The three Zairo-rank Marions fell into a battle stance as one. The Bores charged, their roars tearing through the forest's silence.
In an instant, Kael moved. He was a blur of motion and shadow. His black flame sword cut through the air, leaving trails of darkness. With four precise, devastating slashes, four Bores fell, disintegrating into ash before they even hit the ground. Another Bore tried to lunge at him from behind, but Kael didn't even need to look. His new Locator's Sense pinpointed the threat, and he spun, ending it with a single, fluid strike.
Brad and Maria could only stare, stunned.
He is so fast! Brad thought, his eyes wide. My eyes can't even catch his movements! How the hell is he so fast?!Maria's analytical mind was short-circuiting, unable to process his impossible speed.
Brad's shock quickly morphed into competitive fury. A wild grin spread across his face. "Haha! Kael, you're not holding back! So how can I hold back?!"
A massive wave of purple energy erupted from Brad, enveloping him in a violent aura. He leaped into the air, his fist pulled back, glowing with immense power. He came down like a meteor on a Bore behind him. The punch didn't just kill the creature; the force of the impact created a concussive blast that obliterated the heads of two other Bores nearby. Brad landed, smiling a deadly smile. "Is that all you've got?!"
Not to be outdone, Maria focused her power. A sphere of condensed green light, crackling with gravitational energy, formed between her hands. The power was so immense it began to crack the ground at her feet, the sphere growing larger and more unstable.
"Move away, Kael! Brad!!" she shouted.
They scrambled back just as Maria unleashed her attack. "Coriner Light Force!!!!"
The massive energy ball shot toward the remaining Bores. But the creatures, sensing the threat, let out a unified, deafening roar. The sonic wave hit the energy ball, and to everyone's horror, it stopped it dead in its tracks, suspending it in mid-air.
Maria's eyes went wide. No! Oh, shit!
Seeing their chance, Kael and Brad moved as one. They became blurs of black and purple, slicing through the roaring Bores with ruthless efficiency. The moment their heads were severed, the sonic barrier broke.
The Coriner Light Force detonated with the force of a small sun, obliterating the last of the Zairo-rank Bores. The shockwave ripped through the clearing, flattening trees and carving a scar into the earth. When the light faded, the three stood panting in the devastation, surrounded by a fading dark aura, a violent purple aura, and a brilliant light aura.
Kael looked at the carnage. Wow. Our teamwork is... I guess good.
Brad wiped some ash from his face. "These bastards were just Zairo rank. I've seen they're not as powerful as a Manio-rank Bore." He then turned his sharp gaze to Kael. "So, you. Kael. Do that thing you did to find these Bores. I know you're hiding your abilities, you bastard."
Kael looked away, his expression cold and unreadable.
Maria blushed slightly, looking at Kael's aloof profile. Wow, he is so hot.
Brad shouted, getting angry. "You bastard! Are you trying to ignore me?!" He stepped forward, fist raised, ready to punch.
Maria quickly stepped between them, placing a hand on Brad's chest. She looked at Kael, her voice surprisingly soft but firm. "Hey, if you can find it, it will make our work easy. We know about your power now, so there's nothing to hide in front of us, okay? Let us find the Manio Bore."
Kael finally looked at her, his cold demeanor cracking slightly as he blushed. "Ok, ok. Don't look at me like this."
Brad laughed, his anger vanishing into amusement. "Hah! Hahah! Our boy and girl are in love!"
Both Kael and Maria shouted in unison, their faces bright red. "Nooo! It's nothing like that!!!!"
Brad held up his hands, still chuckling. "Ok, ok! I was just joking."
As they walked further into the scarred forest, Kael focused inward, expanding his Locator's Sense. He pushed his Aura further, searching for the specific, powerful signature of a Manio-rank threat.
"Sir!" Mano's voice was urgent in his mind. "A powerful presence! Much stronger than yours! Manio-rank Bores! There are four! They are very huge, at least 30 meters big! And they have powers! Their leader is 50 meters huge! He is a powerful one, beating the Manio-rank threshold. He could be a higher rank!"
Kael's blood ran cold. Oh, fuck. Are they really this huge?
"Everyone, stop!" Kael commanded, his voice tight with fear.
Brad sighed. "What happened now, asshole?"
Maria looked at Kael's pale face. "Kael, did you sense something?"
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently.
Brad stumbled. "What the fuck....?"
Maria braced herself against a tree. "Why is the ground shaking? Is this an earthquake?"
Kael's head snapped to the right, his eyes drawn by his Locator's Sense to a monstrous presence. His gaze traveled up, and up, and up a giant, ancient tree—only to lock onto a pair of glowing, malevolent eyes peering down from the canopy.
A face, 30 meters above the ground, looked down at them. It was a monstrous, reptilian bore, with a mouth full of sword-like teeth curled into a horrific, deathly smile.
Kael's voice was a raw scream of pure terror. "RUN!!!!!"
Brad and Maria followed his gaze to the sky. Their hearts stopped. The sheer size of the creature was beyond comprehension.
In an instant, the Manio-rank Bore moved. Its colossal hand, large enough to crush a house, swung down with impossible speed to smash them into paste.
There was no time to run.
Thinking faster than he ever had, Kael lunged forward, grabbing both Maria and Brad by their arms.
"TELEPORT!" he shouted, pouring every ounce of his power into the spell.
They vanished into nothingness just as the colossal fist impacted the earth.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sound was apocalyptic. The ground where they had been standing was obliterated, replaced by a perfect, deep crater in the shape of a monstrous hand. Trees were vaporized, and the shockwave radiated out, flattening everything for hundreds of meters.
The Manio-rank Bore lifted its hand, looking at the empty crater with its death smile still etched onto its face. The hunt had just begun.
(Chapter 15 Fin)