Less than five hundred meters from the two commander class Voidbeasts, two Antares Command squads stood facing each other at an intersection.
The tension between them was worse than if a Rank Five beast king had appeared.
"Do you have no shame at all?"
Spit flew from Alar’s mouth as he pointed at Dax, who looked entirely unbothered.
"We saw that mutated rat first!"
"My hand was already on my watch, and then you jumped out and shouted over me. What was that supposed to be?"
Dax picked at his nose.
"You still do not understand the rules."
"The Frontier Marshal was very clear. Whoever reports the coordinates first gets credit for the target."
"What good is seeing it?"
"Were you planning to report it with your mind?"
"I called it in. That makes it official."
Alar’s eyes reddened.
"That was three hundred Military Merit!"
"You stole three hundred points with one shout?"
"No. We are not done here. The next time we find something, you let me report first."
Dax shrugged.
"Sure."
"As long as you are faster."
Three hundred Military Merit was no small amount.
Anyone would be furious after having it snatched away.
Then a six story building beside them collapsed.
Rumble!
Dust rolled across the intersection as a massive shadow stepped through the wreckage.
It stood more than six meters tall.
Heavy scales covered its body, each one shining like dark metal. Swordlike spikes rose along its back, catching the moonlight with a cold gleam.
Its eyes were the size of fists, burning with savage fury.
A middle stage Rank Four Ironspike Dragon.
The pressure of a commander class Voidbeast swept over the street like a tide.
Both squads stopped arguing.
Every soldier froze exactly where they stood and stared at the enormous creature emerging from the smoke.
The Ironspike Dragon liked the effect.
There.
That was presence.
That was true authority.
These foolish humans had clearly been struck senseless by its magnificence.
Now came the screaming.
It opened its enormous jaws, revealing rows of teeth sharp as razors, and waited for the sweet sound of terror.
Three seconds passed.
No screams.
No one ran.
The way the humans were looking at it seemed strangely wrong.
Then Alar sucked in a breath and let out a squeal loud enough to slaughter a pig.
"Holy shit!"
"Rank Four!"
"A live Rank Four!"
The shout nearly finished off the Ironspike Dragon.
Not from fear.
From sheer volume.
Was this human insane?
Why was he excited instead of running?
Before the beast could make sense of it, Dax sprang into the air like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"I saw it!"
"One middle stage Rank Four Ironspike Dragon!"
"It is mine!"
He shouted while hammering at his tactical watch so quickly that his fingers blurred.
Alar exploded.
"I have been making eye contact with it for three seconds!"
"This one is mine!"
"What are you all standing there for?"
"Send the coordinates!"
Both squads erupted.
Every soldier raised a wrist and began taking pictures of the confused Ironspike Dragon.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Flashes burst across the intersection.
The Ironspike Dragon stared at them.
What were these insects doing?
Taking commemorative photographs?
Were they mocking it?
"Roar!"
If they refused to run, then they could all die.
The Ironspike Dragon raised one massive foot, preparing to unleash War Stomp and shake them apart.
A piercing shriek came from above.
A vast white web dropped from the sky.
The Demonface Spider had originally planned to seal the humans’ escape route, but even it could no longer remain hidden.
As the enormous spider descended from the roof, everyone arguing over the Ironspike Dragon stopped at the same moment.
Then the cheering became even louder.
"Holy shit! There is another one!"
"Buy one, get one free?"
"That is a Demonface Spider!"
"It is Rank Four too!"
Alar shook so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes.
"Do not steal it!"
"The spider belongs to Team Three!"
"You can have the dinosaur, Team Seven!"
"Heaven itself is helping me hit my quota!"
Dax was equally delighted. He entered the coordinates while roaring into the communicator.
"Frontier Marshal!"
"Frontier Marshal, do you hear me?"
"We have two large targets here!"
"Alive and fresh!"
"And neither one looks especially intelligent!"
The Demonface Spider said nothing.
Neither did the Ironspike Dragon.
For the first time, the two commander class Voidbeasts felt the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Not especially intelligent?
Was that something a human should say?
"Hiss!"
The Demonface Spider screamed and drove all eight spear like legs forward.
Its venomous fangs went straight for Alar’s face.
It would eat the loudest one first.
Alar did not move.
He did not even blink.
Then came the clear ring of a blade.
Clang!
Violet lightning tore open the ridiculous night.
Something familiar settled over the Demonface Spider.
It stopped.
It barely dared breathe.
A commander class Voidbeast that had fought its way through mountains of corpses possessed instincts sharper than any radar.
Something terrifying was watching from the darkness behind it.
That presence...
It knew it.
Memory crashed through the beast’s mind.
During the Beast Tide that had swept across Norcrest, there had been a human.
He had charged through the horde.
He had hunted them with a blade.
Now the nightmare had followed them here.
And compared with a few months ago, that presence had become far more terrifying.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Footsteps came from the darkness.
Dax, Alar, and the others turned.
At the far end of the ruined street, a tall figure emerged beneath the moonlight.
Young.
Handsome.
Almost harmless at first glance.
A faint smile rested on Joren’s lips.
He stopped and let his gaze pass over the soldiers before settling on the Ironspike Dragon.
"I was wondering who it was."
Joren tilted his head slightly, and the smile widened.
"An old friend."
It really was him.
That human.
The Ironspike Dragon suddenly understood.
Why these weak insects had dared act so arrogantly.
Why they had looked at it like a walking wallet.
Because this madman stood behind them.
Who could survive that?
"Frontier Marshal!"
The moment Dax and Alar saw Joren, they straightened their backs.
Their confidence returned in full.
"That is the Ironspike Dragon!"
"We already locked onto it!"
Joren raised one hand.
"Relax."
"You will get your share."
His right hand settled slowly around the hilt of [Heaven’s Sin].
That small movement was enough.
The huge and cumbersome looking Ironspike Dragon suddenly exploded into motion.
It did not even bother turning around.
Its tail slammed against the ground, and the recoil launched its entire body away like a cannon shell.
It fled in the opposite direction with one claw pressed over its chest.
On a building a hundred meters away, the Demonface Spider reacted at the same moment.
All eight legs moved so quickly that smoke almost rose from them.
It raced up the vertical wall, crossed the roof in an instant, and vanished into the night.
Commander class dignity?
Territorial pride?
None of that mattered.
They wanted to run?
"I was hoping we could catch up."
"But since you are being so rude..."
Violet arcs flashed through Joren’s eyes.
"Then I suppose..."
His figure blurred.
When he appeared again, he was already high in the air a hundred meters away.