This wasn’t the time to dwell on that thought. Luca forcibly cut off his thoughts and, seeing Coarmy and the others still frozen in place, he shouted angrily, “Get everyone to retreat now!”
It was hard for ordinary people to imagine the sheer destructive power of a high-level monster. If they were slow, all of them might end up staying here. If that happened, not only would they fail to clear Celephais, but the entire Northern Territory could very well fall.
Drumph and the others, who had just come to their senses, shuddered violently. They immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Grabbing their radios, they ordered at once, “Retreat! Immediate retreat! Get away from that monster!”
The soldiers who had been paralyzed by the Hurricane Eagle King’s arrival finally regained their composure. They rushed toward Luca and his group. But no matter how fast they were, they could never outrun a high-level monster, especially one like the Hurricane Eagle King, which was known for its speed.
The giant eagle in the sky merely flapped its wings, and the hurricane intensified. Dozens of soldiers, who had been caught off guard, screamed as they were lifted into the air, shredded in an instant by the swirling winds, their bodies turning into a cloud of blood mist.
“Caaw—!”
The Hurricane Eagle King screeched to the sky, the sound filled with an unmistakable sense of exhilaration.
It flapped its wings again, and the wind grew even more violent. One soldier after another was blown into the sky, and even the civilians still in the process of evacuating were swept up by the powerful gusts.
Watching this scene, Drumph’s eyes turned red.
“That damn beast!” His communicator cracked under his grip, and his face turned crimson with rage. If it weren’t for his age and physical frailty, Drumph would’ve rushed straight to fight this monster head-on.
“It’s no use, we’re too late.” Luca remained far calmer. The Hurricane Eagle King’s speed was far too great. There was no way ordinary people could outrun it.
He turned to the group and said, “I’ll hold it off. You all get out of here quickly.”
Donlow immediately became anxious, “I’ll go with you!”
Fuzzsir, usually the quiet type, also spoke up seriously, “I’m coming too!”
The terrifying power of this monster was something everyone had witnessed firsthand. There was no way they’d let Luca face it alone while they hid in the back like turtles.
“Don’t worry, I have a way to handle it. There’s no danger,” Luca reassured them. Though he spoke with confidence, his own heart wasn’t entirely sure. Even though he knew the Hurricane Eagle King’s weaknesses, he still needed enough power to overcome it.
However, since he was already going to face it, Luca had some degree of confidence.
He flipped his wrist, and a purple crystal appeared in his hand. After speaking, Luca’s body flickered with silver light, and he disappeared from his original spot, reappearing in mid-air.
At the same time, a pair of teal-colored wind wings unfurled behind Luca, preventing him from falling. Many of the skills from the game couldn’t be used here, so for the moment, he had to rely on some lower-level magic runes as substitutes.
At that very moment, the Hurricane Eagle King clearly noticed the unexpected guest.
“Caaw!” Its eagle eyes narrowed, a flash of golden light passing through them, and two golden blades of light shot towards Luca.
“Truly a beast, no manners whatsoever,” Luca muttered, always one to speak his mind. As he spoke, he drew Starseeker from its sheath.
Clang! The moment their attacks collided, a harsh screech of metal meeting metal rang out. Luca felt a massive force travel up his arm, leaving it numb, and he frowned slightly.
At his current strength, fighting against a peak Diamond-level monster was still a bit of a stretch.
But Luca didn’t have a choice.
Glancing back at the soldiers and civilians retreating behind him, he felt a surge of crimson rage in his eyes. Magic runes flickered in his hands as a Fire Serpent, several meters long, opened its massive jaws and lunged towards the Hurricane Eagle King in the sky.
However, just as Luca’s attack was about to hit the Hurricane Eagle King, a teal-colored wind shield suddenly enveloped the beast. The Fire Serpents slammed into the wind shield, exploding with a thunderous roar.
Endless flames were whipped into a frenzy by the raging wind, instantly forming a massive fire tornado.
The Hurricane Eagle King’s eyes flashed with a cold green light, and the fire tornado was redirected toward Luca.
“Luca!” Below, both Donlow and Renamon couldn’t help but cry out, while Hairry’s face also showed deep concern.
But soon, they realized their worries were entirely unnecessary.
As the fire tornado descended on Luca, a layer of azure-blue water enveloped him, forming a protective orb. No matter how the wind blades from the fire tornado or the Fire Serpents hit the water sphere, they failed to cause any significant damage.
High-tier magic rune—Water Spirit Shield!
The Hurricane Eagle King quickly realized its attack had no effect. Its eagle eyes flashed with fury. With a violent flap of its wings, it charged at Luca like an enormous, shadow-casting jet, its form blotting out the sky.
The oppressive force bearing down on Luca was so immense that even Drumph and the others, standing far below, could feel a sense of suffocation just from watching.
