Alrain refocused his gaze on the giant monster's right side. After successfully crippling one support on its left side, he knew exactly what he had to do next to completely destroy the monster's balance.
Zoom!
Alrain's body darted incredibly fast, piercing through the remnants of dust and toxic smoke in the air. He moved in a circular trajectory toward the monster's blind spot with both wind swords in his hands.
The Queen Giant Wasp realized its enemy's movement and wanted to react, but the speed of the slash darting toward it was far faster than any anticipatory movement or defensive reflex the giant monster tried to execute.
Slash!
One of the monster's three right legs was cleanly severed right at its joint. Thick yellowish-green blood squirted into the air once again.
"KIIIIIKKKKKKK.....!!!!!!"
The monster shrieked in pain very loudly as its leg was successfully cut off again. Its giant body trembled violently, trying to maintain its balance with its remaining legs that were starting to wobble.
Observing the monster's physical response, Alrain's brain worked incredibly fast to formulate the final execution step.
What if I directly attack the chest on the lower part of its body? Alrain thought, pondering his next move. But, its body is very close to the ground. How do I reach and attack its lower part without taking the risk of being crushed to pieces by such a heavy body?
Before Alrain could construct a perfect strategy, the Queen Giant Wasp, now fully consumed by pain and explosive anger, responded immediately. Using the two stingers on both of its arms, the monster attacked with incredibly fast and blind movements.
Clang!
Alrain, who had anticipated the counterattack, immediately blocking the lethal thrust with extreme precision with his magic sword. Sparks ignited brightly amidst the fierce collision.
The Queen Giant Wasp did not provide the slightest opening. The monster continuously and relentlessly directed its stingers at Alrain in a barrage like a rain of spears, while simultaneously spitting toxic acidic fluid from its mouth.
Clang! Whoosh!
With extraordinary calmness, Alrain parried the physical attacks coming in rapid succession and weaved through the air to dodge the lethal fluid sprays.
Hiss... Crack! Bang!
The acidic fluid that failed to hit Alrain missed and struck the trees around them. Without resistance, the thick tree trunks instantly melted from corrosion, snapped with a crack, and finally toppled to the ground with a loud, rumbling crash. The battlefield rapidly turned into a devastated clearing.
While continuing to parry and dodge the monster's lethal attacks with a mesmerizing aerial dance, Alrain thought extremely hard to create a single opening, a moment to deliver a fatal, deadly strike.
And one logical thought regarding its balance point instantly crossed his mind.
I will cut off all of the monster's remaining left legs simultaneously so that it will completely lose its balance and fall flat on its back. Alrain thought as he finished analyzing the monster's gravitational pattern. That way, its absolute defense will be laid bare and I will be able to easily attack the chest on the lower part of its body.
However, right when Alrain was about to execute his plan...
"Alrain!"
The familiar shout he suddenly heard from behind startled Alrain beyond measure. When he turned his head, his gaze caught the figure of Davin, who was walking casually toward him, as if strolling to greet him in a mansion's courtyard rather than a battlefield.
"What are you doing here?!" Alrain exclaimed in annoyance, his voice raising because Davin had clearly ignored his command to remain waiting at the starting point with the others.
....
A few moments ago, in another place quite far away within the northern forest, Davin, Arion, and the seven adventurers were waiting for Alrain's return with anxious feelings.
That silent atmosphere was suddenly shattered when they heard a series of loud thuds from falling trees far off to the east.
"Davin!" Arion exclaimed in panic after hearing the sounds of such a fierce battle. "Let us go after him! I'm so worried about him!"
"Did you not hear what he ordered us to do before he left earlier?" Davin replied with a shocked expression, trying to maintain his rationality. "I have to stay right here with you and protect you! The area over there is too dangerous for us to approach without his signal."
"I know!" Arion answered quickly and without the slightest hesitation in his eyes. His hands clenched tightly. "I'm indeed not as tough as the two of you when it comes to fighting! But... but we are a big family! I still feel extremely worried about him if something happens over there!"
