290 Emergence
Three days prior to Silvus and the other SSS Rank Hunters' return,
"Descent of Lightning," Farnus muttered as lightning erupted to the ground, altering the weather of the place.
Osbert stayed away while Farnus and the SSS Rank Monster exchanged blow after blow.
He was looking for his opportunity rather than rushing towards the SSS Rank Monster, which was stronger than himself.
Farnus's eyes glowed blue as his body absorbed the lightning around him.
Currently, Farnus was utilizing the Lightning Aura, which made his senses sharper and his speed began to surpass the speed of the SSS Rank Monster.
Despite this, each successful strike only chipped away bits of the monster's skeletal armor.
This monster was inevitably one of the strongest SSS Rank Monsters Osbert had ever faced in his life. Its ability to heal itself made the process of defeating it much slower.
"Move away," Farnus said as Osbert hovered in the air, charging his next attack.
Farnus braced his spear on the ground as the monster opened its wide jaw and a thinner beam of bluish energy left its mouth.
The monster's molten red scales started to glow as it dug its feet into the ground.
The land around them began to dry out as Osbert descended with his sword aimed at the monster.
They had faced countless abilities of this monster. This particular attack was something only Farnus could divert.
However, the result of that process was massive damage to the surrounding area, resulting in huge craters and explosions.
TING!
The sound of metal clashing echoed as the monster's claw halted Osbert's sword. The sound wave alone was enough to kill a low rank Hunter.
Two of Osbert's rings started to shine as crystal-like chains began to appear around his body, latching onto the Monster.
Soon, those chains started to melt and corrode the monster's skeletal armor.
These rings were powerful artifacts that Osbert possessed.
But the monster rotated its body, and the ground beneath them started to shift with it. The monster's mana dispelled the crystal chains.
This monster was a difficult match for Farnus. His lightning could only damage it bit by bit. To successfully kill it, Farnus needed to use his full potential, but for some reason, he was not doing so.
"AAAAAAH," Osbert poured his strength into the monster as small craters began forming below them.
The monster's white eyes rotated as it tilted its mouth back, attempting another attack on Osbert. But Farnus halted it as his spear came charging in, chipping a part of the monster's mouth.
"Not so tough from inside," Farnus muttered, remaining calm.
Seeing Farnus attacking, Osbert immediately intensified his aura around himself and propelled himself into the air, eyes fixed on the monster.
"CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEK," The monster lunged at Farnus, who dodged the attacks and attracted his spear towards him.
BAM
The monster's claw managed to hit Farnus, but it was repelled by Farnus's armor, nullifying the attack.
Still, the monster continued to charge, its hits strong enough to ravage a city in seconds.
On the Border of Belvoria,
"ANNOUNCE THE ALERT, EVACUATE THE CITIES," An official in the Camp announced to the people via hologram.
But even before he could, the citizens near the border began to evacuate. The teleportation gate and the roads were flooded with people trying to increase their distance from the border.
The constant tremors and mana waves were extremely unhealthy for non-awakened individuals, and the fear of a monster tide entering the city made people evacuate as quickly as possible.
At first, people believed the situation would be handled since Farnus Calmort himself had arrived in Belvoria. But after weeks without news, the people grew increasingly tense and anxious.
"We need 10 more SS Rank Hunters here on the border," the man communicated to those on the Hologram.
The borders of Belvoria were not only on land. The majority was towards the ocean, but fortunately, both the calamities were on land.
The mana waves of SSS Rank entities were causing monsters to appear all over Belvoria's extensive borders, regardless of land or water.
"What's the damage to the Hunters stationed here?" an Executive asked.
"The Hargrave have handled everything here, but the area we need to defend keeps increasing," the Official replied.
"The chance of a breach in the line of defense is around 32% if we don't increase our manpower here," the official added.
"We need to abandon these five areas to prioritize the safety of the citizens in the worst-case scenario," the official suggested.
"Have you lost your mind?" an executive shouted.
"Do you know how much that area is worth? Keep protecting it, and all the others as well."
"Enough, we can't make such a decision as none of the three leaders are here," an older executive intervened.
"If necessary, we will abandon 40% of these areas, but more than that will significantly impact the economy."
No one among the executives opposed him.
