Chapter 109: Invader (2)

Chapter 109: Invader (2) Seeing that Arthur had activated his Holy Field but still couldn’t push back the monsters was a surprise—but considering the enemy’s level, it made sense. Right now, these monsters were stronger than even the boss monster during the first wave! Xu Tao acted without delay. He unfolded the fan on certain ribs, activating a new formation. A pink wave swept across the field, hitting all the monsters without exception. GRAAH? The next moment, all the monsters began walking like they were drunk, their senses disturbed. They moved backward when they tried advancing or flopped to the ground if they attempted to change direction. The guards were confused by this behavior—or not. Their eyes weren’t focused on the monsters but instead on a single figure standing ahead of Arthur. "A wonderful assist as usual, Sir Tao!" The figure—the Bunny Girl, Jehanne—showed a fierce grin before rushing forward. The spear spun in her hand, almost as if it wasn’t three meters long, before slashing the closest monster with the bladed end. SLASH! In one swift motion, she cut the monster’s neck, killing it instantly. "Huh?" But that was the least of her problems. "H-Hey, back off!" Thanks to the bonus stats of the Bunny Suit, everyone—yes, all of those present—was entranced. They began marching toward the edge of the walls, jumping down. Some even fell flat on the ground, only to scramble back to their feet and march forward like zombies. "Ugh...!" It was a replay of what happened during the second wave—everyone trying to get their hands on her, caught in her Bunny Girl Charm! Jehanne saw the men approaching but was unsure how to react. She could hit them like before, but doing so would put them all in danger. After all, the boss would be appearing after this wave! "Looks like it’s happening again." Thankfully, she wasn’t alone this time. Xu Tao quickly noticed the chaos that Jehanne’s presence brought forth. In fact, even he could feel something stir within his chest whenever he looked at her figure. That’s why he usually tried to keep her out of his sight as much as possible. "There really must be some sort of hidden curse within that bunny suit," he muttered before activating a new formation. Using the Celestial Fan, he added two more ribs into the mix, expanding the effect of the Six Paths Disturbance Formation to include everyone—except three: Xu Tao himself, Arthur who was weakened, and Jehanne who was cleaning up the captured monsters. The men who had tried to approach her earlier now ended up just like the monsters—unable to move forward. "...!" Seeing her chance, Jehanne didn’t delay. She dashed through the horde of monsters, hitting their weak spots in rapid succession. With the UR Bunny Suit’s buff, her STR was about equivalent to level 500, but her DEX was on par with level 1000—allowing for clean hit-and-run tactics. If one stab wasn’t enough, a couple dozen definitely would! She became like a walking goddess of death, bringing swift judgment to the monsters around her. As she did, Xu Tao didn’t fall back either. Using his free hand, he controlled his sword via telekinesis, sending it toward the monsters. With the beasts disoriented by the Six Paths Disturbance Formation, hitting their vitals was a piece of cake. Heads flew as blood spurted, almost hitting Jehanne who zipped past... Well, almost. She was so agile and skillful that not a single drop could touch the flag on her spear—much less the clothes she wore. Without needing to exchange words, the two worked in tandem, perfectly syncing their movements. Monsters fell one after another—almost helplessly so. "...A...mazing..." Arthur could only gasp, watching the two dominate the battlefield. They should’ve started at a similar strength, but now, he was sorely lacking compared to either of them. And judging by the current situation... he was basically deadweight. "That wraps it up." Xu Tao jumped down, patting Arthur’s shoulder once more. "You survived well. Leave the rest to us," he said with a cool, gentle smile. As he did, Arthur’s legs finally gave out. The tension in his body loosened, and he fell onto his behind. "Haha..." he chuckled, smiling wryly. "In the end, I wasn’t even needed here..." The 19th wave was over, leaving only a few to set the timing for the next one—the boss fight. In short, Arthur’s job was already done. Although he felt like crying, his fingers dug into his palms from how tightly he clenched his fists... But he couldn’t. His pride wouldn’t allow him to cry where others could see him—not here. To "keep" his position as a powerhouse, he need to catch up—no matter how, or what it takes. "I’ve slacked for too long... I need to..." he muttered haltingly. He stared up at the now-orange sky, thinking about ways he could catch up with the other two. "...Huh?" But by coincidence, looking toward the sky allowed Arthur to spot the anomaly first. "H-Hey, Sir Tao! Above...!" he warned quickly— "Hmm?" —and when Xu Tao craned his head to look up, it was already too late. A massive black hole had opened in the center of the sky. Not only that, but from within it, black dots began pouring out in a swarm, filling the heavens and blotting out the sky entirely. "O-Oh my... God..." Jehanne, who also looked up, was stunned. "Are those... monsters?!" What came out of the massive hole in the sky was... overwhelming. The numbers alone were a threat—thousands, maybe tens of thousands. From Jehanne and Xu Tao’s view, they could confirm the names above the monsters’ heads. [Dimensional Anomaly (Humanoid Flying Bug Type) - Level 400] A swarm of over 20,000 flying humanoid bugs! "I was wondering why we only fought ground units until now," Xu Tao gritted his teeth in frustration. "So the flying ones were all saved up for the last wave instead?!" Of course, the bad news didn’t end there. After all the monsters had emerged, it was time for the boss to make its appearance. A gigantic pair of hands poked out of the hole—no, they gripped the edges and pulled, tearing the sky wider. The "sky" cracked, almost as if the world itself would fall into ruin! Then, once the opening was wide enough, a titanic monster stepped through. Its size was on an entirely different scale from the previous bosses. Its height alone could easily exceed a hundred meters! Its outer skin was the same as the others—pale white, like it had been bathed in ashes. A large mouth split its long snout into four. Its head resembled a tulip, and its body was long, like a serpent. Along its back, bony wings flapped lazily—yet it floated effortlessly, defying gravity, buzzing intensely while making the very sky vibrate. Atop its head, glowing in red against a black background (signifying boss monsters), a name appeared. [Dimensional Anomaly – Leviathan-type - Level 800] "...Fuck." He cursed, cold sweat dripping down his face. Its level was even higher than anticipated, causing cold sweat to drip down Xu Tao’s back. "W-What’s that?" Jehanne asked—but even that wasn’t the end Following Jehanne’s finger, Xu Tao narrowed his eyes, trying to identify what she was pointing at. A small dot on the giant monster’s forehead, where a large red crystal could be seen... No, it wasn’t a dot, but rather—a person. "That figure... That face!" A mysterious individual whose face he had seen before! "It’s the Evil Spirit, the Dual-Soul Wraith back then!"