Armor Crab Swarm

Roland didn't participate in the battle; he was meant to oversee the entire situation from a visible standpoint.

However, behind the scenes, Roland wouldn't risk his life before the situation became clear.

So, he naturally stood at the very back of the battlefield, quietly watching the desperate fight between humans and magical beasts.

After the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group's hundreds of mercenaries joined the fray, the Armor Crab swarm suffered heavy casualties.

Armor Crabs are gregarious magical beasts from the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. A single group often consists of a hundred Armor Crabs. They are not weak, possessing great strength. Often, the strength of a single Level 2 Armor Crab is no less than that of a Level 3 Warrior. However, they lack innate magical spells, which is why they are classified as Level 2 Magical Beasts.

Their true prowess lies in underwater combat, not on land. Their two massive crab claws, while incredibly powerful, are also very heavy, making them difficult to wield for extended periods on land.

O'Neal clearly understood this. Under his command, the entire Loyal Lion Mercenary Group avoided direct confrontation with the Armor Crabs.

Small teams of seven or eight, composed of several professional mercenaries as the core, roamed around the Armor Crabs, constantly harassing them. Only when an Armor Crab showed signs of fatigue did they swarm it and kill it.

In less than a moment, half of the seventy to eighty Armor Crabs that had charged ashore were slain.

The remaining Armor Crabs were forced to retreat repeatedly, almost pushed back into the sea.

Under O'Neal's command, not a single member of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group died. Only a few mercenaries who had advanced too aggressively sustained minor injuries.

This outcome was undoubtedly glorious, earning a series of nods from Roland.

Just as the battle was clearly becoming more favorable and might conclude soon.

At this moment, Artur, on another part of the battlefield, darkened as he witnessed this scene.

Having been on Rising Light Island for so long, he could sense Roland's increasingly cold attitude towards him, while Roland's demeanor towards O'Neal grew warmer.

This change naturally instilled a sense of crisis in him. Although he was affiliated with Leslie, he was merely an Intermediate Warrior, insignificant in Leslie's eyes.

If Roland were to become displeased and send him back to Leslie, he could fully imagine his fate.

He had initially believed that with the strength of himself and his team members, they could certainly suppress the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group on the battlefield and regain Roland's favor.

But he never expected that now, under O'Neal's command, even the mercenaries who were still ordinary people could kill Armor Crabs. How could he maintain his position by Roland's side now?

As an Intermediate Warrior, he was performing worse than ordinary mercenaries. At that point, his standing in Roland's eyes would likely decline further.

Thus, upon considering this, a ruthless glint flashed in Artur's eyes. However, he did not seize this opportunity to harm the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group. After all, Roland was watching from the edge of the battlefield; he wouldn't dare, even with ten times the courage.

So, Artur's Battle Qi intensified, and he took the lead, charging directly into the Armor Crab swarm with his other nine teammates.

Although they faced immense pressure for a moment, with attacks coming from all directions by the Armor Crabs, their formation was thrown into disarray. Seizing this opportunity, O'Neal waved his hand, and the hundred mercenaries surged forward.

In an instant, over a dozen Armor Crabs fell.

"No, everyone retreat." Seeing this, Roland's brow furrowed, and he quickly commanded Artur and O'Neal.

Although Roland was currently only a Level 5 Mage, his Mental Power far surpassed everyone present, allowing him to sense a danger from the sea.

However, his order was clearly a step too late.

At this moment, twenty to thirty more Armor Crabs suddenly emerged from the water. These Armor Crabs were not only larger but also had a deeper hue.

Led by a giant Armor Crab the size of a calf, they charged ferociously through the water towards Artur and his ten companions.

"Armor Crab King! Retreat quickly!" Artur exclaimed in alarm.

Armor Crabs, being gregarious magical beasts, naturally had leaders. A leader that could rule over a hundred Armor Crabs usually possessed the strength of a Level 5 Magical Beast.

Furthermore, the Armor Crab leader was accompanied by over twenty Armor Crabs that had clearly reached Level 3 or Level 4 magical beast strength.

Even at full strength, Artur's team could not contend with this force, let alone with their Battle Qi already depleted by more than half.

And crucially, they were now surrounded by Armor Crabs. How could Artur not be terrified?

However, it was clearly too late to retreat. Upon sensing the appearance of the Armor Crab leader, the Armor Crabs around Artur began to attack Artur's team desperately, preventing them from disengaging.

"Pfft."

Finally, under the pincer attack from the front and back, an Intermediate Warrior on the outer edge of Artur's team could no longer hold on. With a moment's carelessness, an Armor Crab smashed him into the sea.

As he fell into the water, he attracted several Armor Crabs. The Intermediate Warrior, already severely wounded, was powerless to resist and was instantly reduced to a pool of blood.

Seeing his teammate fall, Artur was filled with grief and rage. He swung his twin swords, forcing back several Armor Crabs, and was on the verge of breaking through.

