Anna's eyes widened as Kass spoke. "What do you mean, a monstrous guardian?"
Kass turned to face her, her expression grave. "It's a creature that the Empire has kept on this planet for centuries. It's one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, and apparently, they've trained it to be loyal to them."
[Ashton-]
'I know.'
The Empire's way of protecting the prison was eerily similar to that of the Xyrans, or one could say the Precursors, as Xyrans had copied most of their things from the Precursors.
The only difference was that the Precursors had named their pet Hydra, and the Empire called it a Behemoth.
Kass continued, "It's been dormant for a long time, but if there's any kind of disturbance around the prison, it will awaken and begin to eliminate any threats to the Empire's security."
"No wonder the Empire didn't care about the prison's security upgrade. They already know no one could escape once the Behemoth awakened."
Anna looked out of the window, her mind racing. The carnage below was nothing she had ever seen. Even the undead outbreak on Earth was nothing compared to the blood and gore she saw down.
"What kind of creature is it?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Kass hesitated for a moment before replying. "It's called a Shadow Beast. It's a massive, black, tentacled creature that can move incredibly fast and can cloak itself from view. It's been trained to hunt down and eliminate threats to the Empire, no matter how powerful they are."
Ashton's eyes widened. "That thing sounds almost unbeatable."
"It's massive, Reaper. Easily fifty times your size. And its skin is impenetrable, even with the most advanced weapons. That's why defeating it is impossible." Kass replied. "You can learn the rest of it from Otiga."
Just then, Otiga's call got patched through to them.
"I know how you are, Reaper," Otiga sighed. "But the Behemoth is not something to be taken lightly. That's why the Empire has kept it hidden for so long, and they only bring it out in the most dire of circumstances. At least that's what I heard while tapping into their radio signals."
"I would've tried taking it on if I had Aegis with me."
Ashton joked, but in his mind, he missed an excellent opportunity to complete another few tasks from his evolution quest.
A-grade beasts were rarely ever seen, and by consuming its flesh and blood, he would strengthen himself and get a couple of steps closer to evolving again and entering the domain of A-grade beings.
However, at the moment, getting Tarek to safety was much more crucial. Just then, surprisingly, Tarek spoke up.
"Back when I worked for the Cult, I heard rumours of the Behemoth. The Cult was working on something similar, but they could never quite get it right. But to think the Empire beat them to it..."
Ashton knew that wasn't the case, and the Empire likely didn't create the Behemoth. Judging by how Tarek got put in prison because the Xyrans wanted it to happen, suggests that the Empire and the Xyrans share a close relationship.
[Which means-]
'-Xyrans gifted them Behemoth.'
As they sped away from the prison, the ground beneath them shook violently, and Kass struggled to keep the ship steady. Anna was holding on to Tarek, looking pale and sick, as they watched in horror as a massive creature emerged from the ground.
The creature was easily ten times the size of their ship, with thick, scaly skin and razor-sharp claws attached to its tentacles.
It roared and bellowed, sending shockwaves through the air. The ground continued to shake as the creature rampaged through the area, easily tearing apart buildings and vehicles.
Countless ruptures formed on the ground with each of the creature's steps, shaking the very foundations of the prison. Guards and prisoners alike fled in terror as the guardian rampaged through the area, destroying everything in its path.
It didn't differentiate between prisoners and guards and killed everything that got in its sights. Anna looked out the window, her eyes widening in terror.
"What the hell has the Empire unleashed upon them!?"
"Fucking hell, we're in its reach!" Ashton cursed under his breath. "Kass, is there any way to outrun that thing?"
"I'm not sure," Kass replied. "It's incredibly fast and agile. But I'll do my best."
The ship jolted as the creature slammed its massive tentacles into the ground, sending shockwaves through the air. Kass struggled to keep control of the boat, dodging debris and rubble as they sped away.
Tarek was groaning in pain, his previous wounds worsening as the ship shook violently. Anna held on to him tightly, trying to keep him still.
"We need to get him to a med-bay," she yelled. "He's not going to make it much longer like this."
"Like hell he won't," Ashton replied, pulling out a bunch of HP potions from his inventory. "It might not be enough to heal him completely. But it'll keep him alive till we reach the Tower."
Kass immediately activated the ship's cloaking device and sped away before the Behemoth could do more damage to the vessel.
They watched in awe as the guardian destroyed everything in its path as they continued to fly away from the prison planet. Its massive claws ripped through buildings, and its powerful jaws snapped shut on anything that crossed its path.
The creature seemed invincible, and Ashton couldn't help but wonder what kind of technology or magic had been used to create such a monstrous thing.
[I told you, there was nothing impossible for the Precursors to do. If the Xyrans had copied their research, then... well, it might be too late to stop them now.]
Anna shook her head in disbelief. "This is madness. How can they create something so destructive and think they can control it?"
As they flew away from the prison planet, the monstrous guardian continued to rampage, leaving destruction and chaos in its wake. The ship's crew couldn't help but wonder what other horrors the Empire had hidden away in the depths of space.
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com