Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 313
If the nest was located on a huge island, they would be able to fight the Scarlet Soaring Demons on land, far away from the water, securing an advantage.
However, on small islands like these, it was impossible to stop the creatures from going into the ocean.
Since they were sea monsters, their sharp claws were not their scariest weapons, but the sea water.
They would be able to execute powerful moves that were several times stronger than their attacks on land. If that was the case, it would be a tough fight to take on the whole nest of Warrior-level Scarlet Soaring Demons with their numbers.
Gong Yu returned to the ship after he was done with the scouting. "I've scouted ahead, there are four islands in total. One in the middle, with the other three surrounding it like an irregular triangle. Those three islands are inhabited by Sea Monkey Monsters covered in brown fur. The island in the middle is dominated by the Scarlet Soaring Demons!"
"Why would there be Sea Monkeys here?" Nan Yu was confused.
"The Sea Monkeys are a rather timid species. Every tribe of strong demon creatures in the ocean treats them as their servants. Their fighting capacity is average, but their ability to find food, steal, and flee are quite outstanding. They are quite common in the ocean," answered Nan Rongni, who came from Yuhai College.
Similar to Mo Fan, Nan Rongni was also from the south. She was quite the talkative type in the team, and was slightly closer to Mu Ningxue.
Mu Ningxue was from the south, too. It seemed like they knew one another before the training. Every time Mo Fan went to improve his relationship with Mu Ningxue, Nan Rongni would automatically back away to give them some privacy. Mo Fan did have a good impression of her… most importantly, the girl was gorgeous too, she looked like the gentle type, her temperament completely different from Jiang Shaoxu, who kept trying to raise her presence in the team.
She was rather familiar with the Sea Monkeys, and immediately told the team what she knew.
Nan Rongni suspected that the Sea Monkeys were responsible for bringing the infants to the Scarlet Soaring Monsters. These creatures were slightly bigger than normal monkeys. They could easily sneak into the safe zone at night and snatch away kids in the remote fishing villages without alerting anyone.
"How many Sea Monkeys are there?" asked Ai Jiangtu.
"Between two to three thousand based on my rough estimation. It's not many, but it's going to be a hassle," said Gong Yu.
"How about the Scarlet Soaring Demons?" asked Ai Jiangtu.
"That's harder to estimate, the Scarlet Soaring Demons are a lot more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e than the Sea Monkeys. There's no way I can get too close to their nest. I think there are around two hundred of them," said Gong Yu.
"No wonder they said the sea monsters are from a pack. More than a hundred Scarlet Soaring Demons is indeed comparable to a pack of demon creatures," said Nanyu.
"If the strength of every Scarlet Soaring Demon is similar to those we encountered before, we won't have any problem eliminating them, but if they are stronger in the water, it's likely that we'll be pinned down here. We no longer have the advantage..." said Ai Jiangtu.
Being furious did not mean they had lost their rationality. They would not act recklessly...
Chapter 726 - Blink
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"If the islands aren't too far apart, maybe I can freeze the water between the islands," said Mu Ningxue.
"Freeze the water? Do you need the help of Ice Magicians?" asked Ai Jiangtu.
Mu Ningxue shook her head and said, "I can handle it myself, but I won't be able to participate in the battle."
"If we can freeze the water between the four islands, it would greatly restrict the Scarlet Soaring Demons strength. We can handle the rest," said Ai Jiangtu.
"Cool, let's get to it!"
"We should escort Mu Ningxue to a suitable position first. Once the water is frozen to a certain thickness, even if the creatures broke a hole on the ice and went underwater, they wouldn't be able to attack us, either. Brilliant thinking!"
---
The four islands were densely covered in plants. However, most of them were scarlet. From afar, the islands looked like four enormous flames burning on the surface of the ocean.
Gong Yu found a perfect route to sneak into the islands when he went scouting. It was the advantage of having a smaller team, as a whole troop of Battlemages would easily catch the Sea Monkeys' attention before getting close to the outer islands!
