAM's plan was, looked at him and replied domineeringly, "I don't have a shred of doubt."
"Then I need you to engage them, not defeat them. You just need to keep them close together and be ready."
Natsuki had already shown that she was not someone who would sit around hesitating.
The moment the words were finished, she began to sprint toward the creature with the abnormally long arms.
It had already been drawing closer to her alongside the other nearby mid spawnlings, but they had all slowed after witnessing the destructive force the bald woman had unleashed earlier, especially the weaker mid spawnlings.
However, seeing the ascender who had just taken down the worm now approaching them, the yeti suddenly sprang to life.
With a loud bellow it charged forward with ferocity, its long arms stabbing down into the ground as it propelled itself toward her. Each thrust drove deep into the earth before ripping free again, dragging its massive body forward with unnatural speed.
Its intent was easy to discern.
It wanted to stab into her face until she was dead.
The mid spawnlings near it also sprang to life to engage as well. This attack, which had once numbered in the dozens, was not going anywhere near their plan. They had to take these two down as quickly as possible.
From different directions three deadly creatures were approaching Natsuki as she ran straight toward the yeti, who was also leaping toward her.
In an instant she found herself dangerously close to the creature. Its pure white hair rippled violently with its movement as one of its massive arms shot forward, aiming directly at her ethereal face.
There was no panic in those glowing indigo eyes of hers.
They returned to gold as she calmly shifted her body and easily dodged to the side.
Boom!
The arm drove deep into the ground with terrifying force, burying itself as the impact shook the earth and caused the creature to become slightly off balance.
Natsuki seized that moment instantly.
She stepped onto its buried arm as if it were a stairway to heaven and sprinted up along the length of the limb. Using the momentum of her run, she leapt and spun through the air before delivering a spinning back kick.
Her heel connected perfectly.
The yeti's head snapped backward from the force as it let out a furious bellow.
Natsuki landed lightly on its shoulder with her left foot before immediately delivering another kick, using the creature's own body as a foothold to propel herself away.
Its head snapped back once more.
Two kicks had landed on its face back to back while its arm had been trapped in the ground for those few brief seconds.
Natsuki had turned its deadliest trait into its weakness.
And in those few swift movements she had done more than enough to draw its full aggro.
She landed just as the yeti tore its arm free from the earth, chunks of soil and shattered roots scattering as the limb ripped upward.
At the same time her sword was already moving off to the side, no longer idle.
It had flown out toward the approaching mid spawnlings and was actively engaging them.
The blade darted through the air like a living thing, clashing with one creature that lunged in with jagged limbs before sharply turning to intercept another strike from a different direction. Steel rang as it deflected a claw that tried to slash toward Natsuki's exposed side.
Clang.
The sword pivoted mid-air and slid across the hardened hide of another mid spawnling, sparks flickering briefly as the blade redirected the creature's momentum rather than trying to cut it down outright.
Another one lunged.
The sword spun, its edge flashing as it slapped the attack away before abruptly pulling back, forcing the creatures to adjust their footing and move closer toward Natsuki in order to keep attacking.
Each movement was precise.
It blocked.
It parried.
It redirected.
Instead of killing them, the blade subtly guided the creatures inward, tightening their positions and drawing them toward the same space as the yeti.
Natsuki was breathing heavily.
This maneuver demanded a great deal from her.
Mana constantly flowed through the connection to her sword as she maintained control over it from a distance, every clash and adjustment draining her reserves while she simultaneously faced the yeti head on.
Her attention was split in several directions.
Her eyes were also burning through mana as well. At the same time she kept one eye on the bald woman in the distance.
And just as she feared—
The creature had begun to open its mouth once more.
Roughly a minute had passed.
It was time for the bald woman to take center stage again.
It was at this moment that IAM shouted.
"Now begin to pull them in!"
His voice reached Natsuki clearly.
The tired girl's head shifted slightly as she heard him.
But the gleam that appeared in her eyes was not one of obedience.
It was tyrannical.
She ignored him!
Once again disregarding his advice, she abruptly changed direction and began running slightly away from the creatures instead.
The yeti and the mid spawnlings, already fully invested in chasing her, followed immediately like puppets pulled along by invisible strings.
And once again, their lack of intelligence would impede them all.
IAM watched carefully as the direction she was heading… was actually toward the butterfly lizard.
The creature hovered slightly above the ground, its strange wings beating slowly as it drifted through the air. Until now it had barely taken part in the battle, doing little apart from looking disturbing, its grotesque form lingering in the background like an unsettling ornament.
But now that was going to change.
Natsuki was running straight toward it.
Behind her, the yeti and the mid spawnlings pursued relentlessly, their massive forms crashing through the terrain as they closed the distance. Ahead of her, the butterfly lizard floated with its warped wings spread wide.
She was moving directly into the space between them.
Both sides were ready to pin her in and crush her.
Was she…?
Was the genius that was Natsuki about to go above and beyond?
It seemed she didn't simply want to take down a few mid spawnlings and a high spawnling.
No. No. No.
She wanted another!
Domineering!
Tyrannical!
Genius!
Words that could barely capture what she was doing as she continued forward without hesitation as she relentless.
At last she slowed and came to a stop.
From both sides the creatures were closing in, their movements violent and heavy as the ground trembled beneath them. The air itself seemed to grow thick with hostility as claws, limbs, and bodies converged toward the same point.
Her sword floated beside her.
At that same moment, the bald woman had fully charged her attack once again.
The grotesque pillar of flesh extended from her mouth, and the glowing sphere at its tip shone brilliantly as the neon clash of red and pink built toward its peak. Waves of heat shimmered outward as the energy condensed into a deadly point aimed directly at Natsuki.
The ray was about to be unleashed.
It was then that Natsuki took a deep breath.
For a moment, the battlefield seemed distant.
Utmost calm and serenity appeared on her face.
Then her eyes flashed with indigo.
From both sides the creatures surged closer, unleashing their abilities and attacks meant to kill her instantly.
And yet her figure stood there untouched by panic.
Her presence seemed almost magical.
Undisturbed.
Even as carnage closed in around her.
Then, from the bald woman's gaping mouth…
SCREEE!!!