Chương 32: The Finishing Blow

Marcus looked up at the Giant Winged Bat. The monster was only circling cautiously in the sky now, releasing threatening growls rather than launching another reckless attack. From its posture alone, it almost seemed hesitant.

"Is it trying to run?" Marcus frowned.

"That would make things troublesome."

"Cough, cough…" Grey climbed back to his feet and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Although he looked a little battered, he fortunately wasn't seriously injured.

"A normal Giant Winged Bat would've fled already if it wanted to." Grey glanced around, then suddenly focused on a certain direction and pointed.

"But a female in its breeding period is different."

"See that? That's its nest." Sure enough, hidden among the dense upper canopy was a massive black shape resembling a grotesque tumor. It was the Giant Winged Bat's nest, constructed from branches, animal bones, and large amounts of sticky saliva. The sight was disgusting. Without the brightness of Zelier's Illuminate spell, even knowing the direction, they might have struggled to locate it.

"Zelier, aim carefully and hit that nest." A cold smile appeared on Grey's face.

"Let's see if it's willing to abandon its little monsters."

"Got it!" Zelier answered confidently. Hitting a stationary target was no challenge for him. After a brief charge, he unleashed a Fireball directly toward the Giant Winged Bat's nest.

"BOOM!" The moment the Fireball struck, flames erupted. Branches and leaves ignited instantly. However, because the materials were damp, the fire did not spread immediately. Instead, it produced even more thick smoke. Zelier's Fireball had essentially kicked a hornet's nest. Sharp squeaking noises immediately erupted from inside the nest. Those must have been the Giant Winged Bat pups.

"Beautiful!" Grey grinned. That finally pushed the Giant Winged Bat over the edge. The creature, which had been cautiously circling high above, suddenly became violently aggressive.

"SKREEEEEEEEEE!" Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The Giant Winged Bat spread its wings completely. A massive shadow swallowed the forest below. An invisible force gathered around its body. At the same time, the bone spines at the tips of its wings began trembling and loosening.

"Careful! It's firing the bone spines!" Marcus raised his shield and entered a defensive stance. Zelier and Grey immediately moved behind nearby trees for cover. But at that moment— Vaelis froze. He stood there motionless, staring at the Giant Winged Bat in the sky. He didn't move. He didn't dodge.

"Vaelis!" Grey's expression changed.

"What the hell are you spacing out for?! Move!" Vaelis looked like he had just awakened from a dream. But it was already too late. A storm of wind blade-infused bone spines ripped through the air and rained down. Suddenly, a powerful force slammed into him from the side. Someone grabbed him and dragged him into a roll. At the last possible second, Grey had rushed over and tackled Vaelis out of the attack's path.

"Shk-shk-shk!" Dozens of bone spines buried themselves into the ground where Vaelis had been standing. The terrifying force punched through the earth, driving them more than ten centimeters deep and sending clouds of dust into the air. The two rolled across the ground several times before finally stopping. Vaelis was completely unharmed. Grey only suffered a cut on his lower leg from one stray spine. Nothing serious. Grey gasped for breath, still shaken. Then he immediately started yelling.

"What were you doing?! Were you asleep standing up?!" If those spines had struck his body, the penetrating injuries would have been enough to kill him instantly.

"Sorry…" Vaelis shook his head hard and forced himself to regain focus.

"It won't happen again." After firing one volley of bone spines, the Giant Winged Bat continued circling above. It showed no intention of descending. Then its wings began trembling. A new row of pale bone spines slowly grew from the tips. The bone spines were not limitless. Every launch weakened the Giant Winged Bat's skeletal structure slightly. And that damage was permanent. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the monster would never repeatedly fire them unless absolutely necessary. But today…

It was willing to pay any price to kill these humans who dared invade its nest.

"SKREEEEEEEEEE!" Another piercing shriek erupted. The Giant Winged Bat beat its wings. Its speed suddenly increased. Its body blurred as it accelerated. With a sudden dive and sharp turn, it instantly moved into the party's defensive blind spot. The deadly bone spines launched together with its movement.

"Watch out!" Marcus shouted.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The surface of his shield rang violently. Several bone spines pierced deep into the steel plating. One even nearly broke through completely, with the pale tip visible on the other side. Zelier immediately dropped low behind cover. He didn't dare even move his head. The sound of projectiles tearing through the air made his scalp go numb. It felt like he was trapped in the middle of a battlefield filled with gunfire.

After the second ranged assault ended, the Giant Winged Bat showed no signs of stopping. It began growing another batch of bone spines. It intended to slowly wear the team down with repeated attacks.

"Damn it…" Marcus gritted his teeth.

"This beast actually got smarter." His battle-blade swept across the shield, cutting away all the bone spines embedded in it.

"Zelier! Keep burning its nest!" Marcus roared.

"I want to see if those pups can survive being roasted alive!"

"No problem!" Zelier rolled behind another tree. Another Fireball finished charging. It streaked through the air and struck the Giant Winged Bat's nest.

"BOOM!" The flames that had begun to weaken erupted once again. The squeaking from inside the nest grew louder. This time, the cries carried obvious pain and desperation. Seeing this, the Giant Winged Bat completely lost control. Its entire body trembled violently. Its shriek was so sharp it felt like it could pierce their eardrums. If this continued, its nest would be destroyed by that damn human mage. It had to kill him first!

"Marcus!" Zelier shouted.

"Understood!" The moment the Giant Winged Bat locked onto Zelier and dove down— Marcus charged. Shield first. The impact sent the Giant Winged Bat tumbling across the ground several times. The party instantly seized the opening. Once it was forced onto the ground, the monster's greatest advantage disappeared. A rapid volley. Five arrows. Vaelis's arrows each punched through the Giant Winged Bat's abdomen, pinning it firmly against the earth. Grey gripped his sword and stepped forward. Then he leapt.

A flash of cold steel descended from above. With a single strike, he severed half of the Giant Winged Bat's wing membrane. The final blow belonged to Zelier. He aimed at the exposed wound around the monster's compound eyes. Wind Blade! The invisible blade tore through the air. The already-exposed flesh on its head suffered another devastating strike. This time, the Giant Winged Bat could no longer endure. The blade cleaved away half of its skull.

The shattered bone spun through the air before crashing into the grass. The Giant Winged Bat's body twitched several times. Then, with a heavy crash, it collapsed. Slowly, the monster fell silent.