The silhouette was like a nightmare given form, almost appearing like the skeletal outline of an undead western dragon stretched into something long, predatory, and more eastern, mixed with many insect-like features and fused together!
"Schreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!"
It screeched, shaking the air!
Seeing this terrifying creature, a nearby staff member stumbled backwards, his face draining of color. "T-that isn't part of the exhibit! I-it's just like 'she' said! T-this thing! It must have come in from outside!"
Looking at the situation, whether that was true or not, one thing was obvious…
This creature had not wandered in randomly!
The insect lashed out, ripping sideways at a terrifying speed. One of its scythed limbs tore through a section of the reinforced wall, sending stone and shattered glass scattering across the corridor.
Dilan, seeing what it intended to do, intercepted it!
Boom!
His spear ignited in a flash of fire as he thrust forward, colliding head-on with the descending blade.
Bang!
Flame burst outwards as metal met chitin!
Clang!
The force of the exchange sent Dilan flying backwards several meters, tearing across the cracked stone.
Seeing this, Oxin's expression darkened.
"…It should be a fourth-order magic beast," he muttered in a grim tone. "And not a weak one either…"
His gaze flickered toward Dilan. "Are you alright?"
Oxin knew that taking that attack could not have been easy!
Dilan pushed himself upright, his spear tip scraping across the floor as he steadied himself. His face had turned serious, finally understanding the gravity of their situation.
He took a deep breath, leaned on the spear, and looked up at the huge creature that seemed to be trying to cause as much damage as possible!
Tsk!
"I'll be fine!" he muttered, but in truth, his arms were already trembling from the impact. This insect was many times stronger than the previous one!
He was only at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm, after all, fighting above his level was possible, but he was not on the same level as the Heroes, and from his past experiences, he could only fight the 'early stage' of the Nassen Soul Realm, which this creature was clearly not!
His grip tightened.
"Schreeeeeeeeeeeeeech!"
The creature, after screeching, once again lunged forward!
Its hulking figure seemed to lack a target, but the mere act of crashing down could cause irreversible damage, making the surrounding people all press forward to stop it!
Oxin watched as Dilen advanced.
It wasn't only Dilen that attacked, there were a few loose practitioners, some staff members, and a few of the bugs even attempted to assist for whatever reason, seemingly disliking this big guy very much, but Oxin understood that things were not good!
Dilan attacked first, launching into a rapid sequence of spear techniques and high jumps, flying through the air! Flames spiraled around his weapon as he carved blazing arcs across the insect's armored shell.
The flames scorched its shell and cracked its outer layer—
Swoosh! Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh! BANG!
—but failed to pierce deeply enough to do any real damage!
Boom!
With a twist of its body, Dilen was smashed away!
As he was thrown backwards, he understood that it was far tougher than the previous insects!
Hooong!
His eyes widened!
Before he even had a chance to land—
The massive creature retaliated instantly. A long, scythed limb crashed down like a whip, splitting the air, and forcing Dilan to twist aside as the blade ripped past him and carved a deep trench through the stone floor behind.
At the same time—
Swoosh!
Emerald light bloomed in Oxin's eyes as spectral threads erupted from his hands. Soul-formed chains wrapped around the monster's limbs, attempting to bind its joints and halt its momentum just like he had done earlier against the big beetle!
For a moment, the creature slowed down... but then it faintly flexed, and—
Crack!
The bindings shattered under the surge of raw strength!
Oxin frowned as a faint backlash rippled across his soul.
His eyes darkened, feeling the absurd physical strength of this creature! For such a malnourished body, the strength it could produce was ridiculous!
He cursed the unpredictability of the insect race!
As a member of the Barak Family, he wanted nothing more than to sneak into its head to have a contest of souls, but from that force alone, his instincts told him that it was a bad idea! This creature was unlike the ice elementals during the first calamity. It should have a fully developed and 'refined' soul!
In addition, before he even approached, he would likely be torn to shreds by the wind pressure alone!
"…Troublesome," he mumbled, jumping back to dodge a long limb that swept over.
-
The massive insect surged forward.
Behind them, screams rang out as debris collapsed and a few unlucky guests were caught in the chaos.
Swoosh! Dilan lunged forward!
Boom!
Another clash shook the corridor!
Boom! Then another!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each exchange grew faster, harsher, and more desperate! Flames roared, spectral chains snapped, and the monster's long limbs continued to carve deep trenches across the reinforced floor!
What was worse…
For something so large, the creature was far, far too fast!
Not only that, but it also seemed to be speeding up, as if awakening from a long slumber!
The pressure intensified.
