The arrows pouring down from the canopy bridges hit their target precisely. The distance was not large enough to miss a target as large as the Blood-eyed Minotaur.
However, despite hitting the target, only a few arrows and bolts did any real damage. The bolts of the Aero Crossbowmen tore through the Minotaur's thick hide, and the Archer's arrows found their way through the cuts, claws, and bite marks from the Minotaur's earlier fights.
Michael's attack was one of the arrows that found its way through a claw mark on the Minotaur's chest. The arrow dug deep into the target's chest after which the tincture coating the arrow tip began to spread rapidly through the veins.
The tincture was a rather simple potion – even though it was made with expensive ingredients. It enhanced the sensitivity of the target's nerves more than tenfold.
In less than five minutes, the Blood-eyed Minotaur's sense of touch would be enhanced to the extreme, driving it to insanity whenever it came in contact with something.
It was not a poison and was often used in an attempt to help cripples regain their sense of touch and help improve the functioning of the nervous system of disabled patients, but it could also be used to drive his opponent to insanity.
Plan B, stalling for time, was executed, and everyone began to move.
Icarus and Iglisis dived down from the treetop above the Blood-eyed Minotaur. They impacted heavily and clawed at the Blood-eyed Minotaur in an attempt to injure it heavily. Following the distraction caused by the two aerial combat units, the Water Elemental Mage and the Earth Mage worked together to pull the Blood-eyed Minotaur's legs underground.
Earth spikes shot out of the ground, piercing the Minotaur's armpits, while water ropes conjured all around the Minotaur. Most of the manifested water ropes coiled around the Minotaur's arms to restrict its movements. Meanwhile, the remaining water ropes shot toward the hand holding the battle-axe tightly.
The Mages tried to disarm the Minotaur while restricting its movements simultaneously and locking it in place. They stalled time for the close combat group to attack, and the long-range units to prepare their second and third barrage.
Meanwhile, Michael took his time to shoot one arrow after another. He coated a second arrow in the tincture prepared by the Master Alchemist and released the arrow. This time, however, his arrow impacted the Minotaur's left calf.
The Minotaur struggled to free its legs and escape being buried alive by the two Elemental Mages when an energy arrow pierced through the thick hide covering its left calf.
Its left calf was not injured but just scratched, however, the Siltang Bow, enhanced by Lesser Enhancement, could create enough force to further push the arrow through the Minotaur's hide. The arrow didn't dig deep through the Minotaur's calf, but that was not needed. Everything Michael desired was coming to fruition with the slow-spreading tincture prepared by the Master Alchemist.
Michael achieved his goal, which was also why he began to release one arrow after another to restrict the Minotaur's movements and distract it. His arrows targeted the Minotuar's throat, mouth, nose, eyes, and even ears.
One arrow after another was conjured and released through the Siltang Bow, and every single one of them hit their designated target.
Meanwhile, as Michael depleted the energy storage of the Siltang Bow, the other long-range units released their projectiles as well.
The close combat group waited patiently, hoping that their comrades could restrict the Blood-eyed Minotaur while inflicting lethal injuries. That way, the close combat group would have a higher chance of survival, and the terror induced by the Blood-eyed Minotaur would decrease drastically.
Every projectile that inflicted an injury, or worsened an existing wound, no matter how big or small, was a great deal. It meant that the Blood-eyed Minotaur would have a harder time dealing devastating damage once the close combat unit had to jump into action.
However, something was weird.
The Blood-eyed Minotaur seemed to be struggling to regain freedom and escape the attacks of the two Elemental Mages, but its attempts seemed lax and sluggish. It was almost as if the Blood-eyed Minotaur was not actually trying to escape the restrictions of the water ropes or sinking further into the ground.
It was a matter of fact that the injuries all over its body had increased. Michael's attacks alone were already enough to injure the Blood-eyed Minotaur severely. One of its ears had been pierced by an energy arrow, and one of its eyes had been damaged as well.
Why would the Blood-eyed Minotaur allow anyone to injure it to such an extent when it had the means to escape?
Michael frowned deeply. He jumped down from the canopy bridge and replaced the Siltang Bow with Seron Voulge. Simultaneously, the Onyx Dragon Armor Set covered his body.
Michael used Lesser Enhancement on all of his manifested Artifacts while rushing over to Tiara and the others, who approached the Blood-Eyed Minotaur slowly.
His perception heightened to the extreme, and his eyes and focus never left the Blood-eyed Minotaur.
Something was off, but Michael couldn't really tell what it was, at first. Only after he jumped down to the ground and approached the Minotaur did he slowly gain more insights into the situation.
At first, it looked like the Blood-eyed Minotaur's chest was coated in blood. While that may be true, it did not catch Michael's attention.
He noticed that the Blood-eyed Minotaur's hide was about to turn crimson!
'Is that Berserk? No…it shouldn't be…'
His complexion worsened and he paled. The highly intelligent Minotaur was a trickster. It used its fresh injuries and the blood covering its body to hide that it had almost finished transforming!
The sound of steam blowing off reached Michael's ears, and the sound made his brain rattle wildly. It was only after a few seconds that he realized what was about to happen.
"Fuck…"
He regained his senses the next second and shouted out aloud, "Get away from the Minotaur, immediately!!!!"
Michael's shrill voice rang through the surroundings, but it was already too late.
Some of his subjects reacted in time. They noticed that something was off the moment the Minotaur's body began to emit smoke. When its hide turned red they knew that all their preparations had missed out on considering one particular factor; Unique Racial Abilities.
Unfortunately, the realization came too late for some.
The Minotaur's bloody eyes shot wide open and it began to move. Smoke engulfed the monster's body, the water ropes quickly evaporated into thin air, and the Minotaur's legs stomped out of the crater it had been halfway buried into, ignoring the injuries spread all over its body.
The Blood-eyed Minotaur looked over to Michael for a second before it charged toward the closest Cavalry rider, its empty fist smashing downward, mercilessly crushing the Cavalry Rider's head.
However, the monster didn't stop at that.
No, it was just the beginning.
The Minotaur's fist continued to punch downward. And as a result, the Cavalry Rider's body was squashed and the spine of the Battlehorse beneath snapped as well.
Only when the miserable cry of the dying Battlehorse rang through the Untamed Jungle did the Minotaur's fist stop delivering lethal blows.
It looked over to Michael once again, its body covered with black smoke and bloody eyes staring menacingly at him.
And at that moment, Michael realized one thing with jarring clarity.
Hell was about to descend!!
