Chapter 1081: Wailing Dirge III
The creature moved quickly, but Leon was initially unable to do anything about it since the creature’s third wail tore through his Ulta suit and hit his ears like ice picks. The magic in his body trembled and raced out of control. Were he not already sitting down and strapped into his Ulta suit, he would’ve collapsed.
While what he experienced was painful, what was far more concerning was the scream of pain he heard from within his soul realm; the Thunderbird appeared to feel the wail, too.
“Divine One!” Siddi cried out in alarm. Leon’s head lost contact with the cloud glass, depriving him of the ability to access the suit’s sensor suite, but he still felt the suit shoot upward. Projections on the inner surface of the plate flickered on, letting him see what was happening outside.
Immediately, he saw the creature being engaged by Anastasios and Eva with fervor, both powerful mages pushing it back yet apparently unable to immediately inflict a mortal wound. Their ability to use their power was limited, however, for they didn’t want to destabilize the cavern, but more importantly, more than half of the soldiers joining the expedition had collapsed, as well. A dozen of the Ulta suits rose to join Leon’s, their pilots possibly just as debilitated by whatever power this creature possessed as Leon was.
With his power so constrained by concern for the environment and the people around him, Anastasios darted forward, and an enormous sword that a mortal would’ve struggled to lift appeared in his hand. His aged, but still quite powerfully built, body was covered in an instant by silver plate armor, obscuring the former Lord Protector completely.
He crashed into the creature to try and grapple with it, but the creature was enormous and strong, and despite its odd, flickering aura, caught Anastasios in one hand and bit down on his helmet. Leon heard the old man scream in pain, and Eva roared in fury, charging with Valeria and Cassandra by her side.
Eva struck the monster in its chest, while Valeria sliced at the wrist holding Anastasios and Cassandra went for the sides of its jaws. Despite their weapons having been made by Leon himself, neither were able to cut through the monster’s tough scales. Eva’s attack, however, caused the creature to release its grasp on Anastasios’ head, at least, and the old man was able to lift his sword and channel his magic into it. The blade began to glow red with heat as runes all along its edge illuminated. Anastasios brought the sword down, cleaving into the creature’s forearm, forcing it to release him. He dropped to the ground, his helmet looking a little chewed up, but apparently still hale and hearty.
A dozen Ulta suit pilots then entered the fray, their weapons of blue light extended, allowing Anastasios, Eva, and Leon’s wives to fall back.
The Ulta suits were much larger and more protected than the others, and when they moved, they were like a wolf pack, with several drawing the creature’s attention while several more lunged to exploit that moment of inattention. They targeted the creature’s joints, and especially went after its right arm, which Anastasios had already injured. Against the monster’s scales, however, their weapons were of limited effect.