Chapter 215: Poison Rain
Gabi crouched low amidst the chaos, one knee pressing into the blood-soaked sand as beasts closed in from every direction.
The battlefield had become a nightmare. Wolves lunged through the dust. Rock lions climbed over corpses of their fallen kin. Desert hawks swooped from above while shrill cries filled the burning air. The warriors of Senkeht fought desperately around the breach, but the sheer number of beasts pouring in was overwhelming.
Gabi was alone, surrounded by beasts from all sides. One of the beasts lunged, and another followed, then five more, yet Gabi did not move. His breathing slowed as the scales on his arms darkened.
His sclera turned pitch black, while his pupils became slitted and glowed a deep, venomous green. An oppressive aura exploded from him.
BOOOOOOM!
The sand beneath him sank inward as toxic mist leaked from his body like smoke from a cracked furnace. His green hair floated upward slowly, moving as if underwater, while the temperature around him dropped unnaturally. The charging beasts halted instinctively from fear. Pure instinctive fear.
Behind Gabi, a gigantic green halo materialized. It rotated slowly in the air.
Ancient purple markings crawled across its surface like living runes, twisting and reforming endlessly. The halo radiated corruption. Poison dripped from its edges despite being made entirely of energy, melting the sand before it even touched the ground.
Even nearby warriors froze.
"What... is that...?"
"That’s an element?"
"No... no way..."
Gabi slowly raised his head. His glowing eyes locked onto the endless tide of beasts before him.
Then he spoke.
"Poison Rain."
The halo behind him trembled. For one horrifying second, everything became silent. The sky turned green.
SHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Countless droplets erupted into existence above the battlefield. At first, they looked like harmless rain. Then the first drop landed.
TSSSSSSSS!
A rock lion screamed as smoke exploded from its body. Flesh melted instantly. Its fur dissolved into bubbling sludge while its muscles petrified beneath the corrosion.
The rain truly began.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
The battlefield descended into absolute horror. Green-purple rain poured from the heavens in massive quantities, blanketing the entire area around Gabi. Every drop carried a terrifying poison concentration. The beasts screamed. Their flesh blackened upon contact.
Some turned rigid after only seconds, their bodies petrifying from the inside out before shattering apart. Others melted into twitching piles of corrupted flesh. Even Tier 2 beasts collapsed beneath the rain after only moments of exposure.
The poison spread rapidly. A wolf tried to escape, only for its legs to crumble beneath it. A desert hawk fell from the sky with smoking wings. Three rock lions charged desperately toward Gabi through the rain, only to stop midway.
CRACK!
Their bodies hardened into stone-like statues before exploding apart into toxic dust. The warriors of Senkeht stared in absolute disbelief. Even Forta’s soldiers subconsciously backed away from Gabi’s area.
"This is insanity..."
"He’s killing everything..."
"No... he’s erasing them..."
Gabi slowly stood up amidst the poisonous downpour. The rain avoided him completely. He looked almost divine beneath the toxic storm, his glowing eyes illuminating the battlefield while beasts died around him in hundreds.
Then, a roar erupted.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The battlefield trembled violently. Every surviving beast halted instantly. Gabi slowly raised his head. Far in the distance, beyond the horde, two massive purple eyes opened in the storm of dust, watching him.
Gabi felt genuine danger.
...
The Solar Wyrm retreated.
For the first time since the battle began, the colossal beast backed away. Its massive body dragged through the sand violently, carving trenches dozens of meters long as its glowing golden eyes remained locked ahead. The beast hissed deeply, the sound vibrating through the desert like grinding stone: It felt danger.
The entire battlefield had changed. The storm of sand and shattered space slowly settled. Cracks spread across the air itself like fractured glass, lingering from the chaotic collision earlier. Dust rolled through the desert in thick waves, obscuring vision.
THUD.
A single step echoed. It wasn’t loud, but it carried an unnatural weight. Another step followed.
THUD.
A silhouette emerged from the haze. It was tall, lean, and humanoid. Two long rabbit ears rose above its head, twitching faintly as crimson markings pulsed across snow-white fur. The creature stood at around six feet now, its body fully transformed into a terrifying blend of beast and man. Its legs remained digitigrade, ending in clawed feet that crushed the sand beneath them. Its arms were humanoid now, muscular and sharp-fingered, with claws capable of tearing steel apart.
And its eyes...
Its eyes glowed with rotating rings of crimson and violet: Ren. The battlefield went silent. Even the beasts stopped moving. The warriors of Senkeht stared with frozen expressions, while some dropped their weapons entirely.
"A... humanoid..."
"That bunny..."
"What the hell is that thing...?"
Ren ignored them all. He slowly flexed his fingers, staring at his clawed hands with an unreadable expression.
"I miss being human..."
His voice sounded deeper now. It was more stable and more dangerous.
"But this is also good..."
CRACK.
Space distorted around his clenched fist. The Solar Wyrm roared furiously. Golden flames erupted across its body as it lunged forward, the desert exploding beneath its enormous frame. Its jaws opened wide enough to swallow a house whole.
Ren disappeared.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The Wyrm’s head smashed into the desert instead, creating a crater that sent sand flying everywhere.
A second later...
CRACK!
Space split open beside its neck. Ren emerged from the fracture instantly, and his clawed fist drove into the Solar Wyrm’s scales.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact folded the monster’s neck sideways unnaturally. Shockwaves erupted outward. The Solar Wyrm’s gigantic body was launched across the battlefield like a ragdoll, flattening multiple dunes before crashing violently into a rock formation.
The warriors froze. Even Bahamut, fighting in the distance, paused briefly. Ren tilted his head slowly.
"Huh... I’m stronger than I thought."
The Solar Wyrm exploded out of the rubble with maddened fury, its mouth glowing. The air superheated instantly.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
A beam of condensed solar fire tore across the battlefield. Ren raised his hand calmly, and space twisted. The beam bent: the attack curved unnaturally into the sky, splitting the clouds apart instead of touching him. The Wyrm’s pupils shrank. Ren vanished again.
This time, the Solar Wyrm reacted immediately, swinging its massive tail behind itself, but it was too late.
CRACK!
Ren appeared above it, his claw slamming downward. The air shattered.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The Solar Wyrm was smashed face-first into the desert so hard the ground sank inward. Sand erupted upward in a colossal wave. The beast screeched in pain. Ren landed lightly on its back, and the crimson markings across his body pulsed brighter.
"You know..." He crouched slowly. "I was having a very bad existential crisis earlier."
The Solar Wyrm twisted violently, trying to throw him off. Ren’s claws dug deeper into its scales effortlessly.
"And honestly?" His eyes glowed. "This feels therapeutic."
CRACK!!!
Space ruptured around his fist as he punched downward. The place shook. A massive spatial implosion detonated across the Solar Wyrm’s back, folding scales inward as blood exploded outward in all directions. The Solar Wyrm roared so loudly that weaker beasts collapsed from the pressure alone. Ren stood atop the writhing monster, breathing slowly while cracks of chaotic energy danced around his new humanoid form.
The Solar Wyrm looked afraid.
