Chapter 224
224 A questionable plan
The great grizzly bear turned its head and saw Ester with her hand raised. She was emitting an overwhelming bloodlust as if the grim reaper’s blade was around its neck.
Ester stared at the great grizzly bear with a glare full of killing intent. She clenched her open hand tight and shouted, “Burst Forth!”
The hiltless blade Elsir shone brightly, and *boom* a rain of blood and gore fell and splattered everywhere.
The great grizzly bear was no more. Elsir was like a wireless bomb with a force to be reckoned with. Even the bones shattered into fragments or dust.
“Sister! We did it! ” Lupa rushed out of hiding. Lupa noticed the state of the previous large enemy and felt sorry. A tear appeared in her eye.
*sigh* “Not much meat left... I need to grow stronger. Must kill and save good parts to cook. ” Lupa shook her head and clicked her tongue a few times. She wasn’t too happy with the wasted food.
“How are you feeling? Can you fight?” Lupa asked while extending her hand. Ester got up with Lupa’s help.
Ester fell down after she threw Elsir with all her might and lost her balance. She wanted to kill the great grizzly bear as quickly as possible. “I can do it again... ab-about three more times with my sword and... o-one time without. How are you feeling?” She oddly replied before changing the subject.
“I feel good now... huh?” Lupa perked her ears and turned her head. “I heard something hitting a hard material. Ohh, now I am hearing heavy foot steps and the vibration of the shaking ground.” She informed.
.....
Ester raised her hand, and a Wind Sigil appeared. “Return.” She ordered, and a second later, the hiltless blade Elsir returned in her hands without a spec of blood on it.
“We need to help Vincent!” Ester exclaimed with a worried frown.
Lupa nodded and led Ester towards Vincent’s location out of the crowd of trees. The more they ran and the closer they got, the louder the wall grating sound rang after it was getting slashed by the alpha grizzly bear.
*Near the goblin cave – Vincent vs Alpha Grizzly Bear*
Vincent ran up the wall and jumped, dodging a deadly swing. The claws met the wall, and the resistance of the wall slowed down the swing considerably.
Vincent safely landed on the ground, and dodge rolled his way out of harm. Vincent then slid underneath the alpha grizzly bear and placed his back against the wall to do it again.
It was the tactic of a cornered rat Vincent planned. He could use the wall blocking his path of escape to hinder the attacks of the monstrous bear.
It was a tactic Vincent read about many times about. It was to fight an enemy wielding a large weapon in a small confined space. Their attacks would slow down, giving smaller weapon holders the chance to attack.
Swing after the other and loud grating sound after the other, such intensity displayed how fierce the fight to the death was. One attacking with the intent to kill while the other using all his senses to avoid getting hit.
As the long, fast-paced “hit me if you can” game of life and death was ongoing, a small ball of leaves wrapped with a vine flew towards the alpha grizzly bear’s head.
The pair of bear ears raised full attention and quickly turned its head. The alpha grizzly bear opened its large maws and bit a ball of leaves as small as one of its teeth.
It thought such a puny chunk of grass wouldn’t affect its massive body. However, the size of the ball didn’t matter. The contents inside were strong enough to make the alpha grizzly bear cough viciously after its throat was already damaged and dry.
The alpha grizzly bear turned its bloodshot glare and saw a three-foot goblin shivering in fear. In her hands were two more balls clenched tightly. Now matter how many times her small body sent the signals to flee, Iris courageously stared at death.
The alpha grizzly bear opened its maws, and a ball of earth quickly molded, faster than before. However, it didn’t look hardened and also appeared to be less dense.
The Earth Cannon pointed at Iris was all about speed rather than power.
“I won’t make it in time!” Vincent started sprinting to protect Iris too late. Deep regret started swelling inside him. Memories of his parent’s death seen in the mysterious Soul Domain flashed before his eyes.
*Pew* The alpha grizzly bear shot a large ball of thick earth with intense force. Even if it wasn’t hard as a rock, Iris was still in danger.
Vincent’s eyes became dull with hatred. His intent to kill raged, and he felt his conscious getting overwhelmed with so much anger that it started suffocating him.
