The Chimera Lich flaps its one and only wing and flies up.
Its long snake-like body dangling in the air.

Then, it raises both arms and gathers a black sphere of light.
It's using〖Dark Sphere〗.
And, its aim is...... me, no mistaking it.

Apparently, it's focusing all its attention on me.
Well, let's be honest, if I wasn't here, it would've easily crushed Alo and the others even without relying on any skills.
It's a good strategy, and it's also good for us too.

"〖Gale〗!"

Alo raises her hand up at the Chimera Lich and casts a spell.
A twister shoots upwards towards the hovering Chimera Lich.
The Chimera Lich dives down in a circle, avoiding Alo's attack entirely.
The twister hits the Great Tree's trunk, grazing its surface.

...... It's really agile.
Gale usually covers a wide range and strikes fast.
But, that Chimera Lich is not only fast, it can also do three-dimensional maneuvers.
Not to mention the difference in rank, attempting a direct hit might be a bit tough for the little ones.

The Chimera Lich tilts to the side and releases the black cluster of magic on its hand at me.

"Ssssha~a~a!"

The black magic ball spirals as it falls and is about to hit me.

Now then, dodging it is simple, but...... since I'm serving as the team's tank, it may not be a good idea to move around too much.
Treant could get shredded to pieces if I move out of the way.
My rank is higher than the Chimera Lich, and I specialize in endurance battles, so......
Guess I'll take one for the team.

I grab the ball of black magic with one claw and crush it.
Fragments of black light escape through the gaps between my fingers.
The surface of my palm got scraped off and leaked out dry blood.

Ow! Ouch!
So I still take damage even when I do that.
If it's just a limb, I can heal myself, but I definitely don't want to receive a direct hit from that.

The Chimera Lich lands on a branch just above us and gathers another cluster of black light within both of its hands.
It's gonna use〖Dark Sphere〗again.
And its aim is obviously me, as usual.

"〖Clay〗!"

Alo chants and two large needles of earth with sharp edges form in the air.
...... But, its cast time is slower than usual.
When I checked Alo's status, her MP consumption rate was higher than normal.
She'd usually rely on the environment's soil to help speed up her magic.
But now, since we're on top of a tree, she's left to use nothing but magic for her skill.

...... This battlefield might be unfavourable for Alo who heavily relies on〖Gale〗and〖Clay〗.
The opponent this time around is a bad matchup for her......

Alo lowers her arm forward and the two earth spikes shoot upward.
The Chimera Lich releases its〖Dark Sphere〗in response.
The sphere of black light easily breaks the earth spikes upon collision.
Bits of earth and soil scatter in the air and rain around us.
Despite colliding with the earth spikes, the black ball of light doesn't lose momentum.
It approaches closer, aiming straight at me.

I instinctively raise a claw to block it, but the black sphere suddenly speeds up and slips past my fingers.
It hits me on my chest and explodes upon contact.

"Gro~o!"

Gurk! Ow...... I let my guard down!
Even though I knew its target was me, I subconsciously attempted to protect Alo and Treant without thinking.
I'll be fine no matter how many times I get hit by〖Dark Sphere〗but Alo and Treant will be obliterated if they get hit once so I just acted on impulse...... aw dang, I've gotten soft.

Scorched blood trickles down my chest.
Should I heal it with〖Self-Regeneration〗? ...... No, I'll just leave it alone until the end of this battle.
If that Chimera Lich sees me healing every damage it deals to me, it might give up and run away.

It's bound to run out of MP eventually.
If it loses confidence that〖Dark Sphere〗isn't doing much to me, it'll escape immediately.
I think I can survive 20 shots without healing myself.
Right now, let's just pretend to be the dummy for its target practice.

"Shishishishi...... chi!"

A clay bullet hit the Chimera Lich's forehead.
Then, the clay bullet smooshed into mud, splatting all over the Lich's head.
The Lich slaps its own face and wipes the dirt on its hair.

It's Treant's〖Clay Sphere〗skill.
Treant turns to Alo and gives her a "How's that?" face.

"............"

Alo looks at Treant with an annoyed pouty expression.

I-It's rare to see Alo get pissed off like that...... She usually just gives me judgemental stares.
J-Just bear with it. We're all friends here, aren't we?
Calm down, you're ruining that cute face of yours.
First Partner, then Petite Nightmare, and now Alo too. Oh Treant, what am I gonna do with you.

B-Besides, it only dodged Alo's〖Gale〗because it was scared!
It got scared that it might receive heavy damage so it dodged the attack!
The only reason it didn't dodge Treant's〖Clay Sphere〗was because it probably knew it would do nothing either way!
It most likely just received 1 or 2 damage only.

Still, how are we gonna finish this......
We haven't dealt a decisive blow on it yet.
Not to mention that ever since I knocked it over, the Chimera Lich has kept a significant distance from me.
We might be able to spot an opening if we're close to it, but...... at this distance, it can easily avoid Alo's attack.

Should I go ahead and use〖Wind Slash〗to cut off its wing?
But, further participation in this battle will affect the distribution of exp points......

While I was hesitating, Alo jumps off my head and runs forward.

H-Hey! It's dangerous for you to run around right now!
There's no doubt that the Chimera Lich is very cautious around me, but the next thing that its cautious of is Alo with her high magic.

By placing me on the sidelines, it won't use long-range attacks anymore.
Considering the difference in ranks, the only way Alo can damage it is by absorbing my magic to enhance hers.

Now that she's distanced herself from me, she's a vulnerable target for the Chimera Lich.

Alo looks back at me and gives me a quick nod.
...... You knew that and you still did it anyway just to get close to it?
Aargh! Apparently, we can't win this fight without taking any risks.