Chapter 1161
The moment the arrow hit the sand, a hideous monster suddenly came out and screeched in agony. The monster looks like a faceless humanoid with only an upper half. It only has a mouth that is filled with numerous rows of teeth and used its two appendages as means on moving through the sand.
"Sand Crawlers!" One of the priests of the Temple of Bastet shouted which made all the people fighting below immediately take to the rock formations.
Sand Crawlers are deformed monsters that take on a half body humanoid shape. They have sharp claws and large mouths filled with rows of teeth. They can easily crawl in the sands of the western continent via their unique bodies that can ingest and release sand. Their favorite food is meat, and they even say that Sand Crawlers that have tasted human flesh are the most dangerous as they crave it.
The player that thought Adrian is out to kill him suddenly got filled with cold sweat but he also escaped to a rocky area. Sand Crawlers can travel via sand, but they cannot burrow through solid rock which is why it is safe. If Adrian did not fire that arrow, then the player below would have died immediately as he is pulled down to the sands.
The easiest way to know if you are in a desert infested with Sand Crawlers are the quality of its sand being fine. Also, if they successfully catch a prey then small blood puddles will be created on top of sand. Sand Crawlers will drag their prey down the sand and devour their bodies like a meat grinder. It is listed as the number nine way to painfully die in the western continent.
"How did you know that there was a dangerous creature there, Champion Equinox?" Nakia asked as they often needed to see an actual attack of a Sand Crawler before they could prepare.
"I can see souls. The desert heat might slightly make it difficult to see a great distance, but I can clearly see those just below us." Adrian stated as he also kept quiet that he could see the properties and emotions of said souls.
"We are asking the Champion of the Twin Gods to help us in vanquishing the Sand Crawlers so that we can prepare to chase away the Desert Sun Beetles." Nakia stated as he knows that it is now dangerous to battle in the sand below them, but the threat of rampaging Desert Sun Beetles is still there.
"Sure. I am getting bored anyways." Adrian stated as he unfurled his wings that look like a great cosmos.
Adrian took to the skies and scanned the very sands if there is a living soul in there. He could see about fifty or so numbers of squirming entities below him. What made him curious is that even the Sand Crawlers are not going to the area that the Desert Sun Beetles are traversing.
"Are they afraid of them? Or are they afraid of something else?" Adrian thought as he knows that monsters with practically no eyesight are not picky with what they eat.
Adrian then thought of something why the Sand Crawlers are not attacking the Desert Sun Beetles and that is the body heat. The body heat of the Desert Sand Beetles might actually be as scorching as the desert itself while the bodies of other living beings tend to be colder.
"Should I kill one Desert Sun Beetle to make sure of that theory? Let us just kill all those squirming things." Adrian suddenly thought but put that behind him as he does not want to incur the great displeasure of the people in the western continent.
Adrian released a couple arrows, but his target success rate is not high due to the quick nature of the Sand Crawlers when they are not waiting below their prey. He had no choice but to use his spell, Quantum Cascade and chose all of those squirming souls as targets.
Adrian did not choose a normal epicenter this time in a circular area but a dome. He made the epicenter be the area above him so that all those marked entities will be pulled from the very sands below. With a snap of his fingers, the Quantum Cascade activated and all those in the area felt space tighten for a split second.
When they felt that force, numerous Sand Crawlers suddenly got pulled up into the sky. A large number of the Sand Crawlers could be seen as struggling as they do not know where they are. They are practically blind without tactile contact with sand or anything solid.
As soon as the Sand Crawlers could feel something solid near them, they immediately tried to assess what it is. In the end, numerous struggling Sand Crawlers could be seen all bloody because they have pierced each other with their sharp claws. Some that are so hungry started to devour the Sand Crawler beside them as food.
The look of horror upon all of the people could be seen as they saw a giant pile of Sand Crawlers killing and eating each other. Those with a weak stomach even vomited on the very spot they are observing as they cannot take such a gruesome scene. They chose to look away and instead focus their energy onto the incoming Desert Sun Beetles.
"Shooting Star!" Adrian stated as he released a dazzling arrow filled with intense energy towards the clumped mess of Sand Crawlers.
The clumped mess of Sand Crawlers became dust immediately upon getting hit by the fully buffed attack that Adrian used. He made sure to use all of the Primordial Energy in his body to delete them. Those that did not immediately die became dead when they fell from such a height.
"The Sand Crawlers are dead! Golden Warriors, go and drive the Desert Sun Beetles away!" The High Priestess Estet shouted as she took command of the remaining golden warriors.
The Golden Warriors all jumped from such a great height, yet they landed softly like a cat in the sands below. Those that have yet to see the abilities of the Golden Warriors stood by to observe the so-called greatest warriors of the western continent. Even Adrian just returned back from the viewing deck to observe how the golden warriors will handle the Desert Sand Beetles.
The Golden Warriors of the Goddess Bastet are donned in armor and headgear that is reminiscent of a feline. It seems that each temple\'s golden warriors will have abilities and skillsets depending on the god or goddess that they pray to. All of the Golden Warriors that are under the Goddess Bastet will have reflexes and abilities similar to a cat hence their ability to easily descend from such a high place.
All the Golden Warriors then stood their ground and suddenly emitted a terrifying roar that is equal to that of a great cat like a lion. The combined might of the roar that the golden warriors did somehow managed to wake the Desert Sun Beetles from their frantic state. The muddled eyes of the Desert Sun Beetles suddenly became clear as they have regained their sentience.
"Use fear to counter fear. Did not think that would be effective." Adrian stated as he never thought to use such a tactic before. If he were to think of something, then he would have hit the Desert Sun Beetles until they become clear headed.
"Desert Sun Beetles are incredibly intelligent despite being bug monsters. They are also very difficult to damage as their exoskeleton is said to be the hardest of all the monsters in the western continent. If they did not stop their charge, then they would easily destroy this very gorge." Nakia stated in order to inform Adrian of the qualities of the Desert Sun Beetles.
"I would have liked one if I like bugs, but they are not my thing." Adrian stated.
"Actually, they cannot be tamed or rather we have no one that has accomplished such a feat. Even the best Beast Master of the western continent could not tame one which is why they are dubbed as impossible to tame." Nakia stated to praise the great Desert Sun Beetle as he is told that Adrian is a summoner.