Chapter 227: Getting ready
"Get ready!" Lane shouted.
Now that he was staring intently, he could see that the thing blasting toward them was humanoid, too much so even, and it perplexed him a great deal.
And that speed! It was closing in too fast for his liking, and the only reason he was still calm was because he was sure his shield would hold. That shield was one of his greatest joys, as he had spent a hefty sum to create it, and it could even hold a number of his own attacks.
With that thought in mind, Lane raised his hands, and green light condensed around them, solidifying into a bow and an arrow. "Let’s see what type of monster you are. Must be the one that killed my scout and dragged the body here."
He put the arrow to the bow and pulled, stretching it past his ears as it began to emit a low groan of vibration. The arrow glowed from soft green to almost blinding.
He grinned. "Now we wait. Once the monster bounces off the shield."
But surprisingly, as the monster got within thirty feet, it dramatically accelerated. The black energy bellowing around it became even more condensed.
Lane felt a cold chill down his spine. "Put more power into the shield!"
It was no use.
The monster was already in front of their shield, not slowing down at all. In fact, there seemed to be a little increase in speed, and then it smashed right through their shield, sending splinters of devolving light flying in an explosion of brightness as it barreled past.
Three unfortunate hunters of the second circle were too slow to get out of its way, and it slammed into them, crushing their bones and bursting their flesh into mist as it went past, through the barrier, and down the tunnel.
Only, when the monster was passing, it turned to Lane and smiled. The monster smiled at him! The monster with purple eyes was a man after all!
Lane felt both fear and anger. "That... that is Yutaka!"
"What? Yutaka is the monster?"
"No! Yutaka is the one on the shoulder! And that must mean, that’s the bait we set! What is going on?"
Although the team had just been hit by something almost unexplainable, they were still veterans, and as such, while some were repairing the shield, the other half had already turned toward the tunnel in an offensive formation.
"Sir, should we go for an all-round shield?"
Lane’s eyes hardened, his brain working so fast his face went blank for a while. "No. This will be handled by me and the executives. The rest of you should cover yourselves in a full shield and start retreating. Do not engage anything unless you absolutely must!"
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, his bow at the ready, and the two other third circles formed up beside him. Before he reached the barrier, he released the arrow.
The arrow shot forward with blinding speed, and as it sped along, it gave off a flash of light, and one arrow turned into twenty arrows, the whole thing sweeping forward and curving down the tunnel with destructive force.
With that, the three hunters ran out of the barrier to see the last of the arrows disappear farther down the tunnel, followed by an explosion that shook the very ground and walls like a clap of numerous angry thunders.
The spell that Lane used was one of his strongest, a single arrow that summoned its kind without losing power. Instead, the collective arrows grew even stronger together.
Also, the sheer number always ensured that some would hit and cause serious damage to his enemies.
He frowned. "Monster or not, we’ll kill it. Prepare!"
One of the Magus turned around, and her hand glowed with green light. The ground shook and rumbled as a wall rose up, completely blocking off the tunnel behind them.
It might seem they were blocking their own escape route, but they were in the mountains, and even though it was gang territory that was supposed to be safe, things still wandered the tunnels.
Besides, who knew if there was an ambush behind?
At the same time, the Magus pointed to the ground, and it groaned as if answering her call. "I have control of the ground."
And that was the reason any earth-affinity Magus was highly prized and sought after in the mountains. It was simply the fact that they were in the mountains, they could be strong enemies or allies.
By taking control of the area around them, it was a guarantee at least that the tunnel wouldn’t crush them from the spell of other earth Magus.
Fighting in the mountains was more complicated than most thought.
It didn’t take long for the monster to return. They heard its footsteps approaching them, and as Lane expected, it was indeed a man with purple eyes.
Someone he had never seen before.
"Stop where you are if you don’t want to get filled with arrows."
The man chuckled. "Ah, but the last arrows you sent didn’t touch me. I think I’ll take my chances since it’s you shooting the arrows!"
Lane gritted his teeth, but apart from that, he didn’t rise to the provocation. He raised his bow, and a new arrow appeared. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I should be asking the Mistwalker that. After all, they are the ones that sent a spy after us!"
Lane frowned. "A spy..." Then his eyes widened. "You... you are the blind guy! You are not blind!"
The last bit was filled with accusation, and the man laughed again, cheerful as if he were particularly happy about something. "Of course I’m not blind. It would be stupid to be blind and cross the mountains."
When Lane picked them as bait, it was as easy as picking the food he wanted to eat for breakfast. He’d seen their type numerous times, and they always ended up dead anyway. But he was thinking maybe he should have put more thought into it.
Lane could smell trouble. Any hunter worth the title should. And the source of the trouble was currently smiling happily at him.