Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Yanael took the bear's hits, paws, and claws with her shield. Her arm ached, and her shoulder was numb from how heavy the bear's strikes were. She couldn't defend against all the strikes, and she picked up more than one bloody gash on her body.

But no matter what, Yanael didn't let the bear push her back. Behind her were two things she couldn't let the bear get closer to, Zach and the barrier.

If she had been alone, she wouldn't have used such a reckless method of sacrificing her flesh just to keep the bear in place and occupied. And she definitely wouldn't have continued angering the bear by poking it in the nose or between the toe pads on the sole of its front paws when using the method.

But it was the most efficient method of controlling the bear. And she wasn't alone.

While Yanael kept the bear's attention locked on her, Alzara darted around with long, quick steps. With each step she took, her arm whipped back and forth, leaving shallow, thin gashes all over the bear's hairy body.

At first, the only thing that changed was the flow of the underworld energy as the bear's wounds started healing. Dark smoke disappeared into the wounds, stitching them back together, or at least, that is what should have happened.

Moments after Alzara's dagger passed by the bear's skin and she had already made several more cuts, the wounds festered. The bear's whitish skin bubbled and darkened with wart-like boils. The skin twisted and shrank as it appeared to dry up. The bear's wounds oozed with a dark-purple smoke that refused to mix with the underworld energy.

The underworld energy fought against the Curse of Decay. It was an even fight and neither side would back down. However, the underworld energy was steadily consumed. It healed and healed the wounds that would never heal. It could barely catch up to the wounds' deterioration rate.

The bear steadily consumed the underworld energy within the barrier. And while it seemed like the underworld energy outside the barrier wanted to enter based on how it swelled and crashed against it like waves on a wall.

There was more of a response than Zach had expected, and he could feel some pressure on his barrier, but it wasn't enough to prevent him from using barriers to support Yanael. He wasn't sure she was struggling. It didn't look like it, considering the mad glint in her eyes and the fierce smile on her lips, but the blood-soaked dress and deep wounds told a different story.

She might be struggling, but she was also enjoying it.

Since things seemed to be under control, Zach dared to glance toward the others to see how they were doing.

That was a bad decision, and he quickly looked back before he let himself be distracted.

It wasn't surprising, but five summoners and their familiars fighting were a little flashier than only Zach and his familiars fighting, especially since his familiars looked like experienced veterans. Yanael and Alzara were almost like butchers or hunters just going through the motions.

The others, on the other hand, were fighting for their lives with all they had.

Dukiel was covered in his second contract skill that gave him a full-covering armor of similar material to that of his Transformation Cube. In addition to having the base defenses of the shiny, quicksilver-like material, it also changed as he wore it. It adapted to the underworld energy and the wolf's attacks.

Anerias was covered in fire and doing his best to cling onto the wolf's back. Zach had seen the flaming figure, but he didn't even want to think about how he had gotten up there unless he lost focus.

Violina was fighting diligently like an actual person. She wasn't standing there or holding on for her life. She dodged the wolf's attacks and rolled out of the way when it lunged or jumped. When she saw an opening, she stabbed the wolf with her icy sword, leaving behind shards of ice that prevented the wolf's wounds from healing until the underworld energy broke down the ice.

Julius…was scooping underworld energy onto his Mannequin.

The familiars were fighting as best as they could or supporting each other and their summoners. Violina's initial directions had helped, but she couldn't give any more orders when she was busy dodging for her life. One strike would be enough to tear her in half.

Finally, there was Nessa—someone who could only be Nessa.

Although Dukiel was covered in a full, smooth layer of armor that hid every last detail of his face, it had the same look as the Transformation Cube, so it was easy to recognize him.

Nessa's outfit was similar in that it looked like her familiar.

She was covered in a layer of chitin carapace with a helmet that had two antennae and compound eyes over her own. She looked like a humanoid insect. There were membraneous layers of joints around her elbows, knees, shoulders, neck, and finger joints, just like the ones ant legs had. Or millipede legs.

Zach didn't even let himself look at it since he wouldn't be able to look away.

Nessa stayed as close to the wolf as she dared, distracting it with weak punches and puffs of sleeping powder from her second contract skill. She was doing her best with everything she had.

They were all doing the best with everything they had. Almost. Julius had yet to see a decisive opening he and the Mannequin could use to land a fatal blow on the wolf, so they were still holding back.

But the others were all fighting with their lives on the line.

Unfortunately, they were fighting an uphill battle. It was chaotic. Between the large Hound, Millipede, and wolf, the human-sized summoners had trouble fighting and making a difference.

They could cooperate with their familiars, but they had trouble not getting in the way of the others' familiars.

It was the first time they were all fighting together with both familiar and summoner joining the fray. It was only to be expected that it wasn't perfect. But it was a shame that it was against such an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

The wolf grabbed the Hound's paw and flung it. The Hound was momentarily out of balance from missing its strike and couldn't resist.

In the same motion, the wolf managed to toss off Anerias, who shared his Hellcat's fate and flew into the trees.

The Millipede wasn't much of a threat.

The wolf sneezed.

It turned to Nessa.