But at that moment, the Armor Crab leader leaped forward, flying directly over Artur's team and landing heavily in front of them, once again trapping them in the center of the encirclement.

Seeing this, Artur's face fell into despair. Facing a magical beast of the same level, especially a group leader, Artur was no match, let alone with dozens of Level 2 and Level 3 Armor Crabs surrounding them.

However, Roland could not possibly stand by and watch Artur's entire team be wiped out. Although Roland was displeased with Artur's choice when facing the scarred Henry, the latter was still Leslie's subordinate. Moreover, Roland was currently penniless, and these ten Intermediate Warriors were an important part of his foundation.

"O'Neal, take your people to support Artur's team." After speaking, Roland finally moved forward, stepping into the battlefield's range.

"Yes, Apothecary Roland." Under Roland's command, O'Neal dared not disobey and quickly led his mercenary subordinates in a fierce assault from the side of the Armor Crab leader.

Sensing the threat from behind, the Armor Crab leader let out a long hiss. The twenty-odd larger Armor Crabs around it immediately blocked the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group.

Roland's eyes lit up at this sight, and he quickly commanded Artur, "Artur, hold your position and keep that Armor Crab leader on the beach."

Hearing Roland's command, Artur was stunned for a moment, but then he understood. Roland intended to annihilate this group of Armor Crabs.

However, with O'Neal's support, Artur's team's situation had improved significantly. So, he immediately adopted a defensive formation, preparing to fight the Armor Crab leader to the death.

But Artur's team had already been fighting for a long time and was clearly no match for the Armor Crab leader.

The Armor Crab leader, with its tough carapace, charged relentlessly. The giant sword in Artur's hand only left shallow indentations on the Armor Crab leader's body, barely affecting it at all.

The Armor Crab King seemed to sense the weakening of Artur's attack. It swung its two crab claws, which resembled giant hammers, and smashed them fiercely towards Artur.

Facing the powerful blow, Artur didn't dare to block and quickly rolled to the side to dodge.

But his evasion caused the tightly knit defensive formation to instantly develop a gap.

In the blink of an eye, the Armor Crab King broke through their lines, scattering them.

The dispersed Artur's squad was once again in danger. Under the Armor Crab King's two massive claws, two Level 4 Warriors were instantly sent flying and fell into the encirclement of the other Armor Crabs. In an instant, they were devoured by several Armor Crabs.

Meanwhile, seeing that all the Armor Crabs were being held off by the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group and Artur's squad, Roland finally made his next move.

He casually took out a black and red magic staff from under his loose Mage Robe and began to chant softly.

In an instant, a powerful Mana surged from Roland's body like a tide, spreading outwards. The surrounding air grew hotter, and dense fire elementals gathered, forming a red tide of magic that flowed towards the magic staff in Roland's hand.

As Roland's chanting continued, the fire elementals gathered on his staff grew stronger and stronger, eventually transforming into five dark red fireballs, each the size of a watermelon, radiating a heart-stopping heat.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in Roland's eyes. He swung his magic staff heavily forward. The five dark red fireballs drew a dazzling arc in the air, trailing long flames, and shot directly towards the Armor Crab King.

Intermediate Fire Magic: Chain Fireball Technique.

This was the most powerful spell Roland had mastered so far.

The five fireballs, radiating intense heat from the sky, immediately caused the Armor Crab swarm to become agitated. As water-elemental Magical Beasts, they instinctively disliked anything related to fire, let alone these five blazing fireballs.

However, upon sensing the terrifying threat posed by the five fireballs, the Armor Crab swarm completely disregarded their enemies and began to flee into the sea.

Especially the Armor Crab King. Feeling the threat from the sky, it directly abandoned Artur's squad, leaped fiercely again, and quickly retreated towards the sea.

But just then, Artur suddenly charged out from somewhere, unleashing his remaining Battle Qi. He swung his sword fiercely, striking one of the Armor Crab King's thick legs.

Compared to its hard shell, the leg's defense was undoubtedly much weaker. Thus, Artur's sword cut it off directly, causing the Armor Crab King to lose its balance instantly and stumble onto the beach. However, the loss of one leg did not affect its mobility. Just as it angrily rose to its feet.

The five fireballs from the sky, carrying a furious aura, arrived at this moment and unmercifully slammed into the Armor Crab King.

"Bang... Bang."

After a series of loud explosions, the thick smoke generated by the fireballs' explosions completely engulfed the Armor Crab King's entire body.

As the smoke dissipated, the appearance of the Armor Crab King made a trace of shock and fear appear in the eyes of the surrounding crowd.

The once majestic Armor Crab King was now a horrific sight under the relentless bombardment of the five fireballs. Its hard shell was now pitch black and completely shattered. Large areas of its flesh beneath the shell were severely burned, emitting a pungent smell of scorching.