Even though the battle continued to rage, the ferocity in which each side fought, the Rakorn for their survival while the humans protected themselves and their young, noticeably diminished as every sentient creature in the nearby felt an instinctual, self-preserving fear coil around them.

While those that had previously been human couldn't place the unnerving sensation, the Rakorn, who had travelled across the rolling plains to reach the human settlement, had felt a similar sensation before.

Though it was similar, the sensation in the past had never been as tyrannically terrifying as what they now sensed, and a few of the more religious amongst their ranks began to pray to their Gods.

They had given the creature, the one that had struck from the shadows, many names. The most prominent amongst them, depending on their religious affiliation, is the White Reaper or White Hunter.

Though a few fanatics declared that the beast was the mortal incarnation of one of their fallen gods, the White Hunter, most had assumed it was just a powerful creature that had managed to cross the mountains to the east or had washed ashore from one of the other, much more dangerous, continents.

The creature had been such a nuisance, killing their scouts and small war parties with hit and run tactics, that the Rakorn had left a little under half of their remaining forces to eliminate the beast and secure their route home.

Yet, it was clear from the sensation causing their scales to itch, that those left behind had failed. Not only that but with the limited information they had, it appeared that they had enraged the beast.

Most tried to reason that it slipped past their other forces but deep down, they knew that wasn’t the case. They had lost contact with their brothers and sisters a day or so earlier.

Since then, dread had gnawed through their insides as they waited for the creature to appear, the fear had built up to such an extent that they had attacked the humans with such ferocity, searching for any distraction and to finish their task as soon as possible, that they nearly overran them within the first few hours of battle.

It was at this moment that a few humans stepped forward, rallied those under them and turned the tide of battle. Humanities first hero’s had risen and encircled the Rakorn forces.

Mere seconds had passed since the sensation appeared, yet, unbelievably, it continued to grow.

At the start, it had only been uncomfortable, a gut feeling of impending danger, similar to when one would look down from a great height but what they were experiencing now was multitudes worse. It felt like they had plunged into the waters of an icy river, only to discover thick, unrelenting ice sheets above them.

A few, John included, vaguely felt it was wrong that they couldn’t see their breath in the air, that such an ominous feeling should be affecting the temperature and individual fights slowed. The opponents half-heartedly attempting to eliminate their foe as they nervously kept an eye on their surroundings.

That was everyone bar Karen. The fire elemental was oblivious to her surroundings as her eyes tracked the implement of her demise.

Though she felt the same sensations as those around her, Karen could only attribute it to the rapidly descending club, its brutal shape illuminated by the lightning, fire and explosions that case the world into haunting colours.

Somewhere, beyond the current capability of her mind that had ground to a halt, she knew that this was it.

Her life was over. This small, unmarked hill would be her final resting place.

Karen's abilities to manipulate fire, although devastating, did not give her many benefits bar being able to deliver destruction on a massive scale and it required her concentration. With her mind as it was, feeling like it had shattered into a thousand rampaging thoughts, she had no chance.

As William had put it, she was a glass cannon or, if she listened to John, someone who needed to be protected.

Not that it mattered to her anymore. She was about to be shattered, or more than likely turned into a bloody smear.

Not that she could truly comprehend her fate at this moment. There was no life flashing before her eyes, no slow motion, nothing. She felt empty as if every thought, the ones that had been rampaging just moments before, had fled her body.

Nearby, John had turned into a blur of carnage, something that could only be described as the avatar of war, as he continued to slaughter his way through the Rakorn in an attempt to reach Karen.

Deep down he knew he wouldn't be able to reach her in time, but that didn't stop him from trying.

He pushed his body to the limits, his unique physique developing at an outstanding rate as it rapidly improved under strain yet he paid it no mind.

He was on autopilot, just like most of the ex-humans that had noticed Karen's plight.

Tactics, responsibilities and even their fear were thrown from their minds as they fully committed themselves to reaching their leader, the woman who they owed so much.

As they moved, each one of them prayed for something to buy them time.

Time to reach Karen, time to save her, time so they would not live with regret.

The club was halfway through its descent when Karen's eyes started to close as she accepted her fate.

She didn't want to see her end.

Just as her eyes closed, she saw a flicker of white, the same flash drawing most of the nearby combatant's attention as a dull boom, the air seemingly ripping apart, resonated in front of her.

Human and Rakorn alike watched in stunned horror as the massive Rakorn's upper torso, still gripping the club, soared high into the air. The bottom half of its jaw was gone, along with a gigantic hole in his chest. With each rotation, the Rakorn’s insides spilt from where his lower half use to be as blue blood sprayed outwards.

The world seemed to freeze, the sound of intense fighting continuing in the distance as all eyes focused on the new arrival.

Under the dark grey clouds, surrounded by mud, gore and those fighting for their lives, stood an ebony white, bone scaled creature that had seemingly appeared from nowhere.

Standing atop the remains of the Rakorn’s lower half, towering at just over eight foot tall, the creatures released a rumbling growl that seemed to cause the air to ripple outwards.

To those that could see the creature, it appeared as if a nightmare had escaped from the deepest, darkest depths of hell. The white, clean colouring belying the deadly, vicious aura that seeped from the beast.

Vibrating, jagged spikes stood out from the back of the creatures head, back and along the top and sides of its menacing tail, accompanied by two deadly, blade-like appendages that stuck out of its elbows. Two huge, terrifying, claw-like hands, covered in chunks of blue Rakorn flesh and blood, twitched as its featureless face, if you ignored the rows of vicious, razor-like teeth, scanned the battlefield before it.

