Alister gritted his teeth, his hand reflexively tightening around the glowing sword fragment. “What do you mean by loot?” he asked, as if he were unaware, though his unease made it clear that he understood.
Ju’Nero’s crimson eyes narrowed, his lips curling back to reveal jagged teeth as a low growl rumbled from his throat.
“Are you playing games with me, boy?”
The tension in the chamber thickened as Ju’Nero raised a clawed finger, pointing directly at Alister’s hand. The air around his claws shimmered faintly, the aura crackling like lightning.
“That item,” Ju’Nero hissed. “I came here for it. Hand it over before I decide to take it myself.”
Alister felt his pulse quicken, the weight of Ju’Nero’s words pressing heavily against him, as though with each word, the pressure he exerted increased. Despite the clear threat, he held his ground, his mind racing to assess the situation.
‘It’s obvious I won’t be a match for him in a fight… Not only is his aura far too strong, but I have this feeling that if I even try to transform… He could put an end to me in an instant. And it’s so hard to even breathe.’
Alister smiled slightly as he thought further, ‘How terrifying… It’s obvious I only have one choice in this scenario.’
Alister glanced over his shoulder at Cinder then Terra, who were still struggling to recover from the oppressive weight of Ju’Nero’s aura. Their trembling bodies, barely managing to stay upright, stirred a touch of guilt in his chest.
He sighed and turned back toward Ju’Nero, forcing a strained but composed expression. “I understand,” he said firmly.
Suddenly, the crushing pressure emanating from Ju’Nero subsided, dissipating like a storm cloud. Both Cinder and Terra collapsed to their knees, gasping for air as if they’d just surfaced from drowning.
“Good,” Ju’Nero said. His clawed hand gestured impatiently. “Now, boy, throw it over here.”
Alister’s fingers tightened around the glowing fragment in his grasp. He lowered his gaze for a moment, his lips pressing into a thin line.
Under his breath, he muttered, “There’s no shame in a strategic retreat…”
Ju’Nero’s crimson eyes narrowed, one eyebrow rising. “What was that, boy? Speak up.”
Alister’s head snapped up, his dragon eyes suddenly igniting with a bright golden glow. His lips curled into a defiant smirk as he spoke clearly.
“After all… he who runs away… lives to fight another day.”
Ju’Nero’s expression shifted, curiosity mixing with mild irritation. But before he could respond, the air around Alister warped, shimmering like a fractured mirror.
“Shattering Space Law!” Alister suddenly declared.
In an instant, the chamber’s atmosphere twisted violently. The space around Alister fractured into shards of light, jagged and chaotic, as if the concept of reality itself had been broken. The pieces pulled themselves into a vortex, and everything abruptly returned to normal. Alister, Cinder, and Terra were nowhere to be seen.
Ju’Nero’s crimson eyes widened briefly, and he snarled, “How dare he… How dare he make a fool out of me!”
ROARRRRRRRR!
His massive roar reverberated through the underground library, causing cracks to ripple around as it slowly began to cave in. Ju’Nero narrowed his brightly glowing eyes as he growled, “I can still smell him… Meaning he’s close by…” He gritted his teeth further, an expression of primal rage spreading across his face.
“I’ll find him… And then I’ll rip him limb from limb!”
Alister suddenly appeared outside, the oppressive heat of the desert hitting him like a wave, he quickly placed the fregment of Restria in his inventory. Around him, his wyverns were feasting on the massive, segmented corpses of sandworms, their teeth tearing into the creatures’ armored hides.
Nearby, Xavier and his team were busy digging through the worm bodies, their hands covered with bluish blood and ichor as they worked to extract the valuable cores buried deep within.
“Everyone, head for the exit!” Alister’s voice rang out.
His wyverns immediately ceased their feasting at his command. The creatures turned their heads toward him, eyes glowing. “Return to the minds pace… now!” Alister ordered. Without hesitation, the wyverns shimmered and dissolved into motes of light, vanishing into the ethereal plane.
Xavier wiped his brow, his expression a touch of confusion and irritation. “What’s going on?” he yelled, standing upright with a glowing core clutched in one hand. “We’re in the middle of harvesting-“
BOOM!
Before he could finish, a deep, resonating boom echoed from the distant castle. The sound was otherworldly, like the tolling of a massive iron bell, its vibrations shaking the very sands beneath their feet.
Alister’s head whipped around toward the source of the sound, his dragon eyes narrowing. The castle in the distance seemed to shimmer with an ominous glow, faint cracks of light spreading across its structure like a spiderweb.
