Chapter 151: In the Heat of Battle

This strike, fueled by the momentum of her leap, was heavy and powerful.

"Crack!"

However, the blade failed to pierce the flesh of the Mud-Shell Boar. She had aimed for its shoulder blade, intending to disable its left leg, but the sword became lodged in the thick mud armor and could not advance a single inch further. Tang Ruotong made a prompt decision; she did not struggle. Using her shield as a brace, she wedged it beneath the blade and pulled the sword free in one swift motion.

"It seems there is no point in trying to inflict wounds on these beasts," she thought. "I just need to focus on tangling with them and stalling until Wang Chen is ready with a countermeasure."

In the team's private chat channel, Wang Chen had already uploaded the data on the Mud-Shell Boars, which Tang Ruotong could view at any time. Yet, perhaps out of habit, even after seeing that the mud shells provided impenetrable protection, she had insisted on testing them with her blade herself. Now that she had confirmed it, she focused solely on delaying the herd.

She gripped her sword hilt tightly, and a glow surged along the blade, quickly spreading across her entire body.

"Taunt of the Adversary!"

With a sharp cry, her presence flared. The Taunt of the Adversary was one of the innate skills awakened by a Holy Shield Knight. As the name suggested, its purpose was to force enemies to prioritize her as their target. Many tank-oriented classes possessed similar skills, but for a powerful frontline class like the Holy Shield Knight, this skill not only drew aggression but also boosted her attributes.

The seven or eight Mud-Shell Boars, which had been thundering toward the tree where Wang Chen was positioned, abruptly changed course, drawn by Tang Ruotong. A chorus of deep, guttural grunts filled the air. The beasts pushed off with their limbs, leaping from the ground to charge at her. She maneuvered through a cluster of a dozen thick trees, deftly weaving around them. This required great skill; she could not simply hide behind a trunk and wait for them to charge, or every tree would be splintered within ten minutes. Instead, she used the trees to force the boars to graze against them, avoiding direct, head-on impacts.

For now, Tang Ruotong was holding her own. Although she was not a class built for agility, she was still significantly more nimble than the four- or five-hundred-pound Mud-Shell Boars, making their attacks manageable. However, more boars were emerging from the mist, all drawn by the taunt. They ignored Wang Chen’s scent entirely, focusing their assault on her. Given enough time, she would inevitably be overwhelmed.

Wang Chen knew this, and he was casting as fast as he could, waving his staff, the Gale of the Forest.

"Anthem of Reason!"

A faint, ethereal singing sound began to circle the tip of his staff, gradually growing clearer until it seemed as if individual musical notes were shimmering in the air. They drifted like dancers toward the boars, hovering above their heads. The boars enveloped by the notes immediately felt a wave of exhaustion, their fierce battle intent fading. Even their rhythm in charging at Tang Ruotong slowed significantly.

But Wang Chen wanted more than just this. He wanted these Mud-Shell Boars to turn on each other, just like the Giant-Toothed Freshwater Crocodiles he had encountered in the Old Smoker's Jungle. He continuously produced potions, drinking them one by one and stowing the empty vials in his storage space. These mental-clarity potions allowed him to cast spells seamlessly. Soon, three musical notes hovered above the head of nearly every boar.

By now, the aggressive intent in their eyes had been replaced by base, primal instincts. They began to shove and trample one another; the heavier boars climbed atop the smaller ones, their thick bodies heaving in a chaotic frenzy. Tang Ruotong’s pressure eased instantly.

Wang Chen watched the effect of his anthem with satisfaction. "Just as I hypothesized. These Mud-Shell Boars are a race focused entirely on physical strength; their limited intellect makes them highly susceptible to the Anthem of Reason."

While the anthem remained in effect, the herd could not form a cohesive threat. Wang Chen messaged Long Wushuang in the team channel: "Brother, it’s up to you now!"

Long Wushuang had been watching from the canopy of a large tree. Seeing the effect of the anthem, he was stunned for a moment, then found it hilarious. He bit back his laughter to avoid attracting the beasts' attention.

Now was his chance to go on the offensive, a perfect way to distract himself from the absurdity of the situation. He crouched on the thick branch, gripped his Gale Bow, and nocked an arrow.

"Twang! Whoosh—"

The string of the Gale Bow snapped with a crisp sound, and an arrow whistled through the air with a sharp, piercing screech!

"Splat!"

The arrow buried itself directly into the eye of a Mud-Shell Boar. The entire shaft vanished, leaving only the fletching visible. The boar didn't even have time to scream; it collapsed with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. The arrow had pierced its eye and driven straight into its brain, killing it instantly.

Before the first boar had even hit the ground, Long Wushuang had already fired his second shot. It struck another boar in the eye, taking it out in one go. The bowstring seemed to offer no resistance to him; he nocked and drew with effortless grace, firing five or six arrows in under ten seconds. Each shot was perfectly aimed and possessed unstoppable force.

This was the power of a Rapid Archer—they were practically human machine guns. The first time Wang Chen had seen Long Wushuang in action, it felt just like watching Su use the Seven Gale Shots. He had the same thought then as he did now: they were essentially firing guns, yet they insisted on calling it archery. Of course, the sheer power behind Long Wushuang's rapid fire was due to the Gale Bow, crafted from rare materials using the unique techniques of the Gale clan, which perfectly compensated for the lack of force inherent in rapid-fire archery.

With the constant, piercing whistles in the air, arrows rained down like streaks of light. Like the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe, Long Wushuang harvested the lives of the Mud-Shell Boars.

Less than ten minutes after Wang Chen’s message, a vast number of boars lay dead on the forest floor. Wang Chen did not sit idle either; he waved the Gale of the Forest, a faint sound of crashing waves emanating from the staff tip.

"Water Dragon Strike!"

A swift, twisting jet of water erupted with a sharp whistle, spiraling like a water dragon as it dove toward the rear of a Mud-Shell Boar. It drilled deep into the beast's intestines with piercing force, churning its internal organs into a bloody mess.