Chapter 29: Who is the prey!?

Atherion’s sword reached the furball almost instantly, but the creature’s expression only changed when the blade was already inches from its body.

One tiny hand rose and Atherion’s body stopped in mid-air.

His sword remained stretched forward while an invisible pressure wrapped around his entire body, slowly forcing his arms toward his sides as the space around him visibly distorted.

The furball stared at him without its usual smile.

"You really are an impatient Pioneer."

Atherion’s face twisted as the pressure continued increasing, and a thin stream of blood slowly ran from the corner of his mouth.

Then golden light erupted across his chest.

A layer of dark-red armour rapidly formed over his body, spreading across his arms, torso and legs until everything below his neck was completely covered.

Mana surged outward as Atherion forced one arm away from his body.

Cracks appeared through the distorted space around him before he suddenly tore himself free and swung again, forcing the furball backwards for the first time.

The other four Fitzalan members reacted immediately.

The staff user struck the ground and several spikes erupted beneath the furball while another member thrust a spear toward its side.

Two different spells followed from behind, closing nearly every direction the creature could retreat toward.

The furball twisted through the attacks with surprising speed, but Atherion stayed directly on it and continued attacking whenever it tried creating distance.

Everyone else simply watched, Atherion noticed this after another exchange and his expression immediately darkened.

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

His sword collided against an invisible wall before he forced it aside.

"Fight!"

But nobody moved, one of the remaining professionals near the edge actually laughed bitterly.

"You can die by yourself."

Atherion looked toward him with killing intent before another invisible force slammed into his armour and sent him sliding several metres backwards.

Leon tightened his grip around his weapon. Karl raised one hand before he could move.

"Look carefully."

Leon frowned and glanced toward him.

"At what?"

Karl did not answer, something had bothered him since the Circle of Pistis began, but the earlier chaos had kept several small details disconnected inside his mind.

Now everyone had spread apart, he could finally see them properly.

The battle continued in front of them as Atherion rushed forward again, his four teammates supporting him while the furball repeatedly pushed them away without using any visible skill.

Atherion blocked another wave of pressure before suddenly looking toward Karl.

"Karl Reed!"

Karl met his gaze, Atherion forced himself closer to the furball while shouting across the platform.

"You know we need each other here! Join me in defeating this demon unless you want all of us to die inside this place!"

Karl remained silentas his gaze passed across Atherion and then across the surviving professionals.

Finally, it stopped briefly upon two people standing in completely different parts of the platform.

Several seconds passed and then the corner of Karl’s mouth slowly rose.

A quiet chuckle escaped him first and then grew into full laughter, and soon everyone nearby was staring at him as though he had finally lost his mind.

Leon stared at him.

"Have you actually gone insane?"

Karl ignored him.

His laughter gradually faded as he looked around the platform once more, then slowly brought his hands together.

Clap.

Clap.

"What a wonderful play."

The fighting finally slowed as Atherion looked toward him with open irritation, while even the furball stopped attacking and turned its attention toward Karl.

Karl lowered his hands.

"Truly, what a play."

His gaze settled upon Atherion.

"And you really are smart enough, Atherion Fitzalan."

Atherion’s eyes narrowed.

Karl’s smile remained.

"Unfortunately, you’re just as arrogant and far too inexperienced."

Atherion’s expression immediately darkened.

"What nonsense are you babbling about?"

Karl looked toward the people surrounding them.

"The more convinced you become that you’re the apex predator, the easier it becomes to forget that something else might already be treating you as prey."

Something flashed through the furball’s eyes.

Atherion, however, only became angrier.

"Do you even know who you’re talking to, you bastard?"

He pointed his sword toward Karl.

"If you’re too much of a coward to fight, then stay the fuck away from my matters."

Karl clicked his tongue.

"Exactly what I meant."

Atherion opened his mouth again but then he felt something behind him.

One of the surviving members from another team had somehow crossed most of the platform and now stood only several metres away.

Atherion turned with obvious irritation.

"Fuck off, you backstabbing bastard."

