Once the dust cloud settled, Erik reappeared.
However, he was in good shape considering the fact that heâd taken the Mamonasâs Ray of Destruction head-on.
It was truly an amazing feat.
While it was true that the Mamonas had been significantly weakened by Serenaâs Water, it wasnât an attack that could normally be blocked by a single player.
Erik managed to do the impossible.
As expected of the Empire Guildâs second strongest!
Then, Irene, who assaulted the beast from its left flank, took center stage.
âGroups 1 through 3, attack it head-on! Groups 4 through 6, use long-range attacks! Insect Mages, summon artillery bugs!â
She immediately took control of their troops.
Irene was nicknamed Queen Bee. She was called that because her troops moved like a swarm of bees whenever she commanded them.
The Glacier Squad moved in unison as if they were a singular entity.
It was almost like they were engaged in siege warfare. A portion of her troops climbed onto the Mamonas, while the rest attacked it from afar.
âArise, Hellfire Bug!â
Tiagon, as well as the rest of the Insect Mages, began summoning insects.
A giant insect arose from the massive magic circle on the ground. It was about 5 meters tall.
It had a thick body, and was encased in an exoskeleton. Compared to its chest or head, its stomach was by far the largest and roundest.
They had summoned a total of ten of them.
Ten Insect Mages worked together to summon one each.
The Hellfire Bugs stuck their thick, long legs into the ground and turned around. Then, they pointed their abdomens at the Mamonas.
They tightened their stomachs like a spring, and then released the pressure.
A cone of dark red, lava-like energy shot out and struck the Mamonas.
The Mamonas quickly sank into the sand, and then reappeared right under the Glacier Squad.
Men whose faces were shrouded by red bandanas popped out of the Insect Magesâ shadows, cradled them, and then quickly got them out of there.
These were the Red King Squadâs elites.
Most of the Red King Squad consisted of Assassins.
They specialized in assassination, harassment, and guerilla warfare, rather than straight up fights. They were also good at guarding others, as they had just shown.
Thus, the Insect Mages were saved, even though the Hellfire Bugs were eaten by the Mamonas.
The Mamonas went on a rampage, swinging its giant tail like an iron mace.
âI want the first group to pierce through the front. The second group will fall back, and the third groupâŚ!â Irene kept commanding her troops.
The Glacier Squad retreated in perfect order. Thus, they were able to minimize their losses at the Mamonasâs hands.
The Mamonas let out a heavy cry, as if verbalizing its regret.
Black Wolf and his brigade of Tamers/Death Eagles began their aerial bombardment.
The Death Eagles unleashed sharp Blade Winds from their mouths, while the Black Wolf Squad used long-ranged attacks.
Black Wolf used a Tamer secret move.
He opened his arms, and powerful sparks danced across his hands.
At the same time, blue beads of light gathered in the Death Eagleâs mouth.
Combination Attack: Lightning Bomb!
His lightning and the Death Eagleâs energy blast mixed together, forming a gigantic bolt of lightning.
Upon contact, the Lightning Bomb exploded.
The Mamonas quickly sank into the sand, and then surged into the air. It was trying to devour the Death Eagles.
Jet-black darkness shimmered within its gaping maw.
âWe canât afford to lose the Death Eagles!â Black Wolf yelled urgently.
The Death Eagles did their very best to spread out. Fortunately, none of them were eaten by the Mamonasâs attack.
However, the Mamonas violently spun and landed on the floor!
When it touched the ground, a massive âboomâ rang out, which resulted in a sand explosion.
The Empire Guildâs troops were forced to lay on the ground in order to withstand the fierce winds and burning grains of sand.
The Mamonas opened its mouth wide.
It began to suck in everything once more.
There wasnât anything they could hold onto in the desert.
Several members of the Empire Guild were sucked into its mouth.
A golden pillar of light pierced through the dust cloud and sandstorm, and struck the Mamonasâs body.
Shards of all sizes fell from its body like a cascading waterfall. Dukeram lay beyond the blast.
He held the legendary blade, Max Cain, in his hand. It was a sky blue blade that was embedded with shimmering stars! There was a small amount of golden energy still surrounding the blade.
Sword that Brings Victory!
It was a secret move. Dukeram then used another one in his arsenal.
Swish, slash, swish, slash!
Four cuts suddenly appeared on its body.
It was a slash that violated the laws of time and space.
The attack allowed him to strike at an opponent from a distance, as well as adjust when it would hit by a factor of three seconds.
âItâs our turn now.â Taker and the Iron Horse Squad stepped forward.
The Iron Horse Squad all rode on armored horses, and wielded weapons such as spears.
Taker himself wielded a trident.
He was also their guildâs foremost spear expert. He was called the Ghost Spear due to his skill.
Takerâs body glowed with red light, indicative of a Spearman secret move.
Charging Spear of Annihilation!
This skill maximized oneâs piercing power.
He stretched out his spear, and red energy rose from it like a haze.
âFollow the captain!â
The Iron Horse Squad followed his lead.
They used their own skills, and the resulting energy made them resemble a giant spear.
They charged, kicking up a dust cloud.
The giant, sharp spear of energy pierced through the Mamonasâs body.
Shards of red light endlessly spilled from the wound.
In terms of penetrative power, the Iron Horse Squad had no equal. They truly did live up to their reputation.
The Mamonas roared. At the same time, each of its eight eyes turned a different color.
âThis is the 2nd phase. Scatter!â Taker yelled.
