Lord Of Beasts

Elara, Seraphina, and Rowan paused momentarily after feeling the distant shockwave ripple through the gate; then they snapped right back into action. With the two B Rank cicada-like beasts out of the way after being incinerated by Elara’s Crimson Flash attacks, all that remained was the A Rank.

The battlefield had already been reduced to fragments.

Floating debris drifted through the void, remnants of shattered islands slowly rotating in the weightless expanse of the gate.

And in the centre of it all, the grotesque aphid-like beast twitched.

Its semi-translucent body pulsed with sickly green fluid, veins throbbing as it released a distorted, vibrating roar that echoed across the broken battlefield.

It was alone now.

But it was far from weak.

If anything, it felt even more dangerous.

BOOM!

Its body compressed violently before launching forward, tearing through the air like a living projectile. The sheer force of its movement shattered the debris in its path, sending chunks of stone spiralling outward.

"Move!" Seraphina shouted.

She blurred into motion instantly, her body becoming a streak of pink light as she darted across the battlefield. The aphid slammed into the space she had occupied a fraction of a second ago, and the resulting shockwave tore through everything nearby.

Even the air seemed to rupture, as Rowan reacted immediately.

Massive vines erupted from the floating debris, intertwining and anchoring fragments together, forming temporary platforms and barriers.

They held, albeit barely.

"This thing is ridiculous," he muttered, steadying himself.

Elara stood still for a moment, focused on the crimson energy within her that surged like a boundless ocean.

’So this is what it feels like...’

The power was endless and enchanting, but she snapped out of it.

She stepped forward and vanished.

The world distorted as she reappeared above the aphid, her body reinforced with dense crimson energy.

’Crimson Impact!’

The blow cracked the creature’s outer layer, sending ripples through its swollen form.

But it did not fall.

Instead, it retaliated instantly, its body pulsing again.

A wave of acidic secretion erupted outward, spraying in wide arcs that hissed violently as they melted through everything they touched.

Seraphina twisted mid-movement, barely avoiding the expanding spray.

Rowan threw up layered plant barriers, which dissolved quickly, as he rushed to conjure more plants.

"Keep moving!" he called out.

Elara vanished again, reappearing behind the creature.

’Crimson Impact!’

She struck and vanished again, before reappearing beneath it.

’Crimson Impact!’

Each movement was seamless and each attack precise; crimson energy exploded outward with every hit, shaking the battlefield.

But the aphid endured.

Its thick, elastic body absorbed much of the damage, its strange physiology allowing it to withstand blows that would have obliterated lesser beasts.

It roared again.

And this time, it leapt at Seraphina.

The speed was terrifying.

Even she barely reacted in time, skidding across a fragment of stone as the beast crashed down, shattering it completely. The battlefield destabilised further, more debris broke apart, and more platforms vanished.

Rowan gritted his teeth.

"This isn’t sustainable."

He slammed both hands forward.

Vines shot outward, grabbing onto drifting debris, pulling it together into a network of platforms that they could use. Aside from Elara, without ground to stand on, they were both screwed.

"Use them!" he shouted.

Elara was already moving, teleporting in short bursts.

Her attacks came faster now, the crimson energy around her intensifying with each strike. Seraphina was focused on distracting and restricting the movement of the beast with her speed, while Rowan acted as ranged support.

They were invaluable companions who were very skilled for B Ranks.

But ultimately, their fates were in Elara’s hands, who was the only one who could deal the beast any significant damage.

And it was working.

The aphid began to falter, overwhelmed by their coordinated attacks.

Seraphina was the first to see it, a grin spreading across her face.

"Alright, let’s end this."

She pushed herself further, somehow even faster than before.

A blur beyond a blur.

She darted in, striking repeatedly, drawing the aphid’s focus completely onto her.

It turned, preparing to crush her, but Rowan reacted in time.

Thick vines erupted from beneath the aphid, wrapping around its legs, anchoring it in place for just a moment.

That was all they needed.

"Now!" he shouted.

Elara appeared above it.

Her entire body burned with crimson light, and this time she didn’t hold back. She gathered everything: every ounce of energy the Blood Demon was feeding her, and every bit her body could handle.

And then, she poured it out in the ranged attack she used repeatedly.

’If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’

And the attack definitely wasn’t broken.

’Giant Crimson Flash!’

The attack that followed was monstrous.

A massive wave of condensed crimson energy erupted from her, consuming everything in its path. It tore through the aphid, through the debris behind it, and through the very space of the battlefield itself.

The sheer force of it obliterated everything it touched.

It was an attack that almost felt excessive and was beyond even what an A Rank should be capable of.

For a moment, there was only red.

Then, there was silence as they admired the aftermath of her ultimate attack.

Seraphina was lucky she had blitzed out of range as fast as she could, and there was no blocking or evading such a powerful attack once it was released.

Even for the A Rank aphid.

Its body was gone, completely erased as if it had never existed in the first place.

The battlefield stilled.

Elara hovered for a fraction of a second, amazed by the attack she had just unleashed that could have torn through a small city.

Then, her body gave out.

As much power as the demon within her possessed, there was only so much her body could endure, and this was definitely the limit.

The crimson energy flickered as she collapsed.

But before she hit the jagged debris below, soft vines rose to catch her before carrying her over to a bed of woven plants on one of the few intact plots of land remaining. Everything in the path of her Giant Crimson Flash had been destroyed, but Rowan had supported them at range.

Seraphina landed beside them, breathing heavily, also at her limit, but smiling.

"That was insane."

Rowan exhaled slowly, his constructs beginning to fade, no longer able to maintain them.

"Yes, it was."

Elara lay there, exhausted.

Her body trembled slightly from the strain, but they were alive, which was all that mattered. And despite the scale of the battle, despite facing an A Rank, they were mostly unscathed, all because of her.

Or, more correctly, because of that overwhelming crimson power.

But even then, none of them felt relieved.

All they had managed to do was take down a single A Rank beast, one that was much weaker than the beast that Kaela had faced alone, not that they knew that.

Something else left them unsettled.

Elara’s gaze drifted outward across the gate’s incredible but eerie landscape.

’This isn’t over...’

They had no idea what else the gate had in store for them with its game-like phases, and that alone was enough to make all three of them uneasy...