These beast-type creatures possessed a certain level of intelligence among the demon creatures. They knew how to weigh the advantages and disadvantages. When they saw a large group of Magicians approaching, they would jump straight into the boundless ocean, and the humans could only retreat in vain!
The group sneaking into the islands only consisted of ten people. Nan Rongni did not follow them to the islands. She was in charge of looking after the boat, to secure their escape if the situation became too dangerous for them.
The group of ten included Ai Jiangtu, Nanyu, Mu Ningxue, Mo Fan, Gong Yu, Zu Jiming, Li Kaifeng, Zhou Xu, Jiang Shaoxu, and Zhao Manyan. Gong Yu was a typical wind assassin. He had already eliminated the Sea Monkeys patrolling the shore before the others arrived. Li Kaifeng's fighting style was similar to Gong Yu's, but Li Kaifeng's Elements were Shadow and Wind. His attacks were not as aggressive as Gong Yu, but his infiltrating ability was more impressive. The weak Sea Monkeys were nailed by Giant Shadow Spikes before they even realized it!
Li Kaifeng fired the Giant Shadow Spikes continuously, sealing the movements of the Sea Monkeys that were tanning on the shore. They could not even make a single sound.
Gong Yu turned into a rapid blur. There was almost no pause between his movements.
The Sea Monkeys only survived for a few seconds, before they fell to the ground after their throats were slit open...
A Sea Monkey climbed out from a gap between some rocks. It was shocked to discover that all of its companions were falling to the ground. It was stunned for a moment, before coming to senses and fleeing!
"Damn it, we've missed one!" Gong Yu was anxious. He did not expect there was one hiding between the rocks.
The Sea Monkey was very quick. It was already a few tens of meters away. Its cry was not loud, the sound of the waves were covering it. However, if it ran another hundred meters, the Sea Monkeys in other areas would hear it!
"Blink!"
As Gong Yu's heart sank, he heard a cold voice behind him!
Gong Yu was startled when he saw a blurry figure appear ahead. Space rippled as the blurry figure slowly turned into Ai Jiangtu's well-proportioned physique...
Ai Jiangtu was standing on a rock, only around sixty meters away from the fleeing Sea Monkey Monster. He quickly reached out his hand and grabbed at the air, stopping the Sea Monkey in its tracks.
Ai Jiangtu indifferently swiped his hand to the side. The Sea Monkey started flying and was hurled at a coral reef with great strength.
The Sea Monkey hit the reef with its head. Its brains splattered everywhere. It had died a cruel death before having a chance to let out a cry!
---
The group looked on in disbelief, especially those who were still on the boat.
Ai Jiangtu was still on the deck just a second ago. He was at least a hundred meters away from the shore, yet in the next second, he had already appeared on the shore and caught up to the fleeing Sea Monkey!
From the grab, to the toss that instantly killed the creature. The whole process took less than two seconds. The man was indescribably elegant and imperious!
Many in the team had only witnessed the capabilities of their captain for the first time during the training. They were absolutely dazzled by his mastery of the Space Element.
Mo Fan already met Ai Jiangtu before. He never forgot how the man had knocked the teachers of Pearl Institute away when he got angry!
"He's already an Advanced Magician!" Jiang Shaoxu's eyes flickered, as if she had found new prey.
"He achieved the Advanced Level quite some time ago," added Zhou Xu.
"Is that... Blink, such a fascinating ability. He was already a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye, the movement spells of the Wind, Shadow and Earth Elements are nothing compared to it!" yelled Zhao Manyan.
Ai Jiangtu was a cautious man. He closed his eyes and used his Space Element to inspect the area.
He gave Nanyu a hand signal after confirming that no Sea Monkeys were nearby.
Nanyu was most likely the only one that understood Ai Jiangtu's military sign language. Nanyu told the others that they were clear to go ashore. The boat then moved away from the islands. Nan Rongni used the Disguise Device to conceal its presence.
The Disguise Device was a kind of Light Element camouflaging device. It was similar to an enormous mirror covering the boat. From afar, it looked like there was nothing there. Only the military would have access to devices like these... it too was a prohibited device.
---
After the boat was hidden, Nan Rongni stayed to keep an eye on it while the others successfully sneak onto the islands.
