Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 498 A Crazy Battle And A Crazy Saintess

Alice’s movements became swifter as she activated another ability.

Solar Dominion.

Golden flames erupted outward from her position, engulfing a five-hectare radius. The atmosphere grew intensely hot, the light becoming piercingly bright. Tender roots nearest to her ignited, turning black under the scorching heat.

A distorted shriek emanated from the Thorn Tyrant, the monstrosity clearly feeling its roots being consumed by fire.

Its mana regeneration rate plummeted, and the flames amplified Alice's inherent fire and light-based powers. Since her Flame of Judgement skill was categorized as fire-based, its efficacy was significantly boosted.

She unleashed yet another skill.

Daybreak Incarnate. Upon reaching Level 10, this skill provided a staggering 120% increase to her stats and granted her the ability to bypass 65% of enemy defense.

As the skill took effect, her physical form underwent a transformation. Wings unfurled from her back, her silhouette sharpening and radiating power. Faint, shimmering scales began to manifest along her arms and cheeks, and her aura surged dramatically upward.

"Holy sun…" Averon could only stare, his astonishment palpable.

The sheer pressure emanating from her was utterly overwhelming.

Alice drew her arm back and hurled the spear.

The instant it left her grasp, the very air in front of it fractured.

A sharp crack resounded as the sonic barrier was shattered, and the spear morphed into a blinding streak of golden light. It traversed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Then, impact.

The mansion imploded violently.

A colossal hole was bored directly through the structure, tearing through layers of both roots and monstrous flesh. A distorted scream echoed as viscous green fluid began to gush from the massive wound.

The Thorn Tyrant's primary body was situated within the mansion, with the portion visible above ground being merely its head. Alice had ingeniously targeted its core body, inflicting substantial damage.

"Don't give it a chance to recover!" Alice commanded.

Emily immediately summoned Stoneward directly above the mansion.

The Abyssal Mammoth, a creature whose enormity rivaled the mansion itself, materialized in mid-air, its colossal form casting a vast shadow over the desolate ruins. For a fleeting second, it hung suspended.

Then, it descended.

The impact was utterly cataclysmic.

The roof collapsed entirely as the mammoth slammed down onto the Thorn Tyrant's wounded body. The surrounding walls disintegrated, sending debris scattering in every direction.

Emily, without a moment's hesitation, summoned a further array of creatures from her Soul Space.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm emerged with a deafening roar, closely followed by the Blazing Pterodactyls. She directed their assault forward, their attacks converging upon the severely weakened monster.

Lightning began to coalesce in the heavens.

Flames blazed through the air.

Averon too activated his skills. His presence intensified, becoming as heavy and immense as a mountain. He took a step forward, then broke into a sprint towards the mansion, his speed escalating with every stride.

For a brief period, it seemed their coordinated assault was succeeding.

Then, the very earth convulsed.

A gigantic vine erupted from the ground, ensnaring the mammoth in its grasp.

"Oh, crap," Averon muttered under his breath.

Before he could fully process the unfolding events, the vine constricted, hoisting the colossal creature into the air.

Then, it swung.

The mammoth was hurled through the air like a colossal projectile.

Averon forced his body to react instinctively, activating his speed-enhancing skills just in the nick of time to evade. Even so, the sheer kinetic force of the movement grazed him, sending him hurtling back across the ravaged ground.

Concurrently, the Thorn Tyrant unleashed another furious roar.

Its massive body began to swell ominously.

More vines burst forth from the earth, thicker and more rapid than those that came before. Each was as substantial as a small house, lined with monstrous thorns, and they moved with an unnatural, terrifying swiftness.

The vines swelled outwards, then violently contracted.

A barrage of spikes was unleashed.

The Blazing Pterodactyls scattered in a desperate attempt to evade the onslaught, narrowly avoiding the piercing projectiles. The Crimson Sky Wyrm, however, absorbed the full impact of the attacks, letting out a pained roar as lightning began to gather above it.

Crashing bolts of azure lightning descended from the sky.

The vines reacted with remarkable alacrity.

They whipped through the air like predatory tendrils, intercepting the lightning mid-flight and dispersing its energy before it could reach the Thorn Tyrant's core body.

The entire combat zone transformed into a tempest of frenetic movement.

Vines lashed out indiscriminately in every direction, striking the ground, the air, anything within their considerable reach. Their sheer size rendered them inherently dangerous, but their bewildering speed elevated them to an entirely different level of threat.

Both Emily and Averon were compelled to maintain a considerable distance.

There was simply no discernible opening to exploit.

The Thorn Tyrant was relentlessly repelling all advances, shrewdly buying itself precious time to recuperate.

And its actions were not purely defensive.

Vines began to spread outwards across the ruined landscape, piercing into other lesser monsters, into the surrounding flora, into anything possessing even a semblance of life. Vital energy was siphoned back towards the main body, relentlessly feeding it.

Its regenerative capabilities were accelerating at an alarming rate.

To the profound shock of both Emily and Averon, Alice suddenly charged directly towards the Boss monster.

