The spirit warriors of the House Ravens reacted instantly. One of them grabbed Fiona by the arm and yanked her backward, and she fled in a panic, stumbling as she retreated.
"Roar!"
The Abyssal Crocodile clearly hadn’t expected its al to suddenly escape. Anger surged through it as it roared again, the shockwave of its voice blasting apart several nearby trees, leaves, and splinters flying everywhere.
The sudden appearance of the Abyssal Crocodile caught everyone completely off guard. Had their attention not been fixed on the ruins monts earlier, many spirit warriors might have already been swallowed whole the instant it erged.
Fiona staggered to a stop in the distance, her face deathly pale as she gasped for breath, terror written all over her features.
If not for her family acting in ti, she would have already beco The Abyssal Crocodile’s food.
"How... how did it co out so suddenly?" Sigmund said blankly. "Wasn’t the guardian beast supposed to wait until the restriction completely disappeared?"
Even Zephrin could no longer remain composed. "Ancient ruins are rare. Most people only know them from rumors. There are too many unknown variables."
As he spoke, everyone’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward Zora.
None of them had anticipated the Abyssal Crocodile’s early appearance. Yet Zora had decisively ordered the academy students to retreat in advance.
Was it really just a coincidence?
Or had Zora foreseen this outco?
The more they thought about it, the more unsettled they felt.
If it were luck, it was far too precise. If it were foresight... then Zora was anything but ordinary.
"Weren’t you so confident just now?" Zora lifted her chin slightly, an elegant yet sharp smile curling at her lips as she looked at Fiona. "Why are you shaking like this now?"
She had never been one to provoke others, but if soone insisted on courting trouble, she certainly wouldn’t hold back.
Fiona’s face was already pale, and Zora’s words only made it turn an ugly shade of blue.
Yet in the face of reality, she no longer had the courage to retort.
"You’re just lucky," Fiona forced out after a mont, clinging desperately to that excuse. "What’s there to be proud of?"
Zora chuckled softly. "Think whatever you like. But seeing you so frightened... doesn’t look very brave to . All you know is to brag to be born into a great martial family..."
Reesa and the others couldn’t help smiling. Fiona’s earlier arrogance now felt like a slap to her own face.
Instead of humiliating Zora, she had turned herself into a laughingstock.
Guinvere cast Fiona a cold glance, disgust unmistakable in her eyes.
"Idiot," she said flatly.
Fortunately, she hadn’t spoken more earlier. Otherwise, being associated with soone like this would have been truly humiliating.
anwhile, the Abyssal Crocodile’s massive jaws gaped open, strings of saliva dripping as hunger burned in its eyes.
It had been trapped inside the ancient ruins for far too long. Starvation had gnawed at it endlessly, and now, the mont it broke free, so many living creatures appeared before it. To the beast, this was nothing less than a feast delivered straight to its mouth.
Zora and the others stared at the terrifying monster ahead.
The Abyssal Crocodile’s enormous body was covered in thick, dark-green scales, faint black patterns winding across its hide like ancient markings. Near its eyes, deeper black patches spread outward, making its pumpkin-sized pupils appear even colder and more vicious.
Those dense scales covered every inch of its body, radiating an oppressive aura. Just looking at it made one’s scalp tingle.
The Abyssal Crocodile was infamous among demonic beasts. Its scales were incredibly tough, so hard that ordinary weapons could barely scratch them. Worse still, its vitality was terrifyingly strong, and its massive tail was one of its deadliest weapons. A single sweep of that tail carried overwhelming force; once struck, even a spirit warrior would likely be crushed, vomiting blood on the spot.
At this mont, the Abyssal Crocodile slowly turned its head, surveying the crowd as if weighing its options, deciding which of these "foods" it should devour first.
"I didn’t expect the guardian beast of this ruin to be an Abyssal Crocodile," the leader of the Yan family said grimly. "This will be troubleso."
"This thing is stronger than we thought," another expert added in a low voice. "Its cultivation has already reached the third level of the Yellow realm."
"With the strength of just one family, it’s impossible to deal with it," soone proposed. "Why don’t we all join forces and kill it together?"
"Agreed!"
As the words fell, voices echoed in agreent. Almost instantly, the experts from the four great families and the strongest spirit warriors of Heaven’s Gate surged forward, charging straight at the Abyssal Crocodile.
Against a monster of this level, the younger generation stood no chance. Only these veterans could contend with it head-on.
Sebastian and Miel exchanged a glance, then nodded without hesitation. In the next breath, both of them rushed toward the battlefield as well.
"You stay here. Don’t get close!" Sebastian’s voice rang out as he moved.
By the ti the warning reached Zora and the others, the two ntors were already gone.
Since the four great families and Heaven’s Gate had all taken action, standing aside would only invite trouble later. If they contributed nothing now, once the Abyssal Crocodile was slain, those powerful forces might very well bar the academy students from entering the ruins altogether.
Alaric Von Seraph and the others watched the scene unfold, their expressions growing heavy. Even the ntors were risking their lives here. The danger of this ruin was far beyond what they had imagined.
"Roar—!"
Seeing so many spirit warriors charging toward it, the Abyssal Crocodile let out an excited roar. Hunger and ferocity surged through its body. To it, these people weren’t enemies at all, but walking als.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out as a long sword struck the Abyssal Crocodile’s body.
Yet the attack that should have split steel barely did anything. The blade failed to pierce the scales, leaving only a faint white mark before bouncing away.
"Damn it!" the House Ravens expert cursed, his face darkening. "This thing’s defense is terrifying!"
They had known the Abyssal Crocodile would be difficult to deal with, but none of them expected its scales to be this impervious. The battle ahead was clearly going to be far more brutal than anticipated.
Clang!
After the first spirit warrior tested the waters, attacks from the other experts followed in rapid succession, striking the Abyssal Crocodile one after another.
Yet the result was the sa.
Blades, fists, and bursts of energy crashed against its scales, but none of them could truly break through its terrifying defense. At most, they left shallow marks before sliding away. anwhile, the Abyssal Crocodile’s massive tail swept violently from side to side, forcing everyone to retreat again and again, dodging frantically while waiting for a fleeting opening.
Faced with the combined assault, the Abyssal Crocodile remained astonishingly calm. To it, these attacks were no more than irritating scratches.
"We have to concentrate our attacks on the sa spot!" Sebastian’s eyes sharpened as he shouted in a deep voice. "Only then can we break through!"
Hearing this, the experts of the four great families and Heaven’s Gate imdiately understood. They nodded one after another. This was indeed the only feasible thod left.
Everyone knew that the Abyssal Crocodile’s greatest weakness lay in its abdon. Unfortunately, its short legs, constantly snapping jaws, and wildly sweeping tail made it nearly impossible to get beneath it. Flipping such a massive creature over was even more unrealistic.
Thus, Sebastian’s strategy beca their sole chance.
Clang! Bang!
Once the plan was set, all attacks converged on the sa area.
Under the relentless bombardnt, even The Abyssal Crocodile’s iron-like scales began to crack. Fresh blood seeped out, staining its dark-green body.
The sudden pain completely enraged the beast. Its roars grew fiercer, shaking the air, and its counterattacks beca even more violent.
Boom!
Every step the Abyssal Crocodile took sent tremors through the ground, like rolling thunder. The shockwaves alone made people’s hearts pound.
As the battle intensified, injuries among the spirit warriors beca unavoidable.
Bang!
A House Ravens spirit warrior was caught by the sweeping tail and flung away like a broken doll. The terrifying force crushed his internal organs, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he flew.
"Ah—!"
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