Chapter 171: Crush it

The battlefield had become chaos incarnate. The Sky Whale’s rage split the sky into storms of ice, and blinding light. Julian ducked beneath a searing beam of frost, his body exploding into a surge of lightning. His muscles screamed but his speed doubled, arcs of blue crackling from his limbs. He darted along the whale’s massive body like a shadow racing across the clouds, blades of darkness weaving from his hands.

"[Phantom Reaver]!" he hissed, slashing down, his shadow-strikes carving deep gashes into the beast’s hide. The Sky Whale roared in fury, its massive body thrashing.

Joe leapt in immediately, his wounds forgotten, flames bursting from his body. "Don’t hog the stage, Julian!" His arms blazed like molten steel, and he hurled himself forward. "Take this [Inferno Break]!" His fist landed against the whale’s side, detonating into a fiery explosion that scorched the sky itself. The creature bucked, its protective scales glowing red-hot from the strike.

Rafael, heart pounding in his throat, raised his trembling arms. The magnetic field around him pulsed and warped, pulling shards of broken debris into orbit. He clenched his teeth. "I can’t... mess this up [Magnetic Collapse]!" The wreckage spun into a storm of jagged metal, slamming into the whale’s body, forcing its movements to stagger.

Leo took the opening. His insectoid wings glistened, humming with vibration. He dove like a spear, his claws expanding with chitinous armor. "Let’s cut it open!" His voice was sharp with adrenaline. "[Bug Drill : Activate]!" He spun into a spiral dive, his claws screeching as they pierced the whale’s flesh, drawing a spray of blood.

Julian narrowed his eyes, sparks flickering across his skin as he danced away from another tail sweep. It bleeds, but the wounds seal too fast... No, the scales... they shift. His gaze locked onto the pulsing glow along its underside. That’s where it’s channeling its energy. That’s the weakness.

Joe landed beside him, his flames dimming for a breath. "You see it too, don’t you?"

Julian smirked grimly. "Yeah. The core’s in its chest. We crack that, we win."

Leo, still clinging to the beast’s hide, barked into the intercom between ragged breaths. "Then what the hell are you waiting for? Burn it and crush it, just make it die already!"

Joe’s laughter crackled through the intercom. "Leo, you’re way too impatient, man."

Before anyone could respond, Rafael’s panicked voice cut in, sharp and shaky. "Uh, guys? It’s coming straight for me! I... I could use a little help here!"

Julian narrowed his eyes at the massive whale thrashing in the sky. "I’ll hold it down. While I pin it with my shadows, you guys hit it with everything you’ve got."

Joe’s jaw dropped. "That’s insane." Then a grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "But I like it."

The sky shook around them as the creature roared, and Julian’s shadow began to stretch and coil, ready to wrap around the beast.

And on the other side, The centipede’s body shimmered with a sickly green hue, its armored plates glowing faintly like heated metal. With every movement it made, bursts of scorching vapor hissed from its joints, igniting sparks that licked across the battlefield. The ground beneath it cracked, patches of flame spreading in its wake.

Don’s knuckles tightened around his weapon as sweat dripped from his brow. "Huuh... there’s no way I’m touching that thing, It’s like hugging a furnace wrapped in poison."

Celestia narrowed her eyes, silver threads flickering between her fingertips. Her usual calm was tempered by unease. "If it’s layering itself with that... my threads might not pierce through. Still, I’ll test it, there’s no room for doubt."

Luke, adjusting his stance, let out a dry laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. "So it’s down to me, huh? Guess I’m the only damage dealer left standing." His tone was casual, but the way his grip tightened around his weapon betrayed the pressure gnawing at him.

The centipede screeched, a grating metallic shrill that rattled their bones. Flames spat from its mandibles as its massive body coiled, the emerald sheen intensifying like molten glass.

Celestia bit her lip before steadying her breathing. "We need to buy time. I’ll bind it, even if only for a second. Don, support from range. Luke..." Her silver eyes darted to him. "...you’ll have to make it count."

Luke smirked faintly, rolling his shoulders as faint aura crackled to life around him. "Yeah, yeah. If I screw up, we’re fried anyway."

’I don’t have enough left to use Mirror again... that last attack drained me dry. And.. i can’t keep relying on it.’

His eyes flicked to the massive centipede thrashing before him. ’If I want to end this, it has to be with my weapon, and what little energy I’ve got left.’

He tightened his grip on the hilt, forcing the remnants of his power to flow into the steel. The edge began to hum faintly, barely holding the thin layer of energy. ’Alright, Don’t waste it, Luke.’

The ground shook as the centipede lunged, its enormous mandibles snapping like guillotines. Celestia’s threads shot outward, gleaming silver strands wrapping around its armored limbs. For a brief moment, the beast staggered, its movements slowed. Sparks danced along the threads as the toxic heat began to corrode them.he heat rolling off the monster singed the air, and Luke could see scorch marks crawling across Don’s arms where the centipede’s blazing carapace pressed against him.

Don gritted his teeth, jaw set like stone. His voice came out rough but steady, a defiant growl against the monster’s screeches.

"If I can’t hold the line here, then what the hell am I even good for?!" He shoved his shoulder harder into the centipede’s advance, muscles straining, veins standing out across his arms. "I’m no good at range... this is where I belong!"

Luke’s throat tightened, watching his comrade endure the scorching pressure.

Don let out a bitter laugh, sweat rolling down his brow. "And besides, what face would I have left to show Lord Joe if I couldn’t crush a damned bug like this?"

His words hit heavier than the centipede’s strike. Luke clenched his jaw, guilt gnawing at him, and for a moment his worry twisted into determination.

"Don..." he muttered, voice low, his broken blade trembling in his grip.

Celestia’s threads lashed outward again, binding the centipede’s limbs just enough to buy a heartbeat of space. "Save the speeches for later!" she snapped, voice sharp but laced with concern. "We’re not losing anyone here!"