"Alice! Wait!" Averon yelled urgently.

"We can't let it heal!" she retorted, showing no signs of slowing her aggressive advance.

She plunged headlong into the chaotic storm of thrashing vines.

They converged upon her from all sides simultaneously. Thick, colossal tendrils whipped through the air with a speed that defied their immense size. The sheer pressure felt as though it was crushing the very space in front of her, folding it inwards.

Alice, however, did not falter.

Tightening her grip on the Legendary-grade hammer she had unsheathed, she felt its substantial weight, yet it felt perfectly natural in her grasp. While continuing her run, she adjusted her stance and abruptly slammed one foot into the ground.

Her body began to rotate.

She spun with the full momentum of her sprint, bringing the hammer around in a wide sweep. Simultaneously, she activated its special abilities.

[Solar Acceleration].

The contained sunlight within the hammer burst forth, radiating heat that enveloped the weapon and amplified its destructive power.

[Gravity Well].

The hammer's weight increased exponentially, magnified a hundredfold.

Combined with the hammer's skills and her own stat-boosting abilities, which elevated her attributes to terrifying levels, she confronted the encroaching vine head-on.

A profound shockwave emanated from the impact zone. The earth fractured, and debris ascended into the air before plummeting back down. The accompanying sound, a deep, resonant crack, lagged a half-second behind, reverberating through the desolate ruins.

For a fleeting instant, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then, the vine recoiled, shoved backward and partially obliterated.

Averon and Emily stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the spectacle unfolding before them.

That very vine had possessed the strength to effortlessly lift and hurl Stoneward as if it were a mere trifle. Yet, in a direct contest of raw power—

It had been overpowered.

Alice had triumphed in a display of strength against a Mini Boss!

However, this decisive blow came at a cost.

As she landed, her arms dropped slightly, hanging lifelessly for a moment. The immense force had transferred through her weapon and into her body, causing fractures and muscle tears.

She did not falter.

A surge of light flowed through her as she invoked her healing ability. The damage began to reverse almost instantaneously. Bones realigned, tissues repaired, and her strength returned.

Resuming her advance, she broke into a full sprint once more.

"That girl is insane!" Averon exclaimed, jolted from his stupor as he began to pursue her.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would have held back. He would have waited for the initial onslaught to subside.

This was the prudent and logical course of action. Naturally, doing so would allow the boss time to recover, but it wouldn't restore it to its full strength.

But Alice was disregarding the safe and sensible strategy.

She was so reckless that she intended to assault the boss before it could even begin to regenerate!

"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath, pushing himself harder.

There was no alternative now. He couldn't permit her to face the danger alone.

Even if it meant being caught in that tempest of attacks, he had to keep pace.

'She can heal me. Even if I sustain injuries, she can mend them,' he reassured himself, suppressing his apprehension.

This conviction was the sole reason he was moving with such urgency.

From behind, Emily's expression shifted rapidly as she recognized the uncharacteristic recklessness of both Alice and Averon.

Nevertheless, it was too late to intervene. Her role was now to provide support.

"Crim! Second Eye! Blaze, Sena, Roa—Flame Breath!" she commanded.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm responded instantly, emitting a deep roar as it amassed power. Lightning coalesced in the sky above, splitting into numerous bolts that rained down.

The vines reacted immediately, lashing upward to intercept the celestial assault.

But this time, the lightning bolts did not simply dissipate upon impact.

They glided.

The bolts weaved through the vines, sluicing past them like sentient entities, before striking the ground. The released energy expanded outward, forming an area that impeded movement within its confines.

Everything within this zone was affected.

The vines' advance measurably slowed.

Even Alice and Averon felt the resistance.

Alice reacted without hesitation. Her healing skill activated, nullifying the debuff affecting both her and Averon, and she surged forward, maintaining her momentum.

Concurrently, the Blazing Pterodactyls maneuvered into position.

They gaped open their maws and unleashed torrents of dark orange flames. These fiery streams converged upon the Thorn Tyrant's head, compelling it to divert its attention.

The vines shifted.

Several recoiled from the vicinity of Alice and Averon to intercept the encroaching flames. The fire adhered to them, burning with persistent intensity, forcing the boss to allocate more of its defenses to containment.

The pressure on Alice and Averon lessened.

It was a marginal reprieve, yet it proved sufficient.

Alice reached the final approach.

She lowered her posture slightly, then propelled herself off the ground with everything she possessed. Her body shot upwards, bypassing the last barrier of vines as she aimed directly for the Thorn Tyrant's cranial structure.

The Mini Boss, preoccupied with fending off the Blazing Pterodactyls, was taken aback to find Alice directly before its face. Without any delay, Alice activated the ultimate ability of her Legendary Grade hammer: [Supernova Impact]. This powerful technique unleashes all accumulated solar energy in a single, devastating explosion imbued with both Holy and Fire attributes. Her Solar Dominion skill was already amplifying her Fire attribute, adding further potency to her hammer's devastating capacity.

The Thorn Tyrant reacted with remarkable speed.

Its enormous, flower-like head unfurled.