"Ask the Hargrave, Martell, and Neville for reinforcements, and we will send those stationed in Fashia to Belvoria as soon as we can," he added, concluding the meeting.
Meanwhile, the battle became even more intense as the monster grew increasingly enraged.
But the problem arose when it tried to head towards Belvoria instead of fighting Farnus and Osbert.
Farnus immediately blocked its escape. The skeleton armor around the monster made it difficult for Farnus to land a direct hit.
Each time Farnus damaged the armor, the red scales around the Monster would melt and reinforce it.
Two days passed as Osbert and Farnus were engrossed in the battle. On the day Silvus and Dexter arrived, Farnus had almost broken all the armor that the monster possessed.
Osbert's chest bore a wound, but he disregarded it. They needed to finish off this monster as quickly as possible.
'Is this old man still not going to use his rune?' Osbert wondered during the heat of battle.
Not for a single second had Farnus fought this monster with his full strength, and Osbert could notice it during the fight.
"A bit more, don't lose focus," Farnus calmly said as he glanced at Osbert.
'This cunning old man,' Osbert thought as he reentered the battle.
They had almost defeated the monster, but things were not looking good for the other three SSS Rank Hunters fighting the massive monster far from them.
"This damn thing," Xarax grumbled, observing the black scratches on his right hand.
"Baris Meria," the Vice Chairman of the World Association declared, as the pendant on his neck started shining.
Claws made of molten lava arose from the land that was streaked with black energy, slamming into the ground to create a pool of lava.
"GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH," a monster's scream echoed as a dome of black energy appeared around them.
"Declan, deal with the monster; we will handle this Dome," the Watson Family's SSS Rank Hunter directed the Vice Chairman of the World Association.
Swiftly, he and Xarax Hargrave attacked the dome of black energy, starting to break it down, while Declan confronted the beast emerging from the shadows.
"This damn beast," Declan muttered, charging at the creature. Yet the black energy penetrating his body was sapping his strength bit by bit.
He changed his stance, but despite his attacks, the monster would always dodge or dematerialize, hiding in the blackened ground beneath them.
However, Declan had used one of his powerful artifacts, transforming the environment around them into a pool of lava.
Crack
Declan struck the monster, causing cracks to form on the ground. Spikes shot up from beneath, one piercing through Declan's shoulder.
He swiftly retreated into the air, panting, and removed the spike with his hand, blood staining his armor as it corroded from the monster's black energy.
"Is Osbert not done yet?" Declan wondered aloud.
His expression lifted as he sensed the presence of another SSS Rank Hunter – it was Dexter Wright, who had come to aid them, and Silvus, who had gone towards Farnus and Osbert.
"What a mess," Dexter remarked, surveying the area that now looked more like a dungeon than a part of Earth.
A massive hammer materialized in Dexter's hand, as golden runes fluttered around him. He slammed the hammer into the ground, sending a wave of golden energy throughout the plain.
The monster materialized before the runes could ensnare it in the shadows, sensing a threatening aura from the runes. It was a restricting-type rune that was amplified by the SSS Rank Bracelet Dexter wore on his left hand.
The monster's eyes began to shine as it gazed in the direction of the other SSS Rank Monster, whose presence had noticeably dimmed.
This indicated that it was on the brink of defeat.
"What an arrogant monster," Dexter commented as he dashed towards the creature, swinging his hammer.
Unexpectedly, the beast's heart started to glow. Dexter turned his gaze towards it and attempted an attack, but he was too late.
The monster dissolved into the ground, its formidable presence vanishing completely.
"What the hell happened?" Xarax asked as he descended.
"Did it kill itself?" Declan queried, observing that the presence had disappeared entirely.
However, they were mistaken. As Farnus was about to impale his spear into the severely wounded monster, something entirely unforeseen occurred.
Suddenly, a black stone emerged from the ground, turning the surrounding soil black. Farnus quickly retreated, but the black stone attached itself to the monster's head as black energy began to envelop the beast.
"Nemur's Gravis," Silvus chanted, causing water to form around the monster.
"Lavas," Silvus commanded, and the water turned silvery, then solidified.
Farnus immediately charged with his spear, aiming to bring the monster down. But an explosion occurred, and from the smoke emerged a new creature – a Peak SSS Rank Monster.
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