From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

The ground was not solid and flat at all; it was a jumble of sand dunes and rocks, with no discernible pattern of softness or hardness, and stepping on it was entirely a matter of luck.

Eric had just stepped into a slightly sunken sand pit when his foot suddenly slipped, and his center of gravity instantly shifted!

"Tsk!" He gritted his teeth and rolled on the spot, barely dodging the monster's sweeping claws.

The scorching sand scraped across my cheek, leaving a bleeding gash.

He staggered back a few steps, and before he could regain his balance, another giant pincer slammed down like a meteor.

"Damn it!"

He lunged to the side almost instinctively, hearing a shrill whistling sound as if the air was being torn apart.

The sand behind them instantly caved in, sending up waves of sand.

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as he landed, and he nearly fell into the sand dune, his longsword embedded half a foot deep in the sand.

He was panting heavily, his throat felt like it was on fire, and his vision was blurred by the high temperature and sweat.

I wanted to rush forward again, but all my strength seemed to have been drained.

My legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, the sand clung tightly to every step, and the heat wave felt like a venomous snake burrowing into my bones.

He tried twice, but was forced back by the monster's pincers both times. His arms were numb from the shock and he almost lost consciousness.

"Damn it," he muttered through gritted teeth, "can't even cut through a pair of pliers?"

While he suffered repeated setbacks, the other soldiers were not idle.

Abu Nah remained on the flank of the group, his face as cold as ice. He didn't slash randomly with his long sword, but only cut a few small obstacles in the sand.

The objective was clear: to lead the monster's charge into the trap they had laid.

He could always give the command in advance whenever the monster's tail was about to swing in a certain direction.

"Get out of the way to the left, the tail is coming!"

"Hold the spell array for another ten seconds! Velta, hold it off!"

The female mage, Vilta, knelt three meters away, her palms pressed firmly to the ground. Her face was deathly pale from exerting too much force, and beads of sweat slid down her cheeks.

The array of runes she had set up was gradually sealing off the monster's lower body. Whenever the monster tried to leap up, the blue light patterns would emit a faint but continuous rumble of thunder.

"Almost there, almost there! We'll be able to suppress its kinetic energy in a little while!"

She gritted her teeth, her voice filled with pain, but she wasn't distracted at all.

Another veteran, Blata, wearing heavy armor, circled around to the monster's flank, trying to distract it.

He held up a giant shield to protect his entire body, pounding on the shield repeatedly, his voice as loud as thunder.

"Come on! You dried-up clam! Watch me break your pincers into dried salted fish!"

This teasing wasn't just idle banter; it was intentional and necessary.

He knew that the enemies in the illusion also had "temper" and could be provoked and angered.

Once anger is aroused, weaknesses will be revealed.

"Eric!" Abu Nach suddenly shouted, his voice piercing through the sandstorm, "Don't fixate on that spot! It's already on guard against you!"

"Step back, and I'll give you a chance!"

Eric struggled to his feet, his hair and armor covered in dust.

My legs still felt like they were filled with lead, and my lips were so dry and cracked they were about to bleed.

He looked at the monster, still tall and terrifying, with fragments of his teammates' armor still hanging on its claws, and its tail lashing wildly in the air like a giant hammer venting its rage.

But he knew in his heart that he couldn't force the issue anymore.

If you can't charge straight up, and the sandy terrain isn't conducive to a sprint, you can only rely on leverage and opportune moments.

He slowly took a few steps back and shouted to Abu, "Abu, if you really give me a chance, I want it to raise its left pincer for three seconds."

Abu Nach heard it clearly, paused slightly, and then a smile appeared on his lips.

"Understood."

He brandished his twin swords and charged directly at the monster, his furious roar echoing across the sand: "Come on, savage beast beneath the sand!"

These words were purely meant to provoke, and the Sand Shark indeed roared and raised both of its giant pincers simultaneously.

In that instant! Eric gritted his teeth and leaped up from the sand.

Using the high ground of the sand dune in front of him, he pushed off hard with his toes and flew out like an arrow.

The longsword flashed with a cold light and slashed precisely at the joint of the giant pincer.

"Click—!"

A crisp yet dull cracking sound rang out, and dark red liquid instantly gushed out from the wound.

The monster howled in agony, its entire body convulsing violently.

"It's done!" Hurta shouted, his eyes reddening, almost bursting into tears of joy.

Abu Nach, however, remained unfazed, reminding him in a low voice, "Don't be careless, there's another pair of pliers."

Eric collapsed onto the sand, his chest heaving violently like a bellows.

The sand grains clung to the sweat-soaked armor, burning hot under the scorching sun, as if searing the skin.

His right arm felt like it had been hit by a bull; it was numb from his shoulder to his fingertips.

The knuckles gripping the sword had begun to twitch, and even holding the hilt was becoming difficult.

He glanced down at the blade; a small chip had broken off the edge, and it was covered in thick, dark red blood.

The blood was slowly drying and scabbing under the sunlight.

"There's another pair of pliers." Abu Nach walked over and handed him his water pouch.

"Drink a few sips quickly to restore your strength as soon as possible."

