[Glory of the Purple Thornblade Guards: Currently resonating with 11 units, enhancing all Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards by +11 Strength, +11 Constitution (duration: 1 hour)]
With the synergy fired up, the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards' aura went ballistic instantly.
Their Strength rocketed from 9 points to 20 points, Constitution jumped from 7 points to 18 points.
Facing these five terrifying killing machines with their dark, menacing aura and power two tiers higher,
The monster groups that had been able to give the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards some trouble got instantly turned to hamburger.
Even the fearless insect wall formed by monster bodies couldn't stop the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards' steamroll.
"Crack!"
"Boom!"
The numbers of Cone Beetles and Explosive Beetles dropped at a jaw-dropping rate.
The Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards' terrifying power obliterated every creature that dared get in their way.
Insect blood flew everywhere, severed limbs scattered across the ground.
The boss Four-Section Beetle lurking on the nest wall watched its minions getting butchered so fast.
Panic showed in its crimson compound eyes.
It knew it couldn't keep playing hide-and-seek.
Otherwise, when all its minions were toast and only it remained, the situation would be royally screwed.
"Hiss!"
The Four-Section Beetle quietly moved above one Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard, found the perfect moment, and dive-bombed to attack!
Its crimson compound eyes were bloody and vicious.
"I've been waiting for you."
Carlos had been tracking the boss's movements constantly and had already prepped the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard through their soul link.
The Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard raised its greatsword and swung upward hard, meeting the boss Four-Section Beetle's first segment's razor-sharp spike-leg!
"Boom!"
20 points of Strength slamming into each other created an insane thunderous sound as both quickly backed off.
"Hiss!"
Seeing its cheap shot failed, the Four-Section Beetle roared and its segments suddenly twisted.
The third and fourth segments braced its body while thick spikes from the first and second segments' shells shot out like bullets.
"Bang! Bang!"
The Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard swung its greatsword, slicing down each spike!
Carlos wouldn't let this Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard stupidly go mano-a-mano and immediately ordered:
"Surround it!"
The other four Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards quickly closed in!
After the brief throwdown, the boss Four-Section Beetle figured out that if there was only one enemy, it could handle things no sweat.
But with five of them, it definitely wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hiss hiss!"
It roared again in a low voice, then got on all fours and turned to book it.
At the same time, the remaining monster groups charged toward the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards one after another.
Their only job was to buy the Four-Section Beetle a little time to make a break for it.
"Want to run? Not happening."
With Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards powered by activated synergy watching the exits, Carlos didn't think that lone Four-Section Beetle could slip away.
"#9 and #10, keep mopping up the monster groups.
The rest of you Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards, give chase!"
Carlos thought briefly and locked in his game plan...
"Rustle! Rustle!"
The Four-Section Beetle was way more sneaky than others of its kind. It first bolted toward the eastern exit, leaving movement tracks along the way.
Then it suddenly climbed up the nest wall, switched directions, and actually headed toward the southern exit.
Carlos, hot on its tail behind it, saw the Four-Section Beetle's ground movement tracks vanish.
His eyes were mocking:
"Pretty slick."
He immediately ordered them to hold position and wait quietly.
Until he got soul vibes from the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard covering the southern exit.
"Head south!"
.....
At the southern exit, the Four-Section Beetle quickly crawled out. Just as it was patting itself on the back for escaping,
Suddenly, a greatsword inscribed with purple thornblade patterns dropped from the sky, stabbing directly into the Four-Section Beetle's fourth segment!
"Slash!"
"Hiss!"
The Four-Section Beetle shrieked in agony, thrashing its body like crazy as nasty black insect blood splattered everywhere.
Its first segment twisted around and immediately spotted the culprit.
Another enemy!
And exactly the same powerful enemy it had run into inside its nest!
The Four-Section Beetle's spike-legs stabbed frantically.
The #5 Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard watching this exit suddenly put some muscle into it,
Driving the sword even deeper.
Then it yanked the sword out and dodged the strike.
"Hiss!"
Pain shot through the wound again. The Four-Section Beetle was pissed, and seeing only 1 enemy, it decided to chow down on it first, then escape!
"Hiss!"
The Four-Section Beetle twisted its body, moving rapidly around the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard.
Thick spikes from its shell shot out from different angles, forcing the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard to block with its greatsword.
This gave the Four-Section Beetle a shot to pounce!
It leaped up, its massive 16-foot body actually launching into the air, a huge shadow covering #5.
The spike-legs on both sides of its body gleamed coldly, ready to strike.
If the pounce worked, these razor-sharp spike-legs would ruthlessly punch through the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard.
Even if it didn't bite the dust, it would be seriously messed up!
Just then, a calm voice spoke up.
"Go wreck it!"
Three greatswords cut through the air with sharp explosive sounds.
The boss Four-Section Beetle suddenly felt an intense threat and had no time to think.
Instinctively, it twisted its body, trying to dodge this brutal attack.
But there was nowhere to hide—no way to get leverage in mid-air!
The incredibly sharp greatswords cut through insect blood, striking dead-on at the three joint connections of the Four-Section Beetle's body.
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
Nasty black insect blood sprayed through the air as the 16-foot body got brutally chopped into four pieces, hitting the ground with multiple thuds.
The body, now in four pieces, let out angry shrieks that got weaker and weaker until there was dead silence.
At this moment, the four Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards didn't chill out at all, their greatswords still aimed at the corpse pieces.
"Playing possum won't work on me."
Carlos slowly stepped out. In his mind, he hadn't gotten the successful kill notification.
Obviously, this monster wasn't dead and was definitely faking it.
"Chop the corpse to bits!"
Carlos's eyes were ice-cold and emotionless.
The four Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards moved, each taking responsibility for one corpse piece, swinging their greatswords and striking hard.
Just as they were about to slice them in half, the four segmented corpses suddenly 'came back to life,' their six pairs of spike-legs pushing off to dodge the strikes.
"Hiss!"
This was one of the boss Four-Section Beetle's escape tricks—
It could split itself into four single-segment beetles, and as long as one got away, it had a shot at regenerating.
"Close in slowly, don't give them any opening to escape!"
Carlos ordered the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards to hold their ground.
After the Four-Section Beetle split into four, each piece had at most a quarter of the original strength, making them way easier to handle.
Seeing no way out, the four single-segment beetles began going berserk, lunging forward.
Their gleaming spike-legs constantly stabbed at the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards in a final desperate last stand.
"Crack!"
"Crack!"