Chapter 160: Hunt

This was the last Beast Prince.

But also the oldest, the strongest.

"(Moo moo moo) Food food!"

The massive black single eye was completely bloodshot, brimming with greed and longing.

That overwhelming beastly desire and hunger had nothing to do with mere starvation.

Retreat? Let it eat? Let it recover to peak condition before regaining reason? Impossible! Then why did we come here at all?!

"Gak gak! Nature's bounty!" Kuku cheerfully snatched Xiao Xue's corpse—every part of the Beast Prince was a treasure.

"Tsk tsk tsk, not a shred of reason left. How ugly. Hehe, you deer always mock other beasts for being ugly."

Zi Qiangwei, are the "other beasts" you mentioned including your own kind—the snakes?

Zi Qiangwei strolled past cheerfully, also collecting Xiao Bai's corpse. She'd make a specimen to show her friends back home—Beast Princes were rare, and this pure-colored pelt was truly beautiful.

At this moment, the giant stag continually issued threats, yet still did not attack—for within its perception, a pale purple giant serpent, even larger than itself, was calmly facing it off, tongue flicking in warning.

It doesn't attack because it can't win—that's why a starving beast holds back. But how long can this instinct suppress hunger?

"Sssss (Time flows like water)" — The psychic ability specializing in the domain of time was never exclusive to mind flayers or psions.

Snakes possess similar abilities—and even stronger ones!

That was an accelerated domain, yet merely an opening.

"Sss (Decay)" — The serpent's speech deceived the corpse, accelerating its decomposition.

With two great spells used simultaneously—a combination incantation akin to Dragon Speech—in an instant, the massive stag's corpse behind them visibly rotted and decayed.

In a blink, the mountain-sized corpse was reduced to nothing but bleached bones.

"Aooooo!"

The colossal roar echoed throughout the underground world—the giant stag was utterly enraged.

Stealing food from a starving beast meant a fight to the death.

The stag violently lowered its head, its lone horn glowing with lethal black light as it charged straight ahead.

Before its attack landed, the ground beneath them trembled violently, then grew weightless—the entire area had its gravity field stripped away!

"Uh." The warriors slipped, some so light they floated upward.

How could warriors without footing defend against a charge? The beast's ancient combat instincts and techniques revealed themselves fully.

"Boom!"

Yet the magical girl, lying on her back like a swimmer, used both hands to catch and hold the massive horn as it came, her tiny body floating gently along its path to meet it.

She tugged lightly, pulled gently—the terrifying brute strength yanked the giant stag off-balance.

She nearly used the beast's own momentum to flip it completely over!

This exceeded mere defense—it gave the rest of the team enough reaction time to recover.

This ultra-low gravity state might even enhance heavy-armored units.

Li En, the first to recover, leapt high and slammed down with all his might!

"Shatter Blade. Break the Boundary!"

Against such a colossal monster, explosive radiant strikes were far more effective than pure cutting.

"Boom!"

And this time, its tough flesh actually split open!

Originally, the beast should have been classified as a "neutral creature." But by attacking a sentient city and slaughtering too many lives—including non-evil ones—it was deemed evil by the paladin's judgment, so evil it glowed purple-red.

The full quota of Smite Evil made Li En's strikes exhilarating.

Again and again, he slipped back into the blissful state of a "Smite Evil launcher."

"Boom!"

Behind them, the alchemists completed their first round of casting.

Flames and lightning streaked through the air—so close, none could miss, carving fresh wounds into the giant's body.

Yet their damage output remained, as always, oddly inconsistent.

It wasn't their fault—they were too young, with low spell tiers, lacking damage-boosting specialties or talents (alchemists), facing a beast with innate high resistance.

The most visible fighter was Lari—she scaled the beast using a webbed grappling hook.

While stabilizing herself with extra limbs, she sprinted across its hide, each step leaving deep gashes from her slender blade.

The various cursed enchantments seeping from her sword inflicted clear toxic damage, but the deadliest effect remained the Knight of Law's "Bleeding Wound."

Watching their "classmates" fight so fiercely, the automaton Ophelia and the mushroom person Gu Gu grew restless—but as melee units, they were held back by Kuku.

"Idiots! You'll turn into pancakes!"

The truth was, Kuku's experience was seasoned—this level of giant beast could roll over and crush any unskilled warrior instantly.

"Aooooo!"

Frustrated by the "mosquitoes," the beast roared again, doubling the gravity field—everything around it was forcibly lifted.

The arachnid anchored itself with threads; Li En jammed his sword into the flesh to brace himself; the two knights reacted swiftly; Zi Qiangwei seized the moment to flip upward, sprinting along the beast's body.

When using supernatural talents, bodily control naturally declines—few beings can multitask effectively.

"Die!" The girl had drawn near the stag's head.

Her tiny hand flipped, clenched, then punched!

"Boom!" The heavy punch slammed into its face, carving a massive wound.

"Boom!" This time, the giant beast began to topple.

Li En and Lari leapt down in time.

The greatest difference between an excellent warrior and an ordinary one isn't stats.

The gap at the same tier is often only thirty to fifty percent—but combat techniques, reflexes, and instinct for danger are what separate life from death.

