Boom—!
The giant spider's head exploded. Its legs gave way, and the creature collapsed limply to the ground.
The drow matron reacted instantly, leaping onto the drider's back.
The aura of the Antimagic Field moved with her, enveloping the drider. Every magical effect and magic item on its body was suppressed.
With a thought, Mason sent a psychic bolt streaking after them!
The drider was startled. Its eight long legs pumped furiously, but it still failed to evade the silent psychic projectile.
A dull thud rang out as a huge hole exploded through its swollen spider abdomen. Blue-green blood mixed with bodily fluids sprayed everywhere, leaving behind an abstract splash of paint across the ground.
"Turn it off—!"
The drider opened its mouth and roared, baring rows of pale white teeth at the drow matron, its face twisted with madness.
A flash of anger crossed the matron's eyes, but she had no time to discipline a mentally unstable drider.
The Antimagic Field had indeed been a miscalculation. It was no different from giving up her greatest advantage and binding her own hands and feet.
She dismissed the field. Light flickered around her body as the effects of Shield of Faith, Guardian Chain, and Freedom of Movement reappeared around her.
Then she raised a hand and cast a healing spell on the drider, mending its injuries.
Boom—!
The drider knocked aside another psychic bolt with its sword. Its eight massive legs blurred into afterimages as it charged straight at Mason.
Mason had not expected the spider-creature to move so quickly. He immediately abandoned his attack and took to the air.
Flying while casting reduced stability. To ensure greater accuracy, he had landed earlier. Besides, Anser had already cleared out most of the surrounding enemies.
"Hold Person." (Elvish)
Just as he left the ground, an invisible ripple silently settled over him.
Mason glanced up and met the drow matron's icy gaze.
Yet he remained calm.
His psychic power condensed into a shield, and his psionic energy shifted into a defensive configuration.
This tactic had never failed him before.
For a psion, as long as their psionic reserves had not run dry, control spells targeting Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma were notoriously difficult to affect them.
But in the next instant, his expression changed drastically.
His body froze.
He could not move a single finger.
Even the flow of his psionic power became sluggish and resistant.
'How is that possible?!'
At the critical moment, he used his remaining control over his psionic energy to yank himself sideways, barely avoiding the drider's attack.
Valera rushed over with sword in hand, forcibly intercepting the drider before it could continue the pursuit.
The two immediately clashed.
Valera's movements were agile, and she was aided by magic, yet she still struggled badly against the drider.
Clearly, this was no ordinary drider. Otherwise, it would never have caught the attention of a Chosen.
Mason shifted his attention toward the drow matron.
Abandoning psychic bolts, he switched to psionic spells instead.
A psion's greatest weakness was their limited reserve of psionic energy. Every point had to be spent carefully. Waste was not an option.
Magic drew upon the omnipresent raw magical energy of the world.
Psionic power, on the other hand, originated from fragile living minds.
Anser understood this well.
Psionic users generally lacked sustained combat endurance.
He swept his gaze across the battlefield.
The situation elsewhere had already descended into chaos.
The surviving drow were all relatively capable and quick-witted professionals, but most were in poor condition.
The constructs were likewise covered in damage.
The Iron Golem, the main force of the group, had suffered a damaged knee, severely limiting its mobility.
Fortunately, Valera's companions were experienced veterans. They had formed a combat squad centered around the three golems and two Shield Guardians, and for the moment, they were not in danger.
Anser locked his gaze onto the drow matron.
His magical power was limited.
Wasting it on ordinary adventurers would be far too costly.
A Chosen—that was his true target.
The die spun slightly and displayed the target's information:
[Chosen of Lolth, Drow Elf, Level 18 Cleric (Trickery Domain)]
'A pure Cleric, huh.'
He observed her for a moment before deciding he could not wait any longer.
Mason simply had no way of dealing with her.
The drow matron could overwhelm both Valera and Delira together, and it was not merely because she had more allies.
She was fast.
She had numerous spells.
And her melee combat abilities were equally exceptional.
Whenever she closed the distance, Mason could only retreat continuously.
Most of his control spells were nearly useless.
His offensive spells were not particularly effective either.
A Chosen possessed the rare trait of psychic resistance.
'Whether I can beat her or not, I have to try.'
Anser took a deep breath.
He cast Fire Shield, Divine Favor, Mage Armor, False Life, and several other buff spells on himself.
Then he activated Transcendent Form.
His dragon wings spread wide.
With a powerful beat, he flew down from above toward the drow matron.