As the battle dragged on, the creature began to adapt, becoming more accustomed to fighting such a small target. Its long body twisted unnaturally, its segments flexing as it studied their rhythm. For the first time since it emerged, its attacks started to change!
It became faster, sharper, smarter—Swoosh! A venom-coated tongue exploded from its mouth and lashed out from behind a set of locked mandibles, carving through the air like a long arrow!
Dilan reacted instantly, twisting his body to dodge—
Swoosh! But he was half a breath too slow!
Slash!
The blade-like tongue tore across his leg like a knife through butter!
Crack!
He felt his bones shatter under the impact.
He grimaced, feeling as if he had been hit by a ballista at point-blank range!
Swoosh! He was blasted backwards, blood scattering through the air like rain.
Dilan crashed into the ground, slamming into a wall, and was quickly buried by debris, only to jump up a moment later, facing forward, but his leg buckled beneath him, slipping several steps across the broken floor! He caught himself with his spear before he could fall completely, his teeth clenching as the excruciating pain ripped through his body.
The pain was sharp, so sharp, but what was worse—
He could feel it… The venom that was already spreading through his blood like a kind of burning ice!
"Dilan!"
Oxin stepped forward, yelling as he caught up.
He looked down, frowning.
He instantly saw the black blood pooling on the ground, corroding Dilen's blood.
In an instant, he pulled out a series of bottles from his bag, which was much more protected than his money pouch, and began trying a series of pills and strange concoctions to restrain the venom.
After the fifth attempt, he understood that this venom was not normal.
His heart felt cold.
In his mind, he knew that this couldn't drag on!
He needed to get back home as soon as possible to ask an elder for help.
He had already looked around, but there were no stronger practitioners around right now, at least, no stronger practitioners that would be willing to help.
In desperation, he retrieved a special pill from his bag and held it out.
He quickly explained the aftereffects of this pill, knowing full well that Dilen was their best chance to get out of this situation quickly. This pill would allow him to push past the pain and fight as if he wasn't injured, even temporarily pushing past his upper limits, but he would likely spend a 'few days' recovering, even with the full assistance of the Barak and Dimebeck Families.
Hearing this, Dilen immediately agreed, but just then…
A sudden shiver ran down their spines.
He looked up, only to be shocked to see the massive serpentine creature had turned towards them, looming far above, instantly meeting his gaze. It looked over, its massive silhouette highlighted by the sun that had become visible through the broken ceiling after its initial rampage. It was like a dark shadow, allowing only its glowing eyes to pierce through the darkness and stare at the two young masters, greed clearly glowing in its gaze.
It swayed, like a banner in the wind, creating an unsettling image as its dozens of arms swayed like streamers, ready to stretch out and attack at any moment.
Dilen, understanding that this had far exceeded the simple matter of upholding face, quickly grabbed the pill from Oxin and stuffed it into his mouth, then forced himself to stand as a wave of energy spilled through his body like an uncontrollable tide.
Dilen frowned, feeling the immense power awakening in his body.
He understood the previous warning.
Indeed, this was an intoxicating sensation, but it had not actually changed much.
It was an illusory strength, thus the name, 'Illusory Divinity Pill,' A pill that temporarily awakened the limits of the human body, allowing an individual to completely disregard their damage, regardless of whether it was self-inflicted or not!
"Here it comes!"
Swoosh!
Emerald light flashed as a layered barrier formed from soul and spiritual energy unfolded around them. Spectral chains wove together, reinforcing the translucent shield. Oxin pushed himself as far as he could, completely disregarding the possible backlash, understanding that this was not the time to hold back!
At the same time, dozens of arms, each attacking repeatedly, hammered down like a rain of thousands of arrows, attempting to completely obliterate the shield!
Swoosh—bang! BOOM! Be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be!! Bang!
For a moment, it really held—
But just an instant later, the massive monster struck again!
Swoosh—Boooooooooooom!
Its tail, which had been torn from the ground at some point, was hurled around, slamming towards them like a massive hammer capable of crushing a small building in an instant!
The wind broke as a deafening explosion rang out.
Dust was scattered through the air, creating a hazy mess of the surroundings!
The shield shattered in one attack!
The instant the shield shattered, both young men shot to the side, splitting up in different directions, but immediately after, a flurry of attacks swept over, trying to instantly engulf Oxin! While shooting sideways, and still trying to avoid the follow-up attack, it carved across Oxin's shoulder with ease.
Blood sprayed across the ruined remains as Oxin was pulled back by Dilen, who had already run around, causing them to stagger backwards as the impact spun them sideways!
