Chapter 566 - 562 – THE RANK 8 JUNGLE SOVEREIGN AND THE LATE WITNESSES

A distance of twenty kilometers through the wilderness filled with poisonous swamps and giant tree obstacles was a hellish journey that usually took an entire day for elite hunter groups. They had to map paths, avoid monster nests, and be careful of toxic spore mist.

Yet for Sylvia, it was merely a refreshing morning run.

With only a light push from the tip of her combat boots, Sylvia’s body shot through the air like an invisible guided missile. She did not fly using levitation magic, but purely used her physical strength to leap from one giant tree branch to another. The strong wind rushed against her face, fluttering her long black hair.

The tactical outfit she wore the magical carbon-fiber sports bra and special leggings crafted by Nocture alchemists proved extremely comfortable. The clothing did not restrict her movements in the slightest, giving absolute flexibility as she maneuvered to avoid the thorny vines that tried to whip her in the air.

Behind her, two flashes of light followed at equally insane speeds. Sol, in its golden-cat form, leapt nimbly through empty air, using light particles as footholds. Meanwhile Noir did not bother leaping at all; the shadow dragon surfed smoothly through the lengthening tree shadows created by the reflection of the morning sunlight.

"This is far more enjoyable than sitting still on a throne," Sylvia laughed softly, her voice flowing melodiously through the deadly silence of the forest.

About ten kilometers into the forest, the sensors from her scanner mosquitoes began sending visual signals to the holographic screen on her bracelet. They had entered the transition zone, the place where mid-rank monsters began to show their dominance.

GRRRRRR...

A collective growl echoed from behind the purple-leafed bushes below them. When Sylvia landed gracefully atop a moss-covered boulder the size of a house, a dozen large silhouettes leapt out from concealment, surrounding her in a horseshoe formation.

They were a pack of Six-Eyed Blood Wolves. Rank 5 communal mutant monsters known to be extremely cunning and bloodthirsty. Their size was that of a pony, with stiff rust-red fur and three pairs of spider-like eyes radiating a killing aura.

They snorted, acidic saliva dripping from their jaws and melting the dry leaves that fell to the ground. Their savage instincts told them that the girl standing on the boulder possessed an extremely pure and appetizing scent of flesh.

Sylvia regarded the pack of ferocious wolves with one raised eyebrow, feeling not the slightest threat. She crossed her arms, staring at them as though looking at a group of lost puppies.

"Only Rank 5," Sylvia sighed, feeling a little disappointed. She glanced toward her shadow. "Noir, clear the path. Do not destroy the cores, remember? We can still sell them or use them as toys."

From within the shadow of the boulder where Sylvia stood, a pair of glowing red eyes opened in the darkness. Noir released a low growl that sounded like an echo from a bottomless abyss.

The pack of blood wolves sensed the sudden threat. The fur on their napes bristled, and the alpha wolf howled loudly, giving the order to attack simultaneously.

Yet before a single one of the wolves could leap, their own shadows on the ground suddenly came alive. The surface of the shadows elongated and hardened like pure steel. In a fraction of a second, dozens of pitch-black shadow spears shot up from the ground, piercing precisely through the hearts and brains of the dozen mutant wolves at the same time.

CRAT! CRAT! CRAT!

There were no howls of pain. There was no resistance. Eighteen Rank 5 Blood Wolves died instantly with their bodies hanging in the air, impaled by the black shadow pillars. Noir flicked its tail lightly from within the darkness. The shadow spears then sliced precisely across the chests of the monsters, neatly dropping eighteen clear-red mana crystals onto the ground, before the wolves’ bodies finally crumbled into dust.

"Good work, obedient Noir," Sylvia praised. She waved her hand casually. Her spatial ring radiated a silver light, sucking the eighteen Rank 5 mana cores directly into its storage space without her having to pick them up one by one.

The journey continued once more without significant obstacles. The deeper they entered the northeastern region, the weather and topography of the forest began to change drastically.

The dense giant trees were gradually replaced by blackened, charred tree trunks. The air felt extremely dry and hot, filled with the sharp smell of ozone that stung the lungs. Occasionally, the sound of static electricity crackling between the dry branches could be heard. The ground in this region was no longer covered by grass and moss, but consisted of volcanic rocks whose surfaces had partially melted and crystallized into glass from extreme heat strikes.

Sylvia stopped her steps. She stood at the edge of a large crater whose diameter exceeded one hundred meters. In the center of that crater stood a gigantic obsidian boulder that served as a natural throne.

