The battle persisted for a while. Neither side gave in. The five continued confronting the beast in their own ways, while the creature did everything it could to resist.
However, it was clear that both sides were beginning to weaken. The beast seemed slower in its clashes against Crowler, and the number of vines had already decreased by half.
Even so, it wasn't only the beast that was exhausted. Crowler, Dante, Cylan, Luke, and Tomé all seemed slower. Even though the situation had improved as the beast grew tired, they felt that, for them, things were only getting worse.
At that moment, Dante was dealing with only six vines. However, he felt it was harder than dealing with twelve — due to the lack of mana and the approaching fatigue. His body had clear limits.
The vines hadn't managed to capture him, but they had landed several hits, creating small cuts that continued bleeding patiently.
And that was everyone's situation. Whether it was Tomé, Luke, or Cylan, the vines still kept them under pressure, and several cuts could be seen even from a distance.
And that was terrifying. Even though the buffalo was high-level, it wasn't a predatory beast — which would normally be even stronger — yet it could still resist for hours under a siege against someone with 8-star strength, along with four others of intermediate level.
And not only that — it could keep the four from getting close, and if one of them fell, it would likely start a domino effect. If the beast had more energy to use more vines against them, it wouldn't take long before the four support fighters collapsed, and Crowler would have to deal with the beast completely alone — facing both its body and the frantic vine assault.
However, they suspected Crowler had something hidden, because if they continued like this, they would lose in at most one hour.
Dante was probably the only one who didn't hate the situation. As he dealt with the vines, he realized that destroying them didn't work — only dealing with the leader vine, which functioned as the base for the others. But reaching it was nearly impossible, since the remaining vines regenerated.
So the situation became training for him. He only dodged and delivered precise punches. His field of vision was improving every second.
The other members probably hated the situation, but they understood: if done correctly, it was possible to polish themselves through this.
After all, the best way to improve is under the pressure of death.
The vines advanced in an unreal manner, moving from below, above, and from the sides, leaving no space to advance toward the buffalo's body.
Tsk.
Tsk.
Tsk.
Three tongue clicks of complaint echoed in unison. Luke and Tomé seemed disappointed to be dealing only with vines, while Cylan was bothered by how long the fight was dragging on.
"Time to end this!" Crowler suddenly said, when a talisman appeared in his hand. A massive amount of mana fell onto the talisman.
The moment they felt that aura, everyone was startled — both the four and the beast. When Crowler activated the talisman, an aura surpassing level 1 emerged and gathered, becoming a rain of swords that fell upon the buffalo.
The beast retracted its vines, forming a barrier, but as soon as all the swords fell, there was no defense. It could only let out a bellow before collapsing dead.
Finally, everyone sighed as they watched the beast die.
They were about to take a moment to breathe, but Crowler's communication talisman alerted him, and he immediately began giving orders.
"Prepare yourselves. We will process the beast and return to base immediately," Crowler said, wearing a slightly grim expression.
Since he didn't explain, no one decided to ask. Cylan and Crowler quickly processed the beast, and the team set off back to the temporary base.
When they arrived, nothing seemed wrong — but all the teams had returned and were speaking seriously.
Dante approached with the others, silently, to listen. But what reached their ears shocked them.
"We finally found the members of the forward post who had disappeared. They are south of our position, trapped in a cage-like trap."
Apparently, during the mission, Clark's team found some humans who had vanished from the forward post — likely captured by the Evil Gods.
A single question hovered silently over the temporary base:
Should they risk themselves to save them?
Or should they just return and report?