Chapter 95: Godbeast (2)

The feel, the sensation of Ragnarok came from one place: within the dome of storm clouds. A domain, “Probably the General’s.” She was the only person around that was of the same rank as the Duke and his wife; Sage Rank.

There was just one slight issue. Per Mikael’s studies of these Innate Soul Domains, manifestations of one’s soul world in reality achievable only from the Grandmaster Rank and above. And unless the owner of the domain specifically allowed someone to enter, nobody below their Rank could ever dream of doing it.

Since Mikael at the moment was not exactly sure of a complete victory over the likes of the General, Duke Alan or Duchess Selena, it was safe to assume that he was below them in terms of Rank.

By now, he stood just outside the dome of clouds, dodging lightning bolts that came around every now and then.

Unlike Duke Alan’s Diamond Prison, he noticed this Domain felt ‘young’. Almost like it was still in the process of maturing. And more, there seemed to be a fight ongoing, one that inevitably weakened the Domain’s barriers at places and the Domain itself looked like it was struggling to keep its shape.

“Best to find- Oh. There is one here.” He found a spot that tore open. He braves through the tiny shocks and stepped in.

And so barely moments later, Mikael stood inside the hell of thunder and lightning. And the sight of what was weakening the barrier was finally clear.

The Lion Turtle was massive, gigantic. He had completely underestimated its size while he was at the fort!

He had seen enough powerful beings to know that size alone did not determine danger, but the Lion Turtle was an exception worth considering.

Its shell carried an entire stretch of woodland, and the movements of its limbs made the earth shift beneath him. If it happened to turn over or bring its weight down in the wrong place, there would be probably very little left of him to complain about it.

But the good side still remained that he was too small to be perceived. Not to mention he was at the rear side, while the General’s aura was fluctuating all the way over at the other end of the beast; at its head.

Mikael sprinted forward, towards the underbelly of the beast. Ragnarok was somewhere beneath the turtle, and while there was risk he could be crushed in addition to the fact that he could freeze up again when he finally touched the scythe, the reward, in the form of the Lion Turtle’s massive mana reserves, was too tempting to ignore. He could not, in fact, ignore it if he wanted to survive.

As he ran, a bolt of lightning struck close to him, matching his pace. It was the General.

“How did you get in, Mikael?”

“That beam. It is weakening your domain, no?”

She sighed. “True. You have always been a wonder worker. Have you any plans? I am getting fatigued.”

Even if she didn’t say anything, Mikael could sense the strain in her aura. Maintaining a Domain while fighting a newly evolved Godbeast was no small feat, and the constant attacks were clearly wearing her down.

For a moment, Mikael stopped. How was he even going to fell something this massive? Without mana, and no celestial essence to spare at all!

“Those Godbeasts, I thought they usually take humanoid forms when they evolve up to this stage… why is this one still this big?” They continued running. Meanwhile, above them, the beams of energy of the Lion Turtle had stopped, although it did not move. They continued sprinting.

“This one probably just evolved into godbeast. I have been sensing its core but I am too busy containing it within the Domain to actually do anything about it.”

“And where is this core?”

The beast had resumed its attacks on the dome once more.

“On the forest on its shell, there is some sort of cave entrance at the very center. There is a defensive array of runes though, protecting it. It was probably activated by the demons who awakened it in the first place.”

“Your external defense must be so lax if the demons managed to get in without any of you noticing, General.”

Getting no reply, Mikael decided not to push further. The location of the core was somewhat established, and it was not like he had the mind nor the time to care about the welfare of the mortal realm.

“I will keep the dome from failing, get to that core as fast as you can and try to do something about it. I trust you can handle the demons? Reports say they aren’t that tough.”

” Surely.”

” Good.” And with that the General zoomed off again instantly.

Straight ahead, Ragnarok stood shaft-deep into a piece of rock and seemingly unbothered. However, the usual pulsing of energy was still absent, reminding once more Mikael that he had no time.

With the same speed at which he was already running, he stretched out and grabbed the scythe and continued, without decelerating for a single moment. The plan was simple, keep his body in motion when he grabs the scythe.

The instant he came in contact with the weapon, he felt the same tug at his soul. The part still made of Heaven.

But he ignored all protests and sped off, constantly changing direction as the beast now moved in response to attacks from the General.

The plan was successful.

There was only one destination in mind: The Dry Swamps, the wilderness above the Lion Turtle.

—

Kadre rode the dusksteed into the city and away from the legendary Godbeast! Alongside her, countless other Ravagers charged the gates, like she was the herald of the third wave.

Swiftly, the adventurers and the knights swooped in and the third battle was soon underway.

Kadre, on the other hand, continued northeast, where the citizens had been evacuated.

The scythe flashed at the back of her mind but she quickly shut it down. Nothing in this world was worth her life! And most definitely not the sentient weapon of a client. It was sentient, it should have survival instincts.

‘Maybe I should just disappear, relocate.’

The thought hit hard. With the amount of money she had, she would basically become wealthier than anyone in her family ever did.

She could hardly remember the last time she had considered what she wanted to do with her life without immediately thinking about the next job. The idea of settling down was becoming more appealing by the second, especially when she considered the alternative.

And just as she was drowned in doubts and confusion, a pair of jaws snapped just inches from where her head would have been had she not reacted a second sooner.

Dire wolves!

Ferocious wolf beasts that stood at four feet, with a unique dim blue fur and a third eye just above the usual pair.

The steed she rode on was greatly unsettled and all but threw her to the ground as it fled – the survival instincts of a prey. One that however kicked in at the worst possible moment.

The dusksteed barely ran ten feet away from her, before more wolves jumped out of nowhere and moments later, the sound of flesh being ripped apart and the crunching of bones alongside the howling of satisfied wolves filled the air.

Kadre could only stare for a moment. The beast had barely managed to get away from her before the pack caught it. She had known that dire wolves were dangerous, but seeing just how quickly they could bring down a dusksteed was another matter entirely.

Dire wolves were characteristically and unusually faster than other wolves. The name ‘dire wolves’ was coined from the fact that not much average people could even dream of outrunning them if they were ever pursued.

Not to mention the fact they were the only species known to hunt in packs of up to fifty members! The sheer number meant food was never enough, and to meet up with their daily nutrition, desperation and hunger made them a truly deadly opponent for their prey; which include humans.

She had barely finished the thought when the wolves began to spread out. Their movements were quiet for creatures of their size, and their eyes followed every small shift she made. Kadre had seen hungry beasts before, but still there was no beating the particularly unsettling patience with which these ones watched her.

Kadre unsheathed her daggers slowly.

While some of the wolves were too busy feeding on the dusksteed, there were quite a lot who had their full attention on her and her alone.

Their bodies lowered as they spread out around her, clearly preparing to attack. Kadre adjusted her grip on the daggers, keeping her eyes on the nearest wolf while watching the others from the corners of her eyes.

And for the nth time, she truly regretted being an Adept Rank and promised herself to do something about her rank after this night was over.

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