"We have arrived," Sylvia said softly, a smile full of anticipation blooming on her lips. She touched the screen of her bracelet, deactivating her scanner-mosquito radar.

From atop that obsidian throne, a gigantic creature slowly rose.

The creature was a Thunder-Belt Tiger, an extremely rare mutation anomaly, a peak predator that solidly occupied Rank 8. Its body length from head to the tip of its tail reached twelve meters. Its fur was not orange, but glossy blue-black like metal armor. Along its spine stood a row of pointed crystals that continuously radiated high-voltage electricity. Every time it breathed, purple lightning sparks escaped from between its sharply curved saber fangs.

In the Tianhua Kingdom, a Rank 8 monster was a walking natural disaster. If this monster decided to attack Black Lotus City, the entire military force and the mayor would have to mobilize together, and even then victory would not be guaranteed without sacrificing half of their city.

The bright-yellow eyes of the Thunder Tiger stared sharply toward Sylvia. The monster roared. Its roar was not the sound of ordinary vocal cords, but pure thunder that deafened the ears, creating a shockwave that swept away the dust and small rocks around the crater.

Sol meowed, preparing to leap forward to tear apart that fake large cat. Noir also released its killing aura, ready to erase the tiger’s existence.

Yet Sylvia raised her right hand to the side, holding back both of her pets.

"No, no. This one is mine," Sylvia said, her eyes sparkling with a fighter’s excitement. "It has been a very long time since I used my fists directly. I need a physical warm-up, and this oversized electrically charged large cat looks sturdy enough to serve as a punching bag."

Hearing their master’s command, Sol snorted in disappointment and then sat leisurely atop a scorched rock, beginning to lick its claws. Noir yawned softly, curling its body near Sol, deciding to become a VIP spectator.

Seeing the two small animals and one human girl in front of it showing not the slightest fear, the pride of the Thunder-Belt Tiger was severely offended. As the ruler of the jungle, it was accustomed to seeing its prey kneel and tremble before being turned into ash.

With a roar that shook the earth, the gigantic monster leapt. Its speed far surpassed the logic of its body size. In the blink of an eye it had closed the hundred-meter distance, its front claws coated in purple lightning swinging with force capable of splitting a small mountain.

BZZZTTT! WUUUSH!

The slash landed precisely on the position where Sylvia stood, exploding the volcanic ground and forming a new crater five meters deep. Rock fragments and lightning flashes spread in every direction like a storm.

Yet no blood was spilled.

"Too slow," a melodious voice whispered smoothly right above the giant tiger’s ear.

The tiger widened its eyes and frantically looked upward. Sylvia was floating upside-down in the air, right above the monster’s head, with one index finger touching her own lips. She had not used teleportation magic; she had purely used her physical speed to leap and dodge in the final millisecond.

Before the tiger could react, Sylvia flipped her body in the air. She drew her right leg back, concentrated just a little a very little pure energy into the tip of her combat boot, then released a crescent kick aimed directly at the jaw of the gigantic monster.

BAAAMMM!!!

The sound of the physical impact rang out like the explosion of a heavy artillery cannon.

The body of the Thunder-Belt Tiger, weighing more than ten tons, was flung sideways like a cotton doll kicked by a giant. The monster tumbled and slammed across the rocky ground, destroying several dead trees before finally coming to a stop. Black blood mixed with electrical sparks sprayed from its mouth. Half of its prized saber fangs were shattered into pieces.

Sylvia landed lightly, not the least bit out of breath.

"Come on, Rank 8," Sylvia mocked while lightly rolling her shoulders. "Is that all? I have not even used strength-enhancing magic. Stand up and show me why the humans here are so afraid of you."

The mutant tiger rose unsteadily. Its eyes no longer radiated arrogance, but absolute rage and a hint of primal fear. It realized that the small creature before it was not human. It was a monster entity far more terrifying than itself.

Ignoring the pain from its crushed jaw, the tiger concentrated all remaining mana within its body. The row of crystals along its spine shone blindingly. The sky above the crater suddenly darkened. The air trembled violently as an extraordinarily dense flow of purple lightning gathered in its gigantic mouth, forming an extremely destructive energy sphere.

This was its ultimate attack Apocalypse Thunder Cannon.

A ten-meter-diameter pillar of purple lightning was fired directly toward Sylvia. The heat of the attack immediately melted the rocks in its path into molten lava. Its speed was the speed of light itself.