{Be careful—her spell resistance is extremely high!} Mason warned through Telepathy.
Anser gave no reply.
Once the distance closed to two hundred meters, he immediately slowed down. Rings of magical light rippled through his eyes.
"ફાયરબોલકલા"
Metamagic: Empowered Spell, Quickened Spell, Maximized Spell, Seeking Spell, Careful Spell, Distant Spell + 6th-Level Fireball!
A brilliant flash shot from his fingertip.
Its faint glow reflected in the drow matron's eyes, sending tiny ripples across her pupils.
When he saw that she neither dodged nor moved, a bad feeling rose in Anser's heart.
The corners of the drow matron's lips curled upward.
Magical radiance erupted around her, forming an aura several meters in radius that completely surrounded her.
"Pfft—"
The flash entered the aura and, like an insignificant puff of gas, instantly dispersed into scattered motes of light before vanishing into the air.
'Damn it. How can her casting speed possibly be this fast?!'
Anser clenched his teeth.
Antimagic Field was an 8th-level spell. Its casting time was notoriously slow.
'Unless she never broke concentration at all and merely suppressed the antimagic aura temporarily. That level of control—and concentration... it doesn't make any sense.'
After activating Antimagic Field, the drow matron's Fly spell was suppressed, forcing her back to the ground.
Anser drew the Dragon Gold Slashing Sword from his back and dove straight down from the sky.
'Then we'll fight on the ground. A battle of attrition!'
If she wanted to use powerful control magic on him, she would have to break concentration sooner or later.
On the ground, the drow matron looked up.
She dismissed the Antimagic Field once more. Her lips moved silently, and the holy symbol in her left hand emitted a faint glow.
Seeing this, Anser's mind stirred, and an invisible ripple rebounded onto her.
Counterspell!
[You cast Counterspell on Lolth's Chosen! Protected by Lolth's blessing, the Chosen succeeds on her Constitution saving throw.]
'That saving throw...'
Anser felt helpless.
Below, the drow matron frowned slightly.
A strange gleam flashed through her eyes as shadows silently descended upon Anser.
Dark magic enveloped him.
His scalp tingled.
The protective spells around him seemed utterly meaningless.
[Lolth's Chosen casts Harm on you. You possess immunity to Necrotic damage and completely ignore the spell.]
"Watch out!"
Before Anser could celebrate, Valera's warning rang out beside him.
He turned his head and discovered that the drider had already drifted to a position not far away.
Its spider body crouched low.
Its eight massive legs compressed like springs wound to their absolute limit.
Then they exploded with force.
The tremendous power launched it into the air as it lunged straight toward him.
Anser had not expected the spider-creature to jump so high.
Just as he was about to alter his flight path, an invisible ripple descended upon him.
His body instantly went numb.
A sense of danger surged through him.
[Lolth's Chosen casts Hold Monster on you... Wisdom saving throw failed. You are afflicted with the Paralyzed condition.]
Anser never imagined that one day he would fall victim to a spell he himself excelled at using.
The drider's enormous body rapidly expanded in his vision.
Its longsword, engraved with strange patterns, pierced through the air and drove straight into his side, aiming directly for his heart and lungs.
In midair, a cruel smile spread across the drider's face.
As the two crossed paths, she twisted her blade in a sweeping cut.
Half of Anser's body was torn apart.
Boom!
The drider landed on the ground.
Its eight legs rose and fell like waves, effortlessly dispersing the impact.
Its longsword rested casually at its side.
Its posture was calm and composed.
Behind it, the mangled human body crashed into the wilderness.
A trace of disbelief still lingered in those dimming eyes.
Blood splashed across the grass like spilled ink, staining the surrounding vegetation crimson.
The battlefield fell silent.
Valera, who had been charging toward him, stopped abruptly.
Her mouth hung slightly open.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
The tip of the sword in her hand unconsciously lowered until it nearly touched the ground.
"Heretic. Traitor. Let's see what you still have to rely o—"
The drider raised its sword and pointed it at Valera.
Before it could finish speaking, a green ray shot forth from nowhere.
It struck the unsuspecting drider in an instant.
Green light rapidly spread across its body.
Its mouth opened, yet no sound emerged.
It tried to turn its head, but could no longer sense its body...
Or even its thoughts.
In the next moment, the enormous drider body disintegrated instantly.
It crumbled into countless particles of gray-black dust and scattered away with the wind.
Off to one side behind it, a six-winged figure slowly emerged.
Stars shimmered across his robes.
Who else could it be but Anser?