As I fought I noticed that the monsters were weaker, their individual attacks couldn't even break my skin, their coordination was also very basic, my first breath attack was to clear a path through their ranks since the way their Auras were connecting worries me.
I could feel my Familiars starting their own fights in other parts of the Monster Wave, I trusted them more than enough that I didn't need to watch them, but I could still feel where they were.
My battle was only going well for the first few minutes, but suddenly things changed, the enemies close to me started to run away from me while the more defense oriented ones stood in my way, the way they were moving was in complete sync with the point of being bizarre.
I was close and I watched the bizarre change, the Death Locusts were moving without any kind of apparent communication and without even looking at each other.
Even these more defense-focused monsters weren't able to stop me individually but moved in groups using their numbers to stop my attacks even at the cost of their deaths.
Whereas before I was able to kill hundreds of monsters every 10 seconds, now my kill rate has changed to a little over 100 monsters every 10 seconds, these monsters used their skills in a specific rhythm to slow down my blows or using their layered resistant bodies as a last defense, thus decreasing my effectiveness in combat.
I couldn't understand how they changed so fast and I didn't have time to think when the number of monsters near me was increasing faster than I could kill with their way of defending themselves against me.
Their attacks weren't doing anything to me before, but now these more defense-focused monsters had more space, earth, metal, and light-focused elemental affinities.
They were able to attack at specific points on my body by concentrating attacks of the same type to increase destructive power such as beams of light, metal, or earth projectiles, all while those focused on space helped to direct the blows by manipulating the surrounding space.
Their coordination was way beyond what a trained group could go, it was like I was dealing with split parts of a single individual, my resistance to all these elements was protecting me, but the places they attacked were my joints, eyes, and my spine.
I was taking a lot of hits and when I killed dozens of enemies others always came to replace their positions, their ways of attacking and defending in perfect sync left me with big problems.
At least that was it for the next few minutes, that's why I was focused not on defending or attacking now, since I noticed the drastic change in the monsters' behavior I tried to find the accused, that's why I refused to believe that this was natural since even just moments ago those monsters weren't doing that.
I wasn't able to use my Aura because I was using an Aura Relic, but I still had my senses, and my Aura perception was included with them, so I realized that even though all their Auras are connected, they're not mixed up and are still separated with the exception of a single Aura that looks like a line passing through all the connection points of these Auras, at least it was the only place where I could perceive these Aura lines.
It seems that in the end I was right without knowing it, they are acting like several separate entities of the same individual why are they disappearing manipulated by a single individual as if they were pieces on a chessboard.
I couldn't help but smile when I remembered Orsel and the others at the meeting talking about Death Locust Queens, they must be somewhere watching, it's sure to be a safe place with stronger monsters to serve as the last line of defense, that's also why that I don't know the strength of this Queen and I also don't know how many she has.
"Let me show you why it won't work your way." (I)
A big smile formed on my face as I returned to take this battle more seriously, my previously simple movements became more complex, when I moved I always made sure to move my whole body, the stellar sword in my hands was flooded with elemental power changing between different types without any sort of order.
Once again I was unencumbered amongst a large group of monsters, each time I saw the mundanes among them I also made sure to switch between a stance focused more on my speed and acrobatics to one focused on standing still sending attacks from afar, then attacking without use the sword and so on.
My whole body was a weapon, not just the sword in my hands, my attack possibilities and continuous attack combos were endless thanks to my martial art which focuses on unpredictability.
I wasn't doing this without proper thought either, in was following the Aura threads to get to the source, there is a saying that to kill an army first get rid of its general, and an army without a leader is just a collection of individuals.
My attacks tear the bodies of these creatures to shreds, their carapace and shields can't stop me as I crush one of them with my jaw, I use my claws to cut the space in X forming a vacuum that brings the monsters together before finishing with a breath attack of acid.
Over time I arrived in a place where the monsters were bigger, two of them with shapes closer to humans with a creature behind similar to a bee with butterfly wings and spider legs, its colors golden and purple, even without getting close to it I could literally see the Aura wires glowing like neon coming out of their antennae.
But the moment I focused on her I was slashed from behind and when I turned to see my assailant was the Horn of some kind of beetle that came out of a hole in space, then came another attack from the other large monsters protecting what I assumed was the Queen.
Until I got here I had been injured a few times, but I didn't heal the few wounds they caused me and now the time had come to use this, as soon as they got closer to me my blood shoots from those wounds in spears of crystallized blood that pierce their jaws open, eyes and the soft parts of their bodies that I could identify.
