Chapter 257: Roar of the Desert Tyrant

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Roar of the Desert Tyrant

The Power of a National Awakener

The trembling beneath the desert grew increasingly violent, sending waves of sand rolling across the battlefield as though the earth itself had begun to writhe in agony. Cracks spread through the ground, branching in every direction while the surrounding dunes collapsed into deep depressions, and the Awakeners who had been standing near the emerging disturbance hurriedly retreated as the tremors threatened to throw them off balance.

Kang Ji-hoon narrowed his eyes, his expression growing considerably more serious as he sensed the immense presence approaching from beneath their feet.

"Everyone, fall back immediately!" he shouted, his commanding voice carrying across the battlefield. "Get beyond the surrounding dunes and leave this creature to us! Do not approach unless one of us gives the order!"

The Awakeners needed no further encouragement, immediately withdrawing toward safer ground while keeping their weapons ready in case smaller monsters emerged alongside the boss. Even those who had been eager to prove themselves understood that remaining near such a disturbance would accomplish nothing except putting their lives at risk.

A moment later, the desert erupted.

BOOOOOOM!

An enormous explosion tore through the battlefield, hurling an immense column of sand and shattered rock into the sky. The shock wave swept across the surrounding dunes, forcing several Awakeners to brace themselves against the violent gust while others stumbled backward, struggling to maintain their footing. A cloud of dust rose so high that it briefly obscured the sunlight, casting the entire battlefield into a murky, sand-filled haze.

Something enormous burst through the collapsing earth.

A gigantic, armored creature emerged from the depths, its upper body rising above the sand as it released a thunderous roar that reverberated across the desert. Its appearance bore some resemblance to a monstrous centipede, although its body was far more heavily built, with six thick, jointed limbs extending from its front section and a long, segmented abdomen that disappeared beneath the collapsing dunes.

The creature continued to rise, forcing its immense body through the broken earth until its entire form finally emerged onto the surface.

It measured approximately thirty-eight meters in length, with its highest raised section reaching nearly fourteen meters above the ground. Its body was covered in overlapping plates of dark, bronze-colored chitin, each one edged with jagged ridges that resembled the blades of enormous swords. Thick veins of glowing amber energy pulsed between the armored segments, illuminating the cracks in its shell whenever it moved, while its six powerful limbs ended in curved claws capable of tearing through solid rock.

Its head was particularly horrifying, bearing a crown of serrated mandibles that opened and closed with a metallic grinding sound. Two pairs of crimson eyes burned beneath its armored brow, and a pair of long, whip-like sensory appendages extended from its skull, sweeping across the battlefield as though searching for prey.

The monster dragged its enormous abdomen across the sand, leaving behind a deep trench as it shifted its weight. Each movement caused the surrounding ground to shudder, and the sheer pressure radiating from its body made it immediately apparent that this was no ordinary A-Rank creature.

A translucent system notification appeared before the Awakeners who possessed the necessary identification skills.

[Target Identified: Sandgrave Tyrant]

[Rank: S-Rank]

[Threat Assessment: Extremely Dangerous]

The expressions of several Awakeners changed the moment they read the notification.

"An S-Rank monster..."

"That’s the boss? It’s enormous!"

"Everyone, keep your distance! Don’t let its size fool you into thinking it’s slow!"

While the expedition members continued withdrawing, the Sandgrave Tyrant raised its head and released another deafening roar, causing the sand beneath its claws to scatter in every direction.

Yoon Ha-eun stared at the creature for a brief moment before turning toward her summoned beasts, which had already gathered around her in preparation for battle.

"Stormcrest Griffin, take the air and watch its movements from above. Ironhide Earth Bear, stay near the frontline and protect anyone who gets too close. Tidefang Serpent, restrict its movements whenever you see an opening," she ordered, her voice firm and composed. "Don’t engage recklessly. Its armor looks considerably tougher than that of the monsters we’ve encountered so far, so we’ll need to coordinate our attacks rather than waste our strength trying to break through it individually."

Her summons responded immediately.

