Suddenly, the cavern began to shake violently. Several piercing “screeches” echoed through the air. The flames in the abyss abruptly shot up. A giant bat, entirely blood–red with a hairy, terrifying human face, flew out of the fire. It extended its razor–sharp claws, aiming for Valerie’s face. Valerie barely dodged, then began to fight the blood–red bat with Kaelen.
Ryker looked at me meaningfully, finally understanding my intention, and gave me a thumbs–up. Yes, this ultimate boss guarding the Staff was incredibly powerful. In my previous life, I had spent every ounce of my energy, getting covered in wounds, just to finally kill the big boss. But then Valerie swooped in to claim the prize. This time, I was ready to give her a taste of her own bitter medicine.
That bat was formidable, but not without weaknesses. Its eyesight was poor; it relied entirely on sound to navigate. Although its entire body was impenetrable, the back of its head was its most vulnerable spot. Valerie and Kaelen jumped onto the bat’s back, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. The bat roared in fury and began to spin and fly wildly, trying to dislodge them. With the bat moving like that, their plan became impossible.
Valerie told Kaelen to go down and distract the bat’s attention, so she could seize her opportunity. “If I go down now, won’t I be committing suicide?” Kaelen looked at the enraged bat, hesitating.
“Why are you so slow?! Do you want me to be the bait?” Valerie kicked him down without a word. The bat followed immediately. Before Kaelen even hit the ground, the bat’s claw tore through his back. The force was so great that his ripped clothes and flesh flew through the air. Kaelen screamed as he crashed to the ground. The bat, however, was also struck down by Valerie’s blow and plummeted into the abyss.
