Chapter 46: Combat

One by one, hands clasped with Huse; one by one, banshees stood up from the sea with resolute gazes.

Banshees were never fragile creatures; they were willing to use their own blood to defend their homeland.

It did not take long for all the banshees to forge a symbiotic pact with Huse.

As the pool of life expanded, Ashe's original injuries became almost negligible.

She looked in astonishment at the ferocious scar around her waist—yes, under the infusion of vital energy, the wound had transformed into a scar.

Ashe stretched her body, feeling her internal being brimming with strength. It had been a very long time since she last experienced this sensation of overflowing vitality.

The remaining banshees also rose from the seawater. They were all tall in stature, and standing together now under the moonlight, their scales gleamed with a cold light, resembling a chilling fortification wall.

Huse looked at them and could not help but sigh inwardly. In an era of cold weapons, if these banshees were outfitted in heavy armor, they would simply be a group of slaughtering machines.

A few roars echoed from outside the cave. Huse glanced in that direction. Connor, leading the monster that Monica had transformed into, had circled around and returned.

Except—

"Why has she grown this huge?!"

The banshees wore solemn expressions.

That wailing monster now bore no resemblance whatsoever to Monica's former self. Swirls of contamination churned and converged into a bizarre monstrosity the size of a church.

At this magnitude, was this still something mortals could contend against?

Huse looked toward the banshees beside him with a hint of concern.

The banshees, in turn, looked toward Ashe.

Standing on land made the contrast even more pronounced. Ashe's physique was several circles larger than the other banshees, and her athletic, well-toned form exuded an explosive power that was visible at a mere glance.

Yet, even such a formidable warrior might not necessarily be able to match a mountain-sized monster like that, would she?

"Monica..." Ashe murmured in a low voice, then shook her head and turned around with a resolute expression.

"Lord, we can handle her. Please step back a little."

Traces of sorrow appeared on the banshees' faces.

Their clan had never been numerous. After the battle against the murlocs, the surviving members were so few that a single cave could easily hold them all.

Consequently, the banshees were exceptionally united, and the bonds of affection among the kin were profound.

Monica was the youngest member of the banshee clan. She was lovely, eccentric, and quick-witted; no one disliked her.

It was a pity that the contamination upon her had now accumulated to a point of no return. The banshees might be able to defeat the monster she had become, but they no longer had the spare capacity to restrain her and attempt to alleviate the corruption.

This was already a favorable outcome. Without having to pay an even greater sacrifice, both the banshees and Huse had tried their absolute best.

It was just that, despite having finally found a homeland, Monica was about to bid them an eternal farewell.

The banshees lowered their heads one after another, holding back the grief in their hearts as they followed Ashe out of the cave. They had no time to waste.

The monster transformed from Monica was growing exponentially stronger with every passing second.

Endure suffering, and taste every dish that fate served you—the banshees had already experienced too much; today was merely yet another parting.

Moved by a shared intuition, the banshees exchanged glances and then closed their eyes simultaneously.

The power of their minds linked them together.

Moments later, they opened their eyes again to look ahead, with only determination remaining in each of their gazes. They quickly dispersed; that instantaneous mental link had allowed them to finalize their tactics.

It was time.

Not far away, Connor was riding his horse in circles. Seeing the banshees recover their state, the expression on his face relaxed slightly.

Beads of sweat now covered his forehead. Although the monster was as massive as a mountain, its speed was by no means slow. Had it not been for the slight clumsiness with which it changed direction, Connor might have been run down long ago.

Even now, he had reached the end of his tether. The horse beneath him was panting heavily, wheezing like a broken bellows.

The horse's stamina had reached its absolute limit, and it had narrowly escaped pursuit only by desperately twisting and turning under his strict control.

Fortunately, they had made it in time.

Connor raised his head. A banshee not far away made a hand gesture to him, and he nodded in mutual understanding.

Roaring, the colossal monster charged forward. Connor yanked the reins, pivoting his horse sharply to the side.

The monster brushed past him, roaring as it lunged to grab the man and horse, yet missing by a hair's breadth.

Its massive frame fought to brake to a halt, leaving deep grooves frictioned into the ground. Black contamination transformed into numerous arms pressing against the ground ahead to decelerate. Once it came to a near stop, it began frantically clawing and digging up the soil in a new direction, writhing and twisting as it prepared to turn around.

It was about to move again.

At that moment, a banshee rushed forward, slamming her entire body against the monster.

The black contamination rippled like an inflated balloon under the impact, wailing as it wrapped around the banshee in an attempt to devour her.

However, the banshee touched and immediately withdrew; the clinging contamination slid right off, emitting frustrated curses.

She had activated flesh magic at the exact moment of impact, rendering herself immune to the contamination's devour.

Keeping a short distance away to confirm that no contamination adhered to her, she deactivated the flesh magic to minimize energy consumption.

The massive monster happened to be caught in the awkward phase where its previous momentum was spent and its new strength had yet to form. Not only was its charging acceleration interrupted, but it was also shaken off balance and nearly toppled.

It can work!

A gleam lit up in Ashe's eyes. This was the banshees' tactic: to continuously harass and wear down the monster from its blind spots.

Meanwhile, Ashe, patrolling in the distance, would look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the monster.

She held a long trident in her hand, which she had seized from the murlocs. Not long ago, she had carved a bloody path out of the Abyss with this very weapon, leading her people to Castor.

"What a pity that I cannot use magic." She muttered under her breath.

The vitality brought by the symbiotic pact had only healed her wounds; the lingering effects of magical exhaustion still persisted.

Suddenly, she turned her head.

"Nini?"

Nini had left her position and was heading toward the stone cave.

Ashe was somewhat puzzled and was about to question her when she noticed Huse waving at her from the entrance of the stone cave.

"I have a plan. Just stall for a moment."

Huse's voice echoed directly in her mind, an innate ability granted by the symbiotic pact that allowed communication over moderate distances.

Ashe nodded without a moment's hesitation and turned to fill the gap left by Nini's departure.

She did not know what new idea her lord had concocted; she only knew that she simply had to execute it.

She trusted her lord, and Huse had never disappointed her.

She was willing to become Huse's long sword, clearing the thorns in his path; she did not need to overthink anything.

This gave her a deep sense of security.

Yet, she also failed to notice that a hint of anticipation was beginning to sprout within her heart.