Currently, everyone was scattered in groups of two or three due to the monster's attack. Elizabeth and Benedict were on the opposite side of Shirley and Freon. Nobody could see each other in this darkness. In this situation, the Grand Knights were the first to react, defending the Arcane Knights as they cast their spells. Against this monster, the Grand Knights were helpless. They needed to depend on the Arcanists! Sir Melvin created a wide defensive net of wind blades around him and a Grand Knight. It would shred anything that came close! Lady Rainie used her spell to improve her mobility, and search for other groups. Her spell was very similar to Shirley's Energy Acceleration. Sir Pelton lit up the nearby area with a fireball. For simply creating light, it wasted too much energy. Regardless, it was impressive that the Arcanists kept a calm head to cast their spells successfully.
Lady Kalasena drew her sword and concentrated, fully exerting her Martial Perception to its limit. She wished to drown away her fears by doing what she always did: holding her sword. Her two maids flanked her on either side, warily watching the darkness. They were Half-Perception Realms, but their combat experience made them arguably stronger than Lady Kalasena. Together, they covered every angle. And with the help of a Grand Knight, Yuna managed to calm down, albeit barely. That was because, despite her inexperience, she knew that losing control was equal to giving up. She remembered Elizabeth and Freon fighting. There was no reason she could not do that too. She picked up her wand and casted her spell. The problem she and the Arcanists faced was that the interference strength had grown significantly, causing their spells to become weaker. Furthermore, nobody had much of a plan. People acted on their own, leading to some confusion. Only thirty seconds elapsed before Elizabeth stabilized her condition enough to cast Luminous Sky.
A blinding burst of light enveloped the cavern, illuminating everything in its path with a pure white radiance. Except Elizabeth frowned slightly. She could see the effects of the interference strength as well. Her spell, Luminous Sky, should have covered a much larger area more brightly. Instead, the range was cut in half, and the brightness was a third. The 'twin suns' was reduced to a dusky afterglow. She looked around. There were corpses everywhere. In the short time between the monster attacking Freon and now, the monster killed another eight people! Together with the previous casualties, seventeen people died in this battle alone! It was a horrific realization, and the thought that they might be annihilated did cross Elizabeth's mind. The monster howled, since she became exposed. Her presence concealing technique only made her harder to notice, not invisible. Light was its natural counter. She turned to the person who disrupted her time and time again. Elizabeth stiffened, facing the monster's furious gaze.
She shouted to everyone, "Retreat to the entrance! We can't defeat it!"
The knights flinched, finding it hard to accept her words. They started the battle with fifteen Grand Knights, ten Arcane Knights, two Royal Guards (Benedict and Shirley), and more. It was challenging to find another group as strong as theirs anywhere in the world! Even the Conquestian, the ruler of the Zino Kingdom, or the Twin Empresses, Empress Xiuying and Ming of the Xingyuu Empire, had less impressive protection. The current group could arguably sweep through everything in front of them! Yet the journey here had consistently humbled them. From the various beasts on the mountain to the turtle shell bugs and to finally this Rank 2 Beast Lord… It was a bitter truth to swallow, but it was undeniable. They were bested by a beast! Their confidence took a big hit. However, this did not stop their feet as they scrambled to the entrance.
The monster was about to attack Benedict and Elizabeth, when a figure dashed in from behind! It was Shirley! She was truly frustrated! Since the start of the battle, she was constantly running away or fleeing miserably for her life. There was never a chance to fight back. This anger accumulated inside her, bursting out as Martial Energy! Her halberd thrusted forward with devastating might! Cloud Sea Style: Spring Rain! The wind pressure produced by her thrust manifested hundreds of, if not a thousand, tiny flying strikes, resembling raindrops. Since it was just wind pressure, her attack was not affected by the interference strength. It retained its full power! She aimed her attack at a charred spot on the monster's back. Then, like a rainstorm, the flying strikes showered down. Ding! Ding! Ding! When they struck the armored back, they made loud noises. Eventually, a crack appeared, and then… nothing. Shirley's attack merely amounted to this.
Shirley laughed, laughed in anger. Although her body ached, her legs bled, and her Martial Energy ran thin, she was determined to take revenge! She turned her gaze to the monster's legs. These eight pillars supported its gargantuan body. Surely, she could chop off one or two, right? Energy Acceleration! When she went to use her technique, the monster's tail whipped around at near-instantaneous speeds. Shirley blinked, and it almost reached her face! Bang! A large 'tidal wave' cleaved down on the tail and forced it to deviate. This gave Shirley enough time to dodge it. She did not need to guess to know who saved her. Benedict must have stepped in with his Cloud Sea Style: Crashing Waves! On the other side of the monster, Benedict felt his arms shake. A heavy exhaustion clouded his vision. The urge to rest was never greater. That was the consequence of overusing his Martial Energy. Despite that, he trudged through. He needed to buy enough time for the others to escape!
Since his martial techniques lacked the power to hurt the monster, and his sword lacked the durability to directly clash, he needed another strategy. He opted to use his Bloodline Ability, Rain Weaver Arc! This Bloodline Ability gave him the ability to create extremely tough 'threads' of Martial Energy. When he originally unlocked this power in the Xingyuu Empire, because he was a Half-Perception Realm, he could only create these threads along his skin. He could not use it offensively. But even then, these thin almost hair-like threads possessed a ridiculous level of toughness. They were superior to plate armor! It saved his life several times. And now that he became a real Perception Realm, he could use his Bloodline Ability to its full potential. A thin rainbow thread glimmered on his sword's edge. Everyone could feel how threatening his sword became! It felt like it could cut their very existence!
Shirley wanted to pull the monster's attention, while Benedict prepared his Bloodline Ability. Their coordination had reached an unspoken level. Unfortunately, their opponent was a Rank 2 Beast Lord, which had evolved intelligence and martial techniques. She could not be judged by normal logic! She immediately ignored Shirley and concentrated on Benedict after sensing how dangerous his new sword was. Pew! A volley of silk threads shot in his direction. Benedict used his Martial Perception and Moon Flash to nimbly avoid the assault. He was like a spectre as he moved across the area. Two made it past his defense, slicing into his cheek and his calf. He gritted his teeth. It was hard to use his Bloodline Ability, Martial Perception, mobility technique, and evade everything at the same time! His Bloodline Ability flickered in and out of existence, since he was the least familiar with it. He was pushed to his limit!
While he was busy, the monster prepared to follow up. Shirley did not let that happen. She shouted and infused all her remaining Martial Energy into her arms before plunging her halberd into the ground. Earth Rupture! Boom! A humongous shockwave spread out as the earth exploded underneath her! The cavern rumbled like an earthquake as everyone lost their balance. Shirley smiled bitterly. She had no energy to escape her own attack. Her halberd broke apart in her hands, while she vanished behind a cloud of rock and dust. Nobody knew whether she was alive or dead. Faced with Shirley's last-ditch attack, the monster lost her footing and stumbled. This was her first real flaw in her otherwise perfect offense and defense! It was the chance of a lifetime! Benedict and Elizabeth exploited it in a heartbeat!