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Over the vast stretch of ocean, Venom had taken the shape of a massive eagle, carrying Saeko Busujima swiftly across the waves.
Their destination was the East Sea, where a legendary creature was said to live high among the clouds. The goal was simple but dangerous—secure a piece of its fur.
According to the old tales, this beast's fur wasn't just durable; it was sharper than steel and nearly impossible to cut.
Venom wanted to forge a suit of thunder armor for Saeko using the materials from the Thunder Wolf Dragon. But to complete it, they needed additional rare components.
So their eyes turned to this cloud-dwelling monster. The plan wasn't to fight it head-on—just to take some fur and leave.
Venom's wings cut through the air. Before long, a small island appeared in the endless sea, and he immediately descended toward it.
He landed softly on a strip of sand. Saeko hopped down at once, katana in hand.
Venom shifted back into human form, and the two scanned their surroundings. No signs of human life—no smoke, no footprints, no huts. Just silence.
They exchanged a glance, then moved inland.
The forest gave way to a clearing, and what lay before them nearly stopped them in their tracks.
The ground was carpeted with human bones, piled high. Spears, swords, and halberds—long rotted with age—jutted out from between the skeletal remains.
They looked at each other again, more grim this time, and carefully stepped closer.
The armor clinging to the skeletons was enough to tell the story: soldiers, cut down long ago.
Judging from the level of decay, these bodies had been here for centuries.
It wasn't hard to imagine what had happened. This must've been an imperial army unit that once came to slay the monster, only to fall here and never be buried.
Moving quickly past the graveyard of bones, the pair soon stood before a massive cave, its entrance towering over a hundred meters high.
One look at that cave was enough to confirm just how massive the beast they sought must be.
They pressed on inside. After some searching, though, disappointment sank in—the cave was empty.
So the beast wasn't here. But where had it gone?
Just as they were about to leave, a deep rumble echoed from above.
Both of them froze, then slowly tilted their heads upward. From within the heavy clouds, a colossal head pushed its way out.
"So you've finally shown yourself," Venom murmured, smiling as the creature revealed more of its form.
The cloud beast descended, wings outstretched, blotting out the light as it landed before them. The downbeat of its wings scattered bones into the air like dry leaves in a storm.
Venom lifted his hand, forming a barrier of black liquid to shield them from the flying remains.
When the dust settled, they got their first clear look at the creature.
It was built like a four-legged reptile, but its entire body was covered in long, drifting hair that concealed its true features. A pair of massive wings sprouted from its back.
The monster roared, a deafening sound that shook the earth beneath them.
"Let's do this."
Venom's hands melted into blades as he took a fighting stance.
Saeko drew her katana in one smooth motion, electricity crackling faintly along the edge.
The beast lunged, slamming toward them with terrifying speed.
Both fighters darted in opposite directions, counterattacking as they moved.
But when their blades struck, the creature's floating fur absorbed the blows like armor.
"Not good," Saeko hissed, retreating just in time to dodge a crushing strike.
Venom quickly pulled dozens of specially made kunai from his system space and scattered them across the battlefield.
They weren't aimed at the beast directly but instead embedded themselves in the ground all around it.
Saeko immediately activated the Flying Thunder God technique, teleporting to one of the marked kunai in a flash of lightning. She struck from behind, thunder dancing along her blade as she slashed.
But even that couldn't pierce the creature's fur.
The beast whipped around with a furious roar, its front claws slamming down with enough force to crack the earth.
Saeko blinked out of sight at the last second, reappearing near another kunai as the ground exploded where she'd just been.
Boom.
The Super Hazard Species slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, the earth cracking and collapsing into a massive crater.
Saeko Busujima seized the opening. She darted forward, snatched one of the creature's thick bristles, and swung her blade with all her strength.
The next instant—snap.
Not the bristle. Her sword. The moment steel touched hair, it was like their roles reversed, and her katana was the one cut clean in two.
The beast turned its massive head toward her, rows of jagged fangs gleaming as its jaws gaped wide.
Saeko froze, then sighed in frustration. That plan was useless—if even her blade couldn't withstand a single strand of its fur, what chance did she have?
The monster lunged, jaws snapping down, but Saeko flickered away in a flash of golden light, reappearing several paces off thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Venom, who had been watching quietly, wasn't surprised at all. After all, this wasn't some common opponent—they called it a Super Hazard Species for a reason.
Clearly, tearing off even a single hair wasn't going to be easy. He couldn't help but wonder how those Imperial soldiers, back in the old days, had ever managed it.
After a brief exchange with the creature, Saeko raised her broken blade. Sparks crackled along the steel, lightning slowly building in her grip.
Venom immediately understood her intent. Maybe this was their best chance to rip something off that thing's body.
Overhead, dark clouds rolled in, thunder booming across the sky. Lightning gathered and churned as if drawn to the energy in Saeko's sword.
The beast below shifted uneasily, its instincts screaming danger as the storm above swelled.
With a fierce cry, Saeko brought her blade down. Bolts of lightning burst from the steel, streaking straight for the monster.
At the same time, the storm answered her call. A massive lightning column tore open the sky and crashed down.
Her strike and heaven's fury struck in unison, wrapping the Super Hazard Species in blinding arcs of electricity. The monster convulsed, its body locked and trembling, unable to move.
That was the chance Venom had been waiting for. He rushed in without hesitation, ignoring the risk of being fried alive, and clawed at the beast's bristles.
Once he forced them aside, raw flesh came into view. His other arm morphed into a blade and drove deep into its hide.
Blood spurted violently.
As Venom's blade bit through, his eyes lit up. Just as he suspected—no matter how tough the fur was, beneath it the creature was still flesh and blood.
Satisfied, he slashed quickly, carving away a chunk of meat with fur still attached.
"ROOOAARR!"
The monster's scream shook the island, rage surging as pain ripped through its body. And an enraged Super Hazard Species… that wasn't just a higher threat level—it was a whole new nightmare.
Venom stuffed the bloody prize into his system's storage and immediately leapt back.
Saeko charged forward at the same time.
As they crossed paths, Venom's body liquefied, surging over Saeko and wrapping around her in an instant.
The monster, still crackling with the remnants of lightning, broke free of its paralysis and barreled toward them in fury.
With Venom now fused to her, Saeko didn't waste a heartbeat. She locked eyes with the charging beast, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and vanished before its eyes.
A moment later, the island trembled with the monster's furious roar, echoing into the storm.
"....."