The triple-layered defenses were too formidable!
Even if one bypassed the rain of tentacles, there was still the vine armor. Even if the vines were shattered, petals provided protection. Multiple layers of defense combined to form an impenetrable fortress!
At this moment, Gareth had shattered the vine armor layer by layer at the cost of severe injuries.
But their movements still weren't fast enough.
As the incantation neared its conclusion, the magic circle erupted with dark magical light, engulfing nearly the entire floor.
An immense amount of mana converged into the body of the Demi Spirit, and a pillar of black light shot straight up from the magic circle.
It was reaching its limit.
"—O demonic spear, with my blood as offering, pierce through the brow!"
Finn's left hand gathered crimson magical light.
Closing his eyes, he pressed the blood-red spear tip against his forehead, and the magical light surged into his body.
"—Frenzied Demon Spear!"
His gentle emerald eyes turned blood-red.
"Uwooooooooh!!"
The diminutive leader let out a roar like a berserker.
This was his unique magic—by burning his intense battle lust, he could drastically enhance all his abilities. The cost was the loss of rationality, turning him into a berserker.
Finn had abandoned command.
But in this situation, command was useless anyway.
To buy enough time, he chose to sacrifice his reason in exchange for power!
"Aaaaaaah—!"
The small figure shot forward like an arrow, skimming the ground.
The tentacles couldn't touch him, and the vine armor shattered by Gareth was bypassed.
The sudden burst of speed left the monster no time to react—it seemed nothing could stop his approach.
But that wasn't the case.
Just as Finn finally stepped within ten paces of her...
The beautiful upper half of her body revealed a triumphant smile, and she opened her mouth.
Inside her mouth, a tiny magic circle appeared.
It was a short-chant spell she had completed with ultra-fast incantation, unnoticed by anyone, then held in standby mode while performing a second ultra-long incantation spell.
No one had noticed her actions.
No one could have imagined that magic could even be put on standby.
After all, once a spell's incantation was complete, it had to be released immediately. Casting a second spell without releasing the first was impossible—simultaneously activating two spells was unthinkable. This was common knowledge among all mages, including Riveria and Lefiya.
But the corrupted spirit shattered this convention!
Razor-sharp ice pillars materialized before her in an instant.
Finn, having lost all judgment, charged recklessly forward, intent only on stopping her from casting the second spell.
"Captain!"
"This is bad!"
Tione, Ais, and the others paled.
This was the trap the Demi Spirit had prepared—originally meant for Eiji and the others charging at the frontlines, but now used to assassinate Finn.
At this distance, no one could save Finn in time.
"Deus Ambrosia!"
A snow-white barrier appeared before Finn.
"Lefiya?!"
"Wherever she learned that spell, it's a lifesaver now!"
The sharp ice pillars shattered like crystal.
The Hiryute sisters cheered.
"Haaah!"
At the forefront of the battle line, the shattering of ice pillars caught the fallen spirit off guard.
By the time she regained her senses, Finn was already standing before her.
And with tremendous force, he hurled the silver indestructible spear.
Thud!
Without even a moment to react, the spear pierced through her mouth in an instant.
The lance tore through her throat and embedded itself into the earth behind her.
This was merely a minor wound.
For her, it could be healed in an instant.
Boom!
But suddenly, the mana within her body violently erupted.
The magic circle beneath her feet spiraled into chaos as dark magical energy surged into her body, transforming into explosives that blew apart half of her form!
"It worked!"
"Nice!"
Ais and Bete's eyes lit up simultaneously.
A magic chant cannot be interrupted lightly.
After all, the process of chanting is essentially taming mana, reshaping it into the form required for the spell. If the chant is disrupted, the rampaging mana within the body loses control, leading to internal chaos.
At best, it causes excruciating pain—at worst, an explosion!
This phenomenon is known as a mana misfire!
When Lefiya first practiced parallel chanting, she often suffered from mana misfires. Due to the limited amount of mana gathered, it only resulted in full-body spasms.
But the monster, in order to perform an ultra-long chant, had amassed an enormous amount of mana. A misfire under such conditions led to exactly this—half of her body being blown to pieces!
As a result, the magic stone embedded in her chest was exposed.
It appeared no larger than a fist, radiating a dense, prismatic glow.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
The monster shrieked in furious humiliation.
At the same time, red mana particles ignited across her body, steam billowing from her form as her flesh writhed and squirmed, rapidly regenerating to its original state.
Finn had intended to press the advantage and shatter her magic stone, but the flower-like lower half of the monster suddenly bloomed, splitting into dozens of buds lined with countless serrated teeth.
To avoid being bitten by those teeth, he had no choice but to duck and evade the attack.
But the golden opportunity slipped away in an instant.
"As expected, it's not that easy..."
The red light in Finn's eyes dimmed slightly.
He cast a reluctant glance at the monster, but under the relentless pursuit of countless buds and tentacles, he could only retreat step by step.
The same trick wouldn't work twice.
The only reason he had been able to close the distance was because the monster had deliberately allowed him to approach, intending to kill him with a trap. The proof was that during his charge, the petal armor hadn't moved at all.
In other words, there would be no second chance to get close to her.
This monster was a genuine Level 7!
But.
They had bought enough time.
Come on.
Let me see just what kind of trump card you've been hiding!
Finn retreated further, even stepping out of the range of the tentacles, voluntarily relinquishing his advantage, and dragging the injured Gareth away with him.
At the same time, his gaze shifted to the very rear of the battlefield.
It's up to you now.
In that moment, as if connected by a shared mind, the adventurers, supporters, and blacksmith all turned their eyes toward the same person.
From his newly brightened eyes, one could see that his exhaustion had completely vanished—his spirit and mana had both reached their absolute peak.
He stepped out from the rear guard, striding forward with brisk steps to the front lines.
Thirteen pairs of eyes all focused on him, each gaze hiding either frank or veiled anticipation.
"Hmm?"
At that moment.
The fallen spirit inexplicably sensed an extremely dangerous atmosphere, its angry expression slightly fading as its murky golden pupils locked onto Eiji.
His hands hovered emptily.
Under countless astonished gazes, two Bling Blades simultaneously materialized in his grasp, then—amidst a shimmering light—both transformed into cross-shaped longswords.