"KIIKKIII!!"
The eagle's deafening screech reverberated through the air as it lunged towards Eli, its talons poised to strike.
Eli reacted quickly, crouching down and allowing Arlyne to intercept the creature's attack. With impeccable timing, Arlyne seized the eagle's sharp nails, forcefully pinning them to the ground with a strength that belied her size.
"Pearl!!" Eli's voice rang out.
Pearl, who had been lying in wait, sprung into action, leaping onto the eagle's massive form and seizing its flailing wing. "I'm on it!!!" she shouted in response, her determination unwavering as she grappled with the creature's thrashing movements.
As the bluish lightning crackled and sizzled around the eagle's body, Arlyne and Pearl remained unscathed..... their legs encased in cuff-like iron that grounded them securely to the earth. The electricity surged harmlessly through the iron, leaving them immune to its shocking effects.
No matter how much electricity the eagle produced, it merely passed through the iron, leaving both Pearl and Arlyne completely unharmed.
Feeling someone on its back and unable to inflict harm through electricity, the eagle tried to wriggle them off in a frantic attempt to escape their grasp. However, its efforts were abruptly halted when it suddenly flinched, a surge of discomfort coursing through its body as it felt something intrude upon its back... door.
"!!!!"
With a horrified expression, the eagle turned to look back, only to find Eli's hand penetrating its vulnerable point.
"Don't be scared... It's survival of the fittest. We have to do whatever is necessary to survive," Eli remarked, his smile unnervingly calm as he addressed the startled creature.
Ignoring Pearl's relentless stabbing and Arlyne's persistent plucking of its nails, the eagle's thoughts were consumed by a single desire: to escape from that monster who didn't even know decency.
But before it could make a move, a sharp pain lanced through its body, causing it to scream out in agony.
"KKKIIIRRRRR!!"
"It's got it!" Eli exclaimed triumphantly, a satisfied smile gracing his features as he extracted a rotting intestine from the eagle's back.
"Finished?" Eli inquired, his gaze shifting to Arlyne and Pearl.
"Yes!!"
"Yeap!!"
They chorused in unison, their voices filled with determination as they finally released their hold on the creature.
With a gleaming smile, Arlyne and Pearl exchanged glances, their expressions conveying a sense of disbelief at how easily they had dispatched the formidable S-Ranked Overlord.
Meanwhile, the eagle, ignoring others, attempted to flee.
'Clang, Clang'
However, its efforts were thwarted by the appearance of numerous chains, which ensnared its legs and wings with a metallic clang.
These chains attached the knives that stabbed on its wings and cuff on its leg, crafted by... Yours truly Arlyne.
Arlyne's skilled hands, immobilized the creature, preventing it from escaping.
"KIIIKIII!!!"
'Spark, Spark---'
"KIIIKIII!!!" The eagle screeched in frustration as it struggled against its restraints, the sparks of lightning emanating from its body gradually diminishing under the influence of the chains.
Sensing the imminent danger, the eagle prepared to unleash a powerful blast of bluish-sparking energy from its mouth. But before it could do so,
"No, You won't" Eli intervened, signalling to Pearl for assistance.
Responding to his cue, Pearl swiftly retrieved numerous armours they had collected during their journey through the dungeon, spreading it out around the eagle in a protective barrier.
'Tang, Tang, Tang...'
The armour formed a sturdy shield, surrounding the eagle just as it unleashed its attack. Instead of disintegrating under the force of the bluish lightning, the armours absorbed it and transferred it into the ground.
"I guess I was right then," Eli remarked with satisfaction.
As Eli had predicted, the lightning shot emitted from the eagle's mouth contained an unprecedented amount of mana. Unlike conventional attacks that simply destroyed objects, this surge of mana overloaded anything it encountered, causing them to disintegrate into particles.
This destructive force was evident in the fate of Lia, John, and David, whose golden beads burst from the overwhelming mana, resulting in their demise.... They had some use for Eli even after their death.
Even Eli's plasma arts need more mana than other arts.
So, what is needed to handle that much amount of mana...?
To handle such a massive amount of mana, a large surface area capable of conducting electricity was necessary.
The armours collected by Eli and his companions proved to be the perfect solution, as their widespread coverage allowed them to absorb and dissipate the electricity safely into the ground.
"KKIIIKKIIII!!!" == [Release me Human!!!]
The eagle's enraged cry echoed through the air, its frustration palpable as it struggled against its restraints.
"Well... Sorry?" Eli offered a nonchalant shrug, his expression betraying a hint of amusement as he wrapped the extracted intestine around his trident before stabbing it into the ground. With the creature securely bound and its powers neutralized, Eli and his companions could finally breathe a sigh of relief, their victory against the formidable foe secured.