The Stormcrest Griffin spread its enormous wings and ascended into the air, its golden-brown body cutting through the dust-filled atmosphere as arcs of lightning danced between its dark-blue feathers. Below, the Ironhide Earth Bear lowered its massive body into a defensive stance, the rocky plates covering its shoulders grinding against one another, while the Tidefang Serpent coiled around itself before slithering toward the battlefield, its blue scales glistening beneath the sunlight.

Park Tae-hyun rolled his shoulders and clenched his fists, his expression displaying the anticipation of a fighter who had finally encountered an opponent worthy of his attention.

"Guild Master Kang, I’ll distract it," he declared, taking several steps forward as the ground trembled beneath the monster’s movements. "While it’s focused on me, prepare whatever spell you’re planning to use. I’ll keep it occupied for as long as necessary."

Kang Ji-hoon glanced at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the creature’s enormous body and the dense magical energy circulating through its armored shell.

"Don’t get carried away, Tae-hyun. Its physical strength is clearly substantial, and we have yet to determine whether those glowing patterns serve a defensive purpose or something more dangerous," he warned before extending one hand toward the battlefield. "I’ll begin gathering gravitational energy, but a spell of this magnitude will require time to stabilize. Keep it away from me until I’m ready, and avoid taking unnecessary risks just to prove your strength."

Park gave him a confident grin.

"Understood. I’ll make sure it has more than enough reasons to pay attention to me."

With those words, he bent his knees and lowered his center of gravity, his muscles tightening as the mana within his body surged toward his limbs.

The next instant, the ground beneath his feet exploded.

BOOM!

Park launched himself forward with tremendous speed, crossing the distance between himself and the Sandgrave Tyrant in a fraction of a second. His right fist drew back, gathering a dense layer of mana around his knuckles, before he drove it directly into the creature’s armored head.

KRAAAAAANG!

The impact rang across the battlefield like a colossal hammer striking a steel fortress. The Sandgrave Tyrant’s head jerked sideways, and several nearby plates of chitin cracked beneath the tremendous force, sending fragments of armor scattering across the sand.

Yet the monster barely retreated.

Its six limbs dug into the ground, stabilizing its enormous body, while its crimson eyes immediately shifted toward the human who had dared to strike it.

Park’s grin widened when he felt the resistance beneath his fist.

’Its defense is considerably tougher than I expected. That first strike should have shattered the skull of an ordinary S-Rank monster, but this thing barely moved.’

The Sandgrave Tyrant retaliated before he could withdraw completely.

One of its front limbs swept across the battlefield with terrifying speed, its enormous claw tearing through the air as it descended toward Park’s position. He immediately crossed his arms before his chest and reinforced them with mana, but the moment the claw struck, the force sent him skidding backward across the sand.

His boots carved two deep furrows into the ground before he finally regained his balance.

"Damn, that’s heavy!" Park exclaimed, shaking the numbness from his arms as he glanced at the monster. "All right, then. Let’s see how much punishment that shell can take!"

The Sandgrave Tyrant lunged toward him, moving far faster than its enormous body suggested possible. Its six limbs struck the ground in rapid succession, propelling it forward with startling acceleration, while its mandibles opened wide enough to swallow an ordinary human whole.

Park immediately sprang to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature’s snapping jaws before driving his knee into the side of its head.

BOOM!

The impact forced the monster’s head downward, but its response was almost instantaneous. One of its rear limbs swung around toward Park’s exposed flank, forcing him to twist in midair and intercept the strike with his forearm.

The collision hurled him sideways.

Before he could hit the ground, Park planted one hand against the sand, rotated his body, and kicked off a nearby rock formation, using the momentum to launch himself back toward the monster.

"Don’t think you can push me around just because you’re bigger!"

His right leg swept upward, striking the underside of the Sandgrave Tyrant’s head with enough force to produce another deafening crash. The monster’s mandibles slammed shut, and its enormous body lurched sideways, causing several of its limbs to lose their footing momentarily.