Hearing the answer full of firmness and sincerity that rolled out without hesitation, Davin looked into Arion's eyes for a moment, then let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Alright, let us move there!" Davin finally decided, yielding to their bond of brotherhood as a big family within Arvin Vedegra's household. "But remember! You must stay close to me and never leave my side for more than one meter!"
Arion nodded in agreement quickly. "Okay! I understand! Let us go now!"
"Wait!" Dennis said suddenly, stepping forward to interject the two youths' conversation. The burly man gripped his large sword tightly. "The seven of us will also come along with you to go there!"
Davin and Arion spontaneously turned their heads toward Dennis and the other six adventurers. Both of them were quite surprised by such a sudden, unreasonable request.
The brownish-white-haired youth actually really wanted to forbid them and tell the adventurers to just stay put, not following them to where Alrain was so they would not become a burden. However, upon seeing the strong resolve and immense desire of the adventurers from the look in their eyes, he felt he had no other choice.
And for the second time, Davin let out a long, heavy sigh again.
"Alright, it's up to you. Let us go!" Davin replied, allowing them to tag along from behind. "But bear this in mind carefully! If the situation becomes truly dangerous, all of you must retreat and save yourselves! Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand!" the seven adventurers answered in unison and firmly.
Wasting no time, with Davin and Arion leading at the very front, the group hurriedly ran toward the east, straight to the place where the sounds of the fierce battle originated.
They ran piercing through the dense vegetation, cutting through the shady forest bushes and towering trees around them. Their breaths were ragged.
They ran, ran, and kept running until finally the forest canopy began to open up and they arrived at a forest area that had been utterly devastated.
There, the presented scene successfully halted everyone's footsteps. In the middle of an area filled with fallen trees and acidic smoke, there was an extremely giant-sized monster fighting fiercely with Alrain.
"Q-Queen Giant Wasp?!" Bren uttered in shock, his eyes widening as he saw the terrifying monster that he was now witnessing firsthand with his own eyes. His feet unconsciously took a step back.
"Queen Giant Wasp?" Davin repeated upon hearing the mutter, turning his head with a furrowed brow, not understanding. "What kind of monster is that? Why is its size so massive?"
"That's the queen of the Giant Wasps he killed earlier!" Bren answered, beginning to explain with a voice slightly trembling from being intimidated by the monster's aura. "Its exoskeleton and outer skin are as hard as a layer of pure steel, and its movements are also ridiculously fast for a giant of that size. That monster is an absolute S-rank threat, and it requires a large-scale force from the central guild because it is incredibly difficult for a small group to fight!"
"If its outer defense cannot be penetrated, then how do you defeat that monster?" Arion asked quickly, demanding a definitive explanation about the monster he was seeing for the very first time.
"Its only weakness lies in the soft chest located on the underside of its belly." Bren answered, recalling the monster encyclopedia he had once studied. "But the problem is, because that monster is so agile, it's impossible to be able to flip the monster's body over to expose its chest."
Hearing that brief yet crucial explanation, Davin immediately nodded in understanding. His brain rapidly processed the information and devised a synchronization tactic to assist Alrain.
"Arion, wait safely right here with the seven of them!" Davin commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Where are you going?" Arion asked, quite surprised by what Davin had just suddenly ordered.
"I'm going over there to help Alrain so he can immediately kill that monster!" Davin answered as he turned his body to face the still-rumbling battlefield.
Realizing that his presence in the middle of a high-level battle would only become a burden to his two family members, Arion swallowed his worries.
"Alright, I will stay put and wait here with them!" Arion decided wisely. "Hurry up and help him so we can quickly complete the mission our husband gave us and go home!"
"Okay! Leave it to me!" Davin said firmly.
Then, the brownish-white-haired youth began to step casually, walking straight into the battle area between Alrain and the Queen Giant Wasp.