"We understand about that, but this...." Pearl frowned, her expression contorted with disgust as she glanced at the repulsive intestine in Eli's hand. Internally, she screamed in disbelief, unable to comprehend why such a vile object was necessary for their plan.
"That's... Just to be safe," Eli explained with an awkward smile, sensing Pearl's discomfort.
"Hmm," Pearl replied with a shrug, reluctantly accepting Eli's explanation. She understood the importance of being prepared for any potential dangers, no matter how unpleasant the precautions might seem.
"Should we finish it off?" Arlyne inquired, her curiosity piqued as she observed the once-threatening monster now reduced to a mere wriggling creature.
Eli paused for a moment, considering their next course of action. "Yeah..." he began to respond, but before he could act, the eagle unleashed a deafening screech,
"KKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!"
"THUNDER!!!!!"
A massive bolt of lightning surged forth from the eagle, striking the armours surrounding it and causing them to splinter and shatter into pieces.
"KIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" == [How dare you!!!], the eagle roared furiously, its rage palpable as it lashed out at its attackers.
"Pearl, Arlyne, move out!!!" Eli shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he pushed the girls away from him.
"THHUUNNDDERRRRRRRR!!!!"
A blinding flash of bluish light enveloped Arlyne and Pearl, causing them to cry out in alarm as they shielded their eyes from the intense glare.
"NOOOO!!!!" they screamed in unison.
The eagle, without wasting time, wriggled with newfound urgency, breaking free from the chains that bound it. With a series of sharp cracks, it severed the connections to the knife embedded in its wings and the cuffs restraining its movements.
'Crack, Crack'
As it prepared to take flight and retreat to safety and began to flap its wings in preparation for takeoff, a chilling voice pierced the air,
"Where do you think you are going?"
"!!!!!" The eagle flinched in fear as it realized that the intestine still remained in the mortal's hand, its escape plans thwarted by the unexpected obstacle.
A cold sweat formed on its skull as it gazed upon the human before it. Despite the burned skin and the apparent severity of his injuries, a faint blue particle adorned his body, slowly healing him in the process.
Even as the eagle watched, the mortal's skin began to heal, the wounds closing before its eyes.
"KKIKKIIKKK!! == [Let me go!!!]
"I won't," Eli muttered, his expression devoid of emotion as he held the intestine firmly in one hand, while his other hand gripped a trident that remained embedded in the ground.
""WE WON'T!!""
The resolute voices of Arlyne and Pearl echoed in unison, their determination matching Eli's as they stood their ground. Arlyne grasped a broken chain tightly in her hand and used her other hand to stab her thin sword into the ground, while Pearl stabbed her spear with unwavering resolve, both of them anchoring themselves to the ground.
The lightning crackling around the eagle began to diminish, weakened by the combined efforts of Eli, Pearl, and Arlyne.
Sensing its impending defeat, the eagle let out another desperate cry, its voice filled with rage and frustration.
"KKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" == [LEAVE ME!!!]
"THUNDER!!!!"
Once again, a deafening thunder erupted from the eagle, striking down upon them with devastating force.
"Cough, Cough"
Pearl coughed up blood, her body wracked with pain as the lightning's energy drained her vitality. Her skin turned ashen and dry, resembling that of a parched fish, while Arlyne, with her larger body, endured the assault with greater resilience, although her skin bore the marks of severe burns.
"Pearl, let it go!!" Eli's voice rang out with urgency as he witnessed Pearl's deteriorating condition.
"N-Nrooo..." Pearl murmured weakly, her voice barely audible as she struggled to maintain her grip... She won't run away ever again!!
"YOU IDIOT!! LET IT GOO!!" Eli's desperate shout reverberated through the air.
"THUNDEERRRR!!!"
In an instant,
'Thud'
Pearl was blasted away like charred debris, her body blackened and motionless on the ground, a stark contrast to the vibrant life she had possessed just moments before.
Eli's heart sank as he witnessed the tragedy unfold before him, his eyes swirling with darkness, "A-Arlyne, let it go.... Go, Help her!!"
But Arlyne remained steadfast, her grip on the chain unyielding despite the toll the lightning had taken on her own body. She mirrored Pearl's condition, her skin blackened and burnt, yet her resolve remained unbroken.
"ARLYNE!!" Eli's voice cracked with emotion as he implored her to release the chain.
Yet Arlyne did not waver, her determination unwavering as she held fast to the chain, unwilling to abandon just like before.
"Grrrr" Eli gritted his teeth in frustration, his mind racing for a solution, just about to use the Terra arts when,
"THUNDER!!!!"
'Thud'
And with a heavy 'Thud', Arlyne rolled back like a dead doll.