Chapter 77: Chapter 74: A Big Slap
It was a gaze far more terrifying than when it was being controlled.
If the Earthworm Queen’s previous attacks were like a program executing commands, then at this mont, what burned in its eyes was pure, unadulterated fury—a fire fueled by endless pain and resentnt.
It wanted to tear apart everything in its sight.
"W-We’re screwed!"
Bruno’s voice trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind. "The Queen has gone completely insane!"
Baston also recovered from the paralysis, and he instantly felt an unprecedented pressure.
The frenzied killing intent was so tangible it made his scalp tingle.
He could even hear his own heart pounding, THUMP THUMP.
"Allen?"
He called out instinctively, his voice laced with a barely perceptible tremor.
Allen didn’t answer.
His dual-core brain was operating beyond its limits, processing the seemingly impossible situation before him.
[Target ’Crystal Shell Earthworm Queen’ has entered ’Indiscriminate Berserk’ state. Threat Level: Extrely High.]
[Target ’Joyous Thorn’s’ main body is damaged but not dead. It is currently regenerating its Magic Power.]
Several plans flashed through Allen’s mind.
’Face the Queen head-on? Baston won’t last long.’
’Prioritize the demonic plant? The Queen will tear our formation apart in an instant.’
’Run? The narrow passageway will just turn us into sitting ducks.’
’What do I do?’
Just as everything hung by a thread, Lina’s weak but clear voice rang out again.
"It... it’s scared too!"
All eyes turned to her.
"Who?" Baston asked with difficulty.
"The demonic plant!"
Lina’s eyes were fixed on the recovering "Joyous Thorn."
"It’s afraid! It’s afraid of the berserk Queen! It just tried to regain control of the Queen, but it failed!"
In Lina’s [Emotion Spectrum Vision], the sea of red representing the "Joyous Thorn’s" "rage" was now being rapidly eroded by a gray color representing "fear."
It was like a Beast Tar who had ssed up, realizing the beast they’d unleashed was now completely out of control.
This discovery struck Allen’s mind like a bolt of lightning.
A plan ford instantly.
[Establishing new tactical model: ’Divert the Disaster’.]
[Core Logic: Exploit the conflict between the two parties, create chaos, and open a window for attack.]
[Success Rate Assessnt... 63%.]
’That’s enough!’
"Baston!"
Allen’s voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable command. "Use all your strength and hold it back!"
"What?! I can’t hold it anymore!" Baston thought he had misheard.
"Just three seconds!"
"Bruno, paralysis grenade! Get ready to throw it at the Queen!"
"Lina, on my command, use the last of your strength to focus all of the Queen’s ’anger’ onto that flower!"
Allen spoke extrely quickly, but every word hamred into his teammates’ minds like a nail.
He had no ti to explain; he could only bet on their unconditional trust.
"Trust !" Allen roared as a final plea.
Baston glanced at Allen’s blue eyes, which shone with startling brightness in the darkness. He gritted his back teeth, a look of desperate madness flashing across his face.
"AAAAAARRRGGGHHH—!"
He abandoned his stable [Unflinching Stance] and instead gathered all his strength into his arms.
The blood of the Hill Giant roared within him. Beneath his bronze skin, his muscles bulged like gnarled tree roots as rocks from the ground enveloped his legs.
[Giant’s Strength]!
His massive Tower Shield stood firm like a reef against the tide!
"HOLD... THE... LINE!"
"BOOM—!"
The shield collided with the Queen’s crystal-shelled headbutt, letting out a massive, muffled boom.
Baston used every ounce of his strength in a suicidal stance, forcibly holding back the behemoth’s charge!
The Earthworm Queen clearly hadn’t expected this "stubborn rock" to be so hard. It let out an enraged screech, gathered its full strength, and prepared to charge again.
Allen cast a Low-level Witchcraft—[Dazing Ray]—halting it for an instant.
"Throw it now!"
The mont Allen’s voice left his lips, Bruno threw the grenade right where the Earthworm Queen and Baston were locked in a stalemate!
BZZZZT—!
Silver serpents of electricity once again covered the Earthworm Queen and Baston.
The man and the beast convulsed violently, both falling into a montary paralysis!
’Now’s the chance!’
Instead of retreating, Allen advanced, pouring all his Magic Power into his [Craftsman’s Hand].
The invisible force-field hand rapidly solidified in mid-air, its five fingers closing together to form a giant open palm.
Then, Allen controlled the force-field hand, swung it back, and slapped it hard against the Earthworm Queen’s massive, grotesque head!
"SMACK!!!"
A crisp, loud slap echoed throughout the entire cavern.
The imnse force snapped the Earthworm Queen’s head to the side, causing its massive body to spin halfway around, perfectly facing the trembling Joyous Thorn behind it.
"Lina! Now!"
Lina closed her eyes, visualizing herself as a giant Spiritual Prism.
She captured the Earthworm Queen’s tangible, overwhelming rage, then used the last of her strength to warp, refract, and focus it!
The target—the trembling "Joyous Thorn"!
"ROAR!!!"
In the Earthworm Queen’s consciousness, all its pain and resentnt found an outlet at this very mont.
It snapped its head up, its blood-red eyes locking onto the culprit that had parasitized it!
Its massive body, filled with unparalleled madness, crashed thunderously toward the "Joyous Thorn"!
The "Joyous Thorn" let out a terrified shriek as countless vines lashed wildly against the Queen’s carapace, sending sparks flying.
The entire cavern turned into the scene of a battle between gods.
Seeing their Queen change targets, the three smaller ones shrieked and charged toward the demonic plant as well.
The Queen frantically tore at the demonic plant’s main body with its head and claws, while the plant wrapped and whipped the Queen with all its vines. Beside them, the three little ones were busy biting.
And the culprits who had orchestrated all this chaos—Allen’s group of four—had quietly retreated to the edge of the cavern, like an audience watching a blockbuster in a movie theater.
Baston plopped onto the ground, his Tower Shield crashing down beside him with a CLANG. He gasped for air, staring at the surreal scene before him. After a long mont, he finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:
"Next ti... could you give a heads-up...? I got zapped too..."
Bruno slid down against the wall, his limbs still shaking uncontrollably. He tremblingly fumbled in his pocket for sothing, but only managed to pull out his treasured pebble, almost dropping it.
He hugged the stone, muttering nonstop, "Madn. You’re all madn. Captain, you’re a certified madman..."
Only Lina stared at Allen’s back. The deep blue ocean of his emotions was now calm and placid, as if the earth-shattering slap just now had nothing to do with him.
"It’s not over yet."
Allen’s calm voice interrupted the group’s mont of relief.
"We need to pull back now. Once they’ve both worn each other down, we’ll toss in the grenades and give them a big ’surprise’."
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