The armored trucks sped down the highway, far too fast for even his wings to catch.
Fortunately, flight had its own advantages.
He climbed higher, giving himself a better vantage point.
SWOOOSH!
With a beat of his wings, he increased his speed.
The pursuit dragged on for nearly forty minutes, before he finally spotted what he was after.
'What is that thing?'
The creature standing in the middle of a devastated intersection made the previous beast look like a house cat.
Fifty foot of blood red flesh towered above the rubble, its body shaped like a massive lizard but was far more terrifying.
Scarlet skin stretched tight over bulging muscle, and across its scales, hundreds of raised dots pulsed like infected boils.
One of the dots burst.
A jet of superheated air hissed outward, melting nearby concrete into slag and leaving any human caught in its path sagging like wax.
The Defense Force deployment matched the threat level. Seven helicopters circled the monster, their rotors beating against the air.
Francis kept his distance, making sure none of those flying machines ended up ripping him to shreds.
The Gatling guns roared, their barrels spinning as streams of fire tore through the air.
BRRRRTTT! BRRRRTTT!
Streams of fire erupted in consecutive bursts.
Dozens of steam vents opened simultaneously, creating a cloud of scalding vapor that forced the helicopters to pull back.
The beast didn't even flinch. If anything, the attack only enraged it.
Its jaws opened, unleashing a concentrated blast of heated air that tore through one of the helicopters, destroying it in an instant.
The remaining helicopters responded by launching missiles at the beast. Yet every one of them exploded before making contact—the intense heat surrounding the creature acted like a natural barrier.
In the end, they could only rely on their Gatling guns. Even the ground vehicles Francis had followed rolled into position and opened fire as well.
'I need to be careful. Can't get too close.'
A quick glance at a street six blocks away confirmed his opportunity: bodies left behind, lifeless and ripe for the taking.
Wasting no time, he veered left and began his dive.
He landed beside a woman whose business suit had fused to her skin. Her briefcase lay open, papers scattered and charred.
On her right side, a smear of red caught his eye—quickly recognized as melted lipstick and other makeup products.
He pecked at her abdomen, and to his satisfaction, it was soft—like it had been simmered for hours in a pressure cooker.
The liver was partially cooked but intact. Good enough—the smoky flavor was actually to his liking.
As he fed, the battle raged in the distance.
Another attack came from the helicopters, unleashing a fresh cloud of searing steam and explosions.
The creature's roar followed, powerful enough to rattle windows in buildings a quarter mile away.
'I hope it doesn't die too soon. There are plenty of humans here,'
Taking advantage of the chaos and thick steam, he moved quickly from one corpse to another across the road. Everything went smoothly, especially since the abdomen tissue were soft and tender.
[95/100 Livers]
Suddenly, his feathers rustled—pure instinct, like aerial animal taking flight at the first hint of danger.
He spread his wings, preparing to escape—
ZZZZZZ!
A blue lance of light carved through the air above him. It sliced a perfect line , so bright it left afterimages burned into his vision
The shockwave struck a split second later, flinging him through the air.
BOOOM!
'What happened?' He rolled to his talons, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears.
Francis looked up. The beast was pinned—nailed to the concrete by sheer force. A steaming hole had been punched through its gut.
Before he could process the scene, an object shot out of the hole and hurtled backward.
He tracked it and scrambled to follow the arc.
An armored hand reached out.
The man caught it without looking. He didn't stumble. He didn't brace. He just kept strolling like he owned the place.
And judging by his aura and equipment alone, he might as well be.
His armor was sleek and dark as carbon fiber, yet it moved with him — plates flexing and resettling with each step.
A visor hid his face, leaving only two cold blue eyes glowing beneath it. A rebreather sealed his mouth, its vents hissing softly.
In his hand, a futuristic looking spear fit perfectly, its blade warping the air around it with a constant, vibration.
Despite the distance, Francis felt it.
Every instinct screamed at him to flee—not from fear, but because every cell in his body recognized the truth: the figure before him outclassed all others.
Not even the lizard monsters had radiated such a threatening aura.
[Bonus Mission: Devour the liver of a Special Category Human]
[Reward: Gain their innate talent]
The notification stopped Francis in his tracks, its message promising a reward too tempting to overlook.
'Innate Talent…' he repeated to himself, a spark of excitement igniting in his eyes.
Others might see the figure as a deadly threat, but to him, it opened an opportunity to grow even stronger.