[Danger imminent!]
Closing his eyes, Ambrose tumbled away from the incoming centipede. He managed to dodge the full brunt of its charge. But barely.
"Argh!" He screamed, dazed from the jolting pain spreading down his right arm.
The centipede's mandibles had still scraped the edge of his arm, the force sending him flying back tens of meters. He crashed through sand, every inch of his bones and muscles straining.
By the time he'd stopped moving—he lay still, eyes half lidded. Blood spilt down his arm, staining his uniform. His breathing came out rushed, each heartbeat heavy in his ears.
All the noise from the battle—pained cries, centipede screeches, explosions—they all drowned out. What remained was the pain and his thoughts.
'I got… taken to a world where people are literal superheroes,' he thought to himself, a faint smile tugging his lips. 'It still wasn't enough. Guides are supposed to matter. So why do I feel like trash?'
Moving his right arm was nigh impossible. But he had to try. He needed to try if he didn't want the centipedes to notice that he really was the weakest link here.
Across the battlefield, Devon had already managed to launch himself high with his flames. Close enough to the queen centipede to land a blow.
He raised a fist, fire condensing between his fingertips—
—When he felt it.
A sharp pull on his psyche sent chills down his very soul. A shuddering breath, not his own but still familiar, echoed in his head.
His head swung back, eyes immediately scouring the desert sands. Then they locked on someone on the sand who seemed immobile. While a few centipedes rushed toward him.
"A–Ambrose—?" No sooner had that name left his mouth than his instincts roared with danger.
Too late.
The centipede queen used one of her legs to swat him away from her, probably wondering why he stopped his attack. Air escaped Devon's lungs, his eyes widening as he got flung down the hill.
"Devon!" Han's voice was the last thing he heard before he came crashing to the ground, sand and debris shooting out of the crater he formed.
He heaved, his mouth still parted with disbelief. 'W–Why?' his thoughts went wild. 'How could that C-rank influence my actions so much even from all the way there?'
As an S-rank Esper with many raiding experiences under his belt, he knew losing focus for even a second while fighting a beast was suicidal. Let alone an S-rank boss!
[Host HP: 435/500.]
Ambrose's eyes opened instantly when he heard that notification. The system showed him a screen, his HP meter glowing blue on it.
He was no gaming expert but he was certain HP were his health points.
[WARNING: Four A-rank centipedes approaching. Time of reaching the host: 8 seconds.]
That single attack from the centipede had drained sixty-five HP! If there were four more coming at him right now…
"Fuck this!" Ambrose grunted, mustering enough strength to get up.
He was just in time too, taking in the bone-chilling sight of four A-rank beasts crawling toward him. Sand and dust carried around them as they walked, their eyes narrowed to slits.
With shaking hands, Ambrose drew out a B-rank blade his body's past owner always had with him. The blade was black, gleaming with a cold light.
Still—it wasn't enough to face even one A-rank centipede. So the idea of four?
[3 seconds until they get to host!]
He gritted his teeth, weighing his chances. He couldn't run now. They'd catch up easily. All he could hope for was somehow squeezing between them and hiding within the mini sandstorm their presence brought.
[2… 1…]
"Cover your ears!"
Suddenly, a sonic scream hit the centipedes from behind. They were left disoriented, stopping just a few feet shy of biting Ambrose's head off.
He managed to cover his ears before the scream could knock him out, darting to his right side. Nearly stumbling as he escaped certain death, his eyes trailed to his saviour.
Alisha!
The S rank had her headphones on—mouth wide open and braided her whipping around her as the power of her scream magnified.
She wasn't the only firepower though.
Literally.
Devon had regained himself after being knocked out originally, standing beside Alisha. His golden eyes met Ambrose's across the battlefield.
Brief. Barely noticeable.
But enough to stir something in both of them.
Then Devon pointed a palm at the centipedes as Alisha's scream stopped. Fire emerged from every finger, spiralling and transforming into long fire trails.
These fire trails moved with a hiss, each striking the centipedes with enough force and heat to make them explode upon impact.
BOOM!
Their remains crumbled, shaking the desert around them.
Devon only stayed staring at Ambrose for a couple of seconds before turning his head back to the queen centipede. More of her A-rank subjects crawled out of their holes, still carrying the bloodlust her previous cries spurred.
Tightening his grip on his blade, he plunged it into the ground. Alisha took a few steps back as flames sparked rapidly around his hands. With a roar, Devon charged his energy into the blade.
The blade glowed. Then the ground answered. One by one, tunnels where the centipedes came to the surface were consumed by flames.
On top of that, the build up of fire and heat created several flaming geysers which erupted simultaneously around the battlefield. The A-rank beasts were caught directly, either burning until they were too weak or blowing up into the air.
This gave the other hunters the upper hand. They fought harder, slaughtering scores of centipedes in seconds. By the time they were done… All that was left was the queen.
Whose red eyes flared with rage.
[ALERT: Devon's Esper energies are becoming erratic.]
As that notification pinged in Ambrose's head, Han rushed to Devon's side. The A-rank Guide, although temporary, provided enough guiding energy to help Devon recover to near full capacity.
The latter's back straightened, head lifting to face the Queen.
She roared in retaliation, shaking the hill and the ground they stood on. Viktor and the other S-ranks joined Devon's side, battle stances ready. The A-ranks stood a safe distance away, rounding up all the guides to the middle.
Silence fell after the queen's roar. Her legs lowered, clasping around the hill. Low chitters left her mandibles, her aura pressuring enough to make Ambrose shiver tens of meters away.
Then—she charged down, the hill slowly crumbling beneath her weight.