“I don’t have time to explain!” Alister shouted. “Run for your lives!”
Xavier’s team froze for a moment, staring at him disbelief. Another booming sound erupted from the castle, louder and more menacing than the first, sending a sense of dread through
the air.
“Why are you all just standing there! I said ru—”
“Did you really think you could just get away?”
Alister froze as a chilling sensation crawled down his spine. His instincts screamed at him, but he didn’t dare to turn around to look. Slowly, he noticed a massive shadow over him.
His eyes widened in shock as he knew who this was already… And what terrified him about this is that they didn’t teleported to get here like he did… No… They relied purely on their physical strength, yet neither he note his generals sensed whan they approached.
He wasn’t alone in his reaction. Every member of Xavier’s team dropped their weapons, their faces pale, their mouths slightly agape.
Towering behind him was a nine foot tall figure…. Ju’Nero, in his wolf man form. His midnight-black fur shimmered with dark sheen, absorbing the light like a living void.
His crimson eyes burned with intensity, glowing like molten coals, and his snarling mouth revealed rows of jagged teeth, each as sharp as a blade.
The oppressive aura that emanated from him was suffocating. The air felt heavier, as though the desert itself bowed to the sheer presence of the wolf-man.
His towering body cast an overwhelming shadow across the group, and the low growl rumbling from his chest felt like an earthquake beneath their feet.
Ju’Nero’s crimson eyes flared with rage as his voice rumbled like thunder. “To make a fool of
the Overlord of Beasts… I should crush you where you stand!”
Suddenly, Ju’Nero raised his massive clawed hand high into the air, the force of his motion
causing the sand beneath his feet to ripple outward like waves. The glow of his claws
intensified, crackling with raw Ether.
“Perish!” he yelled, bringing his hand down with terrifying speed.
BOOM!
The impact sent a deafening shockwave rippling through the desert. Sand and dust erupted
into the air, creating a dust cloud that coverd the battlefield.
The ground shook violently, forcing Xavier and his team to stagger back.
“Alister!” Chase yelled, his voice filled with desperation as he shielded his eyes against the
blast.
For a moment there was silence, broken only by the howling wind and the settling dust. Everyone stared into the swirling cloud, their hearts pounding in collective dread.
As the haze began to clear, two figures could be seen vaguely. Mar’Garet was one of them, standing tall, her spear planted firmly in the ground, its tip glowing with crizon mana as it braced against Ju’Nero’s descending strike. Beside her was Draven, his massive greatsword crossed with her spear, the blade humming with a fierce aura
as it absorbed the force of the blow.
Their arms trembled under the sheer weight of Ju’Nero’s attack, the ground beneath their feet cracking and sinking slightly from the pressure. Sweat dripped from their brows, their
expressions strained but determined.
“Did you really think I’d let you touch him?”
“No one is allowed to touch my lord but me.” Mar’Garet yelled, her crimson eyes burned with
intensity.
Draven grunted, his teeth clenched as he pushed back against Ju’Nero’s overwhelming
strength.
“Attempting to strike my lord, is a sin deserving of death!”
“It seems you are in need of enlightenment!”
Ju’Nero growled, his lips curling back into a snarl. “You dare stand in my way?” His free hand
balled into a fist, the muscles rippling as his aura surged once more, the pressure doubling.
Margaret gritted her teeth despite the strain. “That’s right. We dare.”
Alister, still catching his breath, looked up at the two. “Margaret… Draven…” he murmured.
The wolf-man’s crimson gaze shifted briefly toward Alister, his fury intensifying. “You think your minions can protect you forever, boy?!”
Margaret chuckled darkly. “Minions? Oh, you’ve got it all wrong, dog. We’re not just his underlings…” Her grip on her spear tightened, and she thrust forward, forcing Ju’Nero’s claw
back an inch. “We’re his generals. And we don’t take kindly to threats against our lord!” Draven’s deep voice rumbled as he added, “You’ll regret underestimating us, beast.”
Ju’Nero’s lips curled into a menacing grin. “Fine then… Let’s see how long you two can
entertain me!”
With a roar, Ju’Nero unleashed a surge of energy that sent shockwaves rippling outward, causing even the air to shimmer with his power. Margaret and Draven gritted their teeth as they braced themselves, their weapons glowing with their respective auras. Alister turned to a stunned Xaiver and his team and yelled again, “I said run! Do you all have a
death wish?”
He didn’t need to repeat himself, Xaiver turned to his team and yelled, “You heard him, run!”
They instantly behan sprinting for the dungeon exit, living Alister and his generals to face
Ju’Nero.
The battle had just begun.