Fang Hong immediately reached out to shield the girl in front of him, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.
With a flash of light on either side, two Energy Angels strode out from the Light Gates.
"Ah?"
Although the girl couldn't see, she could hear the sounds, and at this moment, she seemed to discern Fang Hong's profession and the constructs he controlled. She hadn't expected that the person she had been conversing with was a highly respected Alchemist.
And such a young Combat Artisan at that.
His strength also slightly surprised her — was it true that, even outside the Oathkeeper Clan, there were such outstanding warriors among mortals? Or should Lord Holy Choosers naturally possess such power?
Fang Hong pointed forward, and three Energy Angels joined the battle simultaneously. Having experienced so many dangers, such a situation couldn't stir any emotions within him anymore. As soon as the Energy Angels blocked the way, the Screeching Banshee swooped down from mid-air.
Scattering a barrage of flashbangs in mid-air.
The flashbangs exploded among the dragon's henchmen; although these Dark Beings were completely unaffected by the blinding effect, the falling flash dust outlined their silhouettes in the darkness, solving Fang Hong's difficulties in detecting enemies under the cave's dim light.
The three Energy Angels blocked some of the dragon's henchmen, but more strange shadows directly bypassed the defensive line, charging straight at him as the controller.
Fang Hong pulled the girl back a couple of steps, triggering a stealthy move from the ground, whereupon the Gravity Trap engaged between him and the monsters. Fang Hong glanced at the chat log, and apart from the previous 'Holy crap,' R had been silent until now.
He looked once again at the silhouettes covered in flash dust and then severed the connection with the Screeching Banshee and the Stalker.
The Stalker's spell had a continuous effect, but once the Screeching Banshee lost control, it wobbled and plummeted from the sky. Fang Hong released the girl's hand and said back to her, "Step back two steps..."
The girl hesitated slightly, nodded hurriedly, and retreated.
The dragon's henchmen were slowly traversing the Gravity Trap's area.
Fang Hong unbuttoned his collar, then his chest, and forcefully tore off the Alchemist's badge pinned there. With a pull, his coat opened, and with a buzzing sound, it was as though hundreds of bees flapped their wings all at once.
A host of golden Clockwork Fairies flew out from his coat. Before they touched the ground, each traced an agile arc, rising swiftly and taking flight.
Fang Hong extended his right hand, and the Clockwork Fairies, naturally obeying his command, lined up in a matrix on his right side.
With calm eyes, Fang Hong looked forward, his gaze sweeping over those twisted strange shadows.
He pointed forward: "Fire!"
A burst of firelight.
And then a second volley, a third.
With the flash dust clinging to the monsters, Fang Hong scarcely needed to aim, accurately pinpointing his enemies in the darkness. With three volleys fired collectively, bullets swept through the dragon's henchmen like a storm.
Yet the damage from the Clockwork Fairies was ultimately limited.
Without a word, Fang Hong retracted his right hand, the three Clockwork Fairies simultaneously blinking backward, aligning neatly in front of him. He flung his hand, and the Clockwork Fairies plunged like shooting stars into the throngs of dragon henchmen.
At the same time, the Energy Angels crossed their arms, opening shield after shield of eerie blue.
Then, amidst the darkness, blinding flashes ensued.
The gust and rumble from the explosions were almost entirely blocked by the Energy Angels' shields, and further ahead, merely stirred the hem of Fang Hong's coat. As for the girl sheltered behind him, she was practically unscathed.
After the explosions, smoke and dust pervaded the air.
Meanwhile, in the chat window, R sent three question marks in a row.
Fang Hong was about to reply when another message caught his eye:
R: "Watch out on the right!"
Fang Hong reacted swiftly, almost sliding a step backward. A streak of black light narrowly missed him. Following the black light, a shadow broke through the smoke and came crashing toward him — with Fang Hong's agility, he almost couldn't react in time.
Meanwhile, after the Energy Angels' overload, they were momentarily immobilized,
but Fang Hong instinctively activated the Shield System, letting the attacker first hit the shield. Then, using the momentum to step back, the system's automatic evasion kicked in, pulling him backward even when he lost balance.
But Fang Hong quickly regained composure, swaying in the direction of the shift in his center of gravity, pressing a hand against the ground, and leaping forcefully towards the assailant.
In the blink of an eye, he unexpectedly knocked the shadow aside.
"Holy crap, you can use Odin's stuff too!?"
This time, R was genuinely astonished.
Yet Fang Hong had no time to respond. Though he had knocked the assailant away, it was ultimately an improvised move, causing him to lose balance and fall.
Meanwhile, upon raising his head, he noticed that behind the dragon's henchmen he had just destroyed with the Fire Giant, more strange shadows were continuously emerging from the black crystals.
The countless number was hair-raising.
R also witnessed this scene, hurriedly typing:
"Did you stir up a hornet's nest?"
"Why are there so many monsters here? Be careful; I'll watch the side for you. Try to find a way to escape from this place—"
"Why do you always stir trouble wherever you go."
But Fang Hong secretly pressed his left hand against his chest — where he clearly sensed the Ring of Golden Flame emanating a searing heat.
"Lord Holy Chooser," the girl's voice was unusually apprehensive: "I don't know why there are so many of these monsters here when they're usually not like this. Maybe... you should leave me here and go first. I'll find somewhere to hide."
"That's a good suggestion," R sent a message: "She won't die, and with the flexible constructs' help, you can try to draw these things away first and then proceed further using other methods. Remember what I told you, don't force it."
Fang Hong pondered for a moment but replied: "No need."
"Huh?"
He released the Ring of Golden Flame with his left hand, gently closing his eyes.
...