The stone pillar crashed into the ceiling of the cave, filling the air with dust.
The Clacker was shocked, but it kept the presence of mind to avoid casting another spell, Lith was already too close. It spat acid in front of itself instead. The enemy was too close to dodge it, so the Soldier charged forward infusing itself with earth magic to exploit the opening that was about to be created.
However, Lith had seen that trick countless times and was ready for it. He froze the acid while it was still in mid air, making it harmless before slapping it aside. Lith shoved his right hand into the Clacker's still opened maw, releasing a fireball.
The explosion emitted only a muffled sound. The Soldier's exoskeleton buffed by earth magic was strong enough to withstand the hit. Alas, its internal organs were not.
The creature collapsed without making a sound, leaving the last two Soldiers standing almost scared witless. One decided to run away to alert the rest of the Brood of the impending menace, while the other stood its ground, to buy as much time as it could against the incoming monstrosity.
It decided to make use of the confined space combined with its superior physical prowess to charge at the enemy with its own body hardened to the extreme, giving him no space to dodge.
Lith did the same, leaving spells aside and willing to test his body against a magical beast. The two clashed at full speed, Lith's arms against the Soldier's frontal legs. The spider was bigger and heavier, but Lith was empowered by more than one element.
The Clacker found itself sliding backward, using the remaining six legs to hold on the ground to avoid tumbling while the frontal ones cracked. Its exoskeleton shattered in multiple points.
Lith was forced to stop and his arms cracked too, but they started to heal the same moment they were damaged. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain, charging again with renewed fury.
Lith grabbed the injured frontal legs, ripping them off and driving the creature insane with pain. Its head was now exposed, so the Clacker used earth magic to conjure tendrils of earth to protect itself.
Before they were fully formed, Lith had already grabbed the Soldier's head with both hands, flooding it with darkness magic that weakened it until it popped like a balloon. Lith threw the carcass aside, chasing after the last enemy.
Once outside, he saw that the Soldier hadn't gone far. Even if they were running of fumes, his companions knew that if the magical beast managed to escape it was likely to come back with reinforcements.
They had surrounded the Clacker and were slowly wearing it down with their teamwork. None of their attacks were strong enough to kill it, but they prevented it from escaping or focusing on a single target.
Whenever the Soldier attempted to attack, those at its back and sides would strike it with spells or swords, interrupting its spellcasting or making it stumble. The creature was already mad with fury. Its retreat was cut off and all of its attacks were mercilessly foiled one after the other.
When the Clacker perceived Lith closing in via Earth Vision, desperation forced its hand. The Soldier infused itself with earth magic to the brim and charged forward disregarding its safety.
Phloria chopped off one of its legs, Friya opened a gaping wound on its back, while Yurial released all the spells left in his rings blowing away two of its legs and making the Clacker lose momentum.
Only thanks to the combined assault did Quylla manage to avoid being pierced through her heart and instead took a front leg through her shoulder. The Clacker was mortally wounded, but it refused to surrender.
It threw away Quylla's body and tried to recover its balance to continue escaping. A bestial roar resounded, shaking the forest.
"Not another one!" Phloria cursed. "Is our bad luck never going to end?"
She turned towards the source of the sound, discovering that there was no new enemy incoming, only a blur that she managed to identify as Lith thanks to her training.
The sight of blood, seeing one of his companions apparently mortally injured had brought him back to the night Protector had died. The sun was still high, so the shadows surrounding his body were reduced to a thin fog.
Lith was surrounded by a red glow, like there was a fire inside him ready to set everything ablaze. Despite his killing intent wasn't aimed at his companions, it was strong enough to make them feel a cold shiver running down their spines.
Yurial and Friya ignored the feeling, rushing to Quylla's side. The former checked she wasn't poisoned while the latter treated the wound.
Phloria realized that despite having fought side by side several times, this was her first time witnessing a truly enraged Lith. During the second exam or the ambush, he had always remained calm and collected.
Between the fog, the red glow and his eyes brimming with unknown power, Lith looked scarier than anything she had ever fought.