Silver Wing stood frozen, wide-eyed at the sight before him. Just moments ago, these arrogant upstarts had effortlessly obliterated hordes of monsters as if it were nothing. Now, they radiated a confidence unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
Han raised his hand toward the silver dragon swirling in the skies above. His voice echoed with quiet authority.
The silver dragon dissolved into a flurry of electric sparks, streaking down like lightning and crashing into Han’s body. A dome of crackling energy surged around him, blinding for a second—then peeled away like shedding armor.
What remained was not the Han from moments ago, but something transcendent.
"...He’s beautiful," Shae blurted out without thinking.
The others nodded, captivated.
Aiden, meanwhile, was grumbling to himself. Why must he always show off? he thought bitterly.
Gone was the casual figure from before. Han now stood like a deity in motion. Silver stripes covered his body, threaded with subtle black lines that danced and shimmered. Two majestic silver wings unfurled behind him, crackling with arcs of lightning. His eyes glowed beneath a black, arrow-shaped tattoo etched on his forehead, emanating a quiet but terrifying power.
Even the monsters halted, visibly unnerved by what stood before them.
Han let out a low chuckle—a stark contrast to the overwhelming pressure he exuded.
This feels better than I imagined, he thought. Merging with Ifrit always felt... conflicted. But this lightning spirit? It’s thrilled to fight.
He vanished in a blur.
A split second later, he was in front of the bat-like monster. His fist shot out before it could react—one clean blow that sent it hurtling through the sky like a meteor.
"I’ll handle the boss. You take care of the rest," Han called, already vanishing again.
Not wanting to be overshadowed, Aiden sprang forward, moving at lightning speed. His clawed hand slashed through the air, sending out a wave of energy that tore into one of the towering beasts, drawing a roar of pain.
The monster retaliated, swinging a massive fist toward Aiden at point-blank range. With no time to dodge, Aiden crossed his arms, morphing his skin into the thick, durable hide of the Gorilla-Man beast they had once faced.
The punch landed like thunder, sending Aiden skidding backward across the ground. Dust kicked up around him.
To the spectators, it may have looked like a small feat. But Bron—who had taken a similar hit earlier and nearly died—was now sweating buckets.
Aiden emerged from the dust unscathed, smiling.
"Let’s see which one of us is more of a monster."
His body began to shift again—muscles bulging, posture shifting—until he became a near-exact replica of the Gorilla-Man, now wielding the monster’s strength as his own. It was a transformation that drained massive energy, but Aiden wasn’t planning to drag this fight out.
The giant beast swiped at him, but Aiden raised his arm, and vines surged from the earth, forming a thick barrier that absorbed the blow.
Before the beast could react, Aiden was already beneath it. Though dwarfed by its size, he had the power now. He reached up, seized one of the monster’s horns, and twisted. A loud crack echoed as the horn began to splinter under the force. The monster howled and swung at him again—only for the vines to block it once more.
In a fit of desperation and fury, the giant monster opened its gaping maw. A sinister hum filled the air as dark energy began to gather into a volatile, swirling core.
Sensing the imminent danger, Aiden landed swiftly on the ground. He clapped his hands together, and the earth beneath his feet trembled.
"Vine Barrier!" he roared.
Thick vines burst forth from the soil, coiling rapidly around him and stacking into layers upon layers of reinforced protection. The moment the barrier sealed, the monster unleashed its beam—a torrent of dark energy so fast it tore through the air like a black comet.
The impact struck with cataclysmic force.
A deafening explosion erupted, shaking the ground for miles. Dust, energy, and shockwaves spread like a storm.
As the smoke cleared, the monster stared in disbelief. Aiden stood firm, the vines reduced to ash around him—but he was unharmed.
"You’ll need a lot more than that to take me down," he growled, surging forward with renewed fury.
Meanwhile, another of the colossal monsters was struggling. It crossed its massive arms to defend against an incoming assault.
A voice rang out—and a brilliant golden beam tore through the sky, striking the beast dead-on. The creature cried out in agony as Clara’s mech unleashed devastating energy. But she wasn’t alone.
Charging across the battlefield was Ron, wielding his massive warhammer. He infused his body with the power of the earth, and with a mighty leap, launched himself high into the air.
The hammer came crashing down onto the monster’s skull, sending shockwaves through its body and causing it to stumble back in pain. But Ron didn’t stop.
He channeled energy into the hammer again, activating Gravity Shift.
"Let’s make you feel the weight of your sins," he muttered.
He swung once more, striking the creature’s foot. It didn’t cry out—but its movement suddenly slowed. The gravity around it had intensified exponentially. Even for a giant, the shift in weight was crippling.
Ron took one last step forward and hurled the warhammer into the creature’s face. It crashed backward with a thunderous thud.
Clara’s white mech—lined with elegant gold—landed beside Ron, her systems already charging.
That won’t be enough to finish it, Clara thought grimly.
Sure enough, the monster began to rise again, wounded but unwilling to fall.
"Cyclone Cannon!" she shouted.
From the chest of the mech, a swirling core of energy surged outward, forming a spiraling beam that hammered into the creature’s chest, tearing flesh and armor.
Elsewhere, Ronan had not joined the main fight—he had a different mission.
The true threat was deeper in the city, where the last pockets of civilians might be hiding. And he had already found them.
With a whisper of wind, the vanguard beasts attempting to sneak past were cut down before they even registered his presence. Heads dropped from shoulders, and blood sprayed in silence. They were dead long before their bodies hit the ground.
Ronan moved like a ghost.
Twin blades glinted in his hands as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, eyes sharp and focused.
"Forty down... thirty to go," he muttered.
He couldn’t see the full count, but the quest system told him everything. By combining high-speed movement with his new skill to switch places with distant objects, he tore through the battlefield like a storm.
Another breeze. More heads fell.
But there was no time to rest.
Objective: Kill the two monster vanguards
Reward: Sword Skill Unlocked, Restoration Pill
Ronan’s eyes narrowed.