Park followed with a barrage of punches, each strike concentrating his mana into a devastating burst of physical force. His fists hammered against the creature’s head and front armor, creating successive explosions that sent fragments of chitin flying across the battlefield.

BAM! BAM! KRAK! BOOM!

Although the creature’s armor absorbed most of the damage, the repeated impacts gradually took their toll. Fine cracks spread across the plates covering its head, and the glowing amber veins beneath its shell began flickering whenever Park landed a particularly powerful blow.

The Sandgrave Tyrant finally recoiled, raising its front body while releasing a furious screech.

"It’s taking damage!" one of the distant Awakeners shouted.

"Of course it is! That’s Guild Master Park Tae-hyun for you!"

"Look at those punches! He’s breaking through an S-Rank monster’s defenses with nothing but physical strength!"

Their excitement was short-lived, however, as the Sandgrave Tyrant slammed its front limbs into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A violent shock wave spread outward, sending a ring of compressed sand and shattered stone rushing across the battlefield. Park immediately leaped backward, but the wave caught his legs before he could escape its full reach, throwing him into the air and forcing him to twist his body to avoid landing awkwardly.

The monster took advantage of the opening.

Its sensory appendages flashed forward, moving like enormous whips as they lashed toward Park’s airborne body.

"Park Tae-hyun!" Ha-eun shouted.

The Stormcrest Griffin dived from above, releasing a burst of lightning that struck one of the appendages and diverted its trajectory. At the same time, the Tidefang Serpent surged across the sand, unleashing several streams of compressed water that struck the creature’s front limbs and momentarily disrupted its balance.

Park landed hard, rolled across the ground, and rose to his feet with a grimace.

"Thanks, Guild Master Yoon! I owe you one!"

"Save your gratitude until we’re finished," Ha-eun replied, raising one hand as glowing patterns spread across her fingers. "My summons can interfere with its movements, but they won’t be able to hold it for long if you keep giving it opportunities to counterattack. Watch its limbs carefully and stop committing to attacks that leave your entire body exposed."

"Fair enough!"

Kang Ji-hoon, meanwhile, had begun preparing his spell.

The air around him grew unnaturally heavy as dark particles of mana gathered above the battlefield. Small rocks rose from the ground, followed by larger fragments of broken stone, each one suspended in the air as though gravity had temporarily ceased to exist. The sand surrounding his feet sank into a shallow depression, and the space above him began to distort beneath the increasing pressure of his accumulated power.

He raised his left hand, and a complex array of luminous black symbols appeared in the air behind him.

The spell was still incomplete, but even from a distance, the Awakeners could feel the immense gravitational force gathering around him.

’So this is the power of a National Awakener,’ Ares observed silently, his attention resting on the formation taking shape above Kang Ji-hoon. ’His control over gravity is considerably more refined than what the initial reports suggested.’

Unlike the other Awakeners, Ares showed no particular reaction to the pressure gathering over the battlefield. He merely watched the fight with calm interest, his True Sight allowing him to observe the flow of mana through the Sandgrave Tyrant’s body and the precise locations where its defensive energy was concentrated.

’Its armor is exceptionally durable, but the glowing channels connecting the plates appear to be distributing its defensive energy throughout the body. If those channels are disrupted, its overall resistance should decrease significantly.’

His gaze shifted toward the three guild masters.

’Let’s see whether they discover that weakness on their own.’

The battle continued to intensify.

Park rushed forward again, this time refusing to attack the monster’s head directly. Instead, he targeted the joints connecting its front limbs to its armored torso, striking the exposed sections between the plates with precise, concentrated blows.

The first punch landed against the creature’s right forelimb, forcing the joint backward with a sharp crack. Park immediately followed with a powerful kick to the same location, driving the limb into the sand and causing the monster’s entire front section to tilt dangerously to one side.

The Sandgrave Tyrant roared and attempted to crush him beneath its weight, but the Ironhide Earth Bear charged into its path.

GRROOOOAAAR!

The enormous bear slammed its armored shoulder against the monster’s front limb, bracing itself against the impact while Ha-eun strengthened its defenses through her summoning ability.

