Chapter 154 - 121 Crystal Cluster_1

Chapter 154: Chapter 121 Crystal Cluster_1The Legendary Beetle charging forward was like a heavy tank. Up close, the Legendary Beetle appeared even more massive and uglier. But now it faced only flying troops. With strength it couldn’t use, by the time it charged in, they had all taken to the skies. Frustrated, it flapped about madly but was helpless. Meanwhile, the remaining Cicada Wing Maggots had found their backbone and regrouped around their mother. The Young Red Copper Dragon, having recovered its breath, looped around and then hovered lower. "Don’t attack rashly," Gaven shouted to stop them. They had limited understanding of this bizarre creature, and now that it was on guard, attacking again was not a wise decision. But it was too late; the body of the Young Red Copper Dragon had already swooped down, and its Strong Acid Breath erupted forth. This time, the target wasn’t just the swarm of Cicada Wing Maggots—the mother bug was included as well. Plop! Plop! Plop! The maternal birthing chambers on the mother bug’s back opened once again, with bursts of ejecting noise. Dozens of Cicada Wing Maggots were ejected anew. Compared to the previous batch, there were noticeably fewer Cicada Wing Maggots, but their concentrated power meant that the ejected ones moved at an astonishing speed. Their Cicada Wings clung tightly to their bodies, aiming their sharp tails at the enemy. The launch of the maggots was the Legendary Beetle’s anti-air measure. Seeing there was no way to stop the young dragon’s impulsive actions, Gaven had already taken remedial steps: freeing one hand, he pulled a Spirit Crystal Stone the size of an adult’s little finger from his waist pouch. At the same time, he activated his Combat Armor; from head to toe, he was protected by dazzling, eye-catching armor, with only his eyes showing. Bang! Bang! Bang! Just as Gaven had donned his armor, several maggots struck him first, their impacts rippling across its surface. The defense of the Magic Armor wasn’t just derived from the material itself but also from an invisible magic barrier. This quality was particularly strong in the Combat Armor. Most of the maggot’s attacks were blocked by the magic barrier, not even touching the armor itself. The few that barely penetrated were already weak and couldn’t even scratch Gaven. The time was now. Gaven’s eyes suddenly blazed. The Spirit Crystal Stone in his hand, under the infusion of massive psychic energy, turned into thousands of tiny crystal shards, which were fiercely ejected, creating a conical zone centered on him, covering the entire area in front of him where hundreds of Cicada Wing Maggots had been hurtling toward him. These included both the freshly ejected and the earlier retracted mobs of Cicada Wing Maggots. Crystal Cluster. This was a Psychic Ability that Gaven had recently unearthed. Strictly speaking, this Psychic Ability belonged to the Psychic Creation Sect, something Gaven, a Psychic Sorcerer from the Psychic Self-Sculpting Sect, should have been unable to execute. But rules were rigid; people were flexible. Gaven certainly hadn’t yet grasped the essence of the Psychic Creation Sect, which involved drawing star material directly from the Starry Realm for creation. However, he had enough Spirit Crystal Stones at hand to use as substitutes, skipping this step entirely, and the rest was no challenge for Gaven. Since he didn’t need to expend strength to draw star material to create star shards, most of the psychic energy was converted into kinetic energy for the crystal ejection. This made Gaven’s Crystal Cluster even more lethal and covered a wider range. A standard Crystal Cluster had a range of about five meters, a conical area with slashing damage between 3D4 (3-12). Gaven’s Crystal Cluster, however, expanded to eight meters, and the piercing and slashing damage reached 5D4 (5-20). Because Gaven’s Crystal Stones were shaped like needles. The only drawback was that each execution of this move expended Crystal Stones worth at least a thousand gold coins. It would be more apt to call it a Gold Coin Cluster than a Crystal Cluster. Against a swarm creature like the Cicada Wing Maggots, the damage was staggering. The frontline wave of Cicada Wing Maggots was instantly turned into sieves by the dense volley of crystal needles. Those behind suffered less damage as the crystal needles were less dense. But their Cicada Wings were their Achilles’ heel; most were riddled with holes. Many were brought down outright, and those that didn’t fall had their flight speed greatly compromised. Most importantly, Gaven wasn’t fighting alone. With the time he bought, the Young Red Copper Dragon’s Strong Acid Breath also arrived. In terms of single-target damage, the Strong Acid Breath and Gaven’s Crystal Cluster were close, both doing 5D4 (5-20). But when it came to actual combat, one couldn’t solely rely on numbers. The corrosiveness of the Strong Acid Breath was far more problematic than the Crystal Cluster. With the Crystal Cluster clearing the way, Aivensa’s linear Strong Acid Breath shot farther, piercing through the swarm of larvae and sweeping across the mother bug’s back. Some of the chitinous plates had not yet closed, allowing the Strong Acid Breath to pour in directly. Hissing corrosion and white smoke billowed from the wound. Inside the birthing chambers, many of the undeveloped larvae instantly perished. Crack! The Legendary Beetle shrieked in fury, its eight huge claws digging in as it leaped without even a running start, darting ten or more meters directly above Gaven and the Young Red Copper Dragon. Two siege hammer-like giant pincers snapped viciously at them. Gaven had no doubt that if he were caught by those giant pincers, his newly acquired Combat Armor would be as fragile as tofu, tearing him instantly in half. The young Red Copper Dragon wasn’t faring much better either. The slickness of Aivensa was beyond imagination. With a flick of its tail, its body banked downward in flight, after gliding out around five or six meters, it then vigorously flapped its wings and darted out, the speed even faster than usual by a notch. It had activated one of its life-saving magic items, the Acceleration Spell on its Acceleration Ring. She had already honed a godlike dodging technique in the air from her previous skirmishes with the young Red Dragon. Crack! The Legendary Beetle snapped at the air behind her, and the clashing sound of its massive pincers made one’s ears itch. Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two passed by each other, one ascending, the other descending. The young Red Copper Dragon had ended up above the Legendary Beetle. Gaven’s eyes lit up. What a splendid bombing opportunity. With a flick of his hand, four Improved Dragon Tremor Bombs were tossed out from Howard’s Convenient Bag. It was a new round of gold coin bombing, costing four thousand gold coins with just this one move. That was the production cost price. On the market, the price would undoubtedly double and it would still be in high demand—a hot commodity. No wonder they say modern war is all about money. The effects were equally outstanding. Just as the young Red Copper Dragon hovered over the back of the Legendary Beetle, the beetle instinctively opened its brood chamber, ready to unleash a wave of maggot spray. Before the maggots could be ejected, the Improved Dragon Tremor Bombs exploded first. The strong acid that splashed out from the explosion was no less potent than Aivensa’s Strong Acid Breath. Not just one jet, but four full blasts. 4*6D8 (ranging from 24-192) damage from the strong acid. Although the Legendary Beetle didn’t absorb all of it, it was nearly as much. Many brood chambers were directly filled with the strong acid, and the maggots inside, whether mature or not, not only lay dead, but also sizzled with white smoke, corroding toward the interior of the Legendary Beetle. Bang! This attack could be said to have directly hit the weak spot of the Legendary Beetle. It bypassed its toughest defensive shell and attacked from the inside. The Legendary Beetle convulsed in pain, and when it landed, it was clearly unstable, tumbling over with a heavy thud. "Use Slow Breath, hit it with Slow Breath," Gaven yelled to the young Red Copper Dragon. Aivensa needed no reminder from Gaven. Despite her young age, her combat experience was extensive, and she had a great grasp on the timing of switching between her two types of Dragon Breath. A cone of Slow Dragon Breath was sprayed downwards, enveloping the Legendary Beetle thoroughly. The Legendary Beetle merely shook its head and then moved its eight limbs, quickly running away along the trunk of the Dragon Scale Oak, unbothered by the Slow Dragon Breath. The physique of the Legendary Beetle was too robust; the toxicity of the young dragon’s Slow Dragon Breath seemed a bit insufficient. Clearly not the kind of insect without intelligence, the Legendary Beetle, having suffered greatly, realized that continuing the fight would be laborious and unrewarding, so it opted for a strategic retreat. "We can’t let it get away. If we allow it to burrow into a cave, all our efforts will be in vain," General Stelina had already flown over, flapping her Angel Wings. Just when Gaven and the Young Red Copper Dragon had pinned down the Legendary Beetle, the Pikespirit Air Force she led was far from idle. They carried out a sweeping assault on the crippled Cicada Wing Maggots, with most perishing under their twin blades. "What in the world is this thing?" Gaven took the opportunity to inquire about the situation. "Carrier Bug, one of the most ferocious insect predators of the Fairy Wilderness. This one built its nest in the Dragon Scale Oak, trying to absorb the essence of the tree. Should it succeed, there’s no telling into what kind of monstrous creature it could grow," General Stelina explained briefly. "We’ll go down and hold it off, try using Strong Acid Breath on it, Slow Dragon Breath is basically ineffective." "How are you going to hold it off?" Gaven hadn’t finished his question when General Stelina answered with action. After their dive, with a Fairy Step, they teleported directly onto the wide back of the Carrier Bug. This was a blind spot for the Carrier Bug. Neither its eight sharp claws nor its giant pincers could reach here. More precisely, it was a blind spot that Gaven and the Young Red Copper Dragon had forcibly cleared after joining the battle. Originally, this was where the Carrier Bug was strongest—the cannon barrel mouth. A flip of the brood chamber lid could release hundreds of Carrier Bug Larvae. In the face of dense maggot fire, even five Transcendents like Brolan of the Autumnbreeze would be insufficient. Now the Carrier Bug was running out of ammunition; most larvae had been killed, and the few that had fled had not yet regrouped. Under the Carrier Bug’s frequent and urgent summoning commands, the larvae that returned did not have the advantage of numbers and were not enough for five Brolans to cut down. Moreover, the bug was hesitant to open the brood chamber on its back again. Once opened, it was not just the larvae inside that would die, but also the bug’s vulnerability that would be exposed to the enemy. The positioning of the five Brolans on the back of the Carrier Bug was also quite studied—one in front, four in the back, at least two meters apart. They could support each other while bringing their passive skill, Autumnbreeze Protection, to its fullest potential. Unlike the Young Dragon’s Slow Breath, the Brolans’ Autumnbreeze Protection is a borrowing of the power from the Fairy Wilderness. Positioned within the Fairy Wilderness, their strength was easier to harness, and this was not even the peak moment. If it were autumn, their passive power would reach an extraordinary level. As time passed, the Carrier Bug was clearly starting to be affected. Due to its large size, the impact wasn’t on its whole body but localized, particularly where one of the Brolans stood. The impact was severe there, as if an invisible force was entwined around the bug’s leg, tugging and pulling it. Some legs were useful, while others were not. The Carrier Bug appeared crippled, staggering and with significantly compromised coordination and speed. "Ah!" Gaven let out an uncontrollable roar as his muscles swelled visibly fast, especially his arms, which became almost two times thicker. His Combat Armor writhed and readjusted to accommodate Gaven’s new physique. Bionic Art. This was the second level-two Psychic Ability Gaven had recently unearthed, a unique skill of Shapeshifters. This ability reshaped oneself into an idealized animal form to manifest a burst in one attribute, giving that attribute an innate bonus of +4. There was just one not too big, not too small side effect: it would exhibit subtle characteristics of the chosen animal.