Facing an ultimate attack capable of leveling an entire city district, Sylvia did not bother dodging. She did not even chant a protective magic spell.

The Queen of Death merely raised her bare right hand forward, palm open.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The purple lightning pillar slammed into Sylvia’s palm with full force. A blinding light explosion covered the entire crater. The thunderous sound echoed for tens of kilometers. A hot whirlwind swept across the battlefield.

Yet when the light subsided, the remaining scene was something impossible for the common sense of the Tianhua continent.

Sylvia still stood upright in her place, not shifted a single millimeter. The deadly purple lightning pillar was held in her palm, unable to penetrate the defense of her pale-white skin. Her tactical clothing was not even scorched in the slightest. With a single strong grip, Sylvia crushed the pure lightning flow using her physical strength as though squeezing a sheet of paper. The residual lightning energy immediately shattered into harmless light particles.

The giant tiger’s eyes bulged in horror. It had run out of mana and its survival instincts screamed for it to flee.

"Are you finished?" Sylvia asked in a bored tone. "I thought a physical fight with a Rank 8 monster would burn a few calories. It turns out you on this continent are truly far too fragile."

In a single blink of an eye, Sylvia vanished from her position.

The Thunder Tiger turned to run, yet Sylvia was already standing right in front of it. Without giving the monster a chance to scream, Sylvia thrust her left hand whose fingertips were now coated in death aura as sharp as a surgical blade directly through the hard forehead of the gigantic monster.

Craaassh.

The slender hand pierced the tiger’s skull as though cutting soft tofu. The Rank 8 monster froze instantly. The light of life in its yellow eyes dimmed at once, and its gigantic body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, triggering a slight seismic tremor around it.

Sylvia pulled her hand out of the monster’s skull. In her palm lay a mana core the size of a melon. The core radiated an extremely beautiful purple light, pure and pulsing with extraordinarily dense lightning energy.

"Wow, the color is very pretty," Sylvia murmured, smiling with satisfaction while ignoring the residual black blood that immediately evaporated from her skin thanks to her passive protection. "The energy is also quite dense. Sol, come here. This core might taste like an electric mint candy for you."

Sol meowed happily, running toward its master with its tail wagging, ready to receive the expensive snack.

Yet just before Sylvia threw the Rank 8 lightning core toward her golden cat, Sylvia’s ear twitched slightly. Her eyes glanced toward the scorched bushes on the western side of the crater. The sensor on her bracelet once again gave a small notification about the presence of several new entities that were not monsters.

Rustle... crack...

From behind the ruins of scorched trees, five human figures appeared with ragged breathing.

They were a group of hunters dressed extremely luxuriously, wearing high-level magic-powered protective armor engraved with the golden lotus emblem on their chests. The weapons in their hands were long magic rifles and crystal-alloy swords that were clearly not cheap goods. Yet their current condition was extremely wretched. Their armor was dented and covered in burn marks, their faces were dirty with ash, and several of them were suffering rather serious bleeding on their arms.

In the foremost position, leading the group, was a handsome blond-haired young man wearing a half-torn noble robe. His sharp eyes scanned the crater area, his hand tightly gripping a mana-tracking compass whose needle spun wildly.

"The target is here! The mana fluctuations are concentrated in this crater!" the blond youth shouted with heavy breathing. "Form up! We have been chasing this Thunder Tiger for three weeks and lost half our forces. Today we must bring its head back to the Capital..."

The young man’s voice stopped abruptly in his throat.

The five elite figures froze like stone statues when their gazes finally processed the absurd scene presented before their eyes.

In the center of the still-smoking lava crater, the gigantic carcass of the Rank 8 Thunder-Belt Tiger, the legendary monster that had nearly killed them all the previous day lay lifeless. And standing casually beside the monster’s head was a young black-haired girl wearing tight sportswear that was completely unreasonable to wear in the wilderness.

The girl stood without a single wound, her face clean without a speck of dust, casually weighing the Rank 8 Thunder Core that radiated a blinding purple glow in one hand, while her other hand busily stroked a golden cat that was licking residual blood from her leg.

Sylvia tilted her head slightly, regarding the group of mortal humans who had just entered her hunting arena uninvited. A thin smile, half mocking and half curious, slowly formed on her lips.

"It seems," Sylvia said, breaking the awkward silence with her elegant and casual tone, "you gentlemen have arrived a little late to this hunting party."