Just like Dilen before, Oxen felt the venom spread through the wound, causing his right arm to immediately fall limp. It would seem as if the tongue wasn't the only thing that could spread the venom! For several seconds, the two young masters were forced apart, each retreating in opposite directions as the monster screeched and thrashed through the shattered space.
After several more clashes, they eventually regrouped.
They stood there, breathing heavily as their bodies visibly deteriorated.
While the dust settled, they took this short moment to plan for their offensive.
Oxin stuffed a pill into his mouth, but Dilen, unprepared for this battle, had no immediate countermeasures. Instead, he drove his spear into the stone and used it to hold himself upright, refusing to let his broken leg give out on him while he caught his breath. Despite the previous pill, he could feel the damage accumulating…
Across from him, Oxin forced his breathing to steady, suppressing the violent tremor running down his spine as the poison began to spread through his body.
He had not taken the same pill, so he was facing the full force of the venom. Because he was a necromancer, he was very familiar with pain, especially because pain to the soul was unavoidable in this profession! Many people, especially those who didn't understand how they built up a tolerance, even thought that masochism was a necessary trait for the necromancer pathway…
-
The massive insect circled in a large loop around the ruins of the battlefield!
It waited…
It watched…
Then the two men looked at one another.
No words were needed because both of them understood the same thing. If they slowed down now—
They would definitely die!
They moved at the same time…
Dilan shifted ahead, forcing his broken leg to move. The moment he stepped forward, pain shot through his body like lightning, intensifying to such an extreme that it bypassed the pill's effects, but he ignored it with sheer willpower alone. Instead, he lunged to the left, dragging his spear in a low arc that scattered sparks across the floor, before releasing a piercing thrust that carried a strong momentum!
The massive beast instantly followed the movement, matching his attack! In that moment, a scythed limb sliced downwards, exactly as he wanted!
"Now!" Dilan shouted.
Behind the creature, Oxin's eyes flashed as he emerged from the dust.
Buzz!
Spectral light erupted from his remaining good hand and slammed into the ground. Boom! The first 'binding anchor' formed instantly, creating a strange triangular rune of 'soul-formed force' that was engraved into the floor and stretched out to snap chains around one of the creature's rear segments.
The insect shrieked and twisted violently—
Swoosh!
—But Dilan was already moving!
He dashed forward, feinting another strike, then forced the creature to lash sideways at him!
Boom!
Its limb crashed through the floor, sending dust and debris everywhere.
At the same time—
Buzz!
Oxin, who had returned to the cloud of dust, formed the second anchor!
Another triangular rune, followed by a spiritual chain, locked into place, binding a central segment of the monster's body with a strange snap!
The creature, even more restricted, thrashed even harder! Shockingly, despite its best efforts, these bindings, although appearing to be taught, were stretched and contracted as if they didn't exist at all, appearing no different than an illusion that was impossible to shake off!
If not for the clear pressure the creature felt, it would have suspected these chains didn't exist at all!
Dilan barely avoided a sweeping limb, the blade once again grazing his shoulder as he rolled across the broken floor. Blood splattered across the ground, but he forced himself back up.
The battle intensified, and although he seemed to be struggling more and more, he only sped up!
'Just one more…' He thought!
Oxin's breathing grew heavy as he gathered the last of his available soul force and mixed it with his extremely small reservoir of spiritual energy. His body glowed in the haze, clearly performing some kind of magic spell, not unlike those from the mage pathway…
'Go!'
Bang! His hands landed on the ground, palms facing down! Swoosh!
The third anchor slammed into place, and a green light erupted like a small sun! Buz!
The 'triangle' closed! Hmm!
The three anchors lit up, a thin line connecting them, and after a long moment of silence… Hooong! The three ethereal chains of condensed soul energy snapped across the creature's body, dragging its massive segments downward with an irresistible force!
Bang!
It was ripped from its frenzy and slammed flat into the ground!
The monster stopped moving!
Oxin clenched his fist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every remaining strand of his spiritual energy compressed into a single binding construct, locking the massive insect's body in place with everything he had!
His nose had already started to bleed, and at this point, his mind was already fuzzy…
But this was all they needed!
From behind, Dilan roared!
Flames exploded as fire-element elemental energy surged from his dantian and through his meridians. Every ounce of the momentum he had built up throughout the fight erupted all at once!
Swoosh! He launched into the air!
The spear in his hands burned like a small sun.
"Die!" he roared, and with a final surge of power, Dilan threw his spear with everything he had!
Swoosh—BOOOOM!!
The spear tore through the air and drove straight into the exposed core between the creature's eyes.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Its body lit up with a red light!