Mana gathered across his sword before a crescent-shaped slash tore through the air toward the man’s chest.

The man’s body changed before it arrived.

Dark scales rapidly spread across his arms and neck while his pupils narrowed into vertical slits. His fingernails lengthened into thick black claws, and one hand struck directly against the Mana Slash.

The attack shattered and Atherion’s expression changed.

The scaled man was already in front of him.

His claws tore toward Atherion’s throat before he could properly adjust his sword and cold sweat appeared across Atherion’s back as he finally understood what stood before him.

Beast Human.

Karl’s smiled, he had almost overlooked them himself.

Beast Humans had originally been created by professionals with poor talents and almost no future, people desperate enough to use powerful beast essence and bloodlines to artificially strengthen themselves.

The methods actually worked.

Their talents could evolve and their bodies became considerably stronger, but repeated integration gradually turned them into something between human and beast.

The greatest problem came afterward.

Most Beast Humans eventually developed a biological need to kill and consume at least one human every month, and without it both their bodies and minds slowly deteriorated.

The Alliance had eventually hunted them into hiding.

Their disguises were extremely difficult to see through, but stress could still reveal small abnormalities such as changing pupils, unnaturally hard nails or faint traces of beast aura leaking through their Mana.

Karl had noticed pieces of it during the first trial.

Then the Circle of Pistis revealed that exactly two people among them possessed no inheritance rights.

Everything finally connected.

The claw was already approaching Atherion’s neck.

Karl moved one hand and death Energy erupted beside them as a massive skeletal giant appeared directly between the two.

The Beast Human’s claws smashed into its ribs and several bones cracked beneath the impact, but the giant absorbed enough force to stop the attack completely.

The Beast Human immediately jumped backwards.

Atherion stared at the skeletal giant before turning toward Karl in shock.

"You..."

Karl ignored him as his gaze moved toward the far edge of the platform where a young woman had remained unusually quiet since the trial began.

She noticed him looking and her expression tightened.

Karl smiled.

"No need to hide anymore."

Everyone followed his gaze.

"We’re already privy to the secret, so you might as well come out too."

For several seconds, the girl remained completely still and then her expression twisted.

Several furry tails suddenly erupted from behind her while patches of fur spread across her arms and cheeks. Her eyes changed next, losing their human pupils as the disguise covering her finally disappeared.

The Fitzalan members immediately tightened their formation.

Atherion looked from one Beast Human to the other before turning toward Karl again.

"How did you—"

Karl laughed lightly.

"I don’t think this is the best time to discuss that."

"Indeed."

The voice was heavier than before, everyone turned.

The furball was floating above the array with an expression none of them had seen on it until now.

It looked irritated, almost furious.

"Tch."

Its eyes slowly passed across everyone remaining on the platform.

"I don’t think this group of Pioneers is particularly talented."

The creature’s gaze stopped upon Karl for several seconds.

"And now you’re not even entertaining."

The two Beast Humans immediately moved farther away.

The furball sighed.

"Let’s just cleanse everything."

Its body expanded, the small round limbs stretched outward while brown fur rapidly spread across a growing frame.

The cute face distorted as its jaw widened, dark horns curved from its head and thick claws formed at the ends of its arms.

Within seconds, nothing remained of the harmless-looking furball.

A massive hairy demon stood above the Circle of Pistis.

Karl immediately activated Perception and 5his time, it worked.

[Administrator]

[Race: Dokkaebi Demon]

[Name: Satan]

[Level: 99]

Leon looked toward Satan and then toward the two transformed Beast Humans.

Finally, he glanced at Atherion and the rest of the people trapped on the platform.

"Are we cooked?"

Karl summoned the Death Stick into his hand as Death Energy began gathering around him.

"Nah."

He looked toward the Level 99 Administrator.

"We’re deep fried, now get ready to face the situation."

Mira tightened her grip around both daggers while Qi spread across Leon’s body.

Across the platform, Atherion raised his sword again as everyone still alive prepared to fight.