Chapter 168: A Moment of Peril
Even though Jeremy had already set out to rescue Bonnie, and even though Ella, under Benjamin's orders, was leading her Black Dragon Squad toward the train station,
No matter how swift their movements, it was simply impossible for them to arrive immediately.
Bonnie had to rely on her own abilities to delay for as long as possible.
Although one of her feet had already been caught in the jaws of the Spider Queen, Bonnie could still rely on her hands to continue casting spells with her staff.
Bonnie brandished her staff, casting one frost spell after another.
Although these frost spells did not significantly impact the Spider Queen, they successfully slowed down the Spider Queen's efforts to drag Bonnie back into the depths of the instance.
While casting frost spells with one hand, Bonnie retrieved a special item she had on her person with the other.
Before heading to this instance, she had obtained an artifact from the Moonlight City government warehouse that could temporarily decelerate the flow of time in its vicinity.
Though this artifact would not have much effect under normal instance conditions,
In this particular situation, the item that can decelerate the passage of time proves to be genuinely invaluable.
Without hesitation, Bonnie hurled the artifact in the direction of the Spider Queen. The moment it struck the Spider Queen, the flow of time around the creature began to slow.
Seizing the opportunity, Bonnie once again grasped her staff firmly in both hands.
Without hesitation, she opted to unleash the most potent frost spell within her current repertoire.
A white light gleamed at the tip of her staff, and the temperature around Bonnie plummeted rapidly. Frost began to form swiftly on the walls of the instance on either side of her.
Although Bonnie's actions had achieved some measure of success.
However, the Spider Queen had not sustained any severe injuries, and once the time-slowing artifact's effect wore off, she accelerated her movements.
She mustered all her strength and viciously dragged Bonnie deeper into the instance.
In the absence of any viable alternatives, Bonnie found herself compelled to thrust her staff into the adjacent wall.
The staff was sufficiently sturdy, and the instance's walls were solid enough. This combination effectively delayed the Spider Queen's progress.
Nonetheless, after the previous series of battles, Bonnie's stamina had dwindled to a critically low level.
She was acutely aware that her current course of action was merely a desperate attempt to buy some time.
"I must hold on! Jeremy will arrive to rescue me soon! He must be on his way!"
Bonnie kept repeating this phrase in her mind, to her, aside from Jeremy, no one else could save her now.
In this life-threatening crisis, Bonnie ultimately chose not to call out to her father or mother for help, she chose to believe in Jeremy.
Though Bonnie had been fervently praying for Jeremy's arrival,
Jeremy's figure still remained conspicuously absent from her line of sight.
As the Spider Queen grew increasingly powerful, the staff wedged into the instance wall became progressively more fragile.
With the passage of time, Bonnie suddenly heard a crisp cracking sound emanating from the staff.
When she directed her gaze toward the staff, she was horrified to find it had broken right in the middle. In the instant the staff snapped, Bonnie plummeted rapidly into the depths of the instance.
Without any means of resistance, Bonnie was ultimately dragged to the deepest part of the instance by the Spider Queen.
At this moment, Bonnie had exhausted all the items she possessed, and she was completely out of supplies. The staff she once relied on had shattered as well.
Thus, Bonnie found herself, devoid of any combat capability, falling to the deepest recesses of the instance.
Directly in front of her stood an enormous, irate spider.
The Spider Queen's eyes were fixed intently on Bonnie. After just a few breaths, the Spider Queen suddenly lunged at Bonnie with incredible speed, its mandibles aimed directly at her neck.
Bonnie could see the Spider Queen's movements with unnerving clarity.
However, at this very moment, she found herself utterly devoid of any means to counter the situation.
She didn't even have the strength left to dodge the spider's imminent attack.
Bonnie had resigned herself to her fate, she believed that her destiny was to perish in this very instance.
Slowly, Bonnie closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she presumed to be the final moments of her life.
Just at that moment, she suddenly felt a gust of wind behind her. Immediately afterward, she heard the Spider Queen's agonizing howl.
