Chapter 111: Backed into a Corner
"Huack!" Princess Raecha screamed as she was sent flying when a tree trunk slammed into Chikon, throwing her and Wakuta off.
Spitting out some of the blood that had gushed into her mouth, Princess Raecha controlled Chikon, causing it to flap its wings hurriedly and stabilise itself before rushing towards Wakuta who was making a beeline towards the thicket of trees without control.
It swerved towards her, using its legs to grab hold of her before lifting off, flying towards Princess Raecha. Even in such a disastrous situation, she hadn't cowered in fear. As she was a princess, she had enough training to instinctively react in such a situation.
That was how she was able to maintain a stable state of mind and control Chikon. Just as she was about to hit the ground, Chikon grabbed hold of her too, curving in a way to absorb her falling momentum as much as possible before flying into the air.
And all along, they were hit by at least three to four tree trunks. But now that they were prepared, Chikon held them using its flexible legs, using them as shock absorbers whenever it was sent flying. Moreover, Chikon took the brunt of the damage using the top half of its body, hence ensuring the two ladies it held weren't affected.
But, as it was getting increasingly harder to survive, Princess Raecha made Chikon fly up as much as it could, soon crossing the range the Haggons could reach by throwing the tree trunks. She then noticed the situation below, her face pale in fear.
"Aunt!" She noticed Rikune fending off more than ten Haggons at the same time while also defending against the numerous tree trunks that were sent flying her way. Regriel hid behind her, constantly healing the damage she sustained while General Artica used her Iron Puppets to shield them from harm while she attacked the Haggons using her energy blades.
But, they were getting overwhelmed as it seemed like Regriel was running out of Darlac. After all, when they were attacked, Rikune didn't have the freedom of time to defend normally, having chosen to bear the brunt of the impact to ensure Genera Artica and Regriel weren't squashed into meat paste.
Due to that, she suffered from numerous shocks that rattled her internal organs, causing a lot of them to fail. Intense pain emanated from her chest as her heart forgot to beat for a second.
Heart Attack!
Rikune almost lost consciousness when Regriel activated minor healing and poured the healing energy into her. Only with that was she able to endure. But, she was at a less than optimal state, requiring a lot of rest to recover.
But, they didn't have the leeway of time, having to face against the tens of Haggons that rushed at them.
"Heuk!" Suddenly, Rikune grunted in pain when a rock flew from afar and slammed into Regriel, causing him to smash into her, throwing her off.
The rock was the size of a basketball, and due to its weight, it was as if a bowling ball had been thrown at them. One side of Regriel's body was smashed into paste as he instantly fell unconscious. His Skill of Minor Healing kicked in, but the damage was tremendous. So, it would take a while before he could regain consciousness.
And in such a situation, all it did was place Rikune in a tougher spot. She had to face the Haggons head-on while protecting him who had become baggage all of a sudden. And, there were also numerous projectiles that flew their way.
Thanks to her instincts that were trained on the battlefield, she was able to react to any projectile thrown her way and defend accordingly. But Regriel wasn't like that, and hence had sustained injury.
"I'll carry Regriel. Focus on paving a way out!" General Artica shouted, using one of her Iron Puppets to carry the wounded Regriel. As for her other two Iron Puppets, they were getting repeatedly bashed by the Haggons that were almost three times bigger, being used as a toy.
The Iron Puppets wielded Armaments, condensing energy blades to hack into the Haggons without fear of the shockwaves. As they were made from Iron, they wouldn't be damaged just from that. So, they alternated between the three States in the Armaments to actively attack the Haggons.
This was the only reason they hadn't been overwhelmed yet. But suddenly, a Haggon grinned, biting onto its arm, tearing it off. Using its other arm, it held the severed arm, facing the severed end towards the human group, slashing with it numerous times.
The blood within the severed arm flew out, slamming into the group fighting for their lives within, causing them to scream as the blood was almost like boiling water. As it was being circulated through the Haggons, beings with a stature of five metres, it was maintained at high pressures.
And thanks to its speed of circulation and the density of a Haggon's body, the blood was maintained at a relatively hot temperature. It wasn't at the boiling point of water, but it was still hot enough for the human skin to sting.
Moreover, this blood splashed onto everywhere, causing them to shield their eyes in response. No Dungeon Monster had ever attacked them like this, after all, no one would voluntarily mutilate their bodies.
And, they hadn't faced the Haggons enough to fully understand them. Thanks to their regeneration powers, the Haggons never really bothered with the injuries they sustained in battle. Thanks to that, their battle tactics were bizarre and caught the group unawares.
"Dammit!" Rikune screamed, failing to defend on time when some of the blood fell on her eyes, causing her to flinch in pain as there was a searing sensation on her eyelids, preventing her from seeing with one eye.
She was barely able to see using the other, her expression grim as she prepared for her eventual death when suddenly, an intense fluctuation of energy emanated from behind her.
Before she noticed it, Regriel had gotten up. His hair stood on ends, as if he had been electrocuted. Suddenly, he raised his hand, pointing at Rikune to heal her instantly, doing the same to General Artica.
He then grabbed both of them as an energy blade formed into a sphere around them, protecting them while expanding abruptly, hitting the ground with enough force to send them flying into the air.