For seizing opportunities, melee classes must be professional and agile.

"Boom!"

The monster fell, crashing into a deep crater.

Yet this time, the melee fighters kept their distance—they saw the fury in its single eye!

"Crack!" The sudden crushing gravity field confirmed their caution was correct.

A veteran hunter or agile warrior saw through this beast's combat instincts as painfully obvious.

Its rolling eyeball, tensed muscles, glinting horn—all betrayed its next move. A strike that misses, no matter how powerful, is meaningless. "Why not just pierce its eye?" Li En wondered, seeing a better opening.

"Useless. It'll regenerate forcibly."

Zi Qiangwei's reply was half-laughing—she judged that blinding it would push the creature to extremes.

It might unleash a chain of massive self-destructive attacks—some of their young allies might die.

"Let's play with it." The frontliners remained spirited, but the team's support members were staggering.

The giant beast forced itself upright again, its massive frame trembling.

Its lone eye burned with rage and hatred.

Without its master's precise control and supernatural aid, this beast was ill-equipped to fight these "mosquitoes." In ancient herds, stags were never close-combat specialists.

They excelled at fleeing—paired with gravity manipulation, few could catch them!

And if truly cornered, they raised their horns and unleashed terrifying bursts of power.

"Aooooo!"

The rampaging gravity field expanded relentlessly, closing in on all nearby.

Next, it compressed its power, coating its own body—becoming a short-range meat grinder.

But how long could such a desperate burst last?

"Boom!"

The ranged spells continued steady output—even Li En pulled out his spellbook and cast Magic Missile three times, landing one. At least now there was some ranged damage.

"Pam!" The Magic Missile struck—and vanished.

Given the Beast Prince's base magic resistance and Li En's pitiful spellcasting ability, this result was perfectly normal.

"Use this." Zi Qiangwei, unable to watch anymore, handed him a small pouch. Inside were a dozen enchanted throwing axes.

Better use these than your embarrassing Magic Missiles. Li En sighed and obediently began hurling the axes.

"Aooooo!"

Honestly, watching each axe embed and draw blood, Li En found them far more effective than Magic Missiles.

He decided to stock up on a few back home—until his spell level improved, melee weapons were more reliable than low-tier spells.

"Boom!"

Again, the giant stag charged—though already spent, it was no mere mortal's easy kill.

"Clang!"

But this time, the Snake Mage blocked it again!

This time, faint purple scales shimmered across Zi Qiangwei's skin—she was finally taking it seriously. Until now, she'd fought casually, always in human form.

"Magic Cannon!" A childish voice rang out.

"Bai" raised her staff and unleashed her final burst of magic—the Magic Cannon struck the stag squarely. To be simultaneously besieged by both the Deer Mage and the Snake Mage, the stag had truly reached the peak of its beastly existence.

The trapped stag, eyes red with desperation, now sought only to take as many of them down with it as possible.

But no matter how wildly it thrashed, that "serpent" always held firm, coiled around it.

That tiny figure blocked each charge again and again, while the others exploited the openings to keep draining its blood.

Entangled by the serpent, it could not break free—its fate seemed sealed.

How much longer could it hold out? An hour? Half an hour? Or—

"Boom!"

This time, a spear wreathed in flame descended from the sky.

The Valkyrie descended from above, ready to avenge the blood of Malsodirka, while on the nearby mountains, the dark elf legion had arrived; the goddess of Black Blade floated slowly, watching her "sister" unleash divine power.

"Exorcise Evil."

Among the attackers, Li En sustained a steady, unrelenting output.

Each strike of the Holy Exorcism Slash, though swift and lethal, inflicted the greatest wounds and effects—not from Li En, but from Larry.

The reason was simple:

"Sin Punishment Strike!"

Each strike, charged with judgment, tore open long, gaping wounds that bled endlessly!

The Holy Exorcism Slash inflicted pure radiant damage—the hatred and fury of pure good against evil, burning with sacred fire; but the Law Knight's Sin Punishment Strike brought wounds that refused to heal.

As time stretched on, these bleeding wounds, which suppressed the Great Stag's regeneration, turned the battlefield crimson.

Blood dripped continuously; life force and the beast's courage drained away.

Finally, the influence of the curse began to fade; fear of death restored its reason—yet—

"Die!" The Holy Sword swung again with force, this time Li En aimed for its neck.

It was already weakening in its limbs, too late to dodge.

"Clang!" Even the two-handed sword could not sever the giant, but left a massive wound.

One blow was not enough—the knight standing atop its skull dared to strike again.

"Die, evil!"

Again and again, Li En unleashed a steady, rapid chain of slashes; the exquisite Holy Sword showed no sign of wear or dulling.

Tough bone and hide crumbled before this Holy Sword and this knight like paper; each strike targeting vital points delivered crushing blows.

"Moo moo moo"

At last, the great beast collapsed amid its final cries; even the chaotic battlefield could not tell which blow had delivered the fatal strike.

Yet the Holy Knight's joyful laughter echoed far across the battlefield.

Its final life force was spent; the last of the Beast Princes met a death beyond its destined fate!

"We've won."

(End of Chapter)