Chapter 119: The Charge of Death

"I can only hold out for half the journey at most. If there's no one to rotate with by then, I'm afraid we'll have to pause the plan," Selena said to Chu Yun after recasting her Light spell.

As a third-tier mage, she possessed a fair number of second-tier spell slots, and it would have been possible to release the spell again after a mid-journey break. However, doing so would introduce too many variables, and the halfway point was precisely where Nelson and another mage were meant to rotate. Maintaining the Shroud of Darkness was far more exhausting than a simple Light spell, and Nelson had never learned such a mediocre technique.

"We have no choice but to proceed as planned and take it one step at a time."

The plan continued. The vanguard's use of bait was successful; whenever the Earth-Devouring Beast grew tired and considered abandoning the pursuit of the 'sun,' food would appear, giving it the strength to continue.

When they reached the halfway mark, Selena finally reached her limit. Although she was a third-tier mage with exceptional intellect, her mental fortitude was still limited by her youth. Having maintained the spell for so long, the sun was about to flicker out, and the Shroud of Darkness on the other side was also dissipating. Furthermore, the prolonged, high-speed flight at high altitude had drained much of her physical strength; had it not been for the secure fastening of the dual-flight wings, she feared she would have lost her grip and fallen.

Chu Yun handed Selena a few berries. After eating them, she felt a slight recovery in her stamina and immediately began to meditate high in the air.

Below, the Earth-Devouring Beast slowed its pace. Dark clouds began to gather, masking the sun, and the Shroud of Darkness faded away. The creature looked up, confused by the disappearance of the sun, then turned its gaze toward the gathering clouds.

This method was less effective than the Shroud of Darkness. Without the Light spell, the clouds could not completely obscure the sun.

"Wait for now. As soon as Selena recovers, we will be fine." Haige’s group had not played much of a role along the way, and after witnessing the beast's immense power, they dared not rashly approach.

Nelson, who had landed to rest on a land-runner bird, was not as optimistic. "We cannot stop. Its hatred for the sun likely stems from being blinded by it after living in long-term darkness. With its vision not yet recovered, it can only sense nearby enemies through perception, or track the light of the sun. This condition will improve over time, and once it does, our bait tactics will become useless. Its vision is already healing," Nelson sighed, stating his grim conclusion.

This was a significant discovery, and the Knights Order had to make a choice.

Haige looked at the members of the Knights Order who had followed him for years, then turned to Nelson with a pained expression. "Is there really no other way? Can’t Fireball spells or similar things serve as a substitute?"

Nelson shook his head. "Those spells only last a moment and cannot be cast from a safe distance. If they are too far away, they are meaningless; the brightness won't be enough to capture its attention." Nelson did not want his granddaughter to take such risks, and since the Mages Guild had already lost one second-tier mage, he did not want her to be the next.

"It seems we have no other choice." Haige raised his spear, and a suicide squad was formed from the ranks.

"We have half the journey left. We only need to hold out for a quarter of it, and then Miss Selena will be able to cast the Light spell again. It is time to show your strength and courage!"

"First Squad, step forward! Starting with the captain, charge! For the glory of Blackrock City!"

"For the glory of Blackrock City!"

"For the glory of Blackrock City!"

...

The Blackrock Knights began their death relay. The first knight lit torches along the path. Initially failing to draw the beast’s attention, he was forced to tremble as he closed the distance. This was a death zone. As soon as the distance narrowed enough for the beast to notice the torches, it was met with a rain of scales; the thick iron shield could not withstand the impact for even a moment. After the knight was struck down, the torches remained where they fell, and the beast chased after them, extinguishing the flames.

Then the second torch flared, followed by the third, the fourth...

The suicide squad of the Blackrock Knights guided the Earth-Devouring Beast toward the abyss of death through this fatal relay. The beast was attracted by the torches, and the delicious corpses left behind by the knights were a welcome incentive. Haige’s heart bled. The facts proved that Nelson was right; even when Chu Yun used Fireball spells from the air, it was difficult to attract the beast's attention from a safe distance.

"If only we had used the Cloud-Covering spell from the start," Haige thought with regret. If they had been under the Shroud of Darkness, they could have kept a greater distance, and the sacrifices would not have been so great.

The plan had been too hasty, and they had not anticipated the beast's formidable strength on the ground. However, just as over a dozen loyal and brave knights had fallen, the situation changed.

A brilliant blue light ignited in the sky. It was Chu Yun; he had made his move.

"Hm? Glazed Lily?!" Nelson recognized Chu Yun’s method. Glazed Lilies were naturally luminescent plants, but normally, the light should not have been this intense. Chu Yun must have used his mental power to overdraw the plant's life force to achieve this.

Nelson was only half-right. In truth, Chu Yun had also secretly released the power of a relic to ensure the beast took notice. Even so, this brightness was not enough to draw the beast’s attention from a safe distance; what truly lured it was the aura of the relic.

That aura, so familiar to the beast, carried a grudge spanning a thousand years. It abandoned the pursuit of the cavalry and, instead, began firing scales at Chu Yun as if they were worthless. Chu Yun was long accustomed to the creature's attack patterns and nimbly dodged the onslaught in the air.

If Selena had been a sun, then Chu Yun was now a blue moon of curses—the enemy the Earth-Devouring Beast dreamed of killing.

Selena thought for a moment, then excitedly pulled a scroll from her spatial equipment and threw it down. The scroll transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking the beast. This was not a provocation, but an experiment—a test of the beast's resistance to different elements.

Following this, attacks of various elements like fireballs and ice spears rained down. Most of these low-tier attacks had no effect on the beast and could not even break its defenses to draw its attention. Only when they struck areas devoid of scales could they leave a slight mark.

"Such powerful magical immunity," Selena exclaimed in awe.

"Chu Yun, can we really defeat a monster like this?" Her resolve wavered. After witnessing its power, she was no longer as optimistic as she had been at the start.

"There is always a way. All things in nature have their counter; perhaps the Poison-Mist Feather Dragon is its nemesis."