Chapter 121: Accidental Death

Thump... Thump-thump... Thump-thump-thump...

As Colin walked with Russell along the path toward "Highgarden," his heartbeat grew increasingly rapid, bordering on uncontrollable. With this acceleration came the inevitable physiological reactions: a parched throat, chest discomfort, restricted breathing, and a rising sense of panic. Simultaneously, an irritable, volatile mood began to boil over. Colin couldn't help but clench his fists.

*It’s hardening. My fists are hardening!*

But he couldn't initiate "Hunting Time" just yet. He was still over two hundred meters away from the Statue of the Mother—not close enough. Colin, eyes locked on the distance ahead, knew that after walking another dozen meters or so, the terrifying entity would awaken.

*Hoo...* After a deep, heavy exhale, he quickly retrieved the explosives—the best and newest kind.

These were the new model of explosives that had finally reached mass production at the base not long ago. The cost wasn't much higher than black powder, but the performance was doubled; it was more stable, more efficient, and most importantly, it had a faster detonation velocity and higher thermal output, leaving the target less time to react. This meant Colin’s timing had to be impeccable.

Production was in full swing, gradually phasing out the old black powder. However, Colin only had less than a ton on hand—roughly eight large barrels. He pulled out three hundred kilograms of the new explosive as a "greeting gift" for his first meeting with "Tebidad," a small token of his sincerity. These three barrels were similar in size to standard high-purity black powder barrels, but the material was different. They looked more like oversized, high-explosive grenades.

[You realize that once the fuse is lit, it will explode at the precise moment...]

[Although the hand-crafted metal barrels are not perfectly smooth and the seams are not entirely seamless, you deem these flaws to be within an acceptable range.]

["Justice Knight’s Shield" barrier can immunize against such an explosion!]

Even having checked several times, Colin couldn't help but verify again to avoid any mishaps. This time, he was joined not by Shana, but by Russell. The others had all retreated five hundred meters away to avoid accidentally drawing "aggro."

"I'm going to wake it up..." Russell said before walking forward.

He was the only one with "Flash." As soon as Tebidad was roused, he would immediately blink back to Colin’s side, providing him with a buffer and time to think. As the primary target, the beast would certainly charge toward this position first.

However, it was still unclear whether Tebidad would run over directly or follow Russell using an ability similar to "Flash." These two modes of movement dictated Colin’s timing for lighting the fuse. Even a one-second error could lead to an accident that would drastically reduce the lethality. And if such an accident occurred...

"Keep your pace and timing steady so I don't miscalculate..."

Colin’s voice became indifferent, his gaze cold, like a emotionless hunter. Simultaneously, his heartbeat gradually leveled out, maintaining absolute calm. In this state, the previously "agitated" prompts also stabilized.

"Hunting Time" had been activated.

"Don't worry..."

Russell, having taken all his performance-enhancing drugs, nodded. His six basic attributes were now above 5, meaning the mental interference wouldn't affect him too severely for a short time. He began to count silently in his mind, walking forward step by step to draw the aggro. Even so, cold sweat beaded on his skin. This was nothing like his previous combat experiences; it felt like walking a tightrope, proactively inviting death, where a single wrong step could lead to a gruesome end. Yet, for Colin and his group... it seemed like they were already accustomed to it. Still, having survived many life-and-death situations, he remained composed.

One step, two steps...

Russell felt as if he were walking toward a volcano where molten rock was accumulating, ready to erupt at any moment.

The final step!

*Thump!*

Russell’s expression contorted; he couldn't help but clutch his chest as his heart suffered a sudden, agonizing spasm. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

At that same moment, Tebidad—the antlered giant composed of wood, flesh, and white bone, cradled in the arms of the Mother Statue—awakened!

After "waking" from the statue, it sat up slowly and shook its head, but quickly erupted into a state of extreme fury.

"Woooo—!"

A massive roar exploded from its throat, sending a wave of dust over a dozen meters high billowing outward from its center. In that instant, Russell felt the air solidify, as if molten lava were surging around him. Rows of white, glowing inscriptions flickered on the Mother Statue, and chains forged of light bound its limbs... But it seemed that due to long years of neglect, the bindings had weakened significantly; with a single forceful tug, it snapped them apart.

Seemingly driven by extreme rage, Tebidad suppressed the Aberration’s instinctual desire to slaughter living things. Its two elongated, tree-like arms wrapped around the Mother Statue’s neck, and it wrenched the stone head clean off to vent its fury. At this moment, it was like the beast from a nightmare, suffering the pain of steel nails piercing its body, accompanied by a thunderous heartbeat and a beastly, violent roar.

No peace!

The next second, Russell’s breath hitched. Without a thought, he turned and used "Flash," appearing thirty meters away beside Colin.

The very instant he vanished, an oval-shaped stone crashed into the spot where he had just been standing, accompanied by a thunderous whistling sound. The Mother Statue's head sank deep into the mud...

At that moment, not just Russell, but Colin too breathed a deep sigh of relief. If that hadn't been mud but solid ground... the exploding debris from the stone head could have severely injured them or even killed them on the spot! Even so, the massive cloud of dust stirred up made it impossible to accurately observe Tebidad’s movements with the naked eye.

[You realize now is the time to light the fuse!]

Seeing this prompt, Colin didn't hesitate. He ignited the fuse and immediately cast "Justice Knight’s Shield" on Russell. The next second, they were pulled into the familiar dueling space.

As their figures blurred and vanished, a massive number of tree roots burst through the surface of the ground nearby, converging into the form of the giant beast, which was filled with endless rage. It was at this moment that an orange-red fire, brighter than deep crimson, erupted across the land, engulfing it. A mushroom cloud rose from the site.

"I can't believe you guys came up with this method..." Russell was somewhat awed by the "unorthodox" ways of Colin’s group.

"We don't have guns or cannons, so this was our only option..." Colin said calmly, his tone devoid of emotion.

He watched the blurred landscape, not seeing that figure again as he had when using this method last time. Because... it had been blown away. Not every Lord-level Aberration was as immovable as the "Mourning Watcher"—and that creature had only managed it thanks to the "Golden Sacrificial Vestment."

It wasn't enough. Colin knew it wasn't dead yet...

[This damage is not enough to cause its death, but it has inflicted sufficient grievous injury. Mental interference reduced by fifty percent...]

"Fifty percent..."

Colin wasn't surprised. He continued, "Wait until they draw this monster away..."

But...

In the next second, Colin’s voice cut off abruptly, and he froze, as if held in place.

[You realize that "Tebidad" seems to be on the verge of death...]

*How is that possible?!*

Colin’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. It was lively and active just a moment ago, and now it was about to die? This was even harder to accept than if it had stayed at full health without a scratch!

What on earth happened out there?

Even with "Hunting Time" active, Colin couldn't help but feel tense, wondering what kind of accident had occurred. How could a perfectly fine "Tebidad" just die like that?

What kind of joke was this?!