The instant Marie moved, the other Evolvers moved too. They clustered together, forming a tight sphere with the strongest men at the edges.
The mutated scorpion was well known for its absurd teleportation ability, as it had terrorized them by suddenly appearing beside them and picking several people off with its pincers.
This time, they weren’t going to sit around and let it do as it pleased.
Marie showed no fear as she attacked the insect, raising her spear to intercept its massive pincers.
She caught its blow and held it at bay for a few seconds. Then, the tail came down on her.
She quickly raised her Stalwart Shield to block the attack.
Clang!
The sharp, venomous stinger failed to pierce her shield, but it forced her to the ground, kneeling before the creature.
She didn’t remain kneeling for long, though.
With a burst of strength, she pushed the pincers aside and let the stinger slide off her shield.
Then, she jumped back. Glaring at the creature, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Die!"
What came out of her lips wasn’t just a voice, but a roar that shook the trees around them. It felt like a command that couldn’t be disobeyed.
For a second, the mutated scorpion stiffened, its eyes flashing with confusion.
Marie didn’t let the opportunity slip away. After using a skill that could only be used once a week, she wasn’t going to let the opening it had created close.
She quickly appeared before the scorpion’s head, her right hand drawn back to deliver a vicious blow.
At the same time she activated her Judgement ability, bright orange flames coated her spear, and she stabbed forward with the weapon.
BANG!
Her body was thrown several meters back by the recoil, while the mutated scorpion staggered several steps back.
The scales on its head had cracked, and dark blood was oozing from the cracks. Although it was nothing but a mild injury, the scorpion was furious.
Before Marie even finished standing, it rushed at her, pincers snapping towards her waist.
She hastily raised her shield and caught the blow, barely able to stop herself from being crushed to the ground.
She pushed back against it, her jaw clenched hard.
"Now!"
From the Evolvers behind her, a barrage of ranged attacks rained down on the mutated scorpion.
Although the attacks barely fazed it, they still annoyed the scorpion.
It shifted its gaze from Marie to the Evolvers, then looked at the men standing several meters away.
Its body lit up, and it prepared to teleport over to them. However, Marie wasn’t ready to lose more of her soldiers.
With its attention drawn away from her, she was able to abandon her shield and escape the scorpion’s hold.
She rushed straight at it, reaching it before the light completely enveloped its body.
Her spear blazed with flames again, and she struck at its torso.
The scorpion turned back to her, but could no longer stop her.
Bang!
Her attack connected, forcefully cancelling the ability.
Annoyed, the scorpion curled its tail and struck at her. Marie barely dodged, rolling on the ground as the tail passed over her.
She quickly stood up, ran to her discarded shield, and picked it up.
She immediately turned to the insect, signalling to her soldiers to move further back.
’So it can’t teleport if it’s in contact with a living thing, huh?’
She lowered her stance and activated one of her skills. Flames coated her spear again, and she lunged at it.
The mutated scorpion’s beady eyes narrowed in annoyance, and it struck at her with its tail.
Marie raised her shield to block, using the force of the attack to push herself to the side.
However, the scorpion seemed to have seen through her plan as she was immediately met by its dreadful pincers.
She barely blocked the blow again, her entire body quivering as she struggled to remain standing.
’Cunning bastard!’ She cursed, noticing that it wanted to teleport again.
Determined not to let it go, she dropped her spear and placed a hand on its pincer.
Instantly, the light enveloping it dissolved. Infuriated, the scorpion attacked her with its second pincer.
Marie held the shield and turned, ignoring the metallic groan of the equipment as she used it to catch the second pincer too.
Her shield had already become deformed, and with both pincers pressing down on her, Marie was forced to her knees.
The insect’s tail rose over her, then struck down with the intention to pierce her body. At the same time, white light enveloped the scorpion’s body as it prepared to teleport over to the other Evolvers.
’I can still dodge the stinger. If I do, I will avoid being poisoned, and it will be able to teleport. However, if I don’t...’
Her eyes gleamed with madness, and she remained in her kneeling position.
Puchi!
The stinger stabbed into her back, and the white light on the scorpion’s body dissolved.
The scorpion turned its head toward her in shock. It had expected her to dodge. What it didn’t expect was that she would risk getting stabbed just to ensure it couldn’t teleport. A trace of fear flashed in its eyes as it looked at her, but quickly disappeared.
She had already been stabbed and poisoned. Her death was only a matter of time.
It withdrew its pincers, then pulled its stinger from her body.
However, instead of dropping to the ground—paralyzed—like it had expected, Marie dropped her shield and picked up the spear.
She staggered to her feet, flames blazing on the spear once again.
Blood poured from her lips as she formed a smile, then stood in a throwing motion.
The mutated scorpion involuntarily stepped back, intimidated by this crazy woman. It couldn’t understand why she was so relentless.
Marie didn’t care about its thoughts. Her grey eyes turned orange, and the flames on the spear burned even brighter.
"Blazing Judgement," She spat, then threw the spear.
Whoosh!
It shot forward at blazing speed, then struck the scorpion’s crossed pincers.
BANG!
The scales on the two pincers cracked, and fire spread onto both limbs. The scorpion screeched in pain as its flesh began to burn.
It immediately activated its teleportation ability, wanting to escape this crazy woman.
Marie tried to give chase and stop it, but her body failed her. She spat a mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground, watching as the scorpion’s body dissolved into white motes of light.
’At least no one else died.’
...
The injured mutated scorpion reappeared in another part of the forest, consumed by rage, humiliation, and fear.
It quickly put out the flames on its pincers by spitting on them. Then, it slowly turned its head.
Standing a few meters away was a group comprising of mutated beasts and humans. What caught its attention was not the massive crocodile that rivalled its own size, but the black-haired human that showed pure killing intent as soon as it appeared.