Lord Of Beasts

After crawling over to the blue dragonfly-like beast she had battled, Kaela collapsed onto it.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The A Rank Odonata had used the last of its strength to try to remain airborne, which was why it had landed after her, but its wings were mangled from her final blow. It wasn’t flying anywhere, even if it had the energy to do so, and while it was still alive, it was unconscious, or the insect equivalent.

Both of them were too weak, damaged, and drained to continue their battle.

But the Riot Valkyrie was still taking it as a win.

’I mean, I’m the last one standing, or well, moving at least.’

Kaela let out a shaky breath, her head pressed against the creature’s body as she stared blankly ahead.

’I thought it was all over for me.’

But rather than dwelling on it, she smirked faintly, wincing as she did.

’Now it’s a game of who recovers first.’

And despite everything, she was confident, because that was who she was: a Riot Valkyrie endures, adapts, and thrives in the chaos.

Her aura flickered weakly around her, the once vibrant purple energy now dim and unstable. She was also struggling to heal; her recovery, once instant, was now failing to keep up with the sheer extent of her injuries.

But the beast she had faced wasn’t any better, and she doubted it was going to heal or regain its strength quicker than she would.

At least she hoped it didn’t.

As such, she lay there resting on top of the beast’s body calmly.

It was an insane sight.

Kaela was treating the creature that had almost claimed her life moments ago as a pillow.

’It’s not very comfortable, but it’ll have to do.’

Her chest rose and fell in shallow motions as she stared up at the dark, endless sky above.

She laughed, a rough, exhausted sound that barely held together.

"This gate is fucking crazy."

Because even she knew that what she had done wasn’t normal.

Taking on two B Ranks and a powerful A Rank beast was something very few people could claim they had done.

Her expression shifted slightly.

The faint humour faded, replaced by something more serious and grounded.

’But I’d be cooked if whatever has taken over this gate didn’t decide to save me.’

She was under no illusion that she was just lucky or had imagined things. An island had spawned under her out of thin air while she was falling, catching both her and the A Rank beast she had faced.

Although she wasn’t sure why it had, she wasn’t complaining.

Her eyes narrowed.

’That probably means whatever is coming is even more fucked.’

She felt like she was being watched and that her struggle was being enjoyed by an unknown onlooker, which she naturally hated.

’But what can I do about it?’

As wild as Kaela was, outside of combat she was very realistic and quite logical, not bothering to waste energy on things she couldn’t control.

"I really need a drink," she groaned.

’And if I ever want to have another one, we’re going to need each other to get out of this place.’

That was especially true in her current condition.

The thought felt strange and unnatural.

She had always fought alone, preferring it that way.

The more people there were, the more variables she had to account for, and she hated being forced to trust or rely on someone else.

’They also steal my fun.’

And yet, right now she definitely wouldn’t complain if someone like the Blood Demon was beside her.

’Hell, I’d even take that idiot Ethan.’

Then her gaze drifted, distant and uncertain.

’But how many of them are still alive?’

The question lingered heavily.

Though deep down she already knew the answer wasn’t a good one...

-

A Rank.

It was a level that most people could not truly comprehend until they faced it.

Whether it was a beast, a Titled, or something else entirely, once something reached A Rank, it stopped being something you could measure normally. They were all monsters, every single one of them.

At that level, raw strength was only the beginning.

Speed blurred into teleportation, power bent the environment, and durability turned lethal attacks into inconveniences.

And more than anything, their skill sets expanded.

Most A Ranks had layers to them, multiple applications of their power, different ways to fight, adapt, and dominate. Their abilities branched out, covering weaknesses, enhancing strengths, and giving them overwhelming versatility in battle.

That was what made them so terrifying.

And yet, Kaela was different.

Her abilities were, by A Rank standards, incredibly one-dimensional.

She had no ranged attacks, no external manipulation of her energy, and no complex constructs or layered techniques.

Everything she had was internal, physical, and direct.

The Riot Valkyrie reinforced her body and fought... that was it.

And yet, it did not matter.

Because what she lacked in versatility, she made up for in sheer mastery.

She had pushed her abilities to such an extreme level that the limitations no longer felt like limitations at all. Every movement, every strike, every decision she made in battle was refined to perfection.

There was no wasted motion, hesitation, or inefficiency.

She did not need versatility when her singular path had been honed to such an absurd degree. And with her healing factor and her warrior mentality, there were very few A Ranks on the planet who could stand against her.

On paper, she should have lost against the A Rank Beast she had just faced, but she came out on top purely because of her combat prowess.

As reckless as she seemed, she was smart and skilled; similar to Ethan in that way.

Another person she was similar to in terms of honing one’s abilities, as limited as they were, was Dave.

His abilities were about as one-dimensional as Titles could get.

If someone had to guess, his Title might as well have been something like Laser Eyes.

That was it.

No layered applications or hidden mechanics, just raw, destructive output. And since he was only a C Rank, he couldn’t make up for it with just power alone. So instead, he refined what he could, and that was what went into his ability.

The use of mana, his mana core, the amount of mana he could pour into his attacks.

Dave maximised it to the absolute limit of what it could do in his own way, and in the process became so attuned to mana he even unlocked his own unique form of flight. He couldn’t exactly soar through the skies like Titan, but just being able to levitate like he could was impressive.

In that sense, he had even surpassed Kaela, but he had simply done so at a much lower level.

He couldn’t hope to compare to her or any A Rank for that matter.

It was a completely different level of existence.

And that A Rank Odonata Beast that Kaela had just faced was arguably the most powerful entity within this gate. Not only was it incredibly fast and durable with a shell-like exterior, but its electric attacks were lethal and versatile.

Enough to push Kaela to her absolute limit, needing to draw on her life’s luck to come out on top.

It was a monster among monsters, and she had killed it alone, as well as its two B Rank followers that it didn’t seem to care about.

But she wasn’t the only one faced with an A Rank beast.

And not all the others were winning their battles as she had...