Chapter 716: They are Dead!?

The brute’s voice was swallowed into the same silence that had taken Talan, and the line gave back nothing but static.

Moon’s face froze for half a heartbeat before settling into an expression cold as ice.

Two of his people. Silenced one after the other, in the span of seconds.

Something had come to the pavilion. And it had killed before either of them could even finish a sentence.

Within moments, Moon was through the King’s Chamber doors and out into the main hall, moving fast, the Golden Turtle and Mirage following a pace behind him.

What he found stopped him dead in his tracks.

Before him stood a canine creature, its body dark as a living shadow. Two glowing yellow orbs burned in the hollows of its skull, fixed directly on Moon. And clamped in its fangs, pierced through the neck, was Talan, the fangs deep into his neck, blood covering the ground.

Talan’s body was limp but he was still alive, his eyes losing their focus.

The brute stood a few paces away, freshly re spawned for the second time, his weapon raised, his whole body coiled to charge the beast that held his companion in the gruesome position.

"Stop!" Moon’s voice snapped across the hall.

The brute froze mid-motion, realizing that heard their pleas and arrived.

"Charge at that thing, and you’ll only throw your life away for nothing. That beast has already reached Surpasser tier. You can’t touch it, let alone deal damage. Retreat, now!"

"But what about Talan, boss?" the brute shouted, his eyes locked on his half-dead companion dangling from the shadow-canine’s jaws, suffering, wounded, denied even the mercy of a quick death.

"Does he have lives left?" Moon asked, calm despite the horror of their circumstances.

"Y-yes."

"Then retreat. He’ll be fine the next time he respawns. Dying now is better for him than staying in that thing’s mouth. Get behind me."

The brute’s jaw clenched, agony and fury warring across his face. He gritted his teeth and fell back, taking position behind Moon.

The shadow-canine opened its jaws, letting Talan’s ruined body drop to the floor, and lifted its burning yellow eyes back to Moon.

It simply watched him, sizing up the one being in the pavilion it classified as a danger to its life.

Moon met its stare, and something almost like a smile touched his cold expression.

"Where have you been hiding all this time?" Moon spoke in a low tone, "I searched this island high and low for powerful beasts to hunt, something worth leveling on, and I never found a single thing above the Evolver rank. And now, you come walking right into my pavilion?"

He glanced down at the young Golden Turtle, which had emerged from the chamber at his side, its eyes fixed calmly on the shadow-canine, utterly unafraid.

Moon’s smile widened, pleased with its courage.

"You just came into this world minutes ago," he murmured to the turtle, "and you’ve already gifted me something amazing. A Surpasser, drawn out of hiding by your birth, come to test itself against you." He straightened, and lightning flashed across his eyes. "Let’s not waste the opportunity."

Moon summoned his Beast Soul, and the dual-wielding commander appeared in a flash of pale light. Its eyes locked immediately onto the shadow-canine, both blades rising into a ready stance.

"Fight."

The southern commander obliged without hesitation, charging the dark beast with both swords brandished, ready to tear it apart.

The canine didn’t meet the charge. Instead it retreated in a blur, breaking away and beginning to circle, low and fast, its burning yellow eyes tracking the Beast Soul as it searched for an opening rather than trading blows head-on.

A moment later, Talan finally died from his severe injuries, his ruined body giving out at last, and dispersed into light.

Moon moved quickly, reaching the place Talan re spawned at before guiding him back to safety away from the battle.

Once cleared from the battle, the brute immediately took charge of helping Talan who was still shaken from his death and de-buffs.

"Go recover from a safe position, stay at range." Moon ordered the brute back further from the fight.

At the edges of the pavilion, the sounds of battle rang out. Shouts from the base’s Evolvers, the clash of weapons, claws and fangs ringing. The shadow-canine hadn’t come alone, or its arrival had stirred the lesser beasts into a frenzy. Moon’s patrols were engaging threats across the perimeter.

"Go help the others once you’re both steady on your feet," Moon told the retreating brute, his eyes never leaving the circling predator.

I should’ve brought the Prowler and the Grizzlers with me. Left them back on Earth like an idiot. They’d have been perfect for this. Moon thought before returning his attention back to the beast.

He activated Eye of Truth, curious about exactly what he was dealing with.

[Shadow Panther]

[Details: A powerful predator that relies on blinding speed and sharp fangs to bring down its prey. Most notorious for its advanced concealment ability, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the darkness of the night and strike from angles its victims never see coming. A patient, lethal ambush hunter.]

The instant Moon finished reading the screen, the Shadow Panther vanished.

Is shadow-dark form melting into the gloom of the storm-darkened pavilion, its burning eyes winking out, its presence dropping away entirely.

Moon spread his spiritual energy, sharpening his senses, sweeping the area trying to catch a trace of the shadow panther.

A grin spread across his face, as the thrill of a real challenge entered his chest.

"An ambush hunter that hides in the dark," he murmured, both hands ready, the Beast Soul turning slowly beside him to cover the angles he couldn’t. "And I’ve got a max-level Camouflage of my own. This is going to be an interesting fight."

"Mirage stay close, this panther is not an opponent to be messed with."

The white steed moved closer to Moon, the Golden Turtle atop its back.