The explosion shattered the remaining walls! Stone, glass, and metal blasted outwards as a massive shockwave tore through the space!
Boom!
Another shockwave rippled across the collapsing structure; this time fused with fire!
Boom!
A third, cracking pillars and sending debris raining across the ruins!
The massive insect convulsed violently.
Its violent spasms cause massive damage to the surroundings!
Bang!
Finally, its enormous body collapsed onto the fractured floor with a deafening bang!
The ground trembled as dust was violently pushed away, slowing down, and then drifted through the air.
And finally—there was silence!
Smoke drifted upward as both young masters swayed, then collapsed.
Dilan dropped to one knee while Oxin staggered before collapsing beside him, calling to butt. Blood stained the surrounding exhibits as they both felt a wave of exhaustion wash over them.
Looking around, the staff members of the beast garden were already rushing to help.
Not long after, the outbreak was contained.
Dilen fell backwards, landing on his back, panting hard.
He stared up at the sky as his naturally powerful physique began to purify the toxins in his blood. Even with all his attention focused on this task, it would still take a long time to recover.
'When will I be able to advance?' he thought to himself, ready to return home...
* * *
Time passed…
When the dust finally settled, the chaos had already begun to recede. The remaining insects were either immobilized with magic or exterminated by the combined efforts of the Beast Gardens staff, mixed with the quickly arriving cultivators. Emergency barriers glowed faintly along the shattered corridors as special teams worked to restore order within the damaged parts of the surrounding exhibits.
What had once been a lively new attraction now looked like the devastated remains of a battlefield…
-
Around the same time, far away from the center of the damage, Petra had quietly slipped away.
During the battle, when everyone's attention had been locked on the burrowing monster and the desperate fight that followed, the small green-haired imp and her entourage had blended into the evacuating crowd and disappeared without a trace!
-
Back in the ruined corridor, Dilan and Oxin eventually regained enough strength to stand up. After catching their breath, both young masters began helping with the cleanup.
Dilan assisted in clearing collapsed debris and lifting broken rubble that had trapped several injured visitors, while Oxin carefully stabilized damaged runes and helped the containment teams secure several of the surviving insects that still twitched violently, signifying life.
These two young masters understood that when the medicinal effects of the medicine ran out, they would both be incapacitated, so they did their best with the time they had.
Around them, the staff of the Beast Garden moved in a state of controlled chaos.
Some rushed to treat the wounded, while Others checked the exhibits one by one and counted the surviving specimens. This was not unique to the Insect Domain; the battle had also affected a few of the other wings as well. Those responsible for managing the Beast Garden gathered near the central control room, pale-faced, and muttering anxiously as they assessed the scale of the damage.
In the end, they could only conclude that it was not good…
-
As time continued to pass, some 'special individuals' began to arrive.
These were representatives from the city administration, followed closely by the city guard, who quickly established a perimeter around the damaged area to keep the accumulating crowd of onlookers out. Not long after, several stewards and small envoys from the capital's major families appeared to investigate the incident, along with a few people from the palace.
One needed to understand that this was no small matter! This event would undoubtedly dominate the capital's news the following morning, not only because it had caused so much damage, but also because an incident like this had not happened in Llynun in many years.
As for the cause of this disaster—
No one could say for certain, even after the initial investigation…
However! The massive magic beast that had appeared provided a convenient culprit, at least for now! After a few more investigations, they eventually concluded that the insect-like dragon monster had likely been sleeping beneath the Beast Garden for a very, very long time, perhaps even exceeding a century! It was possibly even older than the Beast Garden itself! Why it had awakened at that moment was unknown, but in the end, the 'blame' settled squarely upon its bony back.
As for the truth behind this creature and its 'early awakening'…
Mm, it no longer mattered!
Once the cleanup was finished and the majority of the injured were transported away, Dilan and Oxin quietly departed, quickly leaving the Beast Garden. To the side, the strange 'Gallon-shaped cloud statue' that had been found was also taken away by some people from the Gallon Family after a quick talk with the Beast Garden.
-
Once everything was settled, from behind, the Beast Garden slowly closed its gates…
What followed would be a long period of recovery!
Entire sections of the Beast Garden were sealed off for large-scale repairs, while magitech engineers and several 'specialists' (alchemists, formation masters, beast tamers) began redesigning the facility's defenses to prevent such an incident from happening again.
Although the Beast Garden would soon reopen, for the time being, the Insect Domain would remain closed, and the capital would spend many days talking about the disaster that had erupted on the very first day of its grand opening!
-
With that, Petra's time at the Beast Garden (Zoo) came to a close…
-
One week later…
* * *