As the dust settled from the battle, Anya stood and surveyed the area. The white tiger lay defeated at her feet, and the remaining monsters had been dispatched. Her team was still excited and ready to go from their victory.
“Alright, everyone, round up!” Anya called out, her voice echoing all around.
“We’ve secured this sector, but we need to move forward to the next one. Grimm, Maila, I need you two to secure the perimeter here. Use your talents to create walls to ensure no more monsters can break through.”
Grimm nodded. “Got it, guild master. I’ll start on the stone walls.”
Maila hovered above, her metal constructs spinning around her. “Understood, guild master. I’ll handle the metal reinforcements.”
As Grimm began to manipulate the earth, raising massive stone walls, Maila directed her metal constructs to connect them through the stone, creating a barrier. The rest of the team gathered around Anya, ready for their next orders.
“Once Grimm and Maila are done, we move out immediately.”
“Stay sharp and stay together. We push hard, we push fast. We can’t afford any delays or mistakes since we’re heading for number one.”
She grinned, showing her set of sharp teeth. “Our next target is a sector said to possess salamanders and wyverns. But before that, Thorin, make sure no stragglers are left behind. Nyra, take the lead and scout ahead.”
“Ivy, make sure you follow closely.”
“And as usual…”
“I’ll be ahead, do try not to slow me down.”
Thorin punched his palm. “Understood, guild master! We won’t let you down! The other guilds won’t know what hit them!”
Halzor smirked, cracking his knuckles. “I’m ready for more. Let’s keep this momentum going.”
“I’ll begin scouting now,” Nyra said, immediately leaping forward to begin scouting. Grimm and Maila worked quickly, forming an impenetrable wall around the perimeter. Once the task was complete, they joined the rest of the team and moved forward.
…
Meanwhile…
Alister soared through the sky, flanked by his loyal dragons, Cinder, Darven, and Terra. The air crackled as they flew, the wind rushing past them. Suddenly, Alister’s eyes caught sight of a space teeming with salamanders and wyverns below. A grin spread across his face, recognizing the perfect opportunity to test his forces’ might.
“Ready yourselves,” Alister commanded, his voice resolute. “This is where we prove our strength.”
Without pausing, he ordered his wyverns to dive into the fray. The wyverns let out fierce roars as they descended, their powerful wings beating against the air. Alister glanced at his dragons.
“Cinder, Darven, Terra, support the wyverns. Show them what we’re capable of.”
“Understood,” Cinder roared in response, her massive form cutting through the sky. Darven and Terra followed suit.
Alister’s voice then echoed in Terra’s thoughts, ‘Also, Terra, be sure to keep an eye out for any approaching guilds.’
‘You all belong to me, so it will be odd if you are all sighted out here while I was below fighting monsters by myself… Do you understand?’
‘Understood, my lord,’ Terra responded.
“Good.” Alister said, his smile revealing his fangs. Feeling the adrenaline surge through him, he leaped off Cinder’s head, descending rapidly toward the ground.
BOOM!
With a resounding boom, he landed among the salamanders, causing a shockwave that made the earth tremble. The salamanders turned their attention to him, hissing and snarling. Alister stood tall, his eyes shining brightly.
“It seems my body has really gotten stronger,” he mused aloud, a confident smile on his lips. “A fall that high without the suit would have definitely shattered every bone in my legs. But I’m completely fine… Which is good.”
Alister suddenly flexed his fingers, his gauntlets, which had previously become part of his scales, slowly materializing around his hands.
One salamander lunged at him, jaws snapping. Alister sidestepped with ease. He then spun, landing a powerful kick to the salamander’s side, sending it crashing into another approaching beast. The impact caused sparks to fly from the friction of his boot against the creature’s rough scales.
As more salamanders surrounded him, Alister became a blur as he moved. He ducked under a swiping tail, his claws extended, and raked them across the beast’s side. Blood sprayed from the deep gashes, painting the ground in crimson splatters.
A salamander to his left spat a stream of fire, but Alister leaped into the air, twisting mid- flight to avoid the flames. He landed gracefully, immediately rolling forward and springing up to deliver a powerful uppercut to another salamander’s jaw. The force of the punch sent a spray of blood and teeth into the air, the creature collapsing with a weak roar.
“Oh, I have yet to try out my bloodline ability… I believe it was called… Void Rend.” In that instant, a golden crest marking flared to life on both of Alister’s arms. For some reason, he didn’t need to ask the system; he instinctively knew how to use this power.
He focused on a distant salamander, its eyes locked onto him. Concentrating his energy into his claws, he felt his mana, begining to build up. With a swift swipe of his hand, the space around his claws seemed to warp and tear, a small rift forming.
The rift shot forward like a dark tendril, slicing through the air. Despite the distance, the targeted salamander convulsed as the invisible slash struck it. A deep gash appeared on its body, blood pouring from the wound as it collapsed, defeated.
A grin spread across Alister’s face. “So this is the power of Void Rend,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the chaos of his wyverns and dragons attacking all around him. Alister felt a strange urge to let out a laugh, but just as he was about to do so, he suddenly remembered the memories he recalled earlier. “It seems my habits in there are starting to get to me… But then again… Who was I… I never got to know my name or see my face, and how am I younger now?”
Before he could think further, another salamander charged at him, but Alister was ready. He sidestepped the attack, with a sudden burst of speed, the earth buckling beneath his feet as he moved in a blur. His claws glowed with golden mana as he activated Void Rend again, swiping at the space in front of him.
The rift formed and shot forward, striking the salamander and leaving a trail of blood in its wake as the beast fell.
Alister continued to use Void Rend, each swipe of his claws creating rifts that struck down the monsters from a distance. The salamanders fell one by one, unable to withstand his attacks.
As another fell, Alister stood in the carnage, his breathing steady, his eyes still glowing with
his mana. Blood littered the ground, mixed with monster entrails. Just then, his eyes drifted to the innards of a fallen salamander, and he felt a strange urge.
[Ding!! Draconic Hunger activated!]