Within its structure, rows of formidable, jagged spikes precisely shifted into position, all slick with a dark, virulent poison. They launched outward in a compressed volley, sealing the expanse between them.

Alice elected not to evade or erect a defense.

Her swing continued its arc.

A dazzling luminescence engulfed the vicinity. Fire and divine energy erupted outward in a focused blast, obliterating all in its trajectory. The majority of the spikes disintegrated mid-flight, vaporized by the intense heat from the conflagration.

The Thorn Tyrant's cranium bore the brunt of the impact.

A powerful recoil propelled Alice backward. She slammed violently onto the ground, her form heavily damaged, her armor fractured, a trail of blood marking her descent.

Concurrently—

Averon initiated his movement.

The instant the explosion carved out an opening, he surged forward, penetrating the vast breach in the Thorn Tyrant's core, a wound inflicted by Alice's initial spear thrust.

Once inside, he unleashed a fierce assault.

The internal environment was chaotic, pulsating and contorting like a living entity. Tendrils writhed around him, attempting to ensnare, crush, and tear him asunder.

He pressed onward relentlessly.

His strikes landed with devastating force, severing layers of flesh and root with each blow. The entire monstrosity shuddered as he advanced deeper, disregarding the accumulating damage to his own body.

From the exterior, a tormented shriek echoed from the Thorn Tyrant.

The settling dust slowly unveiled the extent of the destruction.

Half of its head had been obliterated. The remaining mass sagged, dissolving and collapsing under the residual inferno.

Its focus shifted back towards Alice.

Pure animosity radiated from its being.

However, its movements were now restricted.

Averon remained ensconced within its form.

With every passing second, further damage accrued. The inflicted pain disrupted its control, compelling it to divide its concentration.

Simultaneously, the Blazing Pterodactyls persistently harried it, necessitating continuous defensive measures.

The Thorn Tyrant's physical structure began to undergo a transformation.

Its verdant hue deepened to a crimson shade. Its form swelled, expanding outwards as its internal energy surged dramatically.

It was attempting a metamorphosis.

A final, desperate gambit to overwhelm its adversaries.

Within its depths, Averon sensed the impending shift.

He did not falter.

Instead, he intensified his assault, attacking like a frenzied warrior.

"I absolutely will not permit your transformation!" he bellowed, accelerating his movements as his attacks grew increasingly savage.

Then, another entity entered the fray.

Stoneward had returned.

The colossal Abyssal Mammoth charged forth, its velocity augmented as it activated a potent skill. It lowered its immense head, colliding forcefully with the Thorn Tyrant's bulk.

The impact reverberated throughout the entire domain.

The transformation process faltered drastically.

The Thorn Tyrant roared in sheer vexation, struggling to regain equilibrium, attempting to finalize its metamorphosis.

But its efforts proved futile.

A critical internal disruption occurred.

A spatial anomaly manifested.

Subsequently—

A torrent of water erupted from within.

High-pressure streams pierced through its internal layers simultaneously, originating from its core. Jagged apertures materialized across its form as the attack completely rent it asunder.

The very energy sustaining its existence collapsed inward.

Life receded from its being, and it slumped, lifeless, failing to complete its intended transformation.

A profound silence ensued.

Emerging at last from the decrepit husk, Averon was borne by Lume, the Abyssal Trickster, and Aeralis, the Abyssal Shark.

It had not been merely Averon who infiltrated the Thorn Tyrant's interior. Lume had cleverly employed a skill to conceal both itself and Aeralis, allowing them to accompany Averon undetected.

While Averon engaged in his destructive internal campaign, Aeralis meticulously amassed power for its ultimate strike, and Lume adeptly masked Aeralis's telltale mana fluctuations.

"We… we actually vanquished it," Averon breathed, overwhelmed with disbelief.

He gazed upon the remains of the Thorn Tyrant, his mind still struggling to comprehend the sequence of events.

Emily was already in swift flight towards Alice's impact site, her speed escalating as distress overshadowed all other concerns.

"Alice! Are you—"

Her utterance ceased abruptly.

Alice was already standing upright.

Her injuries had vanished. The visible damage was entirely mended, her body restored to its pristine state. Faint traces of the ordeal remained—fractured earth, scorched patches—but nothing lingered upon her person.

Although Alice's physical afflictions were healed, the psychological toll should have been evident. She had been impaled by numerous colossal spikes and brought to the brink of death.

This was Emily's primary concern.

Yet, instead of shock or fear, Alice's eyes sparkled with an unusual light.

Those eyes held a subtle brilliance, a quiet exhilaration that was entirely incongruous with her recent near-fatal experience.

Emily blinked, taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

'…is she elated because we achieved victory? Or is she thrilled simply by confronting a formidable beast?' she mused. 'Could this be what others refer to as a battle-crazed individual?'

It was evident that Alice had reveled in the intense pressure, the inherent danger, and the razor's edge of imminent annihilation.

Observing her radiant demeanor, Emily offered a wry smile.

Finally, Alice broke the silence, stating, "You should endeavor to tame the spirit of the Mini Boss."