"We'll proceed to that spot and let Mu Ningxue freeze the water between the islands. Not only will it help us to wipe out the Scarlet Soaring Demons, it will also give us an upper hand in the fight. However, we'll need a few people to attract the Scarlet Soaring Demons' attention and lure them away, just so they won't realize what we're trying to do until the ice is thick enough," Nanyu revised the plan with the others.
"If you need some huge action, just leave it to Mo Fan. He has Lightning and Fire, he only needs to fire a few Spells at the islands to provoke the whole pack of Scarlet Soaring Demons..." Zhao Manyan immediately elected Mo Fan to do the job.
"I don't mind, but I'll need someone to protect me while I'm channeling the Spells," said Mo Fan indifferently.
Ai Jiangtu nodded and said, "You two, head over to the other side and attack the nest, the louder the better."
Zhao Manyan's face fell dark upon hearing this.
When it came down to blasting a demon creatures' nest, it was fine if everything went accordingly to the plan. However, if anything went wrong, they would soon find themselves surrounded by the infuriated Scarlet Soaring Demons.
-Mo Fan is such a bitch, to seek revenge for the smallest grievance!-
Chapter 727 - Space Element, Telekinesis
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"Zhao Manyan, did someone tell you this very stupid story before? It's about two men walking on the street. They both saw a pile of shit on the ground. One of them said, I'll give you ten thousand RMB if you eat the shit. The other man ate the shit and earned ten thousand RMB. The two continue to walk forward, and saw another pile of shit. The man who ate the shit felt he was mistreated, so he told the other man, I'll give you ten thousand RMB too if you eat the shit. The man is eager to get his money back, so he ate the shit..." said Mo Fan to Zhao Manyan while they were running.
"You're referring to how we're trying to set one another up, but we've earned nothing apart from eating two piles of shit, right?" said Zhao Manyan.
Mo Fan nodded.
Either way, they were acting like fools.
They were on the run because a large group of Scarlet Soaring Demons was chasing after them.
The island in the middle had the shape of a turtle shell. It had lots of green plants, and a cave right in the center of it. The Scarlet Soaring Demons lived inside the cave. Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan were in charge of attacking the nest.
Their plan was to bombard the nest and flee before the demon creatures showed up. To their surprise, the Scarlet Soaring Demons happened to be enjoying mud baths outside the cave. When a few Fiery Fists landed on the dwelling place behind them, they immediately chased after Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan in extreme rage.
Mo Fan quickly turned around to count the creatures. There were at least forty of them. They looked like race cars when they were sprinting on their muscular legs, razing the plants to the ground.
After all, they were all Warrior-level creatures. If they were only a bunch of Servant-class creatures, Mo Fan would have wiped out the whole pack by himself. The two of them simply had no chance against forty Warrior-level Scarlet Soaring Demons.
"Stop chasing, stop chasing, your nest is on fire!" Zhao Manyan did not have any movement Spell. He was solely relying on a pair of expensive magic boots.
The problem was, regardless of how expensive the Magic Equipment was, it could only last a certain period of time. Zhao Manyan and Mo Fan were almost at the edge of the island, yet the Scarlet Soaring Demons still had not given up. It would be troublesome if the duration of his magic boots ended!
"F**k me, didn't they always say beasts would possess a certain level of intelligence? Why are they still chasing after us like a bunch of provoked bulls! Didn't they see the surroundings of their nest covered in frost? Why are they still chasing us!" cursed Mo Fan.
The two were running like there was no tomorrow, as if they had just poked a hornets' nest. The story that Mo Fan came up with perfectly described their situation, they were nothing but fools!
"Light Protection: Rampart!"
Zhao Manyan drew the Star Orbits while running. He tossed a Light Spell at the Scarlet Soaring Demons behind him after completing a Star Pattern consisted of seven Star Orbits.
A wall made of golden light appeared between two coconut trees. It looked like a wall of golden steel glass from afar. The Scarlet Soaring Demons failed to step on the brakes in time. They slammed into the wall hard. Blue blood splattered across the wall.
