Chapter 27: The Monstrous Badu of the Ravine

As everyone was caught off guard by the monstrous creature's sudden swinging attack, Elric quickly recovered, standing tall as he summoned Nessie. In response to his command, a sphere of water materialized in his palm. With a determined expression, he hurled the water ball at the monster. The impact was direct, yet the creature merely laughed, unfazed by the attack.

"You think you can just hurt me by throwing some water?" the monster mocked, its guttural voice echoing through the ravine.

Kaiser, undeterred, summoned Alzalel. His form flickered as he executed a phantom step, suddenly appearing behind the towering creature. He slashed swiftly at its nape, aiming for a critical strike, but his attack failed to penetrate. The monster's skin was far tougher than anticipated.

Bjorn, not one to hesitate, leaped into action, swinging his twin axes towards the creature's massive arm. However, before he could land a blow, the monster swiped at him with terrifying speed, sending him crashing into the jagged rock wall of the ravine. The impact sent a tremor through the ground, and Bjorn groaned, momentarily dazed.

Meanwhile, Mariposa clutched Nyx, Kaiser's pet lemur, tightly in her arms, hiding behind a fallen tree trunk. She observed the battle unfold, her eyes darting between her allies and the looming beast.

Espada, standing slightly apart, observed the chaos with a look of distaste. She scoffed and said, "Guys? I think you can handle this one." Her words lacked concern—truthfully, she was more disgusted by the creature's grotesque appearance than intimidated.

The leader of the Grimknights, Henry, saw an opening and charged forward, his tower shield raised high. With a powerful leap, he closed the distance and slammed his gauntleted fist into the monster's face. The sheer force of his strike nearly knocked the creature off balance. "You gotta keep up, monster!" Henry taunted.

The monster chuckled, its deep, guttural laughter reverberating through the ravine. Slowly, it emerged fully from the shadows, revealing its hideous form. It crawled on long, grotesque arms, dragging its massive, bloated body along the muddy ground. Its short, stubby legs were virtually useless.

"I am not a monster!" it bellowed. "I have a name, and it is Badu!"

Espada burst into laughter. "Badu?! That really fits you… BADU!" she mocked, emphasizing his name.

Enraged, Badu roared with such force that every Grimknight was forced to cover their ears. As his growl faded, the muddy ground around them erupted, and from it emerged fifteen slimy, monstrous earthworms. Their pulsating bodies wriggled with unnatural speed, their gaping mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth.

"How about you play with my pets?" Badu sneered.

The grotesque worms lunged at Espada with terrifying speed, their slimy bodies writhing as they struck like whips. She reacted instantly, twisting her body mid-air and pushing off the jagged rock walls of the ravine with graceful precision. Each movement was calculated, her agility allowing her to dodge their snapping maws by mere inches.

"Everything about you makes me sick," she spat, her voice laced with disgust as she landed on a narrow ledge. With a sharp exhale, she gripped her scimitar tightly and launched herself toward the creatures, slashing through the air with deadly accuracy. The blade met flesh, slicing through the thick, wriggling bodies of two worms, their greenish-black blood splattering against the rocks.

But the moment she thought she had gained the upper hand, more of them surged forward. One coiled around her ankle, yanking her off balance. Espada gritted her teeth, twisting in midair as she drove her weapon down, severing the worm in one clean stroke. She hit the ground and rolled, barely avoiding another strike from a worm lunging at her head.

With a growl, she flicked the sticky gore from her blade and charged forward, using her momentum to propel herself up the ravine wall again. Kicking off a protruding rock, she spun in the air and drove her scimitar into the largest worm's hide, carving deep into its pulsating flesh. The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek, thrashing wildly as it tried to dislodge her.

Espada held firm, using the thrashing movement to flip herself upward before driving her knee into the worm's head. It recoiled, but another one lunged from behind. She sensed it at the last moment and ducked, barely dodging as the worm's teeth snapped just above her shoulder.

Breathing heavily, she narrowed her eyes. Spotting a cluster of loose boulders above, she grinned. Sprinting toward the rock wall, she ran up a few steps before flipping backward onto a ledge. The worms, enraged, followed, slithering toward her—just as she had planned. With one powerful slash, she struck the weakened rock formation, sending a cascade of boulders crashing down onto the writhing creatures.

A sickening crunch echoed through the ravine as the worms were buried under the weight of the debris. Silence followed.

Espada exhaled, resting her scimitar against her shoulder as she surveyed the carnage. "Disgusting," she muttered, but then the montrous worms rose up again.

One particularly aggressive worm reared back, preparing to lunge at Mariposa. Before it could strike, Kaiser phantom-stepped to her side, his blade flashing as he swiftly decapitated the creature.

Elric, seeing an opportunity, charged at Badu with his mace. He swung it with all his might, but as soon as it struck Badu's thick hide, the weapon bounced off harmlessly. The force of the recoil sent Elric stumbling backward.

Bjorn, regaining his footing, let out a battle cry as he dashed forward, his twin axes gleaming. He brought them down in a powerful arc, striking Badu's body. However, the creature barely flinched. Suddenly, two additional arms sprouted from Badu's grotesque form, moving with terrifying speed. Before Bjorn and Elric could react, they were both caught by the neck and slammed against the rocky walls.

Kaiser wasted no time. He dashed forward, slicing through the monstrous arms that held his comrades captive. The severed limbs wriggled before disintegrating into sludge.

"Thanks, Kaiser," Elric panted, regaining his balance.

Bjorn merely grunted in response—he was never one for words.

Henry turned his attention to Espada, who was still dodging the relentless worms. With his massive shield, he bashed through the writhing creatures, clearing a path for her. This provided Espada an opening to swiftly cut down most of the worms with precise strikes. With a final backflip, she sliced through the last of them, landing gracefully on the rocky ground.

Elric, seeing an opportunity, summoned another large water ball. With all his strength, he hurled it at Badu. The impact sent the creature stumbling, momentarily losing its balance.

"Now, Kaiser!" Henry shouted.

Kaiser executed another phantom step, appearing right behind Badu's head. He aimed his shadow blade at the nape once more and struck with all his might. But once again, the attack was ineffective, barely piercing the creature's hide.

Espada, seeing an opening, dashed forward. She channeled her energy into her scimitar and executed a powerful flow thrust aimed at Badu's eye. However, just before her blade could make contact, two more arms sprouted from Badu's neck, stopping her attack mid-motion.

Despite using all her strength, Espada found herself unable to push her weapon forward. Sensing her struggle, Alzalel, Kaiser's entity, moved to assist. It gripped Espada's scimitar, its eyes glowing with an ethereal bluish-white light. A surge of power coursed through the weapon, strengthening her strike.

Henry, recognizing the moment, dashed toward them. "Move out of the way!" he commanded.

Espada immediately understood his intent. She let go of her scimitar and leaped aside just as Henry delivered a powerful gauntlet punch to the handle of her blade. The sheer force of his strike drove the scimitar forward, piercing through Badu's eye and straight out the back of his grotesque head.

Badu let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing, his massive form making the ground tremble. 

The Grimknights took a moment to catch their breath. They regrouped, cleaning the grime, mud, and slimy blood from their armor and weapons.

Elric wrinkled his nose. "Let's move. This ravine reeks."

With that, the Grimknights pressed on, disappearing deeper into the darkness of the ravine, their determination stronger than ever.