Instincts, both natural and enhanced by the biological mixture that had been injected into them, screamed at those nearby to freeze, those further to run for their lives, to abandon everything they held dear.

The creature before them seemed to be built for a single, terrifying purpose. To kill.

The instinct was so strong that those humans that had merged with System could not see the flashing boxes indicating that the monster before them was an ally, not that any of them even contemplated provoking the beast in front of them.

Karen opened her eyes and her mind, already in a dire state, couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.

Due to this, unlike everyone around her, she didn't take a step backwards.

Vaguely she felt like she knew the creature, the image of the small, bone humanoid, who Val insisted was human underneath, an entity that was scary, yet in a manageable way, floated to the surface of her mind.

"Took you long enough," Karen spoke the words without thinking, her body shaking violently, as her eyes were naturally attracted the the pulsing lines of purple liquid that pulsed along the grooves in the creature's scale-like amour.

If she had been paying attention, she would notice that the blue blood and flesh that had covered the creature’s hands had already started to disappear, flowing into the grooves and absorbed into the purple liquid before moving towards the creature's mouth.

Two glowing orbs appeared where the creature's eyes should have been, making it seem all the more intimidating.

The creature’s head cocked to the side slightly as the glowing orbs to focus on her. "Pathetic human~. Accepting your fate so easily."

The voice hissed from the creature's teeth as it returned its gaze to the Rakorn cowering before it.

It’s body blurred before the chilling sounds of slaughter filled air once again as it cut a bloody trail into the horde.

Karen finally took a breath she didn't realise she was holding as her heart thundered in her chest, watching in awe as the creature moved through the Rakorn like a rabid beast.

At the start, the Rakorn were still in shock having finally come face to face with the being that had become something of a legend to them in the last few days and did not fight back but as countless comrades began to fall, their instincts kicked in and they started their desperate struggle for survival.

The carnage the creature left as he passed through their ranks made it seem as if the Rakorn had been thrown into a blender. Every single move of the creature delivered a mortal wound to another Rakorn.

It didn't even touch the ground as it used its claws to leap from Rakorn to Rakorn, its tail stabbing, slicing and whipping, its hands grasping, clawing, crushing and its feet stomping, tearing and kicking.

Just like those that attempted to flee, all those who stood their ground or had gathered enough courage to attack quickly fell. Their hiss-like screams filling the air.

In what felt like moments, the creature had vanished into the horde. The surrounding Rakorn quickly filling the gap it left in its wake as it plunged into its depths. Though against all expectation, it wasn’t to surround the beast.

Their leader was dead, and the screams of their dying, coupled with the aura of the White Hunter brought the Rakorn to a horrifying conclusion.

They could fight and die honourably trying to escape the encirclement or, they could face a creature that knew no honour. A rampaging beast that seemed to be purposefully avoiding blows that would outright kill and causing the most pain possible as it consumed their flesh, one of the highest insults a Rakorn could face. For if they were consumed, it meant they were only food for the strong and would never reach the afterlife intact.

The Rakorn battle cries, both in fear and anger, snapped the humans back to their senses and the battle resumed with a roaring intensity that rippled outwards.

John, having regained his senses much faster than the rest, pulled Karen back into humanities ranks, panic and anxiety evident on his face as he checked her for injuries.

She smiled an empty smile as he forced her to make eye contact with him, tears streaming down her face.

Her voice cracked. "I don't want to die."

John pulled Karen close, wrapping his arms around the woman as she started to sob as she broke down.

Knowing that he couldn't afford to waste any time but unwilling to leave Karen in her current state, John scanned Systems notifications as he finally noticed the men and women surrounding him and Karen defensively.

Relief was evident on their faces, and there wasn't even a hint of negative emotion aimed towards the sobbing woman, in fact, they all displayed signs of relief that she was safe.

John took a deep breath. "Reinforce the front lines. We hold them here."

"What about that... thing?" asked one of the men, black orb-like eyes and cracked skin giving him an otherworldly appearance as he shuddered at the recent memory.

"That was the reinforcements we were promised," responded John, repressing his own shudder as he looked down at the woman in his arms that now seemed so small and fragile. "Just... just make sure to stay out of its way. System Ranks it as triple S. That thing outranks all but the top five."

The group nodded before separating and joining the front lines. Triple S was the second highest rank they had yet not one of them thought of debating the grade. They had felt and seen enough to understand the difference between them.

Meanwhile, deep in the Rakorn horde, surrounded by mutilated bodies of the dead and dying, Al continued his onslaught, heading towards the centre of the swarm and what he hoped to be its leader.

Eve watched in silence, mixed emotions flitting across her consciousness.

Al's evolution had finally completed. He had destroyed the last subconscious resistance, and his body had undergone its final changes as he fully embraced the darkness within.

While it should have been a joyous moment for the pair, Eve's felt a deep sadness.

Al was a being of emotion, even after purging his memories and reaching his evolutionary peak, and would never be able to make the hard choices that would ensure their happiness, safety and continuation of their fledgeling species.

Filled with love and concern, Eve's resolve hardened.

For Al and their fledgeling species, she would have to act. Even if he believed she had betrayed or abandoned him at the start, he would come to understand. Know that she had done what was best for them.

She hoped.

It would hurt him, hurt them both, but a little pain now would save them in the future.

Now she just needed to work out how she could achieve what needed to be done.