Chapter 2061: Predatory Play

‘It’s going to be hard, but I’m sure we’re going to win.’

High Millinar Julas looked at High Lord Ursa across the room, sitting behind his desk.

Despite the upcoming Purgation Duel, he was still working, still managing the important affairs within his vast territories. Many would think that he was arrogant, and it was understandable for them to think like that.

But High Millinar Julas knew how High Lord Ursa was.

Once he made every single preparation to tackle a problem, then he would move on to the next.

No need to dwell when he was already absolutely sure of his preparations.

His nonchalance came from experience and preparedness.

And this was the side that made High Millinar Julas respected High Lord Ursa deeply.

Someone who had retained the position of a High Lord as long as he had would certainly not be simple, and this air of unwavering strength was a source of pride for High Millinar Julas. Many others with the same rank as him envied him for working under High Lord Ursa.

Just like all other problems in the past, the Purgation Duel would be won.

High Millinar Julas was certain about that.

‘We have faced worse situations than this. We have fought multiple High Lords from all fronts, and even through economic attacks to make our people go against us. But we prevailed.’ High Millinar Julas’ lips cracked into a smile as he crossed his arms. ‘I am sure this would be the same thing all over again. Just a problem we would reminisce in the future.’

Everything should go well.

They have the number, have an unpredictable variable on the other side, and also have more experience.

But reality proved that this was not going to be the same as the past problems.

High Millinar Julas watched the horde of thousands blot out the sky.

They came like a living storm—abominations twisted from his own creatures, their bodies wrong, their eyes too many, and their mouths too hungry. They drowned him in full darkness, a tide of writhing flesh and needle-teeth.

His ocean creatures, the ones he had summoned with such pride, were swallowed alive and remade into these horrors. Creatures that wanted nothing more than to devour him—But what worried him the most was their soulless eyes.

Like their bodies were moving and kicking, but they weren’t really alive.

Just beings that were made to be used.

He gritted his teeth, spun on his heels, and exploded forward.

Behind, the thick tail of the orca that had grown from his back moved rapidly, up and down, propelling him across the dark ocean surface without even touching the water. Not because he didn’t want to enter the deep, but because he knew that it wasn’t going to be safe.

Splash—!

Behind him, the sound of countless splashes struck his eardrums like the battle drums of an opposing army. He didn’t look back. He kept moving. He had to escape. ‘I can’t win against him no matter what. I understand now that I really can’t!’

Ego is a good thing.

However, it was prone to turn into arrogance that could blind people.

Not blind the eyes, but blind the mind and heart.

And for people like them who aspired to reach the peak of power, that could be extremely fatal.

Diamantona had said Rex was dangerous—and even then, High Millinar Julas had placed Rex at around his level, perhaps a little above. But reality proved the gap between them was vast. He wasn’t near Rex’s level; none of them were.

Out of the seven of them, High Lord Ursa and Diamantona were probably the only ones at his level.

As for the others, they had no chance of winning from the start.

‘I have to run. Regroup with the others, no—’ High Millinar Julas shook his head. ‘I need to reach High Lord Ursa or help free Diamantona from his prison. I’m sorry, Angela, but fighting this monster is really out of our hands.’

Below, shadows moved past him.

He noticed them.

Dark shapes gliding through the water, keeping pace. And then lightning pillars exploded upward, three savage columns of dark blue energy that created a triangle formation—carving the dark ocean’s surface into a killing zone.

High Millinar Julas came to a halt, realizing too late that he was standing at its center.

Just then, the ocean exploded.

SPLASH—!

Massive tentacles and creatures of abomination erupted from the depths.

Each one rose skyward and then bent to strike at him from every angle. Fueled by adrenaline—and the primal desire to live, High Millinar Julas summoned his own ocean creatures and moved. He let them clash against the abominations while he dodged left, right, up.

He avoided every tentacle, every snapping maw, and every grasping claw.

Once he was free, he blasted forward, trying to escape the encampment.

High Millinar Julas crossed the border of the killing zone, which he thought was a safe area.

But he was wrong.

A lightning eel of abomination burst from underneath him, trying to pierce through him from below. He crossed his arms, blocking, and swatted the creature away. Even though his arms throbbed, he ignored it and continued.

As he took his first step to continue, another abomination burst from the dark ocean.

Roar—!

Something massive shot up and went straight for High Millinar Julas.

Its maw was open wide, intending to swallow him whole, and its appearance caught him completely off guard. The mouth clamped onto him, drowning him in darkness. He was inside it. Inside the creature’s wicked mouth.

He slid down its tongue and down its throat, and felt its saliva burn like lava.

Snapping out of his stupor, he gathered his immortal energy and unleashed it.

The abomination shattered from the inside—exploding outward in a shower of gore and twisted flesh. High Millar Julas blasted away again, running, running, and running. He needed to regroup with those who were still alive to help Diamantona or run straight at High Lord Ursa to ask for help.

But right now, with more abominations coming at him, he didn’t know where he was going anymore.

All he knew was that he had to get away.

He had to survive.

Above, Rex watched High Millinar Julas desperately trying to survive.

