Murphy darted across the scorched earth and scattered rocks, the din of the beast tide behind him gradually fading away.
His Flying Sword, a streak of Dark Gold Streaming Light, darted nimbly within a few meters of his body, piercing through the scattered monsters that lunged at him one by one.
As he moved farther from the center of the Rift Valley Slope, the number of monsters visibly thinned, and the reek of sulfur and gore in the air diminished significantly.
Just as he was crossing a cluster of low stone spires, a dark red figure emerged silently from the shadows of an unremarkable crevice ahead, blocking his path.
It was a full size smaller than any of the large Scorching Beasts he had previously encountered, not even matching some of the more robust medium-sized ones. But its entire carapace was a pure, rich, bright red.
Its six pairs of compound eyes were a deep, dark red, like red-hot coals, and they were locked onto Murphy.
