Chapter 396: The Fierce Battle
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
"The explorers will never be afraid of the adventures, but they will definitely not take an adventure recklessly.
Demons are not that horrible because they can also be killed. And they have a huge weakness—they can't survive without Red Mist.
Leaf once used the crossbow bolts to kill a trapped demon. Nightingale managed to kill the enemy under a very unfavorable circumstance." Lightning secretly cheered for herself and she believed that she could also make it.
"We should first report this to His Highness," Leaf said hurriedly. "Comparing with us, both Nightingale and Ashes are much more experienced in fighting the demons!"
"But, the demons may have already left by the time they reach here." Lightning checked the pistol's cartridge to ensure that it was filled with bullets and said, "By letting such dangerous enemies wandering around the border, we'll face much more serious risks."
"I... can stay and keep an eye on them."
"What if they walk out of your control area," the little girl insisted and continued, "and if you try to stop them, you'll end up exposing yourself. Three of us might as well work together."
Leaf relapsed into silent. She seemed to be persuaded.
"Coo coo!" Maggie stood on top of Lightning and flutered her wings.
"Alright," she scratched the pigeon's neck and said, "we'll each take care of a demon."
"What did she just say?" Leaf asked.
Lightning pouted and said, "She said she wants to break the head of the enemy with her claws and pound the flesh into a meat pie with her wings. Finally, she will toast it in the fire to find out how it may taste like."
"She just said 'Coo' twice!" the latter questioned.
"It's basically what it means." The little girl nodded earnestly.
"An excellent explorer is not only extraordinarily brave but also has the ability to lead the entire team, helping them to relax when they are nervous and keeping them when they are over relaxed. I'll try my best to follow your words, father."
Lightning shook her wrist and the cartridge was closed. Trying not to look nervous, she pretended to look calm and said, "How far are they away from here?"
"About three hundred meters away from our right." Leaf answered.
"I should have seen the enemies if I was not blocked by the woods." She was thinking that she definitely had the advantage of taking the first shot, and the pistol obviously outperforms the Magic Stone due to its long range. "You can trap the demons with vines, right? Just like last time at the Barbarian Land."
"I believe I should be able to trap them for a short period of time."
"OK. We can attack from the sky." Lightning said, "It's the last direction the enemies will notice. They will temporarily focus on the vines only. We can end this fight in seconds."
"I... understand." The leaves shook slightly. Perhaps because there were too many related horrible memories when Leaf was in the Witch Cooperation Association. But Lightning had no time to worry about this at this moment. She would probably lose her courage if they kept waiting. After all, she and Maggie were the ones that fight the demons. But Leaf would hide in the woods. She wouldn't be hurt no matter how the demons attacked the vines.
"Let's get started!" Lightning flew right into the sky.
"Coo!" Pigeon was following right behind her.
The forest instantly looked like green and white patches below her. The little girl put on the goggles given by His Highness and she felt braver right away.
"They're over there." Maggie transformed into a Gray-tailed hawk and found the targets just after seconds of searching—with her hawk eye, she would never even miss a running rabbit in the snow.
Lightning took a deep breath. Thunder and His Highness flashed upon her mind. She shook her head and made her mind clear. With her hands holding the pistol grip, she said, "I'll take care of the left side and you, the right side. When we are half way through then you turn into the giant-winged bird again."
"Leave it to me. Coo!"
"Go!" The little girl shouted and then began to dive in. With the cold wind roaring through her cheeks, her ears were hurting. She moved her head a little bit into the scarf. Thinking of the shooting method she learned from Nightingale, she pointed the flintlock forward. The effective range of the bullet was about 100 meters, but it was clear that she should move as close as possible to make sure the target would be hit. Assuming that Leaf's information was right, the demons' iron gloves must be inlaid with the electrical Magic Stone. Their magic range was around five meters, almost the same as the witches'. It was the best choice to shoot them at a distance of seven to eight meters.
The enemies' figures became clearer. And she could see their horrible headgears and scarlet masks. Suddenly, a demon stopped to look up and roared towards them. "Are we... exposed?" Lightning's heart sank. "Why does the enemy act as if they can perceive her?" At the same time, countless vines rose around the demons. They twined the enemy's legs and continued to climb upwards. Finally, the enemies were totally twined by the vines.
A white flash shined from Maggie's body and she turned into a huge monster instantly, diving and screaming at the same time to show her strength.
"Whatever." Lightning grit her teeth and decided to speed up again. When she was about fifty meters from the enemies, she took a sudden turn and rushed down to the back of the enemies like a shooting star—she could only hit the heads of the enemies if she shot straight down, while she could expand the shooting area if she shot horizontally. And Nightingale had also repeated many times that she should fire on the widest body part of the enemy.
The demon struggled to lift his right hand twined by the vines. Dazzling light burst out from his iron gloves. Almost at the same time, Lighting pushed down the trigger. A huge boom suddenly went through the sky above of the forest.
As she expected, the attack range of the Magic Stone was really limited. The blue and white arc light just existed for a very short time. With the sounds of gunshots, blood mist burst out from the back of the demon—the bullets not only went through its body but also smashed the gas bottle on its back.
However, Maggie was not as lucky. Another demon hit her body with its lightning. Sparks burst out from her body and her mighty screams turned into terrible ones. She curled up her wings and then heavily fell down on the demon, kicking up large snowflakes. When they hit the ground, Lightning felt the ground shaking. It was probably because of the severe impact, the demon's gas bottle was smashed and Red Mist was overflowing from under the giant bird. The little girl was very anxious and worried, looking at this.
Leaf reacted immediately. Dozens of vines gathered on Maggie's body and moved her away from the demon. The giant bird rolled in the snow twice, and lay still with her face on the ground.
Lightning rushed towards her. She held her giant head, shaking it and said, "Wake up, Maggie! Are you alright? "
"Coo... I feel numb," Maggie opened her eyes. She transformed back into her human shape with her magic power faded off and said, "what just happened?"
Lightning checked every part of her body, feeling relaxed after confirming her safety and said, "I'm glad that you're alright."
It seemed that in the shape of the flying giant monster, Maggie would not be hurt by the blood mist and she could endure more harms with her giant body. The electric arc just knocked her out for a moment, and there was a demon right below her as a cushion when she was falling down. It was a frightening attack but she was barely harmed. This could be the best out of the worst.
"Both of them are dead." Leaf moved half of her body from the trunk, examining two lifeless demons and said, "What should we do next?"
"Bring the bodies back," Lightning said, "His Highness should know how to deal with them."