For once in countless battles he had gone through, he didn’t need to raise a finger at all to overwhelm his enemies. “As expected for a Transcendent-rank skill. Every single ocean creature—that the skill ate was reverted into its monstrous form, and it also increased their strength.

“Now, each one has power close to 2-star Awakened Demigod.”

Even earlier, the ocean creatures were already quite strong.

It didn’t only have the power of a Demigod, but an Awakened Demigod instead, which was incredible.

But now, through the Originality of the Beast skill, they had gotten much stronger.

“Enough with the predatory play.” Davina descended from the higher sky—forcing Rex to turn around without even hiding his excited smile. She knew that Rex was playing with his prey. “In case you have forgotten, you already got your fill not too long ago.”

“You’re policing my fun now, and we’re not even married yet.” Rex cackled. “On that note, you look really shiny and beautiful right now. I can see now why you saved the reveal—until now. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands from you had you let me see it sooner.”

“Do you think I’d be flattered easily by your words?” Davina asked, though her cheeks reddened a little as she wasn’t expecting the compliment. “In any case, there are still two more High Millinars after these two, and they are trying to break Diamantona out right now.”

Rex turned to the red shore and saw exactly that.

Both were prying open the dimensional prison using external force despite Vadyn’s distractions.

“I agree that it’s indeed a problem,” Rex nodded—and turned his gaze to High Millinar Julas again. “But he’s quite slippery, hard to catch—can you help me with that? These monsters… they are crowding my senses right now.”

Rex could feel every single desire coming from the abominations he summoned.

He was their origin, so he could feel everything they feel.

Even though it wasn’t that distracting, he was still not used to it, so he might get sloppy.

“Of course,” Davina floated higher again as her body began to radiate even stronger moonlight and also starlight energy. “How else would we be able to end him quickly and tend to those two? I’m going all out, so don’t waste it.”

“Loud and clear.” Rex nodded as his body reverted to normal.

Back to his werewolf form.

For a suspended moment, Davina gathered her energy as Rex waited.

And once she was ready, her eyes sparkled.

“Go!”

Swoosh—!

Rex descended from the sky with blurring speed—a dark comet against the endless night.

Above, Davina’s tails curled upward—her three furred appendages reaching toward the heavens as she summoned a constellation of emerald stars. Dozens of them materialized around her, each one burning with cold, terrible light.

She dropped her hand.

And the stars shot downward like a meteor shower, spreading outward as they fell.

Each one was targeting the area around High Millinar Julas, to entrap him once again.

Soon, they landed on the dark ocean’s surface without impact.

A seamless landing that didn’t even cause a ripple.

Below, High Millinar Julas had barely escaped another maw clamping down on him. He burst free from the abomination’s jaws, gasping, bleeding—and then he saw them. The brilliant emerald stars. Resting on the water like silent sentinels.

He had no time to dwell.

He continued onward, swimming across the ocean surface, trying to escape the horde that pursued him.

He passed near one of the emerald stars.

It flashed.

The light was blinding—a sudden detonation of emerald radiance that seared his eyes and stunned him in place. At the same moment, gravity intensified around him, a crushing pressure that drove him to his knees on the dark ocean surface.

A gasp escaped him as he fought it, but the effect was absolute.

All he could do was wait for a second before it waned naturally, which was a big problem.

‘I need to avoid these stars at all costs!’ He thought inside.

But another abomination blocked his path. Another slammed into his side, hurling him to the right.

He stumbled into three more emerald stars.

Each one flashed. Each one blinded him. Each one crushed him with impossible gravity. And during one of those flashes—during that single, suspended heartbeat of light—his eyes widened. He saw a pair of crimson eyes heading straight at him.

He dodged. Barely.

But the other emerald stars around unfairly moved toward him. Converging.

Each one flashed, blinding him again. He gritted his teeth as he got rooted in place again.

And this time, he couldn’t escape.

Rex’s claws closed around him.

He held High Millinar Julas by the throat, suspended above the dark ocean.

“Are you ready to die…?” Rex asked as his lips curled into a devious smirk.

“Let go of me!” High Millinar Julas thrashed, attempting to resist. “Bastard! Let go of me.”

“Stop wailing. I’m not talking to you.”

“Eh?”

Just then, Rex’s claws poked High Millinar Julas’ chest.

And with a grunt, he pulled. An ice-frost energy began to seep from the wound—a cold, blue light that resisted, that screamed, that clawed at Rex’s grip. But Rex didn’t care. He pulled even harder; his claws’ grip only tightened around it even more.

High Millinar Julas screamed.

But it wasn’t only his voice.

Another voice screamed alongside him.

It was High Millinar Angela who was inside High Millinar Julas.

Rex was ripping her out of him again.

The sound was horrific. A dual scream, two bodies in agony—but Rex showed no mercy as he dragged out High Millinar Angela’s astral form into the open. He stared at her slowly materializing back into her fleshy body, weaker than an ant.

“I’m going to kill you now,” Rex said—and then leaned his face closer. “But it wouldn’t be fun if I can’t see you scream in pain now, would it?”