Lord Of Beasts

Ethan was both relieved and horrified that the final Boss Beast’s base had suddenly appeared right in front of them.

’I guess that confirms that it really was just spawning them in whenever it felt like it.’

But that wasn’t important right now.

"Liora!" he quickly called out, snapping out of the daze that the immense mana had caused.

She reacted instantly.

Mana surged from her palms, and dozens of translucent barriers formed around the exhausted squad, layering one after another until they resembled a fortress of shimmering glass.

Before the final barrier settled, the cocoon burst open.

A brilliant flash illuminated the floating island, and everyone instinctively shielded their eyes. When the light faded, one butterfly drifted from the broken cocoon.

It was golden, completely so.

The creature’s wings shimmered like liquid sunlight, with every movement leaving glowing particles floating behind it.

It was beautiful, almost impossibly so.

And that somehow made it even more terrifying.

Nobody moved or even breathed, in awe of the beast before them that looked like an angel in insect form.

That’s when another butterfly emerged.

Then another.

Then five.

Then ten.

Then dozens.

Butterflies of crimson, azure, emerald, violet, silver, and every imaginable colour poured from the cocoon. Some were small, while others stretched several metres across.

They gathered silently behind the golden leader.

It was a living wall of wings, an army that was equally horrifying as it was breathtaking.

Even behind Liora’s barriers, they all couldn’t help but feel small, vulnerable, and like they were the prey in this situation. And not only were they massively outnumbered, but they had also essentially been ambushed.

Ethan’s eyes remained fixed upon the golden butterfly.

Only he could see the translucent blue screen hovering above it.

{Lepidoptera Boss Beast}

{Race: Golden Flutterer

Growth Stage: Mature

Beast Rank: A

Strength: 25

Speed: 25

Stamina: 25

MP: 200/200}

What he was seeing definitely didn’t disappoint.

’Two hundred! That’s like triple what the other A Rank beasts had.’

His lips twitched.

’Maybe I should’ve waited for this beast.’

He immediately evaluated the possibilities with that much mana combined with whatever abilities the species possessed. It would make a great addition and an extraordinary summon.

’Once Spark reaches A Rank, he’ll probably have even more mana.’

Despite that, it felt like he was coping.

’If I manage to get the last hit on it, then I’ll consider getting rid of Storm and replacing it.’

It was a cold thought, but since it was an infant that he hadn’t even summoned before, he was more open to the idea if the opportunity arose. Though wielding lightning and being able to summon such a powerful insect were also very appealing.

’Let’s just deal with these beasts first.’

His gaze shifted back toward the remaining butterflies.

There were too many status windows to read properly, hundreds at once, but among them he recognised some that were familiar. Several B Rank Dreamveil Monarchs were among the crowd of butterflies.

One of them had been dangerous enough; this many was insane.

His stomach tightened.

’Yeah... It definitely saved the hardest until last.’

As if reading his thoughts, the butterflies moved.

It wasn’t toward them to attack, but instead, every butterfly spread its wings simultaneously.

Mana exploded outward, shaking the entire gate literally.

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

"What..."

The wave of mana rolling across the floating islands was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was enough mana to flatten cities and erase mountains if unleashed in a beam like Elara and Dave could.

Yet, they weren’t attacking.

At least not yet.

Every strand of mana converged, flowing, streaming, and pouring into the Golden Flutterer.

Ethan’s eyes snapped back toward its status.

200...

400...

600...

Its mana continued climbing.

999+

The display simply stopped counting.

His breathing caught.

"It..."

"It broke the System..."

The numbers disappeared entirely as an infinite river of power continued flowing into the Boss Beast. Consequently, the pressure became unbearable for the Titled witnessing what was occurring.

Even standing behind multiple layers of Liora’s barriers...

It felt as though an ocean had been dropped onto their shoulders, with breathing becoming almost impossible.

Kaela’s confident grin vanished completely, and even her legs trembled. Beside her, Elara struggled to remain standing. For the first time since Ethan had met the Riot Valkyrie, she looked genuinely overwhelmed, even more so than when she was faced with Titan, an S Rank.

The two strongest fighters among them were shaking.

Meanwhile, the weaker among them stood no chance, with the Bulldozer collapsing first, his knees slamming onto stone.

"I..."

He gasped.

"...can’t..."

He blacked out.

Beside him, Dave screamed.

"Aaaagh!"

Blood poured from both eyes.

His unique vision allowed him to perceive mana itself, but now that gift had become a curse. Even with his eyes closed, the sheer quantity of mana flooding the battlefield had effectively blinded him.

Crimson tears streamed down his cheeks as he clutched his face and rolled around on the ground.

"It burns!"

"It burns!"

The B Ranks weren’t faring much better.

Darius spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone, his spear barely stopping him from collapsing completely. Seraphina dropped to both knees, her vision blurring and body shaking.

As for Rowan, the bark spreading across his body cracked as he struggled to remain conscious, forming plants to keep him upright.

Only Ethan remained standing, which was defintely surprising.

His own legs wanted to buckle, and every instinct screamed at him to kneel and submit to the overwhelming force in front of him.

But he refused.

After everything he had endured in his life and the Tower Of Beast, his mental fortitude was extreme. Matched with his unique constitution as the Lord Of Beasts, he was able to grit his teeth and resist the pressure.

Then he noticed Liora swaying.

"No."

She was reaching her limit and was struggling to endure it as well as he was, but if she fell, her barriers would also disappear. As such, without thinking, he stepped beside her, one arm wrapping around her shoulders and holding her up.

"I’ve got you."

She looked at him, flustered momentarily, before focusing.

"Don’t..."

"let me..."

"lose..."

"You won’t," Ethan reassured her, tightening his grip.

In the corner of his eye, he could feel a jealous crimson glare coming his way, but he ignored it.

"We’re relying on you," he added.

Liora nodded weakly.

Mana continued pouring through her trembling arms, barely maintaining the barriers she had conjured.

Ethan stared at the impossible creature ahead.

’That’s S Rank levels of mana, or even higher. I guess that makes sense with that many beasts working together.’

Lots of mana was being wasted, but what wasn’t was still a practically infinite amount, more than they could ever hope to take on directly.

His throat felt dry.

’How are we supposed to...’

Before he could finish the thought, the Golden Flutterer made its move.

Its radiant wings began fluttering faster and faster until they became impossible to see, a mesmerising blur. Golden light gathered around its body as it gathered its immense mana before releasing it outward.

There was a silent explosion.

A single wave of brilliant golden radiance swept across the entire Gate.

There was nowhere to run or hide, and no barrier could defend against such an attack.

The light swallowed every floating island, every butterfly, every person...

Everything.

And that was it...