Earth's Greatest Magus

[Naga]

[Legendary Beast - Level 95]

[Battle Power - 375]

Looking at the towering figure standing before his eyes, Emery subconsciously swallowed his own saliva. The blue slithering giant should be included in the list of the strongest creatures that Emery had to face, as it was comparable in strength, if not stronger, to the Beholder.

Krieeeekkk!!!

Thanks to the data he read before traveling to this island, Emery knew that the beast was intelligent and possessed an ability that allowed it to possess command over other lizard-type creatures weaker than it. On top of that, it also had one annoying special ability that was emphasized in the data time and time again.

Magic resistance.

If what was written in the data wasn't wrong, the magic resistance the Naga possessed innately could nullify up to eighty percent of the magic thrown at it, rendering magic attacks almost meaningless. Therefore, the most optimal way to take it down was using physical-based attacks; and luckily, Emery had plenty of such attacks.

Even though his current situation was really not a suitable time to think about training, Emery still cast [Mineralized Warrior] and summoned an army of Mineralized Soldiers. He decided on this decision after considering things through.

With the tremendous boost provided by his [Twilight Transformation], Emery could empower the output of his spell and break through his limit, creating a total of 400 Mineralized Warriors at once while reserving some of his spirit pool for his own use. 

This massive army would then help Klea fight the other 18 legendary creatures, while he focused his attention on the Naga, aiming to defeat it as quickly as possible.

"Leave them to me! Go kill that slimy goo!" said the girl excited to fight her own battle.

As Emery's figure shot towards the Naga, three sharp blades shot out from his two clenched hands, ready to be used as weapons and tore apart anything they touched.

Swish!

Emery arrived in front of the Naga and swiftly swept his bared claws towards it, but they only hit empty air. Surprisingly, the legendary beast possessed agility that did not correspond with its massive body. It dodged the attack by leaning its body to the side and slithering on the ground at high speed.

After gaining some distance, the Naga then retaliated against Emery by lashing its long, large tail at him. Knowing that he would not be unscathed receiving such an attack, Emery quickly cast [Blink] then cast another spell soon after.

[Jade Root]

The ground around the beast suddenly erupted, dozens of green roots the size of an arm emerging from within. They quickly crept onto the Naga's long body, restricting its movement enough to lower its speed.

Krrieeekkk!!

Seeing it being restrained by the spell, Emery quickly went in as he knew the restraint would not last long. Luminous lights revolved around his body as he employed his new battle art [Rake Strike]. 

Splat! 

KRRIIIEEEEKKK!!!

In the next second, a piercing loud shriek resounded in the area as the Naga was stabbed in its spine just below its neck. Driving his claws deeper into the beast's flesh, Emery quickly used his innate skill.

[Spirit Devour]

A stream of energy flowed into his body as soon as the skill was activated, but Emery could tell that the rate of his devouring this time slowed down significantly. Apparently, the beast's magic resistance worked the same on his [Spirit Devour] skill as well.

Feeling its own essence being sucked out, the Naga exploded in anger and went berserk. It broke free from the roots that bound it and swung its tail violently, hitting Emery on the side and sending his body flying a dozen meters.

Emery quickly tried to regain control of his body that was flung through the air, spinning his body to discharge the remaining momentum. But as soon as his feet landed on the ground, blood spurted out of his mouth.

He stared at the Naga with a grim expression, thinking that the beast indeed had a battle power comparable to him. Therefore, any mistake even if it was small could be extremely fatal.

On the other hand, a wisp of smoke appeared on the Naga's body, at the exact spot where Emery had just inflicted a wound. When it dissipated, the three holes made by his claws no longer existed, as if nothing had happened at all.

In an instant, Emery's gloomy expression grew even grimmer at that. It was apparent that the beast possessed self-regeneration ability as well. Once again, the Naga solidified its position in Emery's mind as a troublesome foe to deal with.

Emery was unable to effectively use all his offensive magic at the beast, so the battle just became another brawl.

After the short bout where they hurt each other, the fight between Emery and the Naga continued for a few more minutes. 

By this time, the former's situation didn't look too good. Not only were more than half of his 400 summons already destroyed, but two more packs of lizards also arrived upon the Naga's summon and joined the fray.

The scale quickly tipped in the creatures' favor and before they got overwhelmed, Emery decided it was time for them to retreat. He cast [Blink], appearing next to Klea and Twik, and grabbed the two of them before creating [Spatial Gate].

"Let's go, Klea. We are still not ready to fight them yet," said Emery calmly, noticing her gaze at him. Even though she still wanted to fight, Klea nodded her head in response.

The two of them escaped from the cave and appeared at the safe spot they had scouted earlier. The moment the Spatial Gate closed, Emery sat down and assumed the lotus position, using his [Spirit Absorption] to absorb all the energy he had devoured.

[Spirit force has increased]

[Spirit force has increased]

Emery had managed to devour at least 70 of those creatures, but he had only gained two points of spirit power. He couldn't help but heave a sigh at such an outcome, knowing that now he was at the peak of his mid-stage Rank 9, progress became even more difficult.

At this moment, Klea opened her mouth.

"So what do you want to do now?"

Turning to her and erasing his disappointment, Emery replied, "We'll try again of course, but not now. Give me a few hours to prepare."

When he closed his eyes, what came into his mind was the fight he had with Jai, against his powerful metallic humanoids.

Inspired to improve his summons, over the past few days Emery had been constantly pushing his [Mineralized Warrior] spell to its limit. Thanks to that, he had now gained a certain, newfound understanding of the spell; he believed now was the time to give it a try.