Zatrynx was sent flying in mere moments; a deep gash appeared on his neck from which he bled. Valmor stared at Zenora’s corpse, unable to move from the shock. All he heard was a loud clash of metal, and Zatrynx was sent flying.

  Gilly appeared before Valmor, her skin covered with glowing patterns with a silvery outline. Her eyes were pale blue and deep, like a running stream was in them, her aura all over the place, even suppressing the draconic aura that bore pressure on them. But it was obvious she lost control again.

  In a flash, she collided with Zatrynx, who was just recovered and was prepared for the clash. He met both her sword and speed. She has no skills, just using pure strength to reach Zatrynx level. The battle soon reached a stalemate, the clashes echoing as far as the forest, which made some night beasts run in fright.

  .....

  Siel ran through the town, regularly encountering low-tier Neather creatures, which he quickly killed. Time was against him, and the thought of his wife clouded his judgment. On a street, a town guard flew out of a building’s window, crashing straight to the floor. Siel approached, but as soon as he saw the dark, towering figure trailing behind him with red, glowing eyes, he abandoned all idea of rescuing him and ran towards the large tree at the center of the town.

  He paused there seeing Zin who was facing his opponent, Zin pointed in a street direction which Siel followed with his eyes and soon headed in that direction. Zin continued to size up his opponent, who had not made a move. He was sure that this was the mastermind behind all this chaos.

  Siel had reached a northern clearing; guards stood in place at various positions. Less than half of the people in town were there. He was scared, but when he reached the camping site, he saw Ephini as she lay down, fast asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief as his thoughts gradually became clear; his wife was safe. Now realizing he had abandoned his companion and failed to save a town guard.

  A loud roar echoed behind him, followed by an explosion. Pom had just entered the place, and he was being chased by a three-meter shadow figure with glowing red eyes. Siel, as if on cue, dashed forward and parried an incoming attack, which made it stagger. Pom was surprised but also thankful; the other guards were injured and could only do so much.

  They faced it alone, with each covering a certain attack range. Siel was support, and Pom was vanguard. They charged at the monster and attacked it, each taking turns parrying and dodging. More screams came from behind the monsters as more Neather creatures appeared. Desperation filled the air. The new arrivals did not attack; they just jumped in the air and merged with the towering dark figure, morphing into one large entity.

  A shadow whirlpool formed around the figure, and it condensed into a human-sized figure. Its eyes were now a deeper shade of red, nearing crimson. The aura it released was immense, bearing pressure down on all. Pom dashed forward with Siel by his side as they clashed with the newly formed Neather King. The scales soon tilted against them as Pom was sent flying a few meters across the clearing, slightly injured with a broken hip.

  Siel blocked a barrage of attacks as Pom struggled to stand, his body visibly shaking. His sword cracked as the assault continued. He was confident in his speed, but the Neather King’s Shadow Step made his movement unpredictable. At last, a shattering sound was heard, Pom diving straight back in to support Siel. Siel tried to dodge after his sword gave in; another shadow step behind Siel, and he was cut in half.

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  Pom was still shaking as this made him lose his will to fight. The townspeople could not look at Seil’s body, whose organs were scattered on the floor. Despair filled the air, and everyone who saw the scene lost the will to fight. Pom was injured, and the remaining guards were in a similar condition.

  .....

  At first, Gilly had the upper hand, but now she was being pressed hard. Attack after attack, Zatrynx tanking each with a maniacal look in his eyes. The sky darkened with five crimson orbs appearing. Mizin, who had just entered, looked at Gilly with glowing eyes. Gilly shivered back, as her gaze had cut through her, like a predator stalking its prey.

  Zatrynx, seeing the opportunity, sent her flying with a kick so strong, her speed broke the sound barrier, causing her to crash into a stone monument. Mizin flew towards the crumbled monument and picked her up. Zatrynx, who had just noticed her, furrowed his brows as his anger boiled.

  "Hmm... Otherworlder."

  ....

  The Neather King was standing in front of Pom, who had fallen over, taunting him to strike. A figure landed in front of him where the Nether King was just standing, raising dust clouds. A pair of glowing eyes could be seen through the cloud, and when the dust settled, only a large female ogre could be seen standing there.

  The face was familiar as she stretched her hand forward, which Pom took in response, rising to his feet. Abil stood beside Seil’s body and was trying to put it back together, though he was dead. She always honored those who put their lives on the line in battle. Pom could only look on in defeat as it dawned on him that his best friend was killed before his eyes and he could do nothing about it.

  "I can’t pinpoint that damn demon’s location."

  Her eyes darted around as she entered the square. Zin soon showed up, his expression serious, reminiscing on the fact that the masked figure had bade him farewell as soon as Abil and his master arrived. Mizin paid no attention to Zatrynx as she laid Gilly carefully beside Valmor.

  “You have done well, Valmor.”

  She had a faint smile, glancing at the unconscious Gilly. Abil stared at Gilly, then looked back at Valmor. This time her gaze was serious when she looked back at Gilly.

  “Are you ignoring me, yo—”

  His words halted as a deep gash appeared from his shoulder down. He fell down bleeding. Mizin had only slightly pulled her sword, Valmor barely saw the gesture, and Zatrynx was oblivious to it.

  In the pool of his blood, he made one final desperate attempt; taking out a dark stone, he swallowed it. A resounding heartbeat was heard; Mizin turned back. A black mist had covered him from within. His eyes glowed blue. His eyes were fixed on Mizin as he landed.

  “How foolish.”.

  Her eyes glowed orange as she looked at him; this gaze made him fixed like a statue.

  Zin recounted the happenings to Abil as they passed through the square and she saw Zenora’s severed body. Flashing immediately beside the body, she tried to put together what was left of her body, placing Seil’s body beside her and Abil prayed beside them .

  Zatrynx was showing signs of corruption. His aura had risen from a calamity class monster to a peak destruction class monster. This was bad news for anyone below the demigod class, but Mizin paid no attention to his change in aura; it made no difference.

  Zin, on the other hand, wanted to spring into action, but his master’s gaze made him think twice.

  “Mizin…Mizin…Mizin,”

  Zatrynx scowled, filling the air with bloodlust. His aura already caused rabble to rise in the vicinity, forcing Von, the subordinate with a butler’s cloth, to put up a barrier.

  The female ogre charged into battle, and a swing of her blade was caught swiftly by Zatrynx; the force of the collision between the two forces caused the dark mist to disperse, and rubble flew in different directions. Mizin's gaze was still on Gilly, smiling faintly before returning her gaze to Zatrynx, who pushed back the ogre, shattering her sword. In one swift motion, Mizin appeared behind Zatrynx; his head suddenly rolled off his body, falling seconds later. She turned her gaze to Zin, then shook her head, walking back to Valmor.