How would a raider know they had encountered a powerful monster? Well, there were always three clear signs. And depending on the intensity of each of them, battle with such monsters would be seen as suicide, not bravery.
First, the air would become suffocating. In the presence of an extremely powerful aura and dense mana, weaker life forms would feel an immense invisible weight bearing down on them, making breathing more difficult and their movements slower; at times, they may freeze up entirely.
Second, instinct. No matter how hard one may try, the body is always honest with itself, regardless of one’s opinion or thoughts. In all living beings is engraved a single will: survival.
At times, it may be personal, or it might involve the need to sacrifice one’s life for the continuation of others. Although there are many aspects of life it is involved in, instinct essentially exists to serve one purpose: to ensure the constant existence of life in the cosmos.
And before this… monster, they found themselves frozen in place, their instincts all screamed for them to run as fast as they possibly could, but their bodies betrayed them.
And third…
The materialization of a special monster talent window.
Before Kael and his team, a golden talent window materialized, further increasing their unease. As if the blazing inferno of golden mana before them wasn’t enough, this only served to intensify their unease.
「Monster: Dragon Overlord (Candidate) Rank: SSS+
Class: Medium
Total Combat Power: 206,712 (SSS+ Rank)
System remark: A descendant of the ancient Dragon God, a being that once shook the cosmos. It is the absolute ruler of all dragon kind, a regal being even the celestials fear. Although the reason is unknown, it is believed that wherever the Overlord goes, darkness follows. 」
Kael’s thoughts raced as he stared at the monster status window.
‘Dragon Overlord… SSS+ rank? How can this be? Has Alister been a monster all along, pretending to be human?’
‘How is that even possible?’
‘This changes everything. We might be way in over our heads here.’ he gritted his teeth.
Rex felt a shiver run down his spine. “What the hell… Is this real? An SSS+ Ranked monster? No wonder he’s has so much control over his dragons. I thought he was just a strong summoner.”
Jin’s usually steady hands trembled slightly.
‘SSS+? That explains how he caught my bullet. Even if my shot lands… Will it be able to pierce through those scales? A monster in human form… And I thought I was the hunter.’
Mira’s grip tightened around her glaive. “Kael… What’s the plan now?”
Suddenly, Alister’s mana subsided, but it could still be seen faintly radiating from his body.
His majestic dragon form could clearly be seen, his white and black scales glinting in the sunlight, his golden wings seemed to glow slightly, and the tip of his tail seemed particularly sharp, one would almost mistake it for a sword.
Kael called out to his teammates, about to tell them the course of action. “Alright, Rex we need you to keep that thing off from us as much as possible, Jin, look for any spaces in between those scales and take a shot, it got through before it might do so again. Aria, stay as far away from us as possible and try to heal us whenever—”
“Void Rend.”
Alister said as he raised his left hand, slashing his claws through the air.
VIZZZ
In that instant, his golden mana shot outward as massive beams of lightning in the shape of enormous claw marks, moving forward with lightning speed.
CRACKLE
PFFSSS
As the claws shot forward, leaving a massive scar on the earth causing dust to billow into the air, what followed was a small fountain-like sound.
Blood splattered all over the side of Kael’s face and armor, his eyes widened in shock as he then proceeded to slowly turn his head towards his right.
His eyes landed on a sliced-up Aria, her body sliced into five pieces from her head down, her eyes red, pupils dilated, one of the eyeballs out of its socket, organs spewed out covered in dust as her blood slowly turned the ground where she lay crimson, broken bones protruded through the diced-up flesh, sparks of electricity could be seen as the diced-up parts of her tech suit cracked with energy.
Kael felt his legs give out as he turned to witness it, a chill running down his spine, a cold sweat going down his back. Frantically he began crawling back, but his eyes never left Alister.
Kael’s mind struggled to process what had just happened. His eyes widened as he saw Aria’s lifeless body on the ground.
“How did… I don’t understand… Aria…! Aria!” he screamed, his voice nearly choked with grief and a touch of rage.
Alister then proceeded to walk forward, slowly, the claws on his legs digging into the sand, his long tail swinging from side to side as he moved majestically.
“The first step to dealing with any raid team…” He spoke without opening his maw, his deep voice vibrating the air around him, his yellow eyes cracked with lightning that streaked as he moved forward, “…is getting rid of the healer.”
“But the rest of you don’t have to worry, just like Kai intended to do with me, I’ll be sure to properly take my time dealing with each of you.”
“I just didn’t like the idea of you all regenerating like zombies, so she had to go. I’m sure you all understand.”
[Ding! [1/6] targets eliminated.]
[All stats +30%.]
“What did he just… How did he…” Mira mumbled as she took a few steps back.
Rex’s iron surged around him, ready for a desperate defense. “Damn it! We can’t let him do this to us!”
Jin’s sniper rifle trembled in his hands. “How did it come to this? We were supposed to be the hunters!”
Mira’s eyes blazed with fury. “Kael, get a grip, we need to kill that thing! Now!”
Kael’s grip tightened on his flaming sword. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “We fight with everything we’ve got. Rex, like I said earlier, use your iron to create barriers. Jin, aim for his weak points. Mira, enhance your speed and try to flank him.”
“And young master Kai…”
“Try to find any openings.”