The Runic Alchemist

Damian led the other two down the mountain, illuminating their path with an orb of light as they carefully descended. They reused the vines from their ascent to conserve his mana, using his wormhole spell sparingly. While some sections were impassable without it, Damian refrained from overusing the spell, knowing he needed to save energy for what lay ahead.

By the time they reached the mountain's base, the sky had taken on a faint blue hue against the dark night, hinting that morning was near, though it would still be hours before the sun rose fully. The mana Damian had regained during the descent had been mostly used up by the wormhole spells, so he hadn't lost much overall.

The beast and two beastmen were locked in an increasingly brutal fight. Both sides had sustained significant injuries, but while the beastmen were beginning to show fatigue, the beast itself appeared as strong and unshaken as it had at the start of the fight. Still to the pugilists credit, they had injured its trunk and head, though the wound was not much deeper. The beast's resilience was terrifying. But its adherence to a typical evolution path reassured Damian—at least it wasn't one of the abnormal types with unknown powers. Its strength and basic spells were formidable, but there were no surprises as it kept spamming the same two spells again and again.

Nevertheless, its intelligence was nothing to underestimate. The beast seemed to anticipate the pugilists' movements, widening its defense to protect its head and using its massive body to absorb attacks when it had no other option. Damian, Royce, and Mira slowly advanced, hoping it would be too preoccupied to sense their mana. Thankfully, the beast was indeed too focused on the relentless attacks from the pugilists to pay them any mind. With his barely awakened aura sense, Damian could tell the beastmen were weakening. They didn't have much time left; it was now or never.

Positioning themselves at a safe yet near distance, Damian took a deep breath and began drawing the insect-summoning spell using his world-shaper hands. Though it was a light attribute spell, he had already used up all his light-attributed mana stones for healing. He would have to manage with his remaining 30% mana. Recognizing some sections of the runic spell, he adjusted the intensity and range to the maximum that his limited mana allowed. The runic circle was not massive, but he could sustain it for over two minutes—long enough to summon enough insects. Even one would have likely driven the beast to distraction, but to be thorough, Damian conjured two, aiming for each of its giant ears.

"I'm ready," he murmured, guiding the two runic circles with mana threads toward the creature's ears. They had chosen the perfect position—neither too close nor too far, just at the edge of its laser range.

"I can aim perfectly from here," Mira said, finishing spreading mana dust over the explosive arrow runic circles that Damian had quickly carved with a stick on the ground. Royce had prepared two massive javelins and several additional attack spells, utilizing his larger mana pool to the fullest in one final assault.

Damian glanced at Royce, who nodded, chanting rapidly under his breath like some kind of rhythmic incantation. This was it. Releasing the summoning spell would drain more than 22% of his mana, but it would be worth it. His only worry was passing out before he could activate his ring to escape.

With a determined expression, Damian activated his summoning spell. Though it was low-level, it did its job, manifesting as a powerful distraction. At first, the elephant barely reacted, but as more insects gathered near its ears, it began to lose control. Soon, it was thrashing wildly, its trunk and head whipping around in a vain attempt to shake off the insects. Though he could control the insects, Damian let them act freely, trusting they'd do their work. Just guiding enough to keep them inside and near the beast's ears. The sound of so many insects forcing it to lose its mind. Even Damian so far from it was creeped out by what he had summoned.

The two pugilists hesitated briefly, wary of the beast's frenzied movements, as it fired lasers and summoned shields to no effect. But in its fury, it left an opening, and the pugilists seized the chance, landing a flurry of punches on its massive form. At that moment, Mira's javelins struck one of the creature's eyes with perfect accuracy, resulting in an explosion that made it shriek in agony. Kazak and his great white beast pounced on the opportunity, targeting the beast's other eye and ripping its injured trunk with a huge tiger's sharp teeth. Kazak succeeded in blinding the creature completely, leaving it directionless and enraged, the relentless swarm of insects adding to its suffering.

Despite its shields, which generated just a small distance from its body to avoid self-harm, the beast was powerless against the insects in its ears. The self-harm protection system working against the beast in this case. Now, the mighty Emperor-ranked beast, once fearsome, was flailing blindly, its composure shattered by a low-level spell.

Kazak and the other beastman stayed on the giant creature's back, attacking relentlessly. Damian feared the beastman might have lost himself to the battle, knowing nothing else but to keep striking. Kazak, however, maintained focus, directing his strikes carefully and landing each blow with devastating effect. Exactly where it hurt.

Suddenly, Royce released his spell, covering the ground with massive wooden spikes that jutted up from the earth like giant javelins, encircling the beast. As the spikes pierced the softer undersides of the beast's feet, it let out an earth-shaking screech of pain. The creature stopped moving, its massive form trembling as its abdomen began to glow, a deadly light intensifying within its core.

That was their cue. They had done enough; now it was time to get the hell out. Damian tugged at Mira, who understood immediately, lifting him up in her arms. As Royce joined them, they broke into a mad dash back toward the mountain they had come from, running at full speed. Damian caught a glimpse of Kazak and his white beasts watching them. He wasn't certain, but it looked like they smiled and nodded at him one last time before they turned back, unleashing ferocious attacks on the creature, punching, kicking, and launching powerful aura strikes. Their relentless barrage made it difficult for the beast to concentrate on powering up, but it was undeterred. Ignoring the wounds inflicted upon it, it looked like it had given up. The creature's energy continued to swell, growing brighter and brighter in its core until it was so intense that nothing else nearby could be seen, even with the sharpest of visions.