City of Sin

Book 2, 146

The Broodmother Enters Battle(2)

The bearguard knights kept collapsing one after the other. Even though each one took a significant number of enemy soldiers down with them, these were quasi-rune knights, irreplaceable elites. Their loyalty and skill were unquestionable, but those who died on Richard’s side? They were barbarians, desert warriors, and the inhabitants of this plane. They were all assets seized from Faelor, the only loyal ones being those few knights Richard had brought over from Norland. However, even ten such knights weren’t as important as a single bearguard knight to Sinclair.

Although the green light on her body had already started to fade, the pain from her burning wounds was only just starting to ease. The pale gold flames were so dull at this point they might as well be non-existent. She started to ponder: once she regained mobility, should she first kill or capture Richard, or save a few of the knights? It would be difficult to expand and develop in this foreign plane without loyal subordinates. Without the Eternal Dragon’s divine favour upon her, she wasn’t willing to waste her precious life on this lowly foreign plane.

At that moment, the manticore’s body started to crouch as dark green flames started to fire out of its nostrils. It looked like there were terrifying enemies hidden in the fog.

Just as Sinclair was contemplating things, wind wolves started streaming out of the mist. The surrounded the manticore quickly, starting to howl loudly. However, they didn’t instantly pounce on the creature. They stopped in their tracks, sending a volley of wind blades its way.

These attacks would cause limited damage to the manticore, at most causing small cuts on its body that wouldn’t even make it through its skin. However, there were just too many of them. Sinclair scanned the scene and figured there were more than three hundred of these huge wolves surrounding her, making it clear that these soulless creatures were definitely sent by someone. Perhaps it was even Richard from atop the castle walls!

A rain of wind blades buffeted the manticore, causing the enormous creature to howl loudly with rage. It sent the occasional counter out, using its big claws and sharp teeth to cut into the wind wolves. This was a level 16 creature; it wasn’t impossible for it to kill these level 7 enemies. However, despite the desperate situation the manticore seemed fearful and wary of something, not daring to let go and start a slaughter.

Sinclair eventually decided to leave the damned place, grabbing onto the creature’s mane with force as she shouted, “Darling! Kill all of them, then let’s leave this place! Quick... AHH, WHAT’S THAT?!”

Less than a hundred metres away, the thick fog separated to reveal an enormous black shadow. Sinclair had seen all sorts of magical beasts before, but looking at this huge creature that was six or seven metres tall and about thirty metres long, she was still overwhelmed with shock. Compared to the broodmother, her manticore was just a meek little cat.

Of course, this ‘cat’ quickly broke away from the pack of wolves, swiftly charging towards this newcomer. It easily leapt onto the broodmother’s back, ferociously digging in. Its senses told it that this was the most dangerous enemy.

Even though the broodmother’s shell was hard as steel, it was hardly able to fend off this desperate attack. The manticore’s claws were about half a metre long, digging deep into its back. Its sharp tail pierced into the broodmother’s unbelievably small head, the entirety of the deadly venom within emptied within. The manticore’s breathing instantly grew faint.

This venom was deadly enough to kill off an entire city, but the broodmother was only slightly impaired. It carried the manticore on its way to Twilight Castle as if nothing had happened. It was immune to poison and acid, making it the manticore’s nemesis. And although the head had turned to mush from the manticore’s attacks, it had somehow managed to get its small but strangely sharp pincers onto the tail.

The pincers eventually cut the manticore’s tail in two, causing it to shriek in pain as it almost threw Sinclair off.

The creature had poured all its strength into the initial engagement. Sinclair only had so much control over it, and devoid of all fighting strength she could only hold on tightly as she hoped to not be thrown off. Her one free hand held tightly onto her two blades as she continually tried to muster her energy, but the damage from the green moonlight was far too intense. Whenever her energy tried to surface, it would clash with the remaining moonforce on her wounds and boil, causing her soul-piercing pain.

The manticore continued to dig into the broodmother, but couldn’t penetrate the shell. The broodmother’s shell was a metre thick, and the manticore had to drill relentlessly to reach its insides. The broodmother was different from most normal insects; the head only contained its breathing apparatus and some eyes. Its destruction had absolutely no impact on its function. The small size wasn’t a detriment but rather a trap.

The surrounding wind wolves stopped in their tracks, opening their mouths as one in the manticore’s direction. The hairs on this hybrid of scorpions and lions rose, and it felt the urge to leap up and run away. However, it felt an indescribably sharp pain in its mind, its four limbs weakening as it collapsed on the broodmother’s back.

The broodmother had launched its mental attack. The full force of the ability would only slow the manticore down by a few seconds, but even such a slight delay was extremely deadly at the moment.

“NOO!” Sinclair screeched, burying herself in the manticore’s mane. In the next moment she felt countless knives streaking across her back, the pain and fear making her shriek hysterically. In a moment of desperation she launched some attacks of her own from her daggers, managing to bring down some of the wolves, but the moonforce mixed with her energy to make her feel like she was boiling from head to toe.

The three hundred wind blades fell down like a rainstorm, enveloping the broodmother. Half of them landed on her enormous body, cutting out countless pieces of carapace or the thick, creased skin from its belly, while the other half ploughed through the manticore and Sinclair. The manticore’s mane, black blood, and pieces of broken armour and hair danced in the wind, following which black blood spewed out like a dark fog.

Sinclair lost all strength in her grip, tumbling down from the manticore and crashing to the ground before she went completely still.

The manticore cried out in pain, sliding down from the broodmother’s body. A single wind blade couldn’t cause much harm to it, but there were simply too many. Flesh spilled out of its torn skin, the bleeding alone enough to kill it. The pain rendered it insane, causing it to ditch its mistress in an attempt to escape alone.

‘‘Stop it!’’ Richard and the broodmother ordered simultaneously. The wind wolves who had fully exhausted their wind blades surged forward, pouncing on the manticore and biting down. Their teeth and claws could not breach the creature’s defences, but as long as they didn’t let go it was effective at stopping its escape. With so many wind wolves clinging onto its body, the manticore’s speed was greatly reduced. Its ferocity showed itself as it retaliated, tearing the wind wolves to shreds in seconds.

Richard was watching this crucial battle from atop the castle walls. Once he saw the manticore stop moving, he coldly ordered, “Broodmother, acid spray!”

The broodmother suddenly lifted its upper body, the rotting head dislodging to reveal new breathing apparatus underneath. A dark green acid spewed out, travelling the ten metres to completely cover the manticore!