Chapter 179: East Anekta Crisis (18)

At first, Eden thought it was simply a mass of dark Essence. An enormous silhouette moved through the clouds, gradually revealing a body so large that it made the surrounding skyscrapers seem insignificant.

Then the wings unfolded.

A colossal dragon emerged from the explosion.

Its body was covered in dark purple scales, and its enormous wings stretched across the sky. Four powerful limbs extended from its torso, each ending in claws large enough to tear through buildings.

But its most terrifying feature was its heads.

Three enormous heads emerged from its long necks, each one possessing a different set of eyes and a distinct presence.

Aphelios stood atop the middle head.

His frail body was almost comically small compared to the creature beneath him. Yet he looked perfectly comfortable, holding onto one of the dragon’s horns as though he were standing on the deck of a ship.

He spread his arms.

"Magnificent, isn’t it?"

Eden didn’t answer.

He was staring at the creature.

The Essence radiating from it was overwhelming.

There was no mistaking it.

An SS-Rank Abyss Creature.

A Boss.

Eden’s expression stiffened.

You’re kidding me.

He had fought powerful opponents before. He had fought S-Ranks, survived battles against creatures that could destroy entire cities, and even managed to defeat enemies far above his own rank through preparation and sheer determination.

But this...

This was something else entirely.

The dragon’s presence alone was enough to make his instincts scream.

It wasn’t simply stronger than him.

It was on an entirely different level.

Eden could feel the difference between their Essences as clearly as the distance between the ground and the sky.

Aphelios laughed.

"Behold! The culmination of my work!"

The middle head opened its jaws.

A dense mass of pitch-black Essence gathered between its teeth.

Eden’s eyes widened.

Move!

He jumped.

The dragon fired.

A massive beam of black Essence swept across the sky, tearing through the skyscraper Eden had been standing on.

The building didn’t collapse.

It was pulverized.

Its upper floors vanished in an instant, leaving behind a cloud of dust and countless fragments of concrete that rained down across the district.

Eden narrowly escaped the attack.

He manifested a pair of crimson wings through Ferocious Evolution, the black scales spreading across his shoulders and back as the wings unfolded behind him.

He accelerated through the air.

Another head turned toward him.

This one opened its mouth, releasing a torrent of green flames.

Eden twisted sideways.

The attack passed close enough to scorch the edges of his wings. The flames struck a nearby building, and the entire structure began melting beneath the corrosive heat.

Poisonous flames?

He barely had time to process the attack before the third head moved.

Purple lightning erupted from its jaws.

Unlike ordinary lightning, the energy spread through the air in branching arcs, each bolt leaving behind a lingering cloud of poisonous Essence.

Eden accelerated.

The lightning chased him.

He twisted between several buildings, narrowly avoiding the bolts as they struck the structures behind him. The first building shattered. The second was enveloped in purple electricity, its entire surface glowing before collapsing.

Eden’s wings beat violently.

He changed direction.

A green torrent swept across the space he had occupied a moment earlier.

The three heads were attacking independently.

And each one possessed a different kind of destructive ability.

Eden gritted his teeth.

This is ridiculous.

He had expected a powerful summon.

Perhaps an S-Rank creature, or even something approaching the upper limits of that rank.

But Aphelios had summoned an SS-Rank Boss.

Something that could potentially wipe out the entire island without much difficulty.

Eden looked toward the dragon again.

Its enormous wings beat once.

The shockwave alone sent debris flying across the surrounding buildings.

If everyone on this island fought that thing together...

He considered the remaining Awakened.

Ember.

Luvian.

The Association personnel.

The surviving members of Blue Crest.

Even if every single one of them gathered and attacked simultaneously, the result would be the same.

They would lose.

Not because they lacked strength or coordination, but because the difference between an S-Rank and an SS-Rank Boss was simply too great.

And that was assuming they could even approach it.

Eden couldn’t afford to fight it directly.

Not now.

He was still A-Rank.

His Ferocious Evolution and Corrupted Surge could temporarily close some of the gap, but they wouldn’t erase it. His Devour could potentially threaten the creature, but only if he could get close enough to use it.

And that was the problem.

Getting close enough would probably kill him.

Aphelios looked down from the dragon’s middle head.

"What’s wrong, young man?"

The old man spread his arms.

"Where did all that confidence go?"

Eden didn’t respond.

The dragon’s three heads turned toward him.

Aphelios smiled.

"You wanted to stop my summoning, didn’t you? You came all this way believing you could kill me before I completed the ritual."

He leaned forward.

"Well, here it is."

The dragon roared.

The sound shook the entire district.

"Now, tell me..."

Aphelios raised one hand.

"How do you intend to stop it?"

Eden’s expression remained cold.

He didn’t have an answer.

Not one that would let him win.

But he didn’t need to win immediately.

He needed time.

Time for the others to arrive.

Time for the Association to respond.

Time for someone strong enough to deal with an SS-Rank creature to reach the island.

And until then, he had to survive.

Eden took a deep breath.

"You’re awfully talkative for someone hiding behind a dragon."

Aphelios’ smile faded.

"What?"

Eden raised his hand.

A thin strand of crimson Essence crawled across his fingers.

"Come down here and fight me yourself."

The old man stared at him.

Then he laughed.

"How amusing."

The middle head lowered slightly.

Aphelios leaned forward.

"Very well. Kill him."

The dragon moved.

Its enormous wings spread, and the sky darkened beneath its shadow.

Eden immediately accelerated.

The first head released another torrent of green flames.

He dove beneath it.

The second head fired a barrage of purple lightning.

He twisted between the bolts, one grazing his shoulder and sending a numbing sensation through his arm.

The third head unleashed a beam of black Essence.

Eden barely escaped.

The attack tore through several buildings before disappearing into the distance.

His wings trembled.

His body was already beginning to accumulate damage.

He needed to keep moving.

---

Several streets away, Lucy and Obsidian had finally reached the outskirts of the destroyed hotel district.

They stopped as the enormous dragon emerged from the smoke.

Lucy stared upward.

Her eyes widened.

"...What is that?"

Obsidian stood beside her, his dark armor reflecting the purple light spreading across the sky.

Even without a face, the Black Knight’s reaction was unmistakable.

He had recognized the threat.

A creature of that rank was beyond anything he could handle alone.

Lucy looked toward the sky.

A familiar figure was flying between the dragon’s three heads, desperately avoiding their attacks.

"Eden..."

She took a step forward.

Another explosion illuminated the clouds.

The dragon’s roar echoed across the island, and the entire sky seemed to catch fire.

Lucy clenched her fists.

She knew she couldn’t defeat something like that.

She wasn’t even sure whether she could survive approaching it.

But she couldn’t simply stand there and watch.

"Obsidian."

The Black Knight turned toward her.

"Take me to him."

Obsidian remained still for a moment.

Then he looked back toward the dragon.

His armor shifted.

Dark Matter began gathering around his body.

Lucy understood his hesitation.

She was asking him to take her into a battlefield where even Eden was struggling to survive.

But she didn’t retreat.

"Please."

She looked up at the sky again.

"I don’t want to lose anyone else."

Obsidian lowered his head.

Then he stepped forward.

The Dark Matter surrounding him expanded, preparing to carry them toward the battlefield.

Above them, the dragon opened all three mouths.

Three different kinds of Essence gathered simultaneously.

And Eden, still flying between the surrounding buildings, realized that the next attack would be considerably harder to avoid.

The sky was about to be engulfed.