[Warning! Eighth Finger of Gluttony — Barb Detected!]

Ashley gazed from the notification to the figure before her twice, her expression twisted.

"Why does it look like Pac-Man?" she muttered incredulously.

Indeed, the Eighth Finger did resemble the character from the old game — but a far more revolting version.

The corrupt creature took the form of a round meatball, its skin a blistering sheen of pus-yellow. Underneath its thin covering of flesh, thick vein-like protrusions bulged and writhed.

Its eyes were massively round and lightless, abyssal obsidian. It had no nose, and its mouth stretched ferociously wide, filled with intersecting, unarranged clusters of arm-length teeth, all dirty brown.

The massive abomination scaled up to 9 meters tall and 5 meters wide. It moved by bouncing, causing cracks and craters from the sheer weight pounding the earth.

Ashley held tightly to her KRM, her face tense. This was the creature she was meant to clash with.

Despite the distance, she could feel the overbearing presence of the abomination. As it loomed, the air in her lungs tightened.

The ground reverberated in rhythm as the beast pounded forward, heading straight for her.

She sighed. Thankfully, her squad members weren't close by — that way, she could avoid losses.

Krrrrrrrrrrr!

The monster finally caught sight of her and growled, massive amounts of slimy, pungent drool leaking from the extreme edges of its creaking maw.

It didn't speak — it didn't have the ability to — but its intention was obvious. It was hungry, and now it was going to feast.

Like a rubber ball, the creature suddenly bounced forward, whistling through the wind with streaking velocity. It moved so fast, friction accumulated — its rubbery skin turned red with heat before bursting into flames.

Ashley barely had time to think. She leapt in an attempt to dodge, but against a unique attack like this, dodging didn't mean safety.

Boom!

The flaming mass collided with the ground — its aim scarily precise, landing exactly where Ashley had just been.

The impact kicked up dust, debris, and — more dangerously — a high-intensity shockwave.

Poor Ashley. Even though she avoided being crushed, the shockwave reverberated through the air, kicking her unsteady figure off the ground and flinging her away.

The damage dealt from both the pressurized wind and the fall was heavy.

She groaned and winced. She had barely started battling the Finger and had already broken quite a few bones. Miserable indeed.

She quickly struggled to her feet, one dainty hand clutching her ribs — likely fractured.

Her other arm held fast to the KRM, still ready to engage. Even though she was injured, the enemy wasn't going to stop.

And true enough — like a blazing asteroid — Barb was already streaking toward her once more, its rubbery surface igniting mid-air.

She scowled, her gaze clouding with despair. How was she supposed to battle such a beast?

You see, sometimes in battle — especially in the mystical Etherverse, where reality-defying abilities abound — power or strength didn't guarantee victory.

There were countless other factors. For example, in a scenario where a grounded creature battled a flying one, the flying creature would naturally have the upper hand. Or where flame battled water — water would have the edge.

Such was Ashley's current case. If this monster fought in melee range or even direct clash, she could have figured something out.

But in this case? The creature was a literal flying asteroid, seeking to pulverize her through falling impact.

Worse — she didn't dare clash with it directly. Such massive fall attacks carried damage beyond the creature's stat capabilities. Elements like gravity, weight, momentum, and friction enhanced its destructive power.

Ashley sighed painfully. Even though this was a life-seeking enemy, she had to admit — such an attack method was genius.

But right now, she was at a loss. How could she avoid this looming disaster?

Dodging was useless. Clashing directly was a death sentence. Her delicately sculpted brows furrowed. Should she try that…?

Thankfully, she didn't have to push that thought further when—

[Legendary Tier Item: Five Hero Summon Coupon has been used!

All five class heroes are being deployed as reinforcement to help face the Six Fingers of Gluttony!

You have been assigned: Hero — The Raging King of Madness, Baruth the Berserker Hero.]

A figure streaked from the heavens, impacting the looming disastrous ball of the Eighth Finger, deflecting it from its mark.

The figure continued streaking toward her — unimpeded, uninterrupted.

Ashley braced for impact, but somehow — despite carrying enough force to redirect the crushing projectile — the figure's landing was soft and controlled.

She gazed at her help.

Encased in blood-red, glistening armor, air warped and twisted around his figure under the sheer weight of his aura. The berserker stood gallant. Strapped to his back was a massive club twice his size. His face was concealed behind a plain obsidian mask.

The silent, stalwart figure made bold steps toward her, his eyes blazing a crimson sheen — rippling with a hair-raising feel of madness.

Ashley's eyes flickered as she scanned Baruth's stats. "This I can work with."

Whoosh!

A flaming projectile was already back in motion — aim locked on them.

She didn't even need to give orders. Baruth reached for his mace, eyes blazing with wrath.

Suddenly, an intense scalding heat filled the atmosphere. Oxygen declined. Air pressure spiked. The flaming, jaw-clattering monster was close at hand.

Like a baseball player swinging at a pitch, Baruth's mace swung. Air cracked. Void shuddered under its passage as annihilating force met annihilating force.

Just the pressure from the clash weighed heavily on Ashley. Her lungs tightened from the oxygen drop. Her skin reddened from the blistering heat.

Boom!

Barb lost the clash. The tremendous force traveled from the spiked mace, rippling through its rubbery frame — quenching the flames and scalding heat — flinging it away.

Immediately, Baruth leapt after the Finger, intense rage and madness blazing in the depths of his mask's eye holes.

Ashley frowned. This battle — she had to contribute. She couldn't let her support overshadow her.

From the depths of her amber pupils, a blazing crimson scorched.

She had avoided using it for so long, but now she had no choice. She had to make her Lord proud.

Her SSS-grade skill: Sun Burn Divine Scripture was activated!

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