The gate! Τhe stone gate! Τhe goal of the huge devil statue had been to break the seal right from the beginning!
"2567!"
When Charles, who had been preparing the magic circle, saw this, his heart skipped a beat.
He had no way to warn Kieran, as he had entered the final stage of preparing the magic circle.
Schmidt, Raul and Cidney had also followed his instructions and left.
"d.a.m.n it!"
As the alchemy master became more and more anxious, he chanted the incantation faster and started up the power of the magic circle before him.
At that very moment, all he hoped was that the devil within the seal would not be in its prime form. He hoped it would be within his league. Otherwise, both the group and the whole West Coast would suffer a heavy trauma.
Kieran, who was still floating in mid-air with no way of using his strength, suddenly stopped moving and flew straight back towards the huge devil statue.
"Is that a spider web?"
Charles, who was watching the scene anxiously, was stunned at first, but he quickly recovered. His delight was soon replaced by anxiety though.
The spider web around the huge statue’s arm was easily shook off with a wave.
Kieran flew again towards the sealed stone gate as the statue flapped its wings.
Another spider web was fired out from his right wrist. This time though, Kieran didn’t aim for the statue’s arms, legs, or even its body.
His previous move had told Kieran that its strength matched its huge size. Even if he continued casting his web, [Mardos Arm, Spider Webbing] wouldn’t really hold it in place.
Therefore, Kieran changed his target and aimed for the ground.
The glittering web landed on the ground next to a rock not far away, contracting fast. Although the cyclone produced by the statue’s wings was powerful, its Strength was still below B- Level.
Kieran reeled himself closer and landed on the ground. The moment he landed, he leapt up and threw himself at the statue.
Even though this was his first face-to-face battle with such a huge monster, his previous experience told him that he couldn’t waste any more opportunities. He had to attack the statue. He needed to strike first, unless he wanted to be at a total disadvantage.
As for the Colossal Crocodile Primus?
If the devil statue had a mouth, he wouldn’t have minded using it.
The dark red greatsword slashed at the statue’s ankle.
Sparks flashed as the sword created a crevice deep enough to fit a palm. Kieran felt slightly delighted.
"Although the statue absorbed the gray mist in order to grow, its st.u.r.diness doesn’t match its size!"
While he had been trying to look for an exit back in the sacrificial room, Kieran had performed a thorough inspection on the statue. It had been as hard as granite, yet it would still be crushed under [Reckless Rush].
While it had grown in size, its st.u.r.diness hadn’t changed proportionately to its growth.
This was great news for Kieran, who activated [Wild Soul, Reckless Rush] without hesitation.
A huge rhino mirage formed in a flash behind him. The most primitive destructive force in Kieran’s body charged at the statue’s ankle with earth-trembling force.
Bang!
Chipped stones flew in all directions.
The huge statue’s seemingly robust ankle was crushed along with its foot.
A screech caused the statue to wobble uncontrollably.
Kieran quickly followed up his victory with a hot pursuit, wielding [Arrogant Word] and slas.h.i.+ng frantically at the statue’s other ankle.
The huge statue swung its greatsword and whip down at Kieran, trying to stop his attack in vain.
After losing one of its ankles and feet, the statue’s movements became clumsy. Maybe the colossal strength that came with its body size was still there, but the disadvantages that came with its size and its lack of nimbleness were becoming obvious now.
The statue needed to rely on its only foot to move and attack Kieran with the weapon in its hands. The weapon struck down very fast, but the time it took for it to move its body was enough for Kieran to slash at it four more times before dodging its attack.
The statue’s strike was very strong, but it couldn’t hit its target. It was like hitting a mosquito with a canon. Its effort would have looked funny to anyone who witnessed it.
However, the mist monster did not just sit back and wait for its demise.
The gray mist that had been absorbed by the statue suddenly erupted, quickly flying back into the Black Knights, who were in an unmoving charging stance.
It was like reactivating a machine. In a second, the Black Knights regained their mobility and resumed their charge on their war horses.
After the gray mist left the statue, the buff statue rapidly shrunk back to its original size.
It was still alive though, the greatsword and long whip in its hands aimed at Kieran and striking fiercely.
If the statue had been able to move freely, it would have caused substantial trouble for Kieran, but ever since it had lost one of its feet, it had slowed down considerably. Kieran quickly put some distance between them.
In an instant, the statue didn’t pose a threat to him anymore.
Kieran didn’t mess with it. He quickly headed towards Charles, who was preparing the magic circle.
Kieran was not the Black Knights’ target anymore. Instead, they were fixed on the alchemy master, who was immobilized because of the magic circle preparations.
The Black Knights whipped their horses, raising their long spears and battle axes in the air.
Moments later, they were about to chop the short elderly man into pieces.
Suddenly, a ripple of energy escaped the alchemy master’s body.
The spot where he was standing was the center of the five-meter magic circle. The magic circle suddenly lit up, emitting a dazzling red light. Countless complicated symbols and runes started to swirl around in a circular stream.
Charles was standing still on top of the magic circle. A special aura blasted out and suppressed their surroundings as the dazzling red light seemed to be forming a layer of armor over Charles, making him look like a Fire Saint standing inside the flames.
A ping-pong-sized fireball appeared in his hand. Charles threw it right at the primitive forest like an arrow, watching it shoot fast into the trees.
Kieran’s eyes widened at the scene. He wanted to witness the move Charles had been preparing for three minutes.
The atmosphere in the battlefield suddenly seemed to freeze. The charging Black Knights halted under that special aura and turned around, looking at the primitive forest under the mist monster’s control.
Nothing happened for a few seconds.
The magic circle supporting Charles from beneath vanished. Charles looked like he had come out of the water. He was panting heavily and staggering on the ground.
"Master?"
Kieran went over and helped him up with a confused expression.
Charles didn’t explain much. He just stared at the mist monster inside the Black Knights.
"Hey, monster! Did you ever get hit by a meteor?"
Charles could barely catch his breath, yet he still sounded humourous.
No one was in the mood to appreciate the humor in his comment though.
Everyone, including Kieran, lifted their heads up and stared at the sky.
It was dyed red!