Chapter 80: The Maturation of the Bait

However, it seems that although the head is the weak point of the Abyss Worm, it only causes a certain delay in its actions when attacked. To think that one could directly eliminate it based on this was still wishful thinking. Moreover, the three hurriedly thrown throwing darts only penetrated less than half a meter into its shell, completely failing to harm the worm’s true insides.

Immediately, it abandoned the entanglement with Sigrid and locked its vicious gaze onto Dolina, who was up high launching an attack. Countless pairs of wings spread open all over its body, intending to take to the skies!

“Hey! Looking that ugly and still daring to glare at us? Let’s give it a few more hits! Stop tossing your little stones and switch to a third-tier spell!”

“Ah?! Alright, okay!”

Having no idea what was happening, the Mage, whose brain was already in a semi-crash state, could only instinctively unleash a more powerful skill, guided by the tantalizing scent and warmth of the girl beside her, who was practically leaning against her to grab her hand.

“Starfire!”

A spark of fire magnified in the air, instantaneously splitting into more than ten meteorites engulfed in burning orange flames. The scorching heat distorted the surrounding air, emanating a terrifying force.

Then, they whistled down!

“Hiss!”

After that encounter, the Abyss Worm, now aware of the threat, dared not clash physically and abandoned its attempt to fly. It raised its menacing head and spewed forth a greenish, poisonous blast.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

The fiery meteorites collided fiercely with the poison in the air. The first few were almost obliterated into peculiar grayish-black stones in mere seconds, completely destroyed along with the burning flames.

However, the immense energy and heat within those Starfires vaporized the poison spewed out by the worm. In the end, six or seven fiery meteorites still smashed hard against the giant creature’s massive body!

“Hiss hiss!!”

The spot where the Abyss Worm was struck showed horrific cracks in its shell, and the internal muscles were charred black. One of the Starfires even directly hit its pincers, snapping the left half cleanly off.

This illustrates the insurmountable power gap between the Super and Legendary levels. Even though the worm had achieved legendary status through special means, even without weapons, Dolina’s casually thrown third-tier magic still inflicted pain it had never suffered during the battle until now.

Nonetheless, as the maternal being of the Abyss Beasts, the energy contained within the Abyss Worm was enormous. Those shattered shell pieces began healing at an astonishing speed in the next second, and even the severed pincers were visibly regrowing.

At this moment, finally realizing the situation in the air and having drawn the enemy’s ire, Sigrid quickly flew to Vilyric and Dolina’s side.

“Dolina!? You’re actually still alive!”

The captain dove down rapidly, her wings spread wide, embracing the excited mage girl directly, causing the Priestess, who had been close to Dolina, to hastily step aside, rolling her eyes in her mind.

Can’t you learn to talk? It sounds like you’re wishing for someone’s death!

“Captain, it was Miss Vilyric who saved me, and… I can’t explain it, but she suddenly made me so strong!”

Clearly, the bond between the two white-feathered girls in the same squad was very close. Dolina didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, and the two girls were awash with emotion.

However, this was still a battlefield. Although the Abyss Worm had just been hit hard a few times, such damage was far from enough to take it out of commission. Realizing this, Sigrid quickly released her reunited teammate and turned to the Priestess.

“Although I’m not sure what just happened, let’s leave that for later. Miss Vilyric, did you come to help us deal with the Abyss Worm? Where are the others?”

“Mm, they’ve gone to exterminate the Abyss Beasts at the center of the island, so don’t worry. Also, I’m just a support, so the real combat still relies on you all, okay~”

“Understood.”

Stealing another glance at the immaculate, pure, snow-white wings behind Vilyric, which were at least three times larger than theirs, Sigrid didn’t say anything else, directly tossing a brand-new staff to the unarmed Dolina.

“Now, I will draw the attention of the Abyss Worm. Please attack it with maximum firepower as much as you can. I’ve already requested assistance from His Majesty. Even if we can’t kill it, we must delay until the experts from our country arrive; we absolutely cannot let this monster escape, or the consequences will be unimaginable!”

With that, the girl turned her wings and charged toward the battlefield below again.

“Really going all out, huh…”

“Miss Vilyric, we have to push ourselves too!”

The Mage girl, now equipped with a new weapon, looked thrilled. The staff in her hands was likely part of Sigrid’s personal collection, boasting a high rank of purple tier. Generally speaking, such weapons significantly enhance the holder’s casting speed, magic power, and accuracy.

Naturally, this meant the Priestess wouldn’t need to help her aim anymore.

“Okay, okay… Let’s work hard~ Just go all out, Dolina; the boost I provide won’t fade until the battle ends!”

Actually, Vilyric’s original intention was to deliberately not provide Dolina with a weapon, worried that she would accidentally unleash too strong of magic and obliterate the worm. However, seeing its astounding recovery capabilities, she figured there was no need to worry.

“Mm! Miss Vilyric is truly reliable!”

Noticing that Sigrid had once again blocked the Abyss Worm’s attempt to lift off, the Mage didn’t waste the precious opportunity created by her captain. She raised her staff and unleashed a torrent-like bombardment.

As a ground-level sky mage, Dolina’s highest level of magic was only tier 4.

Real-world mages, unlike game characters who can instantly learn new powers by just meeting conditions on a skill tree, had to completely analyze the circuits of their magic, aided by incantations, and use a staff as a medium to release their spells.

Although with frequent use, many lower-tier spells could be instinctively cast, the prerequisite—familiarity—was extremely vital.

Even with the infusion from the “Joint Battle Contract,” giving her stats above level 60 on average, Dolina could still only use tier 4 magic, and the requirement for lengthy incantations remained unchanged.

While tier 4 magic could inflict massive damage on the Abyss Worm, by the time the long casting interval ended and she could unleash it again, its wounds would have completely healed, leaving Sigrid, as the vanguard, struggling due to lack of support.

After using the spell a few times and realizing this, Dolina quickly changed her strategy, opting to rely on tier 2 and tier 3 spells, which could nearly be cast instantly with a short cooldown.

While this would significantly increase her mana consumption, with Vilyric’s endless support, the Mage girl, feeling the infinite power flowing within her no matter how she used it, soon gave up thinking and went all out.

“Starfire! Starfire! Starfire! Starfire! Starfire! Starfire! Starfire! Starfire!”

The skies were engulfed in blazing fire clouds, obscuring the heavens.

   

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