Taker had specifically chosen these men for this operation. They were the absolute best of the best.
They reacted immediately, and spread out.
The Mamonas shot beams from its eyes, each possessing a different element.
Fire, ice, earth, lightning, darkness, light, wind, and poison!
What a spectacular laser show.
But thatâs not all. Each beam had its own special ability. The darkness blast would both blind and slow you, while the fire blast would burn you. The ice beam would cause frostbite and freeze you, the earth beam would bind you, etc.
Only the light beam had no particular ability attached to it. In exchange, its power was the greatest of the eight beams.
Long beams of light flew around the Mamonas.
Moreover, the Mamonas continuously shot lumps of sand from its back.
The sand didnât do much damage. However, it was as sticky as glue. Once it touches skin, it wonât come off easily.
Lumps of sand fell from the sky, beams swept through the battlefield, and a giant whale monster came rushing at them. It never closed its mouth either, as it was unable to sate its hunger.
However, the Empire Guild had come prepared.
If they got hit by the sand, then theyâd just melt it with Serenaâs Water.
Each person had received about a half cupâs worth, and one or two drops was plenty. Thus, they had incurred almost no casualties from the clumps of sand.
They also had a plan for the beams.
Moby Dick, Giant Soldier, and Brown Bear pulled out mirror shields from their inventory.
A mysterious metal, which reflected magic, could be found within the Garlico Desert.
The Arabas Kingdomâs blacksmiths crafted these mirror shields out of this metal.
Their effectiveness was undeniable.
The Mamonasâs beams were unable to pierce through the shields, and bounced right off!
Then, the Yellow Dragon and Glacier Squads pulled out the magic bombs theyâd prepared beforehand.
Magic bombs were the Towerâs hit item this year.
Though they were far inferior to magic scrolls, which could contain great magic, they possessed power that surpassed most normal spells.
Plenty of players carried one or two of them around due to their utility.
They simultaneously threw the magic bombs through the hole the Iron Horse Squad had made.
A ton of red shards fell from the Mamonasâs body. It was as if a huge fireworks festival was going on.
The Mamonas fiercely swung its tail. However, the Empire Guildâs elites wouldnât be defeated so easily.
While the Empire Guild was fighting it off, the 100 Insect Mages combined their power to create a gigantic magic circle.
The Giant Insect was considered the most dangerous organism within the desert! It popped out of the ground and ripped the Mamonas apart with its serrated teeth.
It usually couldnât be beaten in terms of size, but the situation was a little different today.
If we were to compare the Mamonasâs size to the Giant Insect, then the Giant Insect would be like a leech attached to a human body.
The Sand Mages didnât just sit there and twiddle their thumbs.
They created a giant tsunami of sand. The sand transformed into a giant fist, which struck the Mamonasâs body.
After that, the Empire Guild continued their assault.
Erik, Ridgeley, Black Wolf, Taker, etc. The captains did most of the work.
After using âSword that Brings Victoryâ, Dukeram hadnât participated in the battle.
âI have to raise morale before we try to conquer the continent.â
If Dukeram actively participated in the hunt, then itâd have been a lot easier. But by holding himself back, other people, like his captains, were allowed to shine.
That raised the morale of both his captains and his subordinates.
This would definitely play a huge role in the war of conquest in the future.
The atmosphere surrounding the Mamonas changed.
âItâs finally reached the 3rd phase. As expectedâŚâ
From here, they would be fighting it blind. They didnât have any information on it.
âThis is the 3rd phase. You never know what might happen, so donât let your guard down!â
âFollow my orders to the letter!â
âWhatever happens, donât let go of your shields or your weapons!â
âWe have to make sure the Death Eagles survive. You got it!?â
Mamonas burrowed into the sand. The Giant Insect and the Sand Golem both went with it.
The Insect and Sand Mages staggered at the same time. It seems like both the Sand Golem and the Giant Insect had been eaten.
If a summon was forcibly canceled, then the summoner would take damage.
âItâs coming!â a member of the Red King Squad yelled.
It was as if a sand volcano had erupted from the ground.
Mamonas leapt into the air. It was higher than it had ever been before. The beastâs body was so large that it even concealed the sun itself. In an instant, the desert was covered by its giant shadow.
Dukeram quickly wracked his brain.
âIf we take into account the Mamonasâs large body, how high itâs getting, the speed at which it falls, and the spinning move it used before, then⌠We can assume that this entire area will be destroyed.â
In other words, it would be akin to a meteor.
âItâs too late to run. If thatâs the case, thenâŚâ
Dukeram used Switch, and pulled out a golden staff. It was called the âEmperorâs Staffâ.
It was an item related to Dukeramâs secondary class.
The unique class, Desert Emperor!
A unique class could only be possessed by one person on the continent.
Giant energy surged from Dukeramâs body.
Dukeram summoned sand troops equal to the number of Empire Guild members heâd brought with him. Then, the sand troops engulfed his guild members.
To be more specific, his guild members were covered by indestructible sand, but to the outside view, it looked like they were completely consumed by sand.
The Mamonas fiercely spun as it plummeted to the ground.
An ear-piercing âboomâ resounded throughout the battlefield.
It was as if a giant, which was larger than the earth itself, had grabbed a hold of it and shook it a few times.
A tsunami of sand, more than 100 meters tall, spread outwards! This was accompanied by a giant sandstorm that reached the heavens!
It was like witnessing the end of the world.