......
The other side of the slope, Eagle's Beak Rock Watchtower.
Thomas lay in the damp and cold grass, motionless, his eyes pressed against the high-magnification alchemy telescope, his breath held extremely low.
The scene in the lens slowly furrowed his brow: "They're... not quite right."
The monsters inhaling the red mist did not fall.
Instead, they sped up, an acceleration beyond reason.
The trajectory dragged a brief afterimage on the retina, as if the delay between body and power had been forcibly smoothed.
Then came a more noticeable change.
The black dragon scales covering their bodies stood upright one by one, the edges rubbing against each other, producing dense and piercing "kaka" sounds, like a pine forest exploding.
Veins bulged under the skin.
Dark red patterns rapidly spread along the limbs and torso, bright enough to almost penetrate the body.
