"Follow my lead as I take charge of this raid."
With his words echoing in the air, Eren's Shamshirs vanished, replaced by a runic crossbow. His emerald eyes gleamed with a peculiar light, and a sense of purpose emanated from him.
"I won't let this chance slip away. We must face this overhyped lizard head-on," Eren declared, striding forward with unyielding determination. The beast dominated the Rankers surrounding it, but Eren was ready to seize control of the situation and fulfill his own purpose.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Eren knew that time was of the essence. Completing his Hex armor required the soul of a wyvern, and the beast before them held the ideal replacement—the soul of the bear had served its purpose and was fading away. A Grayscale Fire wyvern's soul could potentially bring out the best of the Wrath mana.
"Listen up, everyone! Keep the beast restrained with the elemental chains," Eren commanded, addressing both his team members and the Firebrand members. Then, his gaze settled on a certain Ranker. "Renita, I need you here with me," he called out, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and concern.
Some of the other team members grumbled at the apparent favoritism Eren showed towards Renita. In their hearts, they muttered curses, but they didn't let it hinder their task. Another Ranker quickly took Renita's position in the chain formation to keep the beast restrained.
Even Altashia couldn't help but furrow her brows as she noticed Eren's focus on Renita's safety. She understood Eren's nature, though, and sighed quietly.
For Renita, Eren's gesture brought a smile to her face. However, she knew that now wasn't the time to express her feelings. She followed his orders, getting close to him.
"Reni, we'll target the beast together. You keep it distracted, and I'll focus on dealing critical damage," Eren said, a warm smile gracing his lips as he looked at Renita.
Having tactically switched to the Ranger Class, Eren aimed to weaken the beast before closing in for close-range attacks. He understood that simply inflicting superficial wounds would be futile, as the creature possessed almost boundless vitality, capable of recovering from moderate injuries quickly. He had already seen this happening when Altashia was inflicting her damage on the beast with her scythe. Eren knew that he couldn't outperform Altashia's attacks with his Expert-ranked moves. The best he could do with his current situation was to match her performance, which was clearly not enough.
Eren understood that Edinburgh's army had thoroughly underestimated the wyvern's capabilities. A bunch of Master Rankers were needed to work in unison to slay this monstrosity. Even then, these Master Rankers involved in the raid needed to deploy a battle formation for them to come out of the battle unscathed.
Eren and Altashia had underestimated the beast's vitality as well. They didn't know that the beast could stay tenacious even after being bombarded with so many restrictions and elemental spells unleashed on it.
Eren didn't want to make the same mistake of underestimating a dragonkind ever again. Instead of risking his life with meaningless assaults, Eren opted to pave the way for a more strategic approach. He needed to assess the beast's weaknesses before launching his close-range offensive.
"Alright, Eren."
Renita nodded, her admiration for Eren's capabilities evident. They had fought side by side many times during the past 9 years, and she knew he had become as skilled a Ranger as she was. She both envied and loved him for his prowess as a capable Ranker, and she trusted him implicitly, following his orders without question.
In the midst of the battlefield, Eren and Renita's unspoken bond was stronger than ever—a shared trust and understanding that transcended the chaos around them. As they faced the formidable creature together, the two Rangers pointed their weapons at the beast, took aim, and fired their volley of attacks.
Renita's heart raced as she gripped the crossbow of Nira Nightshade, a transcendent-grade artifact gifted to her by Eren a decade ago. Its power was beyond anything she had wielded before, capable of unleashing the full potential of her Ranger class and spell capabilities.
Renita knew that the bow held even greater secrets than she could currently comprehend. She felt a connection with it, a sense that it would remain by her side even after she broke into the esteemed Sage Rank—an indication of its profound abilities.
But for now, her current rank and limited Elemental Attainments acted as barriers, preventing her from fully tapping into the bow's true potential. When the battle commenced, Renita hesitated to employ the artifact, knowing the immense burden it would place on her. Additionally, the chaos of the battle had left her unable to concentrate enough to utilize the mysterious bow effectively.
However, as the situation stabilized with the aid of the Firebrand Guild members and Eren's strategic maneuvers, an ideal opportunity presented itself. Eren had created an environment where she could use the artifact without worry, even if it meant overdrawing from her mana reserves.
With a deep breath, Renita made her decision. As the battle raged on around her, she channeled her focus and summoned the strength to wield the crossbow. The artifact's intricate runic patterns seemed to glow in response to her touch, and a surge of energy coursed through her veins. Her eyes narrowed in determination as she aimed at the most formidable adversary before her.
The air seemed to crackle with anticipation as she conjured and released the first arrow made of pure wind-element mana. The moment it left the bow, the arrow transformed, leaving behind a trail of shimmering light. It homed in on its target with precision and speed, piercing through the defenses of the opponent with deadly accuracy.
Renita's heart swelled with pride as she witnessed the bow's prowess in action once again. It was as if the artifact had become an extension of her own will, guiding her strikes and empowering her abilities.
AN: Renita received Nira Nightshade's bow from Eren in chapter 1091.