When Bonnie opened her eyes again, a familiar and dependable figure appeared before her.
Jeremy had finally arrived at the critical juncture to face Bonnie.
Seeing Jeremy, Bonnie's eyes turned red, and a tear trickled down her cheek.
"You finally made it! I knew you would come to save me!"
Jeremy's arrival had brought Bonnie back from the brink of death. However, Jeremy felt this was not the time for such words.
Although his recent attack had repelled the Spider Queen, it had not inflicted serious damage. Moreover, the weapon he wielded was not particularly effective against spider-type monsters.
"The upcoming battle is mine to handle. This place is far too perilous, you should retreat to a safer location on the surface for now."
With a reassuring smile, Jeremy directed these words to Bonnie and then launched an attack on the Spider Queen.
Although Jeremy did not have an optimal weapon, his current level and attributes alone posed a significant threat to the Spider Queen.
After Jeremy made his appearance, the Spider Queen no longer kept her focus on attacking Bonnie.
Given that the Spider Queen was the boss of this instance, she inherently possessed a considerable degree of intelligence. The Spider Queen was able to discern that Jeremy posed the greatest threat.
While Jeremy engaged in combat with the Spider Queen, Bonnie made her way through the instance's corridors towards its entrance.
It wasn't long before Bonnie spotted Howard near the instance's entrance.
Howard was not there to rescue Bonnie. He was merely following Benjamin's orders to await Ella's arrival at that location.
Howard had not anticipated that Bonnie would make it to the instance's entrance all by herself.
Hastily approaching Bonnie, Howard inquired with evident concern.
"Are you hurt? Everyone's been very worried about you. Now that you're safe, please call your father right away."
Upon hearing the other's words, a subtle expression of confusion flickered across Bonnie's face.
"My father already knows I'm in danger? Did Jeremy inform him about this?"
In response to Bonnie's question, Howard shook his head.
"It wasn't Jeremy who told your father. I was the one who informed him. I believed that once you were in danger, you needed additional help.
I didn't think Jeremy could rescue you all by himself. So, my subordinates and I came here as well, and I also asked your father to send other Awakeners to assist."
When it came to Howard's response, Bonnie could actually comprehend his reasoning.
Nevertheless, Bonnie couldn't shake off the feeling that informing her father about this matter was rather intrusive on Howard's part.
Just as Bonnie was about to say something, a helicopter appeared nearby. This helicopter was emblazoned with a large black dragon.
It was evident that this was the Black Dragon Squad's helicopter.
The helicopter hovered in mid-air, and a figure leapt directly from it.
Upon landing, Ella quickly approached Howard and Bonnie. She glanced at Howard and then at Bonnie.
"It seems our Benjamin has already been rescued. So, was our trip here in vain?"
As Ella posed the question, members of the Black Dragon Squad began leaping out of the helicopter one after another.
"You haven't come in vain. Jeremy is still deep within the instance. He's currently battling the instance's boss. If you're willing to offer him some assistance, I believe the fight could end swiftly."
Bonnie promptly informed everyone about Jeremy's current predicament.
Howard nodded in agreement, stating, "I think Bonnie is right. Since Jeremy has already engaged the instance boss, it's only natural that we should provide him with some support."
Having said that, Howard led his subordinates into the instance.
Though Ella hesitated slightly, she eventually turned to her team and said,
"Since we're already here, let's give them some assistance. We need to show them that the strength of the Black Dragon Squad far surpasses theirs."
With those words, Ella decisively took the lead and entered the instance.
Behind Ella, the members of the Black Dragon Squad showed no hesitation as they followed their captain into the instance.
Bonnie glanced into the instance with a concerned expression.
"With so many people offering assistance, Jeremy shouldn't face too much danger, right?" Bonnie muttered to herself, her worry evident.
After voicing her concern, Bonnie suddenly laughed, "I'm worrying too much. Even without their help, Jeremy should be able to defeat the instance boss on his own."
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