Chapter 686 Beautiful and Brave
While not all teams confronting the Naga Elders have the luxury of leaning on Nea"s wealth of experience or the brilliance of Marie"s intellect, certain teams, such as Jeanne"s, grapple with pinpointing their adversaries" vulnerabilities.
This is particularly true for the group under Ca.s.sidy"s command. Despite her relative youth compared to others, her power escalates more rapidly than most of Lucien"s wives, courtesy of her unparalleled synergy with him.
Ca.s.sidy"s personality is as striking as her prowess in battle, solidifying her as a competent commander and a figure of reverence and admiration among her sisterhood.
She"s not only secured the faith of the other women, but also garnered the esteem of Lucien and the Sins alike, positioning her as one of the most valuable const.i.tuents of his harem.
While the Warrior Queen is commendable from every perspective, her squad too boasts some distinctive qualities, even though they may not garner much merit on the battlefield.
However, Astrid is a clear exception to that notion. This captivating Manticore lady requires no extra effort to be considered among Lucien"s wives with the most alluring and exotic appearances. Nevertheless, she diligently maintains her martial skills, as sharp as her own claws.
Such a formidable display places her on par with Oya, ranking them among the most formidable in Lucien"s harem; the drawback is that beyond a venomous tail, Astrid lacks additional unique abilities.
The remainder of the team lags somewhat in terms of overall power. This is primarily true for Mia and Ella, who are contenders for the crown of indolence, giving Sophia and Sloth a run for their laziness status.
It isn"t entirely Mia and Ella"s fault since their mothers continually encourage them to exert more effort. However, Lucien is also culpable for indulging them to excessive extents.
So, while Mia and Ella do occasionally partake in training alongside the other women, a significant portion of their power is derived from their intimate encounters with Lucien.
Last, but by no means least, we have Aria, the charming Mommy Harpy.
Despite being one of the most diligent workers within the harem, her concentration is almost entirely vested in maintaining the vast Purple World residence"s neatness and meeting the family"s fundamental needs.
For this purpose, Aria is constantly coordinating with Kara, which consequently results in both women having minimal interest in combat.
However, even though they lack the impressive combat skills boasted by the other women, these three are just as committed as their sisters to defending Lucien and their family.
Now, they face off against a formidable Naga Elder.
Leading the charge is Ca.s.sidy, locking horns directly with the adversary in conjunction with Astrid; the first wielding a formidable greatsword and utilizing her wind mana to enhance her agility, while the latter employs dark metal gauntlets, also imbued with Daisy"s magic.
*BAM* *CLANG* *BAM* *CLANG*
The savage strikes of the Naga Elder generate potent shockwaves, leading Ca.s.sidy and Astrid to swiftly acknowledge that their weaponry won"t endure more than a handful of collisions with the powerful dark spear.
No matter the level of effort and precious materials Rebecca and Daisy invest in the girls" armaments, ordinary weapons simply cannot rival the soul weapons wielded by Immortal Realm"s people.
Yet, Ca.s.sidy had antic.i.p.ated this scenario. She doesn"t intend to contest using sheer force, but rather relies on the combined strength of her entire team.
"NOW!!" She signals her teammates and retreats in sync with Astrid. The mother and daughter harpy duo take the offensive, bombarding their adversary with potent sound waves.
*CREEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!*
These piercing sound waves can easily incapacitate most Immortal Realm beings by inflicting internal damage to their heads.
However, the formidable dark armor of the Naga Elder blocks almost the entirety of the harpies" onslaught, merely causing their adversary to be pushed back.
"How???" Ca.s.sidy"s shock is palpable as her meticulously devised plan flounders drastically.
Worse still, Mia persists in the planned course of action, launching a wind-slash attack at the Naga Elder from behind.
"Mia, no!!!" Ca.s.sidy had been certain that her opponent would be disoriented following the potent sound waves, but the reality is not as she antic.i.p.ated, and now Mia is dangerously exposed due to her proximity to the powerful enemy.
Events transpire rapidly, and Mia finds herself without the time to retreat mid-attack; the Naga Elder spots the young girl approaching and initiates an offensive move toward her.
Fearing for her daughter"s safety as she had underestimated their adversary, Ca.s.sidy doesn"t hesitate to charge toward the Naga Elder, exploiting her body"s full potential and wind mana to augment her velocity.
The Naga Elder takes notice of this as well, and perceiving Ca.s.sidy as a more significant threat than her daughter, he redirects his attack toward the Warrior Queen.
*BAM!* *CLANG!!!* *CRACK*
Dispensing with caution, Ca.s.sidy retaliates against her opponent with all her might to safeguard her daughter. The consequence is her greatsword being cleaved in half by the savage collision with the Naga Elder"s dark spear.
"Mother!!"
"Ca.s.sidy!!!"
The other women watch in alarm as a fragment of Ca.s.sidy"s sword sails through the air.
Her adversary swiftly capitalizes on the opportunity, landing a tail strike in Ca.s.sidy"s stomach, sending her hurtling backward.
Aria and Ella promptly react, releasing more potent sound waves to keep their opponent at bay. Simultaneously, Mia darts towards her mother, who rapidly regains control of her body mid-flight.
"I"m fine... ah..." Ca.s.sidy attempts to exude confidence, even as she coughs up a trace of blood.
"d.a.m.n it!!" Mia swears. "What was that??"
Ca.s.sidy eyes her opponent, who appears to withstand the harpies" sound waves with ease. "His dark armor... I believe it"s s.h.i.+elding him from our attacks."
"What are we going to do??" Mia inquires.
"Elemental attacks!" Amidst the group"s uncertainty, a new combatant arrives. It"s Madelyn, the timid cat-girl, who managed to summon the bravery to join the battle after witnessing Ca.s.sidy"s blow.
"Madelyn??" Ca.s.sidy is aware of the traumatic experiences the lovely cat-girl has endured, and no one would hold it against her for hesitating to confront such a formidable and ruthless foe.
However, Madelyn appears resolved to aid her sisters. "I"ve seen other girls using elemental attacks to dismantle their dark armor! I think our wind magic might work too."
"Wind magic?" Ca.s.sidy and Mia share wind affinity, but instead of honing their skills to manipulate their mana through spells, they harness it to enhance their speed and empower their blade strikes.
"Yeah," Madelyn affirms. "I"ve seen you both employ wind slashes like Lucien does, so I believe it could be effective."
Ca.s.sidy doesn"t hesitate to extract a sword from her storage ring and soar towards the Naga Elder. "Let"s give it a shot!"
Mia and Madelyn trail her, commencing their a.s.sault on the Naga Elder from a safe distance, with the mother-daughter duo using wind slashes and the cat-girl utilizing wind spells.
Although Aria and Ella"s sound waves don"t immediately impact their opponent, these attacks gradually erode the Naga Elder"s dark armor.
Consequently, when the group s.h.i.+fts their focus to elemental attacks, the dark armor doesn"t endure for long before being obliterated, while Astrid keeps the Naga Elder engaged.
In the end, both Astrid and Ca.s.sidy sustain serious wounds, but nothing critical, and their adversary succ.u.mbs to their outstanding teamwork.
"Die, b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!!" Ca.s.sidy grins before decapitating the Naga Elder with the broken remnants of her greatsword.