If future monsters were all this powerful, did humanity even have a chance of survival?
As the thought crept into their minds, many began to feel a crushing despair, realizing they had no real means of resistance. In front of a monster with such overwhelming physical strength, humanity seemed almost laughably weak.
“A mere beast—what’s there to be so arrogant about?” At that moment, Luca’s voice suddenly rang out from the sky, and then everyone noticed a flash of purple light cutting through the air.
In that instant, both monsters and humans alike felt something stir deep within them, as if something was taking root and sprouting inside their chests, completely beyond their control.
“Caaw—!” The Hurricane Eagle King’s eyes were suddenly veiled with a thick purple mist. Its body, which had been charging toward Luca, abruptly flapped its wings and veered downward, accelerating toward the ground.
By the time it realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Boom!! A deafening crash echoed as the earth cracked open, and soil erupted into the air. The massive body of the Hurricane Eagle King smashed into the ground, its once majestic feathers now disheveled, completely disoriented as it struggled to get up.
Luca, of course, would not miss such an opportunity. He put away the Sinful Desire divine rank, his figure flickering as he appeared above the Hurricane Eagle King’s head, Starseeker raised high in his hand.
At this moment, the Hurricane Eagle King snapped back to reality from the haze of the purple mist, its eyes flashing with fear as it struggled to shake Luca off.
Luca remained calm, his eyes glinting with a flash of green light.
Massive vines erupted from the earth, binding the Hurricane Eagle King firmly to the ground.
At the same time, without hesitation, Luca swung Starseeker down in a swift arc, right in front of everyone’s eyes.
Thud!
Fresh blood poured from the creature like a spring, and a massive head flew into the air, still wearing an expression of disbelief.
The Hurricane Eagle King could hardly comprehend what had just happened.
A creature that was on the brink of stepping into Superclass, an Elitemonster—how could it fall so easily to a human, without even managing to land a single blow on its opponent?
[Ding! You have killed the LV66 Hurricane Eagle King (Commander), earning 1,500,000 experience!]
[Your level has increased to level 44, and you have gained 60 free attribute points!]
A game notification appeared, and several beams of light erupted around Luca as he leveled up.
His level had reached 44.
At the same time, a strange glow flashed over the Hurricane Eagle King’s corpse.
Luca originally thought that it might have dropped some gear, but when he saw what it actually was, his expression froze. A chill flashed in his eyes.
At that moment, the Hurricane Eagle King’s severed head thudded to the ground.
The air fell into a tense silence.
Everyone gazed at the figure standing on the eagle’s back, their minds struggling to process what they were seeing, full of disbelief.
A Diamond-level peak monster—had it really been slain so easily?
This wasn’t just any ordinary monster. This was an Elite Diamond-level monster, an existence that could likely not be matched by more than a handful of people worldwide. How had this happened?
But at that moment, the impression Luca gave them was as if killing the Hurricane Eagle King was no different from slaying a chicken. If they hadn’t witnessed the sheer terror of the Hurricane Eagle King earlier, they would have probably thought to themselves, I could do that too.
“I feel like Luca’s power keeps fluctuating,” Darabont frowned, having had this sense before, though it hadn’t been as apparent. But after seeing Luca take action now, that disjointed feeling was extremely strong.
“Something’s off with him right now,” Donald said after thinking for a moment. He could tell that Luca’s current state was different from how he had been before. Though he didn’t understand why, it seemed to have something to do with his experiences in the game.
Drumph also came to the same conclusion and seized the opportunity to ask, “What exactly has this kid gone through in Eternal World?”
Donald shook his head. “I’m not sure either. When he feels like talking, he’ll tell us.”
Luca had too many secrets, and even Donald wasn’t fully aware of them. But as a responsible father, he didn’t pry too much into his son’s personal matters.
At that moment, Luca jumped down from the Hurricane Eagle King’s body and said, “Alright, the danger’s over. You can take it from here.”
Coarmy, confused, asked, “Take it from here? What do you mean? Where are you going?”
Luca had already leapt onto the rooftop, saying, “I have some personal matters to handle.”
Coarmy was about to ask more, but by the time he looked up, Luca’s figure had already disappeared.
“This guy really doesn’t plan on telling us anything,” Coarmy couldn’t help but sigh.
Drumph, however, didn’t seem to care. “He’s just a temp. He doesn’t owe us anything. He’s not selling his life to Morning Star. Did you forget?”
When reminded of that, Coarmy couldn’t help but recall the events that had happened in his office. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Drumph was right. Luca, strictly speaking, was only a temporary member of Morning Star, and he didn’t owe them any explanations.
Drumph looked at the decapitated Hurricane Eagle King, hands clasped behind his back, and sighed. “Everyone has their own secrets. It’s not good to dig too deep. Keeping a bit of curiosity in check might help you live longer—especially in times like these.”