Screeech!
The chimera set out to launch its next wave of attack.
I responded by sending three streams of fire which struck all the chimera's heads.
Boom!
The lion head was scorched. All the thorns on its manes were fragmented by my fire. New whole thorns were rapidly growing to replace the broken ones.
The scales on both the bull head and the lizard head had also been torn off from the chimera. Like the thorns, the scales were rapidly regenerating as well.
Jonah and Shanny immediately rushed in to deliver their attacks.
Slash! Thrust!
The shepherd launched his throwing spear and pierced the bull head's jaw, pinning it shut.
While the former maid ran her sword along the lizard head's throat. Dark liquid and shattered eggs poured to the ground.
The chimera thrashed around upon the assaults.
Jonah's spear was broken in half and the bull head's jaw was freed. While the lizard head's wound swiftly regenerated and healed.
Our two vanguards continued battling the mutt with great ferocity.
"Serafina, can you create another dimensional portal to the War Storage?"
Devisha suddenly asked me.
"Why? What do you need?"
"I need Master to summon more weapons for me."
There was no need to question Devisha further.
The Tsahanam assassin was smart. She must have a plan.
And it was about time we replenished our potion supply too.
So I reached for the Portal Stone in my dress and shattered it on the ground beside me.
['Serafina (★★★★)' has activated the Portal Stone!]
I would like to reserve as much mana as I could for the chimera. The Portal Stone should help me achieve that.
Whoosh!
A glowing circular haze soon manifested beside me. The portal was successfully formed.
[A dimensional portal has been created!]
['Serafina (★★★★)' is requesting 'Advanced Health Potion (A)' x30, Mana Potion (B)' x3, 'Antidote (B+)' x10!]
['Devisha (★★★)' is requesting 'Enhanced Short Bow (B+)' x1, 'Exploding Arrow (B)' x20 and 'Wind Arrow (B-)' x30, 'Reinforced Halberd (B+)' x1, 'Reinforced Spear (B+)' x1, 'Reinforced Battle-Axe (B+)' x1, 'Reinforced Heavy Sword (B+)' x1. 'Reinforced Shield (B+)' x1!]
That was quite a lot of weapons Devisha requested.
I wondered what she was planning to do with them.
Thankfully, Master did not question her request and immediately deployed all we asked.
[Summoning 'Advanced Health Potion (A)' x30!]
[Summoning 'Mana Potion (B)' x3!]
[Summoning….]
Various weapons and crates of potions flew out of the portal and gently landed in front of it.
Devisha immediately went near the weapons she asked.
But then the veiled woman turned to me.
"Serafina, can you enchant these weapons so they're connected to my ring? Like my scimitars and daggers?"
I raised my eyebrows upon her request.
So that was her intention.
"I could. But do you know how to utilize these weapons?"
She nodded confidently.
"I've sufficiently trained with each of them before I settled on my scimitars. There's nothing much to them. I just need to strike the sharp part to the enemy."
"Very well. Stay near me as I enchant the weapons."
There was no time to doubt her.
If Devisha believed she could use them, then she could.
While I kept launching elemental assaults on the chimera, I weaved the magic thread casted on Devisha's enchanted ring and attached them to the weapons Master just summoned for her.
['Serafina (★★★★)'s Multicasting has levelled up to level 6!]
As soon as I was done connecting the weapons to Devisha's ring, all of the weapons suddenly vanished in a flash of light.
Devisha had sent them all back to the War Storage.
She then unsummoned her scimitars and called a halberd to her hands.
The Tsahanam assassin proceeded to dash toward a group of mutated Dark Spawn and swung her new weapon at them.
Whoosh!
Eight mutated Dark Spawn struck down in one movement.
Devisha was not lying about knowing how to use those weapons.
The Tsahanam assassin wielded the halberd as if she had been using it ever since she arrived to the forged land.
[Skill Awakened!]
['Devisha (★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Basic Polearm Technique'!]
['Devisha (★★★)'s Basic Polearm Technique has levelled up twice to level 3!]
Ten Night Terror started pursuing the veiled woman.
Devisha then unsummoned her halberd and called a bow and a quiver of arrows.
She proceeded to nock three arrows at the bow and took aim at the flock of Night Terror.
Swoosh! Boom!
Her three arrows struck the winged creatures and exploded into fiery blast.
Devisha continued shooting out exploding arrows to other flocks of Night Terror and Deathbringer eggs around her.
She could not fire her arrows as rapid as Darius could. But she managed to strike her target every time.
[Skill Awakened!]
['Devisha (★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Basic Archery'!]
['Devisha (★★★)'s Basic Archery has levelled up twice to level 3!]
Kroaah!!!
Two Deathbringer began charging at Jonah and Shanny.
The giants were too close to her comrades for Devisha to stop them with explosives.
Suddenly the quiver on Devisha's back flashed in white light. The arrows inside the vessel had shifted in form.
