Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Come! Ambush Time!
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March 7th fought alongside Stelle once again.
Just like before:
The gray-haired girl charged headlong, while March 7th positioned behind her, readying bow and arrow.
This time, there was no interference from Bochang.
Ice-blue arrows were fired in quick succession.
Two heavy particles froze solid, rendering them incapable of attacking.
As Stelle approached the enemy, preparing for a sneak attack, one tall Voidranger reacted swiftly and initiated a counteroffensive.
With a light tap of its fingertip,
the towering Voidranger unleashed a black-purple beam.
Stelle's pupils contracted, sensing danger. Abandoning her planned ambush, she halted momentarily and rapidly retreated.
The Voidranger's attack missed its target.
The black-purple beam struck the ground, leaving only a small dark spot.
"The power and speed of that attack seem quite ordinary; I probably could have forced my way through... Well, better to play it safe..."
Having evaded the assault, Stelle tightened her grip on the baseball bat.
From his prone position nearby, Bochang cautiously peeked at the battlefield. The towering Voidranger appeared even more formidable than the previous Plunderers they had encountered.
If the black-haired youth's memory served him correctly,
this creature should be called a Voidranger Tamperer. Its armor was white, and it hovered mid-air, surrounded by balanced white-purple antimatter particles.
As a Voidranger that survived the annihilation effect, this entity possessed unique abilities and basic intelligence, enabling it to control the actions of nearby Voidranger Plunderers and Eliminators within a small radius.
At first glance, it seemed quite impressive.
In reality... a Voidranger Tamperer is still just another foot soldier, albeit a slightly higher-tier one.
Currently, there were four enemies on the battlefield:
One Voidranger Tamperer, one Voidranger Plunderer, and two heavy particles.
Moreover, those two heavy particles had already been frozen by March 7th's surprise attack.
For now, they were firmly immobilized.
Bochang didn't need to worry about the girls' safety; this level of threat posed no challenge to them.
At that moment...
The Voidranger Plunderer, wielding dual golden blades, took advantage as Stelle momentarily halted and launched its pursuit.
Blades swiftly approached.
Seeing this, Stelle swung her baseball bat to block, channeling an unknown power within herself into the black bat, making it even more resilient against being easily cleaved.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Against the relentless attacks from the Voidranger Plunderer, the gray-haired girl calmly parried each strike. The golden blades sparked numerous times upon contact with the metal baseball bat... Seizing an opening, Stelle thrust the bat directly at the Voidranger's chest.
"Thud!"
With just a plain black metallic baseball bat, she forced the Voidranger Plunderer backward several steps.
Bochang clearly observed that the black armor on the Voidranger Plunderer's chest had dented significantly. If not for the inferior quality of its weapons, opting instead for a sturdy longsword,
Earlier, Stelle could have instantly killed this Voidranger Plunderer.
To cover her companion,
the Voidranger Tamperer launched another attack.
Meanwhile, March 7th wasn't idle; she had already eliminated two frozen heavy particles moments ago... Seeing her teammate about to be struck, she swiftly fired an ice-blue arrow, precisely intercepting the black-purple beam.
This created an opportunity for Stelle to pursue their enemies without delay.
The gray-haired girl seized the moment and promptly dealt with the Voidranger Plunderer before her.
With repeated blows from the metal bat, the enemy's head suffered severe damage, ultimately killing it outright.
March 7th exclaimed, "Nice job! Now leave the rest to me!"
Without further ado...
the pink-haired girl leaped forward, shooting a thick arrow that alternated between blue and pink hues towards the Voidranger Tamperer.
It was an ice arrow.
And as it descended, it transformed into numerous ice sculptures of dolls.
With its companions already slain, the Voidranger Tamperer faced this onslaught unable to evade at all.
Under the relentless assault of countless ice sculptures, it met its demise.
The battle concluded swiftly.
Stelle casually twirled her baseball bat, feeling surprisingly good despite being her first combat encounter.
"Hmph... ain't we awesome?!" March 7th placed her hands on her hips and turned to look at Bochang.
Indeed, she was quite impressive. Out of the four monsters, three had fallen by her hand alone.
"Yikes!" The pink-haired girl suddenly exclaimed, spotting something behind the black-haired youth. "Another monster is coming!"
"Watch out!"
Stelle's foot slammed into the ground, launching her like an arrow swiftly toward Bochang.
Realizing the danger, Bochang glanced to his left.
A Voidranger Plunderer had appeared near where they had just passed, likely drawn by the sounds of battle. Upon sighting the black-haired youth, it immediately charged.
Preoccupied with Stelle and March 7th's fight, Bochang hadn't noticed the threat approaching.
Fortunately, the pink-haired girl spotted it in time.
Otherwise...
Even after his head was likely severed by the Voidranger Plunderer, Bochang might never know who killed him.
The enemy was dangerously close now.
Just five meters away.
Neither March 7th nor Stelle could provide support in time.
"How can I die here of all places!"
Too weak to lift his hand, Bochang could only open his mouth wide and summon the remaining strength within him.
He fully activated the Dragon Talisman!
A fiery red glow gathered inside his mouth.
Before the golden blades could strike, a thumb-sized beam of flame shot out, precisely hitting the Voidranger Plunderer's chest.
The resulting explosion forced the creature several steps backward.
Bochang couldn't tell if he had killed the enemy; immediately after unleashing this Draconic Burst, an overwhelming wave of fatigue engulfed him, causing his vision to darken as he fainted.
In his dazed state, he glimpsed a figure appearing before him.
"Who is it... Stelle? Or another Voidranger Plunderer?"
Bochang didn't know, for he had already lost consciousness.
Since his arrival in this world, the black-haired youth had passed out twice within a short span of time.
It was a feeling he deeply disliked.
"His breathing and pulse are still there; don't worry, he's alive. It seems he just collapsed from exhaustion," March 7th reassured Stelle.
After Bochang unleashed his final Draconic Burst, repelling the Voidranger Plunderer...
March 7th and Stelle arrived as reinforcements shortly thereafter.
A pink beam struck Bochang, casting a protective shield around him.
Furious, Stelle positioned herself in front of the black-haired youth, unleashing a torrential barrage with her black metallic baseball bat, swiftly defeating the Voidranger Plunderer.
Now, both March 7th and Stelle were crouched beside Bochang, gently examining his condition by palpating his body.
"It appears that the loud explosion earlier did attract a significant amount of monster attention... Stelle, carry Bochang on your back. Let's quickly take the elevator away. With an injured teammate, we won't fare well if confronted by a swarm of monsters," March 7th calmly analyzed.
Finding her assessment reasonable, Stelle nodded in agreement.