Lord Of Beasts

The structure before them was unlike the hornet’s enormous nest.

Enormous pillars of hardened earth and stone rose from several connected floating islands, forming what looked like a gigantic colony of towering chimneys and hollow tunnels.

And every few seconds...

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted somewhere inside, causing the entire structure to tremble and cracks to spread across the rocky towers.

"It’s like the whole place is exploding..." Liora whispered.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Orthoptera..."

As they approached, the cause became clearer. Enormous cricket-like creatures were leaping between the towers, some of which were familiar to him.

’Rupture Hoppers.’

The very creatures Ethan had encountered earlier inside the Gate.

Others were larger and thicker, their rear legs bulging with explosive power, while their vibrating wings released piercing shrieks that echoed across the floating islands.

The sound alone made Ethan wince.

His hearing was the most sensitive out of everyone present, making the shrill cries far more painful for him.

"My ears..."

Liora immediately responded, layers of shimmering barriers wrapping around the group. The horrific screeching instantly became muffled, as though someone had stuffed cotton into Ethan’s ears.

"That helps," he admitted, rubbing one ear.

"It will not block everything," Liora warned. "But it will help for now."

The colony noticed them.

Hundreds of black eyes turned simultaneously.

For a brief second, the endless network of tunnels fell silent.

Then the entire colony erupted, with crickets launching from every tower. The sky itself seemed to explode as hundreds of Orthoptera beasts bounded between the floating islands, each leap sending shockwaves through the air.

"They’re coming!" Darius shouted.

"We know the drill," Ethan replied, keeping everyone calm.

Before the swarm could close the distance, Elara blinked into the air, and the man in only his yellow underwear floated up to join her.

Neither needed instructions anymore.

Their coordination had become almost instinctive: Dave inhaled deeply, his white eyes surging with mana while Elara closed her eyes, scarlet energy flowing through her body before collecting within her hands.

The two attacks charged side by side.

They crossed through one another without interfering, creating a devastating beam of destruction that swallowed the front ranks of the charging swarm.

BOOOOOOM!

Entire stone towers collapsed.

Hundreds of crickets were consumed instantly, their bodies exploding one after another inside the blast, creating a chain reaction that tore apart huge sections of the colony. Chunks of rock rained through the endless sky, and even Ethan found himself staring.

"That attack is crazy."

The surviving Orthoptera poured through the collapsing towers.

There were still hundreds left, including the most dangerous of them all, that was yet to make an appearance.

"Get ready!" Ethan barked.

Everyone moved without hesitation.

By now, they had all understood that the A Ranks would eliminate the Boss Beast, and the rest would stop the swarm from interfering. Flames burst beneath Ethan’s feet as he launched himself into the air while summoning his first two beasts.

"Ember Pulse!"

A wave of fire rolled across dozens of charging crickets.

The burning creatures exploded prematurely, their unstable hind legs rupturing beneath the intense heat before they could reach the squad.

Wolfy charged directly into the centre of the battlefield. Its claws ripped through thick chitin as it bounded from island to island, scattering entire groups with sheer physical strength before tearing into anything still standing.

Predator’s Frenzy remained active, making every kill feed into the next.

Not far above, Talon circled the battlefield with unmatched speed. The Griffling refused to become surrounded. Whenever an isolated cricket exposed itself, Talon folded its wings, dived like an arrow and sliced straight through it before soaring back into the sky.

If several beasts tried to intercept it, the hawk released Skyshatter Cry.

The sonic blast knocked them tumbling away, allowing Talon to accelerate back into open air, just like it had against the hornets.

Darius anchored the centre with his spear, skewering any beast that slipped through. Rowan continuously created thick wooden javelins that launched themselves like ballista bolts, punching through multiple crickets before embedding into the stone. And Seraphina became little more than a pink blur, finishing wounded monsters before they could recover.

As for Dave and the Bulldozer, one was unconscious, and the other helplessly stood beside him, watching everything unfold.

The battlefield was separated into two distinct fronts.

One became complete chaos, and the other became an execution.

Only after the overwhelming swarm had been forced back did something far larger stir within the heart of the colony.

The stone towers shook violently as it finally emerged.

A colossal emerald-green cricket climbed from the depths of the colony, its entire body covered in jagged armour plates that constantly vibrated. Every twitch of its hind legs released visible shockwaves, and even standing still, it radiated overwhelming power.

Ethan’s eyes scanned the blue holographic window above its head, where its stats were impressive as expected, especially its speed.

’Cataclysm Hopper, cool name.’

Though it was nothing overwhelming either.

"That thing’s ugly," was Kaela’s only comment.

"It looks angry," Liora corrected.

"It can be both," Ethan chimed in as the Boss Beast disappeared.

A deafening boom followed.

Its leap shattered the air itself as it descended toward Kaela.

She grinned.

"There you are."

Their collision rocked the floating islands.

The Cataclysm Hopper, just like most Orthoptera, relied almost entirely on terrifying leg strength and explosive movement. Every leap cracked stone, every kick detonated the surrounding air, and its shrieks continued to hammer at everyone’s minds without Liora’s barriers.

She already had her hands full protecting herself and attacking, so there was no way she could form barriers around them all without restricting their movement.

Despite that, everyone was calm.

They had been through this all before against arguably even more dangerous beasts, so they knew exactly what they were doing. And unlike the Void Hornets, these creatures didn’t have an instant way of breaking the Aegis Architect’s constructs.

Liora’s barriers surged forward, boxing the creature inside layer after layer of shimmering walls. The giant cricket slammed against them repeatedly with unbelievable force, trying to break out to fight for its kind.

The first barrier shattered.

Then the second.

The third cracked.

But each one delayed it just long enough.

"Now!" Ethan shouted.

Elara vanished in a crimson blink.

She reappeared directly beside the trapped monster as it smashed through the last of Liora’s constructs. Each one caused immense backlash, but she had held it in place for long enough.

BOOM!

A concentrated Crimson Flash erupted, tearing through one of its hind legs before it could burst away. The reinforced limb exploded apart, the Cataclysm Hopper screaming as it collapsed onto the floating island.

But Kaela was already above it.

"Oh, you’re done."

She clasped both hands together before dropping like a meteor.

CRASH!

The floating island fractured beneath her descending elbow, and the Cataclysm Hopper’s skull caved in instantly beneath the impact.

Green blood erupted in every direction.

Silence followed.

Kaela slowly stood, covered from head to toe in sticky insect fluids.

"Gross."

She wiped a chunk of shell from her shoulder before flicking it away.

"That beast was nothing compared to that dragonfly."

She looked toward Ethan, who immediately glanced elsewhere, trying far too hard to hide the grin tugging at his lips.

’I guess I did make the right choice.’

But only time would tell, since they still had more A Rank Beasts to face...