Devisha immediately took aim and sent a couple of wind arrows to the giants.
Swoosh! Krch!
The Deathbringer halted their charge upon the arrows striking them.
Their attention now shifted to Devisha.
The Tsahanam assassin continued to charge at her agitated opponents.
She unsummoned the bow and the arrow quiver on her.
Light flashed and appeared on Devisha's hand a spear.
She threw the spear at one of the Deathbringer's head, blinding it.
['Devisha (★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Spear Throwing'!]
Another light flashed and now she was holding a great battle axe.
Her enchanted ring glowed up, enveloping herself with magical energy.
[Ring of Malaikat (A-) is taking effect!]
['Devisha (★★★)'s strength have increased by 9 for a period of time!]
Devisha swung the weapon at the leg of the other Deathbringer, crippling it.
She let the axe stuck on the Deathbringer's leg and summoned her halberd back.
The Tsahanam assassin rotated her body along with her weapon, swinging the halberd's blade toward the kneeling Deathbringer.
Swoosh!
Devisha swiftly beheaded the giant in one single movement.
Kroaah!
The blinded Deathbringer sensed Devisha's position.
It immediately thrusted its boulder-sized fist toward her.
But the Tsahanam assassin had anticipated the assault.
She unsummoned her halberd and leaped to the air.
The veiled woman quickly called her scimitars and beheaded the second Deathbringer while in mid-air.
[Skill Awakened!]
[Hero 'Devisha (★★★)'s Switching, Basic Dual-Swords Technique, Basic Dagger Technique, Basic Polearm Technique, and Basic Archery have been combined to create a new skill!]
['Devisha (★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Basic Integrated Weapon Arts level 9'!]
The Tsahanam assassin began charging through the chimera's minions.
She shifted between weapons every few seconds, adjusting accordingly to the type of enemies she faced.
Devisha's new skill broadened her offensive strategies.
She was now able to fight against multiple enemies at once, no matter if they were on the ground or in the air, or they were close in range or afar.
The Tsahanam assassin's breakthrough allowed us to form a sustainable attacking pattern against the chimera.
I continuously destroyed the chimera's scales with my elemental assaults.
Jonah and Shanny would then injure the chimera on its exposed parts.
Devisha, Darius, and our golems would keep our two vanguards safe at the forefront. Devisha would also deliver potions to Jonah and Shanny as they could not retreat from the chimera.
Using this strategy, we fought the three-headed beast for a while longer.
['Bolav (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Wallick (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Djhotti (★★★★)' has activated the Portal Stone!]
['Selin (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Ulrica (★★★★)' has activated the Portal Stone!]
['Jordane (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
49 minutes had passed in this fourth Quintal Trial.
All the battlefronts were turning fiercer.
The glow of magic enchantments radiated from the battlement where Party 4 was stationed. They fiercely blocked the streams of pirates climbing to the battlement.
Lightning rapidly flickered about at the harbor where Party 3 was guarding their altar. Multiple pirate ships were destroyed and sunk as they approached the harbor.
While rushing pillars of flames and destructive hurricanes raged throughout the square where Party 2 set as their battlefield. The pirates used the corpses of their comrades as platforms to cross the pool of lava Yuxia created and reach the square's center.
"How are you all faring, everyone?"
I reached out to the party leaders.
[Our wills are being tested like molten iron in a forge, Great Mage! But we shall persevere and turn into unbreakable steel!]
Djhotti replied sternly.
[Hahaha! The Quintal Trial does not disappoint! I haven't had as much fun since the world's apocalypse!]
Ulrica excitedly shouted.
[We knew it would be this hard! But we're prepared for it! You have nothing to worry, Serafina!]
Zecht added confidently.
It was relieving to hear that the other parties were holding on.
The altars helped us by enhancing our stats and lowering our enemies'.
But the altars' blessing did not provide us with the upper hand. Certainly not considering the chimera's initial and growing strength, as well as the endless number of minions and pirates throughout the battlefields.
The blessing simply helped us even our odds against our enemies in this Quintal Trial.
Considering the risky circumstances, there was no casualty so far on our side.
We were making good progress in this mission. And we should aim to keep making such progress.
Screech!!!
The chimera let out another terrible roar.
It started moving in a peculiar way.
This was a sign of its evolution.
The chimera would obtain a new ability that would worsen our situation.
But its evolution also marked the arrival of another rearguard. The fourth as well as the final one.
We had been fighting the chimera with the intention of buying us time.
I was fairly certain that the final rearguard's objective would be our key to victory in this fourth Quintal Trial.
The twentieth floor's mission must had been designed so that the goal could only be achieved once all the rearguards had been deployed.
Indeed. It had to be.
The time for us to subjugate this three-headed mutt was drawing near.
[Warning!]
[The Cursed Abomination is evolving into its final form!]