"Now, Tidefang!"

The Tidefang Serpent coiled around the creature’s damaged limb, releasing powerful streams of water that hardened into dense bands of ice-like restraint. The monster immediately struggled to break free, but the combined pressure of the serpent’s body and its reinforced bindings slowed its movements long enough for Park to attack again.

"That’s more like it!"

Park stepped forward and drove his fist into the exposed joint.

KRAK!

The armor fractured, and the Sandgrave Tyrant’s forelimb buckled beneath its own weight.

Before the monster could recover, the Stormcrest Griffin descended from above, unleashing a concentrated bolt of lightning directly into the damaged joint. The electrical discharge spread through the glowing amber channels beneath the chitin, causing several of them to flicker violently before dimming.

The creature released a piercing screech, its enormous body thrashing as the combined assault finally inflicted substantial damage.

"Excellent coordination!" Ha-eun called out, keeping her attention fixed on the monster’s movements. "Don’t let it recover its balance! Park, move away from its front before it retaliates!"

Park immediately withdrew, narrowly avoiding a sweep from the creature’s remaining forelimb as it tore through the ground where he had been standing.

The Sandgrave Tyrant was no longer moving with the same fluidity as before. Its damaged limb dragged against the sand, and several plates covering its head had cracked open, exposing the glowing energy channels beneath them. Even so, its strength remained formidable, and the violent movements of its body threatened to crush anything that approached too closely.

Kang Ji-hoon finally lowered his hand.

The gravitational formation behind him had expanded into an enormous circular array, its black symbols rotating around a dense sphere of compressed mana. The air trembled beneath the spell’s pressure, and the floating rocks surrounding him began moving toward the center of the formation, gradually compressing into a single, enormous mass.

"Guild Master Park, Guild Master Yoon, I need another opening!" he called out. "The spell is ready, but I need to ensure that the target remains within the center of the formation when I release it. Keep its attention focused on the frontline and force it to expose its upper body!"

Park glanced toward him before turning his attention back to the Sandgrave Tyrant.

"Understood! Guild Master Yoon, can you restrain its movements for a few seconds?"

"I can, but only if we strike its damaged joints together," Ha-eun replied without hesitation. "My summons will create the opening, and you must keep it from breaking free before Guild Master Kang finishes the spell."

Park cracked his knuckles, his expression becoming serious as he gathered mana around his fists.

"Then let’s finish this."

The three guild masters moved almost simultaneously.

The Ironhide Earth Bear charged into the Sandgrave Tyrant’s injured side, forcing the creature to shift its weight to maintain its balance. The Tidefang Serpent immediately tightened its restraints around the damaged forelimb, while the Stormcrest Griffin unleashed a barrage of lightning strikes that disrupted the glowing channels beneath the monster’s armor.

Ha-eun extended both hands, and the magic patterns covering her fingers spread across her palms as she reinforced her summons with another surge of mana.

"Hold it there! Don’t give it any room to move!"

The Sandgrave Tyrant roared in fury, struggling against the combined restraints. Its remaining limbs tore through the ground, sending waves of sand into the air as it attempted to free itself, but the accumulated damage had finally begun to affect its movements.

Park seized the opportunity and charged toward its head.

He leaped onto a broken section of armor, using it as a foothold before launching himself higher, his entire body enveloped in a dense aura of mana. As he reached the creature’s upper body, he twisted his hips and drove a devastating kick into the side of its head.

KRAAAAAAAAAASH!

The impact shattered several of the remaining armor plates, sending jagged fragments spinning through the air. The Sandgrave Tyrant’s head snapped sideways, and its front section rose involuntarily, exposing the broad expanse of its upper body.

"NOW, GUILD MASTER KANG!"

Kang Ji-hoon extended his right hand.

The enormous gravitational formation above him suddenly stopped rotating, and every fragment of stone suspended around the battlefield froze in place. For a brief moment, an oppressive silence settled over the desert, as though the entire world had been caught within the grasp of an invisible hand.

Then his eyes flashed.

"Gravitational Dominion: Black Starfall!"