However, these creatures were obviously nimbler than Servant-class creatures. Apart from a few that rammed into the Rampart, the rest of the Scarlet Soaring Demons either went around the wall or jumped onto the trees and started sprinting on them!
Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan had dark faces.
Aren't they supposed to be sea monsters? Look at how they moved! They were a disgrace to the reputation of the sea monsters!
The truth was, the Scarlet Soaring Demons were not the only ones in the trees. When Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan approached the edge of the island, they discovered gray monkeys with sharp claws dangling on the trees!
The monkeys' tails were very strange. Instead of the usual long tails, they were fish tails instead. They even had gills on their bodies.
As a matter of fact, apart from their face and skinny bodies, they had little resemblance compared to a monkey-like beast. The gray fur on their bodies was like seaweeds.
It was likely that these skinny Sea Monkey Monsters were disguising themselves as seaweeds to hunt the weaker creatures for food. They were currently hanging on the trees, like a bunch of monkey heads poking out from a pile of gray clothes on a drying rack!
"Are these Sea Monkey Monsters trying to stop us too!" Zhao Manyan was infuriated.
It was reasonable for them to flee for their lives since they were chased by Warrior-level Scarlet Soaring Demons, yet these Servant-class Sea Monkeys dared to humiliate them too?
The Sea Monkey Monsters were no doubt a bunch of annoying creatures. Instead of blocking Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan's path directly, they simply pluck a handful of their disgusting gray fur that was like seaweeds and tossed it in their direction.
The fur was wet and extremely sticky. It turned into filth on the ground, but if the fur landed on one's face, it would make their eyes blind while hindering their breathing.
There were around three hundred Sea Monkeys nearby. They hid on the trees and continued to toss their fur at Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan. The two found themselves in an unspeakable misery when the rain of gray seaweed poured down from the sky!
"Water Barrier!"
Zhao Manyan rapidly cast the Water Spell, not only to protect himself, but Mo Fan too. That guy didn't even have a single defensive Spell!
"These goddamned monkeys, I swear I'm going to destroy them all later!" Mo Fan was utterly disgusted when he felt the gray fur sticking on his hair.
The seaweeds fur had an overwhelming stench, most likely because the Sea Monkeys were soaked in water every day. If Zhao Manyan had not conveniently cast Brilliant Light: Purify on him, he would most likely die of suffocation from the foul odor!
Zhao Manyan's Water Barrier was unable to provide full protection covering three hundred and sixty degrees. It only consisted of a few water ribbons circling them, thus some areas would be unprotected at times.
As soon as they reached the island's edge, Mo Fan saw a Sea Monkey poking its head out from a bush less than ten meters away. It had a cunning grin as it tossed a gray mound of filth at Mo Fan's face!
Mo Fan was immediately enraged. He wasn't a pushover!
"Come here, you little shit!"
Mo Fan swiftly grabbed in the direction of the Sea Monkey Monster!
An invisible hand grabbed the cunning Sea Monkey's throat and dragged it toward Mo Fan. The force tossed the creature to Mo Fan's feet!
Space Element: Telekinesis!
-Is this a dream?- Zhao Manyan's face was blank. - That's a Spell of the Space Element! How does Mo Fan know how to cast it?-
Chapter 728 - Why Bother Making It Difficult For Yourself?
Translated by XephIZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"Do you seriously think I can't possibly kill you all?" Mo Fan stomped a Sea Monkey Monster's head and glared at the rest of the creatures.
Mo Fan was just about to kill the Sea Monkey monster under his foot when the group of a few hundred Sea Monkey monsters in his surroundings cried out. They stopped throwing the disgusting filth at Mo Fan and revealed their flickering claws!
"These little imps are quite united, Mo Fan, we should take cover," said Zhao Manyan when he saw that the situation was unfavorable.
"I'll just kill every single one of them. Was I ever scared before?" Mo Fan was determined to kill.
"The Scarlet Soaring Demons are almost here..."
"Oh, guess I'll spare its life for now..."
Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan did not dare to waste too much time on the Sea Monkey monsters. They immediately ran in a different direction.