Eric looked up and saw the monster still roaring, its wounds still bleeding profusely.

But its remaining pincers were raised high, and it looked even more ferocious than before.

Those huge compound eyes stared intently at Eric, clearly seeing him as a thorn in their side.

It was truly enraged.

With a loud "thud," the monster's tail slammed into the ground.

The ground collapsed directly, the sand dune beneath them sank three feet in an instant, and the entire illusion trembled.

"It's about to go berserk!" Blata roared, charging forward with his massive shield raised. "I'll hold it off!"

"Wait, Blata!" Abu Nach hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Blata charged into the monster's attack range like a stone bull.

The monster roared and swung its one-armed pincers, its speed more than twice as fast as before!

Just as Blata raised his giant shield, the pincers slammed down like thunder.

"Crack—!" A sharp cracking sound echoed across the battlefield as the giant shield was cleaved in two.

"Ugh—!" Blata groaned as he was flung away like a rag doll, crashing heavily into the sand. He rolled several times before coming to a stop, his armor shattered and his body covered in blood.

"Brata!" Eric tried to get up, but his knees buckled and he fell back to the ground.

Wirta gritted his teeth and rushed toward Blata, trying to drag him out of the attack range.

But the monster didn't give her a chance. With a flick of its tail, it stirred up a sandstorm that separated the two of them.

Immediately afterwards, a blue light flashed in the sandstorm.

Burata's figure gradually turned into specks of light and disappeared into the illusion.

He's out.

"That's the second one." Abu Nach closed his eyes, his tone full of helplessness. "Don't be impulsive anymore. This isn't an enemy that can be defeated by courage alone."

Hurta stopped in his tracks, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

She looked down at her cloak, torn by the wind and sand, her lips trembling slightly, but she didn't say a word.

He turned around, silently retreated back into the formation, and readjusted his state.

At this moment, the dwarf warrior Kanold from the squad stepped forward.

He was not tall, but he carried a hammer bigger than himself, and his forehead was covered with burn marks.

He wiped the sweat and dust from his face, grinned, and revealed two rows of strong teeth.

"Then let me try the second pair of pliers!"

"You can't do it alone." Abu Nach frowned, his tone resolute.

"I know." Canod shook his wrist and stretched his sore shoulders. "I'll hold it off, you guys find your chance."

"Today, we absolutely must get this dead crab back to the sandy bottom!"

Having said that, he turned and strode forward, like a heavy block of iron, charging straight into the storm.

He raised his hammer high, chanting the incantation of his homeland in a booming voice: "With the hammer of my father, with the ore of my mother, with the oath of the dwarves, I have come, you beast!"

The monster's pincers slammed down again, but Kanold blocked them steadily like a small mountain.

He used the hammer handle to parry the fatal blow, his knees sinking deep into the sand, his face turning bright red.

"Hurry!!!" he roared with all his might, "I can't hold on much longer!"

Without further hesitation, Abu Nach flashed around like a black shadow to the monster's rear.

He lightly touched the sand with his toes, his body as light as the wind, and quickly darted past the monster.

Eric dragged his numb body to his feet, gritted his teeth, raised his longsword, and staggered after him.

Hurta knelt down again, pressing his palms firmly to the ground, and whispered an incantation: "Shadowy Rope, entangle!"

The ground shook again, and streaks of sand rose from the ground, turning into chains that bound the monster's hind limbs.

The monster's movements slowed down slightly. It roared and struggled wildly, but Kanold held its front pincers tightly, making it unable to move for a moment.

"Now!" Abu Nach commanded, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

He leaped into the air, his twin blades swirling in the air like intertwined snakes, before slashing fiercely at the joint of the other claw.

Eric then moved to the monster's right side, no longer launching a frontal assault.

He stepped onto a huge rock beside him and, taking advantage of the height, swooped down from the air.

The sword flashed, like a meteor falling to earth, aimed directly at that vulnerable joint!

"cut!"

The twin blades and the longsword struck the target almost simultaneously, precisely hitting the monster's joints.

"Click! Click—!!"

Blood and pus splattered again, and the second pincer broke off, crashing heavily onto the sand with a dull thud.

The monster howled in agony, its body contorting violently.

But it was precisely because of this intense pain that its tail suddenly swept across without warning.

"Herta!" Abu Nach's expression changed drastically, and he tried to rush over, but it was too late.

Hurta turned around when she heard the shout, but the thick, whip-like tail was already in front of her.

Its tail struck her hard in the chest, sending her flying more than ten meters away.

She crashed heavily onto a rock face, and blood instantly gushed from the corner of her lips.

"Cough...cough...I..." She struggled to get up, but her body suddenly stiffened.

She looked down and saw the faint light of the illusion swirling around her, and instantly understood.

She's out too.

She glanced back at Abu, a forced, reassuring smile appearing on her lips: "At least it wasn't all for nothing."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure transformed into specks of light, slowly drifting away into the sandstorm.

Only three people remained on the battlefield.

Abu Nach, Eric, and a sweaty Kanold.

The three exchanged a glance, each seeing a resolute determination in the other's eyes. They had to win this battle in the illusion.