Chapter 195: The Four Nicadors
The fragments of the Damned Vanguards, which had been scattered across the ground and should have been dissipating or coalescing into treasure chests, suddenly began to float.
It wasn't just the remains of the five vanguards they had just defeated. The remnants of every monster they had cleared from the quarry before now seemed to be drawn by some powerful summons, gathering frantically toward the center of the field like an inexorable tide.
A low, suppressed hum of energy filled the air as the fragments spun, compressed, and merged at high speed. Light flickered violently. Finally, under the astonished gazes of Lumine and Paimon, the swirling mass condensed into a colossal stone statue.
The statue stood nearly ten meters tall, its face a mask of ferocious, crazed fury. It was frozen in a posture as if about to wield a long spear, standing silently in the heart of the quarry and exuding an aura far more potent than any enemy they had faced before.
This was completely wrong. Defeating enemies always resulted in reward chests; never before had their remains reformed into the effigy of a leader.
Lumine's internal alarms blared. She keenly sensed a massive and malevolent energy rapidly awakening and expanding within the stone form.
"Paimon! Get back! Now!" Lumine grabbed the still-dazed Paimon and pulled her into a rapid retreat.
As she fell back, she quickly took out a Domain Anchor, aimed it at the ground behind a large nearby rock, and drove it firmly into the earth.
At the same time, her thoughts raced, connecting to the chat group.
[Lumine]: "@All Members Emergency! We cleared a large number of enemies in the quarry, but they didn't disappear or turn into treasure chests. Instead, they all gathered and merged into a giant Nicador stone statue!"
[Lumine]: "The energy reading is off the charts, and it's still climbing! I can feel it reviving! It's probably going to come to life in a few minutes!"
Lumine had assumed they were the first to encounter this, but no sooner had her message appeared than a cascade of new alerts popped up in the group.
[Stelle]: "We've reached the Hanging Edge City Arena! Nicador is right in the middle of the field!"
[Dan Heng]: "We're in the abandoned Hall of Strife. After clearing the guards, their remnants also aggregated to form a Nicador stone statue. It's slowly reviving. The situation is identical to what Lumine described."
[Wise]: "It seems we're in an old military camp. There's a complete stone statue here as well. As the Strife Minions around it are cleared, its revival speed is noticeably accelerating."
The messages appeared almost simultaneously, their content shockingly similar.
A brief silence fell over the chat group. Everyone was caught off guard by this completely unexpected development.
[Wise]: "...Four Nicadors? How is this possible?"
[Paimon]: "Does he have a cloning technique?! How are we supposed to fight this?!"
[March 7th]: "Yeah! Which one is the real one? Or... are all four of them real?"
For a moment, everyone was at a loss. But it was Dan Heng who first proposed a feasible solution.
[Dan Heng]: "It's impossible to tell which is the true body. We'll have to test them. According to the activity mission prompt, we must defeat the real Nicador to obtain the 'Spark of Strife' and gain exploration progress."
[Dan Heng]: "We can split up and engage. Whichever Nicador leaves behind a 'Spark' after being defeated will confirm its identity as the true body."
[March 7th]: "But... isn't splitting up too dangerous? What if we concentrate our strength and deal with them one by one? Wouldn't that be safer?"
[Dan Heng]: "No. Firstly, with four dispersed locations, moving as a single group is inefficient. We would risk missing combat opportunities, or worse, all four statues could fully revive while we're in transit, leading to a desperate battle where we're encircled."
[Dan Heng]: "Secondly, even if we gather in one place, too many people on a single battlefield can easily interfere with each other, preventing us from using our abilities to their full potential. Nicador's power is not to be underestimated; the situation would only become more complex and dangerous."
He then laid out a more detailed tactical arrangement.
[Dan Heng]: "In my opinion, each team should proceed as planned and attempt to attack the Nicador in front of them."
[Dan Heng]: "If you find yourselves outmatched, or if the battle turns against you, do not push it. Immediately use the Domain Anchor to teleport to another team's location. We can converge and combine the strength of two or even three teams to break through one point first. This way, we ensure both efficiency and the maximum safety for everyone."
[Zhongli]: "What Dan Heng says is very true. With clear plans for advance and retreat, this method is sound."
[Wise]: "Understood."
[Lumine]: "Understood."
[Stelle]: "Alright! Let's do this! I've been itching to punch him!"
With the strategy decided, the slight panic that had permeated the group was instantly replaced by soaring battle intent.
The four small teams, scattered throughout Hanging Edge City, reacted almost in unison—checking their equipment, gripping their weapons, steadying their breathing, and locking their gazes sharply on the colossal figures that were continuously awakening before them.
The string of battle was drawn taut.
In the Hanging Edge City Arena, Stelle, Phaenon, and Maide were the first to step onto the ancient and massive circular battlefield.
In the center of the arena, the Nicador statue, standing over ten meters tall, had already fully come to life. Within its ferocious head, a pair of giant eyes flashed with a savage, crimson light.
The very moment Stelle and her companions' footsteps landed on the arena floor—
K-RR-CRACK!
As if a universal switch had been flipped, the other three Nicador statues scattered in the quarry, the Hall of Strife, and the old military camp all awakened. This one in the arena, and its three counterparts, erupted in unison as four pairs of giant eyes blazed with a dazzling red light, like blood moons rising in the gloom.
"ROOOOAR—!!!"
Four deafening roars, saturated with madness and savagery, exploded like thunder from different corners of Hanging Edge City. The sound waves echoed off one another, shaking the very foundations of the ruins.
The Nicador in the arena shuddered violently, shaking off the last of its stone debris. Its huge right hand closed with a grinding crunch around the shaft of a massive spear—a weapon identical to those wielded by the Damned Vanguards.
He swung the spear, let out an even more ferocious battle cry, and locked his burning gaze onto the three tiny figures who had trespassed into his domain.
The battle was upon them.
"Here it comes!" Phaenon growled, his massive blade already held horizontally before him.
Maide slammed his fists together, his gauntlets producing a dull, metallic clang. His aura surged, coiling around him like a fierce tiger poised to strike.
Stelle, however, did not choose her usual baseball bat this time. Instead, with a single thought, the Lance of Preservation, burning with an inextinguishable fire, leaped into her hand.
A scorching heat instantly permeated the air.
'Phaenon uses a greatsword, Maide uses his fists,'she thought.'Both are melee powerhouses. Someone has to draw aggro and soak up the firepower, right? Sigh, this dirty and tiring work can only be left to me!'
Of course, she would never admit that she was actually just a little bit itchy to feel the power of the Lance again.
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