[Rean point of view]

After gulping the merchant head in a single bite, the diamond shape like structure in the sphinx head begin to glow brightly. The dark red colour like that of an old blood is nothing short but terrifying. It is on it teenage age, and as such still haven't reached it full potential yet, but with how starving and aggressive it is now, not to mention our unfavorable location to fight, the threat level shoot up

With a single sweep of it tail, the mercenaries behind get tossed around, like a tantrum child throwing it toys. As for us, we dodge the incoming slash from its sharp claws. It lack power as compared to that of a behemoth, but it compensates it by the speed and the frequency of the attack

Mr Jacks and Sis Qis keep on blocking and counteract it one by one, and as for me, with the window of opportunity created by the two of them I fire off a magic fire arrow right to the diamond like structure on its head, but

(my fire power, it is still lacking) [Rean]

I'm sure that thing is the sphinx magic core, so that's why I targeted that area. If only I can get a window of opportunity, I can slash that magic core with my fire imbued katana, but alas, the three of us are busy dodging and defending from the sphinx attack, not to mention

"Duck!" [Qis]

""Yes"" [Rean, Jacks]

The sphinx throw off a large fire ball magic toward us, and through that opening, I fire off a neutral magic arrow of mine right to its mouth, managing to cause profuse bleeding on its tongue. I'm sure I get hit the blood vessels directly

"Nice one Rean" [Jacks]

"Keep it going, we will try to create some opening, and you should slash that magic core with everything you got!" [Qis]

"Right!" [Rean]

The eye of the sphinx are now red, whether it's transforming into something terrifying or just plain angry towards me, I'm not sure, but that doesn't change the fact that it looks at me not as a prey, but as an enemy that he needed to dispose of quickly

While the sphinx let out a roar, the two of them uses a combination magic, causing a small and yet powerful typhoon directed right at the limb of the sphinx. This causes the sphinx to lose it balances as well as injuring it in the process. The three of us try to strike but

"Wind shield" [Jacks]

"Water shield" [Qis]

"Fire shield" [Rean]

The three of us reflexively shout out the spell name in order to increase it power. The magic core tries to defend itself by shooting out a laser with fire mana properties, but

""Tchh!!"" [Qis, Jacks]

It uses that very chance to unleash a set of barrage to us once more. Truly, a high ranking monster, managing to recover so quickly.

At this rate, the sphinx will heal itself back into its former glory. We could not let it do just that, I do hope the bleeding will causes it to be weaken, maybe let the beast die from loosing too much of blood, but sadly, the tongue regenerated back, and the bleeding is sealed off completely, albeit it leaves a scar right at the place where I shoot

Still, we have to turn the tide off the match around. Right now, they're defending me, and asking me to finish the sphinx off when opportunity is created, to do that, I have to make sure they can do just that, and thus, my main role for now (before giving the finishing blow) is to support them, and if I can't injure the sphinx, then I will buff us up

With my darkness magic, I uses a buff magic on the three of us, call acceleration magic. It's a branch of darkness magic associated strongly with time magic. This magic can also be accessed by those with wind magic albeit differently. As the three of us enjoy the speed buff, I cast a debuff magic, a deceleration magic towards the sphinx to slow it movement down

(Should have done that from the very beginning itself) [Rean]

Still, the amount of mana needed to debuff the sphinx is high, as the magic core try it best to resist it.

With this, the onslaught of slash from the sphinx becomes more manageable, and as to further increase our speed,

"Tailwind" [Jacks]

This magic causes the wind to envelope us, increasing our mobility and speed, and as such we started to attack the sphinx

"Roar!" [Sphinx]

"Oh no you don't!" [Qis]

The sphinx try to stomp Sis Qis, but she quickly counteract by stabbing her Rapier into one of the blood vessel and

"Acid!" [Qis]

A burst of blood with some volatile acid spurt out, severely injuring the sphinx. The sphinx try to use it tail which is there no more as it get quickly cut by Mr Jacks

As for me.

(Focus, increase the temperature of my fire, imbued it with darkness magic as well) [Ash]

(Having difficulty my dear child? Don't worry, you can do it. This is only the beginning of your journey) [?]

""!!"" [Jacks, Qis]

That voice, can they hear it as well. No, from the looks of it, they don't, but they're focusing on something else, they're focusing on my katana...

"Huh?" [Rean]

Since when? I don't understand this... but

"Haaa!" [Rean]

Dashing and leaping forward, I use each and every muscle in my body to slash my weapon, right into the magic core. It strong, but

(This mysterious power, it helps) [Rean]

I don't know how, and why, but there's something strange happening to my mana outflow, almost as if, it's getting a buff from someone else, but if it helps to defeat this sphinx, then be it!

"ROARRR!" [Sphinx]

~Crack~

""Haaa!!!"" [Qis, Jacks]

The two of them come to help, and with the three of us combining our power

~Shatter~

The magic core shattered into thousands of pieces, and the sphinx move no more

"Pheww..." [Rean]

""..."" [Qis, Jacks]

"Why are you..." [Rean]

"Forget it, we have more important things to do now" [Qis]

"Yeah, don't you think you can run away" [Jacks]

"I guess I don't knock him hard enough" [Rean]

The three of us knock the priest back into unconsciousness