NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77 Trap Of The Canyon
"Elle, take Avril and flee. I'll distract these stone lumps."
Tyler casually shot an arrow at the furthest Granite Golem, inflicting a meager 1 point of damage and breaking the arrow beyond repair.
"Don't jest, I won't let you take this favor from me."
This time, Elle refused Tyler's suggestion, resolutely determined to fight alongside him to the bitter end.
"Besides, Avril won't allow me to abandon you."
Then, Elle conveyed Avril's sentiment as well.
Tyler wasn't surprised by Elle and Avril's reactions, but he felt guilty for having let these two good girls down before.
"Alright, have you ever played dodgeball, Elle?"
"Dodgeball? What's that?"
"It's a game where you avoid being hit by balls."
Tyler briefly explained his battle plan to Elle. The astute Elle quickly grasped the idea and began coordinating with Tyler to lure the monsters to the "right position." When the Granite Golems realized they couldn't catch the duo, they prepared for long-range attacks.
Now was the time for Tyler's Divine Eye of Transcendence to demonstrate its new capabilities.
"Elle, heed my command. Scatter as soon as I count to one!"
"Alright!"
Tyler and Elle rode close together, keeping a keen eye on the Granite Golems' movements. The red light signaling an impending attack soon appeared!
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One!"
Tyler and Elle swiftly dispersed, and instantly, two Granite Golem projectiles collided with a resounding "boom!" leaving the two of them covered in dust.
Tyler didn't have time to worry about that. He immediately checked the life force of the two Granite Golems and found that each had sustained over 1,000 damage! A great success!
Elle looked back at the shattered bodies of the Granite Golems and knew without explanation that this plan was indeed effective!
However, this risky strategy still had them walking a tightrope. Even a second's delay would have left Tyler and Elle drenched in blood. The Granite Golem projectiles were as fast as lightning, and without the Divine Eye of Transcendence's assistance, Tyler would never have dared to take such a gamble with Elle's life.
"Elle! Let's do it again!"
"Alright!"
Without hesitation, Tyler and Elle repeated the life-threatening tactic, enabling the Granite Golems to "slaughter" each other twice more, successfully shattering two more golems into rubble.
(Excellent, two more down!)
Amidst the elation, there were still pressing issues to address. First, Tyler hadn't received any experience points, and he didn't know if this was because the enemies had killed each other and thus the experience didn't count, or if summoned creatures simply didn't grant experience. Second, with only two Granite Golems remaining, replicating the same strategy was impossible.
Tyler needed to devise another plan to extricate themselves from this precarious situation.
"What do we do next, painstakingly carve these two stones?" Elle inquired half-jokingly.
Unbeknownst to her, this question had inadvertently revealed her changing perception of Tyler.
However, the situation was not yet relaxed enough for romantic conversations. Facing two persistent Granite Golems, Elle and Tyler would face certain death if their stamina ran out.
"Elle, next we should..."
After several seconds of thinking, Tyler was about to inform Elle of their new battle plan when a sudden flash of light streaked across the sky. Something struck one of the Granite Golems with a resounding "bang!", obliterating its head!
Before Tyler and Elle could comprehend what had occurred, a second and third flash of light appeared. In an instant, the Granite Golem's legs were blown off, leaving it a motionless pile of rubble.
"Long time no see, hunter."
A silver-haired girl with a veiled face gracefully appeared. She seemed to have descended from the cliff above, but neither Tyler nor Elle had noticed her presence until she spoke.
(Viviana Scarlet...?!)
"…Why are you here, My Lord?!"
"Merely taking a leisurely stroll when boredom struck."
Viviana flicked her finger, and the three flashes of white light returned to her side, revealing themselves as three Floating Crimson Swords.
(Such slender blades possess such power...!)
Had Viviana not allowed Tyler a closer look, he might have assumed a cannon had struck the Granite Golem.
"These bumbling rock lumps don't resemble Stone Shadow Golems... No matter, consider them a warm-up."
Viviana darted forward, and Tyler took the opportunity to glance at her status information.
━━━━━━━━━
Viviana Scarlet
Life Energy: 3210/3210
Endurance: 2199/2315
Magic Energy: 1170/3170
━━━━━━━━━
As expected of a level 51 Magic Swordsman, Tyler knew from her stats and recent "performance" that the Granite Golems were no match for Viviana.
Tyler retreated to join Elle as a spectator, watching how a level 51 Magic Swordsman would annihilate the Granite Golems.
At that moment, Tyler subconsciously observed Elle's thoughts, belatedly realizing he had made a grave mistake.
—("Long time no see"? Does Banning know this silver-haired girl?)
—(Why didn't Banning mention her when discussing his recent activities?)
—(Is Banning hiding something from Avril?)
Cold sweat trickled down Tyler's back at Elle's train of thought.
(How can you still focus on such details amidst this tense battle, Elle!?)
(Silly Nissen: Hahaha, Tyler! Internal conflicts now!)
At this moment, Tyler felt that dispelling Elle's suspicions was even more urgent than dealing with the Granite Golems!
However, as a professional, Tyler quickly found an opportune moment for damage control.
"Her combat prowess is simply inhuman..."
"Did you know, Elle? She's incredibly strong. I encountered her by chance while hunting in the Luca Forest recently. I never thought we'd meet again here, but now we're saved!"
Tyler casually mentioned, to which Elle simply responded with an "Oh," and said nothing more.
Anyone else would have panicked at this point.
Men know that there's nothing more terrifying than a woman responding with a single "Oh," as it's akin to a death sentence.
But Tyler could see into Elle's heart, understanding the true meaning behind her "Oh"!
At that moment, Elle was pondering:
—(How can this woman be so strong?)
—(How can she control the longsword to fly around like that?)
—(How did her sword cleave through stone without chipping?)
Tyler sighed with relief.
Ironically, Avril's expertise as a Murderous Phantom proved a blessing.
Admittedly, anyone witnessing Viviana's combat display would be mesmerized.
Viviana was both a "conductor" and a "dancer."
With a mere flick of her fingers, the Floating Crimson Swords moved as if alive;
Her elegant dance steps amidst her enemies effortlessly evaded their attacks;
In just two minutes, the remaining Granite Golems were reduced to rubble, motionless.
However, the trio's focus on the seamless battle failed to notice the countless thin, spiderweb-like cracks spreading silently beneath their feet.