Seeker 216

Test

Chapter 216. The Battle Begins

Without any delay, the battle commenced. 

I swiftly assessed the situation while observing the monsters that had started to move.

There were 6 monsters: a Fire Dragon, a Fire Giant, 2 Salamanders, and 2 Flame Eagles. 

The 2 boss monsters and 2 Salamanders had grouped together near the far end of the platform where we stood. 

The two Flame Eagles were positioned in the sky, 1 at 2 o'clock and the other at 10 o'clock.

My initial plan was to wait for the invincibility of the two boss monsters to wear off, and then launch a coordinated attack with offensive magic and Fenrir Bow. 

However, it seemed that a change of strategy was necessary.

"Yuzuki, take down one of Flame Eagles! It doesn't matter which! The rest of us will stick to the original plan! Use area magic to include the Salamanders! [Stone Shower]!"

"Roger that! Fenrir Arrow!"

"I'm on it too! [Wind Storm]!"

"For now, it should work fine... [Dark Thunder]!"

A single targeted shot and three area magic attacks erupted simultaneously. 

The icy arrow fired from Yuzuki's Fenrir Bow took down Flame Eagle at 10 o'clock, causing it to vanish with a single blow. 

The area magic attacks unleashed by me, Kazane-san, and Yusefia-san included all four of the monsters positioned in the back of the platform—Fire Dragon, Fire Giant, and 2 Salamanders—causing them to explode. 

A rain of stones, a storm of wind blades, and dark lightning struck the group of monsters one after another, delivering significant blows.

My initial strategy was to prioritize eliminating the weaker monsters and reducing the enemy's numbers. According to Yuzuki's [Monster Appraisal], the Fire Dragon and Fire Giant had 1200 and 1500 HP, respectively. 

It would take a lot of effort to defeat them. 

Therefore, I decided to quickly take down the weaker monsters to reduce the enemy's firepower.

To achieve this, Yuzuki had initially planned to shoot Fire Dragon with her Fenrir Bow, but she switched her target to Flame Eagle. One down for now. 

The remaining weaker monsters were just 3 in number. 

If the area magic bombardment also took down the two Salamanders, that would be perfect.

However, as the onslaught of offensive magic subsided, Fire Dragon immediately flew out. 

Flapping its wings, it ascended into the sky and came flying towards us with its deep red colossal body. 

It appeared to have taken damage, but our recent attacks were far from fatal.

Additionally, Fire Giant was naturally still standing. 

While in the middle of its entrance scene, it thrust the giant sword it held into the ground again and raised its right hand upward as if holding an invisible ball. 

Then, a shining rock materialized from nowhere.

Well, this was a bit unexpected.

The issue was 2 Salamanders, this turned out to be a delicate situation.

One of them had dissolved into a black mist, but the other, looking on the brink of death, had survived. 

The surviving one opened its mouth wide and began generating fireballs.

In this critical situation, I would really appreciate it if they both perished.

Based on my previous experience in the suspension bridge room, a direct hit from one of those fireballs could take away about twenty percent of Wind Sound's HP. 

It wasn't negligible damage, so I really hoped both of them would go down now.

But the results were results, and we had no choice. 

We had to adapt to the situation.

The only one remaining unharmed was Flame Eagle. 

It came flying from the right, at two o'clock.

This one wasn't extremely powerful but would become a troublesome opponent if left unchecked.

"Griffin, stop it!"

"Kwaah!"

I gave the command to Griffon to intercept Flame Eagle.

Griffin flapped its wings, taking off into the air and eventually colliding with its target to engage in aerial combat. 

I trusted Griffin to handle the situation; it would be managed somehow.

As for me, I had already begun focusing my mind on the next spell shortly after casting [Stone Shower]. 

Everything from the start of the battle until now had happened in just a few seconds. 

The action was extremely fast-paced, and there was a lot of information to process, but so far, I was managing to keep up with the situation.

From here on, I would mainly act as a healer. 

However, as I was about to shift my focus, something caught my attention within the battle, which seemed to be playing out in slow motion in my subconscious.

It was the movement of Fire Giant. 

The giant, holding a large boulder in its right hand, was in a position as if preparing for a pitch. 

Its shining red eyes fixed on Yuzuki.

On the other hand, Fire Dragon, flapping its wings, was approaching me with its fiery breath. 

That Fire Breath attack would likely hit both our front-line members and Yuzuki.

I had no intention of being overly protective. 

I considered Yuzuki as a fellow seeker, capable of handling herself and overcoming hardships together with me. 

I wasn't thinking about shielding her from all the damage.

However, at the same time, I had a gut feeling that this situation might not end well. 

Could Yuzuki withstand Fire Giant's rock throw and Fire Dragon's Fire Breath simultaneously? 

The truth was, I didn't know.

But my intuition was suggesting that this might not be good. 

If Yuzuki's HP dropped below zero, even if we healed her with recovery magic, she wouldn't immediately regain consciousness. 

In essence, that would mean dropping out of this battle.

Should I step in? I had relatively high HP and sturdy armor, so I had confidence that I wouldn't be as vulnerable as Yuzuki if I took direct hits from the rock throw and Fire Breath. 

However, at the moment, I was focusing on preparing to use recovery magic for the damage we were about to take. 

I couldn't make very active movements during the concentration required for casting magic.

To rush out and shield Yuzuki from the Fire Giant's line of sight, I would need to cancel the preparations for spellcasting. 

But that would waste a few precious seconds, and I couldn't afford to waste any time.

"Ugh!"

"Senpai!?"

I canceled my spellcasting preparations and jumped into a position to protect Yuzuki. 

Both the Fire Breath attack from the approaching dragon and the rock throw attack from the giant came at me.