*Thud!* A hiltless sword suddenly flew and pierced the ground like butter. “Burst Forth!” Ester shouted. *Boom* The projectile exploded along a small radius of the ground. A cloud of dust appeared, and Iris couldn’t be seen.
[Great, Ester and Lupa have returned. Huh? Vincent. Return to your senses. Iris is safe. ]
Vincent turned his head. The moment he saw Ester hugging Iris and Lupa fluttering her shirt from the dust on her clothes, his eyes returned to normal, and the unquenchable hatred subsided.
[Don’t dilly-dally! Look up! Dodge to your right!]
Vincent looked up and saw a massive paw landing on him. Vincent didn’t have time to dodge this one. He raised his arms and prepared to block.
*Clang* “Ugh!” Vincent grunted. The attack was blocked, but the force of the impact traveled like thunder from the unfeeling hands to his feet.
Vincent gritted his teeth to resist the paw pushing him down. He fell on one knee, unable to hold his ground.
Lupa blitzed towards the alpha grizzly bear and jumped while shouting, “Leave my mate alone!” Lupa clawed up the bear’s towering back and futilely scratched the hardened fur with all her might.
“Return. ” Ordered Ester. Elsir hovered in the air and flew towards its soul bonded owner. Only two charges remained as per Ester’s words. “We’re coming to help.” She continued running along with Iris.
[I know! Let’s have Ester make a large hole in the ground. It might give us and the goblins some time to run away. Killing this bear is impossible. It’s too much for us to handle.]
-But the size... isn’t it better to attack with sigils?-
[Ester made a hole about half a meter deep when she saved Iris. The hole might become deeper if she didn’t need to hurry and could focus on her spell.]
[Furthermore, you only have about two minutes left, and Ester most probably can’t use her power more than one time. My senses are getting dull, and my Mana Sense isn’t working that much.]
-Ok... relay the plan...-
Kazumi exited Vincent’s Soul Domain and used Soul Visit to enter Ester’s Soul Domain. Ester started feeling the world slow down and darkness swallowing everything. She understood it must’ve been Kazumi’s doing.
Ester opened her eyes and saw a dim green wisp in front of her. “Kazumi!” She worryingly exclaimed.
[Ester, don’t worry about my condition. I saved Vincent a lot of times. Once or twice more is my limit.]
[I don’t have the luxury to waste mana, so here’s the plan. I need you to make the largest hole in the ground you can possibly make. We will decide on how to utilize it depending on the depth and width.]
Ester nodded and said with a reassuring smile, “Leave it to me. Ohh, I can ask the goblins to help too.” However, Ester didn’t disclose how many times she could use her power.
[I wanted to tell you to ask the goblins, but it seems you already know what to do. Good luck.]
Kazumi said before the light started to return and Ester’s time flow awareness returning to normal.
Ester stopped running and stored the mudcrab shield in her storage bag. She turned around and started running opposite of Vincent’s location.
‘I need to run farther if I want to make a big hole.’ She thought.
Iris stopped when she noticed she was running alone. She turned her head and saw Ester running away.
“Running away? But red woman, you are...” Iris shook her head and continued with a frightened yet determined gaze, ” No, I have to help no matter what.”
Iris plucked a large leaf from her leaf dress and rolled it into a ball after adding a few finely chopped herbs and poisons inside.
The alpha grizzly bear ignored Lupa’s futile assault on the back of its neck and focused all its hatred on Vincent under its paw. It wanted to squish Vincent to death before continuing the massacre. The only one who caused the monstrous bear to bleed had to die first.
“Wolf woman catch!” Shouted Iris after forgetting both Ester’s and Lapa’s names because of the current situation.
Lupa lifted her hands and caught the rolled leaf ball. The Lupa heard Iris say, “Throw inside the mouth. It has the hottest herbs and the most irritable poisons I kept for the tribe’s safety.”
Lupa smirked and jumped on the alpha grizzly bear’s paw. Vincent suddenly found it more challenging to keep blocking after the pushing strength of the paw mysteriously increased. Lupa’s weight and the force of her body landing on the paw almost made Vincent lose the battle of power.
Lupa tossed the ball in the air and squatted. Lupa then jumped like a spring and shouted, “Eat this!” her leg swung fiercely and landed a powerful kick on the ball, kicking it with unfathomable accuracy inside the large open mouth.