The full-grown Impiana descended fast toward the heroes.
Seeing the dangerous monster approaching, our personnel on the central tower readied themselves to attack.
Aludra began by pointing her magic staff at it. The crystal at its tip began to glow.
Flash!
A burst of blinding light darted toward the Impiana.
But the creature had already covered its eyes with one of its large dark wings when the flash occurred, as if anticipating the mage-engineer's stunt.
Aludra clicked her tongue and turned to the archers.
[It predicted my spell! Fire away everyone, I'll keep trying to blind it!]
Upon her order, the archers aimed their arrows toward the flying beast and launched an intensive barrage.
But none of the projectile struck the Impiana.
It would turn and move in the air as if knowing where exactly the arrows would not fly before they even left the bow.
Aludra kept trying to blind the monster with flashes of light but the Impiana still managed to avoid looking at her staff every time she casted the spell.
The Prime Impiana was drawing nearer to the fortress.
Wind began to rush by its wings. Strange orbs of flickering light started to manifest around the creature.
Suddenly all the mages looked to the sky in terror.
[TAKE COVER!]
Celeste shouted.
Streams of lightning and destructive gale descended all over the fortress.
They were casted by the Prime Impiana.
Storms emerged wherever it soared in the sky, nature bends to its wills.
That particular description of Impiana was quite literal apparently. To think that they were able to cast magic as well.
Crash! Boom!
Aludra managed to cast a layered shield over the central toward in time before a lightning crashed upon them.
Though the last barrier was fragmented, the heroes on the tower survived without bearing any wound.
Those on the ground were not as lucky, however.
Lightning and wind tore through the fortress. Destroying the blockades and wrecking the grounds. Two golems outside the walls were partially destroyed as well but barely missed their cores.
Three ground heroes were killed while leaving the rest injured.
['Emmar (★★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Vanse (★★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Karell (★★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Erinne (★★★)' is on the brink of death. Her life is in danger!]
['Mannel (★★★)' is on the brink of death. His life is in danger!]
['Ansel (★★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Janis (★★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Celeste (★★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
[…]
After attacking the heroes with magic, the Impiana was finally ready to charge head on.
It started with the central tower where the mages and the archers were preparing to attack it again.
Crash!
Aludra formed another layered shield to block the large monster's claws. She made an accurate calculation for the Impiana had breached to her last layer.
But given the additional power the monster was channeling to its limbs which in turn make the barrier fragmented further, Aludra's shield would soon crumble.
The mage-engineer did not let that happen.
She pressed her magic staff to the barrier and channeled electric energy to it.
Ziingg!
The Impiana shrieked in pain and released itself from the crumbling barrier.
As it was hovering away, Aludra waved her magic staff and caused the shield to explode into a powerful wave which sent the Impiana crashing to the ground.
['Aludra (★★★)'s Mana Shockwave has levelled up to level 4!]
Celeste and the other advanced heroes did not let the opportunity go to waste.
They charged at the fallen Impiana and inflicted as many wounds as they could before it could rise again, which it never did.
Shriek!!!
The death of the Prime Impiana was not the end.
All the hordes of monsters previously charging toward the fortress had now reached the moat.
They were immediately intercepted by the golems, but it was clear that the greater bulk of them would get past the moving statues.
The heroes inside the fortress were still recuperating from the deadly assault by the Impiana earlier.
[Celeste, should I deploy the rest of the golems? Three more people dead and the rest of you aren't that much better. You'll need more help on the ground. I also still have my party's Healing Stone if you need it.]
Aludra asked from the tower.
The mage-swordswoman turned her gaze to the mission's timer.
[Time Remaining]
[15:11]
She shook her head then.
[No! Wait until the ten-minute mark to deploy the remaining golems! But I'll need the archers to start helping us down here! And save your healing stone until the very last moment!]
Aludra nodded to Celeste's orders and turned to the archers on the tower with her.
[You heard her! Get down there! Move it, Ahsan!]
The Tsahanam raider snorted at the mage-engineer as he leapt down from the tower.
[I bet you're now glad I've been practicing with other weapons than the bow.]
A dozen Prime Beastlings had entered the fortress and the battle resumed.
But Celeste was still not done giving orders to the heroes.
[Kiran, how long will it take you to cast a Fourth Circle spell?]
[Four minutes! But won't it be better to wait until there are more monsters?]
The Kutub shaman replied as he sent an icy wind toward a dozen Prime Blood Crows and Prime Poison Stinger.
[There will be once you're finished casting! Get to it! Meifa, Aludra, protect him while he cast his spell!]
Celeste shouted back while cleaving down a giant Prime Killer Spider.
The elemental mage immediately began his casting.
Meifa and Aludra formed a guarding circle around him as ordered.
With the archers now on the ground aiding the other heroes, the two mages were now left to guard the central tower.
They each controlled a ballista with telekinesis and shoot down any flying monsters they could target.
To aid them, Meifa also mind-controlled some monsters with compulsion magic while Aludra casted some paralyzing spells to impede the monsters' movement.
This caused them to be too preoccupied for supporting the ground heroes. Though there was not much they could do to help.
Monsters kept swarming into the fortress.
All the heroes had to keep on fighting with barely any time to rest.
They even had to heal their wounds with healing elixir in the middle of a fight, which at the same time, would inflict them with new wounds to heal.
It was an intense battle on all fronts.
The heroes were barely hanging on as they fought against the monsters.
But, as always in Quintal Trials, something would emerge that would tip off the scale against the heroes' favor.
Shriek!!!
[Wave 24]
[Prime Beastling Lv.30 x86]
[….]
[Wave 25]
[…]
[Wave 26]
[…]
[Wave 27]
[…]
[Prime Impiana Lv.36 x3]
[Time Remaining]
[13:22]
More hordes of enemies emerging from all over.
But most significantly were the arrivals of three more Prime Impianas.
One from the north. One from the south. And one from straight above.
Meifa and Aludra quickly noticed the Impianas' arrival, especially the one coming from right above them.
Kiran was still casting his spell and the archers were deployed on the ground.
It was up to them to intercept the monster this time.
The two mages tried attacking the flying monster with their ballistas. But, unsurprisingly, none of the projectile could land on the creature.
Having gotten closer to the fortress, the Impiana unleashed more destructive torrents of winds and lightning, crashing all over the fortress.
The Impiana's assault killed many of the monsters attacking the heroes.
But that did not mean the raiders were unscathed.
Two more heroes died as they were caught in a lightning blast while engaging a group of Prime Beastlings.
['Erinne (★★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Mannel (★★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]