With everyone dead by the surprise attack, I went after what I thought was the Queen, she was on top of a big rock and didn't move from her place even after the death of her guards, I realized that the monsters around were focusing their attacks on me and I used the space element on my wings to give a strong forward thrust, not expecting the Queen to be fast enough to penetrate both of my legs with 3 of her spear-like spider legs, but that was at the cost of her head which I cut off in half with my sword.
Before I could think of anything, almost as soon as I finished cutting off the Queen's head, I felt a strong killing intent behind me, before lines attached to my body.
All I saw afterwards was a blur in front of my head that destroyed two of my eyes without noticing the Summoning magic circle bringing Orion with whom I shared senses to see my enemy.
Through Orion's vision, I saw my body tied in glowing purple lines, my two eyes destroyed with thorns attached to them while in front of my head was a humanoid creature with 3 pairs of insect arms, with spider legs on its back that had thorns on its back legs with 2 missing, its head was half human with the biggest difference being its large insect-like eyes and antennae on its forehead as well as its mouth parting at the chin line.
It was only half a second to identify the enemy from another point of view when she turned to see Orion looming up behind her, but before she could strike, my sword flew out of my hand and penetrated her body.
I've never needed hands to move this sword, so I use my brute strength to destroy the lines that bind me before I grab the sword hilt and throw this creature into my jaw where I tear its body apart in my teeth before swallowing.
After that I felt another change, the Auras weren't as connected as before, the coordination of the monsters wasn't the same splitting into groups, and over time everyone was hunted and killed.
My energy was almost depleted, but I used the enemies' own blood to replenish my energy, which almost didn't help when my Familiars started sucking that energy into them, at least with that I bought enough time to clean these monsters, meanwhile I ignored the notifications ringing in the back of my mind.
With everything finished I let my Familiars take care of the cleanup knowing I must collect our loot while I returned to the dome where the meeting was being held.
Of course, I was back to my normal form with pain in various parts of my body and exhausted, I wasn't the only one who returned to normal form with everyone else reverting to their human forms, the way Hinata did it being the most disturbing with her giant body appearing to be brutally crumpled before a bizarre mouth closed around it forming Hinata's childlike body once more.
Only Hinata and Layla were coming back with me with no more hiding now that everyone knows I brought them, neither of those two would help with a collection job, which is why I went back with them for the meeting.
The two Elder Dragons waved at my return with the others ignoring me, Orsel was talking to Nicole in the corner before she returned to me, and Elizabeth was further away talking to Astrid and Miriam.
Vanessa, Diana, and Ivan started to explain things to me, as if waiting for the perfect time for me to hear everything that happened in my absence, Elizabeth right walking towards me with the two responsible for this meeting following behind her.
pandasnovel.com "Do you really want this? Don't they look very reliable?" (I)
"I wouldn't put you through something you can't handle and I can promise you aren't enemies, just desperate." (Elizabeth)
"..." (I)
"Imagine the willpower it took for them to carry out this plan and even come here knowing that they could be killed or even tortured, even in a critical situation they did not give in to despair, I believe you can respect their willpower, right?" (Elizabeth)
I look at the two of them, their serious while maintaining silence, they are looking at me intensely, I knew from the beginning of the meeting when I heard their problems that I could do something for them, but there were too many suspicious things for me to offer like that, neither it seemed like something so urgent that it couldn't wait.
Sigh
"You just want to go after their enemies, don't you?" (I)
"Yes, but that doesn't make what you've said so far a lie, so what does it say?" (Elizabeth)
"..." (I)
I was inclined to accept it, but I'm going to give them a test run first just to see how they react, so I look at the two of them before I start talking.
"I will at least listen, but it will be on another occasion, besides you two must accept being used as a test to know if I am really capable of solving your problems." (I)
"I'm willing to do it..." (Astrid)
"Wait! I'll do it, you should be more self-protective you idiot." (Miriam)
"I am the leader, this is my responsibility." (Astrid)
"Besides, how would this be different from the experiments I've performed with my body so far to ensure the safety of others?" (Astrid)
"You bastard..." (Miriam)
"We both accept." (Miriam)
"..." (I)
"(I didn't expect that, they didn't even try to say that they would bring people from their people to take the tests in their place.)" (I)
"..." (Elizabeth)
I exchange glances with Elizabeth who nods her head in approval, but I don't know if it's approval for my test or for the answer of the two, I think that at least they can be trusted to a certain extent.
"Alright, for now, we can say that the Alliance is temporarily accepted, what do you think?" (I)
"I am happy to say yes, I hope this alliance is officially and permanently accepted, thank you in advance for your help, Mister Zenos." (Astrid)
"Without any of that sir stuff, just Zenos is fine with me." (I)
With that, the meeting was officially over.
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