Standing a bit closer, he could see the red face more clearly, appearing occasionally as the creature slowly 'flowed' along.
"Is that it?" "Yes," Sean replied with certainty.
But Freya took a serious look at Sean at that moment... "Who are you? Why do you know this?"
She had actually wanted to ask earlier but hadn't gotten his name in the heat of battle. Now that he was asking her to fight, she had to know.
"Sean. Sean Weigel. Baron of Tylermian Town." Sean gave a brief self-introduction.
Freya searched her memory but couldn't recall where Tylermian Town was. She knew most cities in the southern Empire and had even visited some famous small towns, but this name rang no bells.
That meant it wasn't a notable place... probably just some obscure little town.
"Baron?"
Freya looked at this unfamiliar noble with a face full of [Confusion!]. How could a baron from some backwater know how to counter the power of the Cain Tablet?
She had a belly full of questions, but the monster before them wasn't giving the trio time to chat...
This time they were closer, and as soon as the flesh tendrils rose, Sean saw the shadow on the ground warning them...
"Dodge!"
He wasn't worried about Freya's speed, so he just pushed Ignia and threw himself to the other side.
A massive tentacle slammed down...
Landing right in the middle of the three.
The strange muscle tissue, covered in大大小小的泡液, seemed to still be flowing.
Sean quickly drew his flintlock from his waist again and fired a series of shots at the red face...
Several shots missed the moving red spot, but this simple attack seemed to slow the tentacle's next strike.
The muscles gathered together, almost like they were blocking!
Blocking Sean's bullets.
"Trust me, attacking that spot will weaken it." Sean no longer said 'destroy it' because he wasn't entirely sure, but hitting that spot would reduce its duration.
He could tell from the previous attack.
"I hope you're right, Baron Weigel."
Freya stopped dwelling on it; the situation before her left no room for hesitation.
She grabbed her spear and charged straight at the monster...
The armor plates marked with [Protection~] began to change. What had been transparent outlines now actually clad her body, as if plate armor had instantly materialized.
Armor, spear, and Freya's robust physique—she looked like a born warrior. It seemed a waste for her to be a witch; she was practically a battle mage.
She leaped beside the tentacles, slashing away the obstructing ones with back-and-forth strikes... heading straight for where the red face appeared.
But then, the tentacles scattered in all directions were pulled back.
It was because the monster had started to rise, even the flesh tendrils that had been pinned beneath it were squeezed out to attack.
"Ignia, you and I will provide cover!"
"Huh?"
"Cover the Red Dragon Witch. Use any attack—just distract it."
In battle, it was all about that split second. Sometimes a single turn could end a fight. When he first showcased his ability to repel Bachler, it was just a momentary strike.
Back and forth many times, sometimes it was all about achieving that one instant of attack.
So Sean didn't overthink it. The only thing he could do was help, and the best way to help was to spread out the monster's attack range.
Even if Ignia's magic was useless, it could at least catch the creature's attention, plus his own physical attacks...
Watching the figure in red armor leap onto the monster's body in an instant, it looked to others like stepping into a mud pit, the creature's body as soft as slime.
No magical enhancement, not even a flashy attack.
Freya reversed her grip and thrust the spear straight into the target...
Without pulling it out, she used the momentum to leap back.
Landing perfectly right in front of Sean!
Her sturdy legs stretched out to steady herself, looking quite captivating.
Freya's face was decent, with red hair and makeup giving her a seductive air, but her physique was indeed much stronger than an average man.
It reminded him a bit of the Adakan genes he'd seen before, except this Red Dragon Witch wasn't as dark-skinned as traditional Adakans. She had a slim waist, full hips, and notably thick legs, with a muscular, athletic build.
Her figure was also on the robust side—perhaps in the eyes of those with different tastes, she was even sexier than girls like Ignia!
"Is it over?"
Ignia stopped her magic. As the Red Dragon Witch jumped back, the creature's tentacles had already retracted.
"It's over!"
Sean stepped forward, looking at the data in his eyes...
18:30 had instantly turned into [0:30].
That single strike had knocked off 18 minutes. The creature's energy was no longer enough to sustain itself for long, leaving only 30 seconds.
Now the monster's body seemed frozen, the tentacles that had just extended stopped moving and began to contract inward.
It was as if a black hole was at the center, pulling the chaotic mass back in.
Even the severed tentacle fragments that Freya had cut off at their feet were being absorbed.
At the same time, the garbled name in Sean's vision began to blur...
"We need to get out of here. Follow me. Don't look back!" He grabbed both of them and ran.
Only thirty seconds left. They could retrieve weapons or clean up the bodies later, because right now, all the numbers in his view were jumping wildly.
Like a screen with transmission errors, the garbled attributes kept flickering...
Sean glanced back.
At the center of that mass, it had all been absorbed back.
Only a sphere about four or five meters in diameter remained, but it was still covered in countless tentacles.
Not fully retracted yet...
[10] seconds,
The tentacles kept shrinking until even the sphere began to contract.
[9] seconds...
[8] seconds...
The garbled display flickered even more violently, almost dizzying.
And as the sphere shrank, Sean clearly saw a crack open on its irregular surface, and from that crack, a single eye opened!
[1] second...
The constantly shifting attribute display nearly made Sean sick. As he closed his eyes, he almost lost his footing.
"You... what's wrong?"
He must have leaned against someone.
He couldn't hear clearly. His head was filled with nothing but spinning images.
………………………………
When Sean opened his eyes again, he was leaning against a carriage canopy.