The space bind skill could only hold the explosion contained for a second. After that, the shockwaves rippled through the surroundings. Looking at the intensity of the explosion, everyone believed that the first elder was dead.
The dust cloud has yet to settle and the centre of the explosion has yet to be revealed. So, Alex and Ethan used mana vision to peer into the chaos. They wanted to make sure the first elder was dead.
"What!" Suddenly, both of them exclaimed.
This made the group panic. And they had enough reason to panic.
Inside the thick dust cloud, an abomination was taking form.
In the place where the first elder stood was a gruesome mass of flesh and bones. It was churning in the ground, expanding and contracting by each second. It looked nothing like a human.
The mana vision allowed Alex and Ethan to see thin tendrils of mana extending from this monstrosity into its peripherals. It was extending its arms to collect the bits and pieces of meat scattered around it.
After collecting the meat pieces, the mana tendrils sewed them back into the pulsating lump of meat. It was the birth of something Alex couldn't understand.
"FUCK….Fuck..fuck..fuck…" Ethan panicked. His eyes wandered back and forth between Alex and the monstrous being, finally landing on Alex.
"We should run. As fast as we can. RUN!" Saying that Ethan began to run.
A shiver went down the spine when the people heard his voice. Ethan was calm even when they were imprisoned. And yet, he was acting as if he was scared of what was about to happen. They have yet to see what was happing, so they couldn't understand him.
This spooked the group. They turned to look at the centre of the explosion. In there, they saw the churning bits of flesh and bone, within moments they identified Ethan's source of fear.
Mana from the atmosphere was being pulled into the being. It was swallowing everything around it to grow larger.
A swirl of mana formed around it. Feeding the monster.
First, A head slowly formed on it. Then one by one, the legs, arms and even torso formed, creating a humanoid monster.
It still didn't have any skin or a face. There was no way for the group to confirm if that was the first elder. But what else can it be?
As if it sensed something, the monster turned to look at Alex and his group. It raised its head and sniffed the air before slowly walking towards Alex.
The first step it took made it stumble. But the next one was firm and solid. Then it transitions from a walk to a run without any difficulty. While that was happening, the monster was healing at a rapid pace. Thick, layers of skin formed on it and the muscles enlarged to triple their size.
It almost looked like the monkey they battled in the city. Standing fifteen feet tall and having armoured skin with no face. It looked completely different from a human.
But Alex knew for a fact that it was born from the corpse of the first elder. And it was coming towards them.
"What are you waiting for? RUN. RUN NOW!" Ethan screamed waking everyone from their thoughts.
"That is a second-generation mutant these bastards developed. There is no use fighting it. It would kill you before you can think. It's still in its weaker form. Before it can develop, run away." Ethan stopped and screamed.
He knew what that was. He had seen them before. And he almost became one of those. So, he knew how dangerous the current situation was.
In his past, the evil organisation injected him with something to make him stronger, to make him one of their pawn. It was a serum to make him a mutant. Something human at the same time not.
Initially, It boosts the talent of the individual and their lifespan. Then it slowly consumes them and makes them a monster.
Ethan understood that the first elder had taken the serum. When his consciousness died, the monster inside him woke up and took over the body.
'Fuck…The second generation in its peak state is much stronger than the first and third generations, due to it running amok. In that condition, even their creator would have no control over them. And when we consider the fact that a peak tier 4 warrior was the one that turned into a complete mutant means that he will have strength similar to or on par with a tier 5 warrior. Running before it begins to target someone is the only way to survive. Ethan concluded.
"Everyone, run." Alex agreed with Ethan. Whatever that was, climbed up from certain death. It looked like a being from hell. And it was targeting the people around it and was coming towards them. It was better to run away than fight it.
"AARRGHHhhh…." Suddenly a shrill scream shook everyone. The monster picked up its pace and jumped to the person closest to it.
It was one of the prisoners that escaped. He was a tier 3 warrior.
But the monster didn't care about any of that. It launched its fist and pierced the man's chest, killing him instantly. It held the heart that it ripped out and swallowed it.
It didn't stop there. After killing the man, it began to absorb flesh and meat into its body to grow larger. At the same time, it drained the energy from the corpse of the man, leaving behind nothing but dust.
It was a horrifying sight to see. The rest of the prisoners who saw this ran away for their life.
But not all could escape from the mutant. It devoured anything it can to grow to a height of twenty feet. Its muscular body shook the earth when it jumped attacking the people all around it.
All of that happened in less than a minute.
Alex the group could only stand still dumbfounded by the horrifying reality.
'Dead. We are so dead.' They thought simultaneously.
Even with the early warning from Ethan, they couldn't run away. Taka had people he need to protect. The same could be said for Kalina.
She was already nearing the end of the spirit guardian possession state. Within minutes, she would weaken and it meant death for her. Near her was Laya who she needed to protect.
Everything was going downhill for the group.
And they still don't know when the reinforcement from the evil organisation will come.
"Ethan, tell me, do we have any hope of running away from this monster?." Alex asked knowing the increase in strength of the monster with each successive kill.
"Our chances are slim. But if we scatter and run in multiple directions, some might survive."
"Hm…So, what if we stayed and fought? Can we delay it enough for everyone else to run away?"
"Well, seeing that the monster is still in its weakened state. We might be able to delay it for a couple of minutes. That's it. We have no way of harming it."
"I am fighting." Suddenly Taka said. Usually, he kept quiet but this time, he raised his opinion first.
With just a glance, Alex grasped Taka's reason to fight. It was his tribesmen that were imprisoned.
If he was alone, Alex had no problem teleporting tens of kilometres away. But the same could not be said with people.
He might only be able to teleport just a kilometre if he wanted to help all of them. It was a distance the monster can close within seconds. So, it didn't matter if he can teleport with the people.
And the fact that his energy is almost empty did him no favour. So, the only thing left to do was use the teleport point feature. With that, he can spend 5000FP to teleport to his home. But he couldn't see the teleport indicator in his vision. That meant only one thing, he was outside the range of the teleport point.
'Damn it!' Alex thought. Nothing was going his way. If only he had placed a teleport point in Thira.
He shouldn't have waited to buy the land.
After carefully understanding his situation, Alex chose to fight. He couldn't let Taka die. Even if the chances were slim, he was going to help Taka survive.
"Slowing down the monster enough to help the people here escape is our goal. Sir Taka, let's send your people away. Kalina, run away with Laya. Your energy is almost drained. Ethan, do whatever you want."
"But Ethan. If you are willing to fight. I will try everything in my power to use teleport and escape together." Alex promised. This was the best way he could find. Teleporting two was much better than teleporting everyone.
Kalina wanted to instantly reject the offer. But she knew there was no safer option to save her sister.
"I will return after sending my sister out. Wait for me…" She said while running away immediately. Her eyes scanned the face of Alex, Ethan and Taka. She will never forget the kindness that they have bestowed on her.
"Do whatever my ass. Your survival is the only way I can ensure the survival of my people. Even if I die, don't forget the deal that we made." Without another word, Ethan prepped for the oncoming battle.
Taka was ecstatic to hear Alex's decision. He knew that he could trust Alex. If he said he would help, he would stop at nothing to help. Taka is proud to have an ally like him. After all, he knew that Alex was taking the risk to help him.
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