Meng Jiang's theory was correct. Izroth not only used Flickering Steps but also all four charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement.

Every time he delivered a set of players outside the range of the Failed Chimera, he immediately used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to make his way back to the battlefield.

​​

Given that the skill only allowed Izroth to move 15 meters at a time, yet he covered a distance of almost 50 meters—it would not have been possible if not for the improvement to his Source.

'It's a good thing I recovered all of my loss Essence from consuming the Essence of a Great Spirit. Still, I never thought the limits of my Source would develop to this extent. I underestimated the difference between my former Soul Essence and a Spirit Source.'

Before it evolved into a Spirit Source, Izroth's Soul Essence limited the range of his skills, and regardless of how much Essence he poured in, it could not increase by more than 50%.

Now, Izroth could boost the reach of his skills, not by 50% or 100%, but rather 200%! This meant that if he poured 200 points of Essence into a skill like his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, instead of 15 meters, he could instantly move 45 meters with a single charge!

Unfortunately, this change applied solely to Izroth's non-damaging skills. As for his skills that dealt damage, their range increase limit was now 100%. Nevertheless, it was still a significant improvement compared to its previous restrictions.

"You certainly know how to earn your keep, Mr. First Place." Meng Jiang commented as Izroth returned to the main battleground.

"Since we have an agreement, naturally, I will uphold my end of the bargain," Izroth replied casually as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm.

Name: Polkentin's Failed Chimera(WORLD BOSS)

Level: 50

HP: ??? (17.02%)

Izroth swiftly narrowed the distance as he dashed towards the Failed Chimera.

'Oh? They were able to do this amount of damage with just the few of them attacking?'

Izroth's swept his blade across the Failed Chimera's right side, leaving behind a visible sword wound.

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'I see. It's no surprise they inflicted so much damage in such a short time frame. Its defense is virtually nonexistent.'

Izroth's attack just now was to test the Failed Chimera's defense, and he quickly learned that it severely lacked in that department, especially considering its status as a world boss.

'Its primary stats must be distributed between other factors of its strength. With a skill that can heal back 20% of its HP instantly, its health is probably on the lower end of the scale when it comes to world bosses. This leaves attack, magic, and agility. However, besides those magical serpents, I have yet to see it use any other magic-based attacks. Its attack speed and movements are adequate, but its main body does not have the same mobility as the magical serpents. At least, it's not enough to overwhelm a warrior-type tank class. This leaves attack as the most logical choice for the principal root of its strength. If it's like that, it merely becomes a matter of how long Sacred Beasts tank and supporters can endure the Failed Chimera's brute force.'

But, there was one thing Izroth did not understand. How did the Failed Chimera manage to kill so many top-level players? So far, it had not demonstrated any skill capable of pulling that off—it did not add up. He was missing something, though there was no time to sit around and ask questions.

Just as Izroth completed his analysis of the Failed Chimera, the beast smashed its massive paw into One Shot Brick.

Bang!

One Shot Brick set his shield before him and blocked the incoming attack as the earth beneath him gave way and caused his feet to sink half a meter into the ground!

«Blocked»

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"This bastard..!" One Shot Brick complained under his breath after receiving the Failed Chimera's blow.

The longer the battle went on, the more vicious the Failed Chimera's attacks were becoming. In the beginning, it barely hit for 5,000 damage when One Shot Brick blocked its attack. Now, it was striking for more than four times that amount!

Thankfully, its attack speed was not the fastest, so it left some breathing room for the supporters. However, the Failed Chimera's attack power was increasing much faster than it was before. If things continued at this rate, it would not be long before the Failed Chimera's attacks would be too much for One Shot Brick to handle—whether he blocked or not.

The supporters healed One Shot Brick back to full HP; however, right when his HP was regained, a large chunk of it was once again shaved off by the Failed Chimera. Healing that kind of constant damage was not something the supports from Sacred Beasts had the mana to sustain for a prolonged period of time, even with Meng Jiang's buff in effect.

All of a sudden, the aura around the Failed Chimera shifted. The eyes of the creature's serpent's tail glowed bright yellow as the serpent extended its body into the air.

"Here they come! Everyone, prepare yourselves!" One Shot Brick warned.

Not too long after he spoke, several miniature fissures appeared in the same general area on the battlefield.

In total, there were twenty of these fissures, and from each of them emerged a black serpent with the same glowing yellow eyes as the Failed Chimera's tail.

Name: Serpents of Malice(Elite)

Level: 50

HP: 50,000 (100%)

"Banshee, Izroth—you two will take care of them! Watch out for their venom!" One Shot Brick stated.

Banshee was the weakest single target damage dealer among them; however, what she lacked in single target damage, she more than made up for with her AOE skills and sturdiness.

As for Izroth, One Shot Brick did not know enough about him except that he was fast—really fast. Since that was the case, One Shot Brick assumed Izroth's stats were concentrated solely on his speed, meaning that his damage output would not be that high. At least, not as high as the remaining members of Sacred Beasts.

There was also the fact that Izroth's HP was relatively high for someone with so much mobility; therefore, his durability should not be an issue. That's why One Shot Brick decided to pair him with Banshee to clear the Serpents of Malice. They could not afford to take their top damage dealers away from the Failed Chimera. The odds were far from great, but both could afford to take a few hits without the risk of perishing.

Banshee fell back from the Failed Chimera and positioned herself next to Izroth, who had already anchored himself in between the Serpents of Malice and the raid group.

"Don't let your guard down. These things are the reason so many of our guildmates died. Since so few of us are left, their numbers are a lot less than what we previously faced. Don't worry, I'll watch your back, and you watch mine. I just hope your ranking isn't simply for show." Banshee said half-jokingly to lighten the mood. She was no fool. No matter how much luck was involved, it would be impossible to reach the spot Izroth obtained in less than a day without some skill to back it up.

'So, that's what caused so many of them to fall.'

Izroth gave a carefree smile in response. He then lightly tapped his foot against the ground as the Serpents of Malice slithered towards him and Banshee.

Rmmmmble!

Suddenly, the surrounding earth began to shake as waves of tremors washed over the Serpents of Malice.

Three seconds went by, and the sky above the battlefield darkened with a swirling vortex of gray clouds spanning sixty meters formed in the atmosphere.

Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle!

In the vortex, countless sparks of purple lightning could be seen jumping around without restraint. Simultaneously, Izroth pointed his Sword of The Storm towards the sky, and within his pupils were flashes of purple lightning. A gentle breeze brushed past everyone on the battlefield.

Booooooom!

The gentle breeze ceased and was replaced by a wild and untamed gale as a torrent of wind blades rained down from the sky!

Hssst! Woosh! Shrieeeek!

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«Critical Hit»

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...

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The Serpents of Malice were bombarded by the vicious blades of wind for a full ten seconds before the skies finally cleared up, and the storm vanished just as swiftly as it appeared.

Banshee stood alongside Izroth with her mouth slightly opened in disbelief, and her eyes widened in shock as her mind momentarily went blank.

The Serpents of Malice, all twenty of them, were gone!