Pillar of Yita

In the Forest, a number of Adventurers had already chased nearby, clumsily clambering over spreading roots and getting within twenty meters of the Rock Shark. They then raised their grappling hook launchers and fired the hook claws with a series of bangs, hitting the spine of the Rock Shark.

These people simultaneously reached back to flip the switch on the winch of the Magic Guided Reactor, the ropes went taut, and they were pulled toward the back of the Rock Shark midair. However, the Rock Shark clearly became alert and, with a fierce swish of its tail, sent many flying into trees or rocks, resulting in several flashes of white light.

But even more people managed to climb aboard. The Adventurers clung tightly to the outcrops on the back of the Rock Shark, carefully making their way towards its dorsal fin—the creature’s most vulnerable spot.

Atira and Reed exchanged looks. The Lion Person nodded, took two steps forward, gave his mane a shake, and didn’t have any grappling hook device. Instead, a pair of golden Light’s Wings unfolded from the armor behind him, fluttering slightly.

Wings of Faith—a Level 12 Holy System Skill.

Fang Hong was slightly startled by this scene. In Eteliria, Holy Warriors are generally those who are proficient in faith abilities, theological knowledge, and combat skills, but they usually focus on combat. A Holy Warrior is first a warrior, then a believer. Combat skills have to account for two-thirds or more of the total Experience Points, faith abilities second, and theological knowledge third.

Tianlan had told him that Reed was a devout Holy Warrior of Marlan, the strongest among them. The Holy Warrior itself was a third-tier War Profession, and the Lion Person was a little over Level 20. It was only because he had to conform to the Trainee code that he didn’t usually go on missions with them, but stayed back to ”watch the house”—hence he earned the nickname Mr. Big Cat.

And if Level 20 overall Experience Points had a Level 12 faith ability, then combat skills couldn’t exceed Level 13, almost a fifty-fifty split. Rather than calling him a Holy Warrior, it was more like a combat Priest. No wonder Tianlan said he was devoted.

On the other side, Atira’s actions were simpler. She leaped forward, shrinking midair and transforming into a Paradise Bird. Flapping her wings, she looked back and chirped at the others a few times, as if warning them to be cautious, and then flew towards the Rock Shark.

Ameya naturally envied the believer’s ability, as Druids basically receive the ability to fly earlier than any other War Profession. Unfortunately, the Goddess is a bit of a psychological clean freak, only taking in true believers, so the Chosen ones who receive her favor are few and far between.

Reed too flapped his wings and took flight, wielding a Double-Headed Sword as he soared into the air, his fiery red mane dancing majestically. Tianlan couldn’t help but cheer: ”Mr. Big Cat is just so cool!”

Upon hearing this, Reed almost took a tumble to the ground.

The battle with the Rock Shark had reached a critical moment. The Rock Shark seemed to sense the danger and started to struggle fiercely, trying to rid itself of the unwanted guests on its back.

But the Adventurers were experienced. The Archers increased their firing rate, especially targeting the rock layer crevices on its underbelly, forcing it to be unable to concentrate on dealing with the melee professionals on its back.

The Rock Shark rampaged through the Forest, scattering the crowd far and wide, but it couldn’t escape the encirclement. The Magic Guided Conductors prepared their Crystals, releasing another wave of Wind System Spells that caused turbulent airstreams to push the Rock Shark down to a lower altitude—almost just a few dozen feet off the ground.

Parker was also sporadically pulling the trigger, but it was mostly to no significant effect, simply forcing the Rock Shark to instinctively avoid. Fang Hong put down his Walker II, which was quite different from the Sword Hong—firstly, it was much larger, standing at half a person’s height.

Furthermore, it didn’t have the defensive spherical armor on the base; the gears, pipes, and Core Crystal were exposed. On top of that, there was a rack equipped with a Three-Eyed Gun with its own bullet feed chain, and a cannon shield on both sides.

This type of Ranged Walker has a nickname called ’Fortress,’ with a reserve of one hundred and thirty rounds, and the maximum firing rate can reach thirty-three rounds per minute. A single shot’s Attack Power is about equivalent to a Level 8 Gunslinger, and it can also be equipped with Plugins such as a delayed injection device, allowing it to execute corresponding Archer abilities—as long as the operator has the relevant Knowledge.

Of course, Fang Hong doesn’t possess the relevant Crossbowman or Gunslinger knowledge, so he could only use its basic attacks. However, when firing at full force, its firepower was even more formidable than that of the Papalarians next to him. But that was about it, as the accuracy was very poor due to the platform’s limitations, sparking a series of flashes upon the Rock Shark’s hard layer.

The first to reach near the Rock Shark’s dorsal fin were actually Atira, who started later than others. After landing, the transformed Paradise Bird reverted to the Elf Girl, holding a spear, and thrust it toward the base of the Rock Shark’s fin.

A surge of crimson blood burst out from there.

This was the first time the Rock Shark had been injured; the giant creature suddenly went berserk, smashing the tall redwoods, snapping branches and trunks, toppling trees in a loud crash. Many people suffered bad luck, lost their footing, and were thrown off.

The Rock Shark began to accelerate, apparently making a last-ditch effort to break through the siege. However, the Adventurers were well-prepared for this; the Magic Guided Conductors began to deploy a kind of purple Crystal.