Kashi assumed the position of party leader from Lunette and then performed a quick scan of all his allies' HPs and MPs . Afterward, he looked at the beast who had recovered from the shock of his earlier attack.

Belrug clawed and roared at them while jumping back and forth as if trying to intimidate, yet test their real strength.

Kashi drew his conclusion: This was a beast. An intelligent one, but a beast nonetheless. This should go without saying, but video games and fantasy stories had many sentient beings that only looked like beasts. From its mannerisms, Kashi deduced it wasn't one of those - or, at the very least, wasn't at the present time. Then it should be hunted like a beast would. After all, it was basically an overgrown lion.

Kashi's fingers gripped his compound bow: The weapon he had conceived after realizing the level of freedom craftsmen actually had. The weapon had a lot more kick to it compared to a regular recurve bow, but also so many rules and restrictions governing its use. He had planned to test its effectiveness and limitations in this world after the fight, but one look at Belrug, and he knew he would need a lot of force and penetrating power to break its hide.

The Monig and his followers still hid smugly behind their shield, but the daeben knew that there was no way they could keep it up continuously for so long without running out of mana. No, they had something else that powered the shield. He concentrated on the Monig, then saw it: a small bump under his coat, Whatever it was had a glow to it almost hidden by the priest's clothes. Almost.

Kashi shut, then opened his eyes. "Syel, I need that barrier open, if only for a second."

Syel grinned as he realized just who he was talking to. "Would love to help, but ain't got any MP left."

"You're a bloodmage, right? All you need is some blood to gain back your MP."

His brow rose in surprise. He didn't recall ever mentioning how he regained MP to Suzuki. "Yeah, But I already drained every dead body for my last attack."

The daeben gritted his teeth. "...There's a living being with lots of life energy."

Syel looked behind the daeben. "Wow, you're colder than I thought," he said as he walked past the daeben and headed to the Rhino.

Kashi glared at Belrug. "The rest of us are to keep Belrug busy until the orchestra regains their MP. The objective is not to slay, but to stay alive." AN obsidian-laced arrow tore into Belrug's arm before anyone even registered the shot being fired. This was an effect of the compound bow doubling the arrow's speed.

Kashi's choking bloodlust, coupled with his terrible visage, served to draw Belrug's aggro. Maddened by the daeben's bloodlust, it charged, forgetting all notions of caution. It dove for and then swiped at the daeben, but four arrows ripped through its paw, then pinned to the opposite wall, thin cables pulling the leg along with them.

Before Belrug could react, four arrows tore through its shins, opened up into claws, and then clamped the back. With a roar, Kashi pulled hard. The beast was yanked clean off its feet, and it collapsed to the earth on its back. "Go!"

The warriors ran past and jumped onto the Belrug torso, hacking away with their obsidian tipped weapons. Of them all, the most effective was Hektor, who was not affected by status ailments from fatigue, however even he was not dealing so much damage.

Kashi dropped to a knee, his breathing heavy as he watched the battle. The scales cracked, then crumbled of his skin, disintegrating to dark, steamy vapor. Even as Kashi reverted to his normal state, he noticed the dragon tattoo did not return to his arm. His confusion over the shortness of the upgrade was answered by a prompt that appeared in front of him.

Failed Awakening!

So, this incident wasn't enough to fully awaken the drakul's blood inside him. Though Kashi felt a tinge disappointed, the brief awakening still served to save his life, much like Suvron's Mark had saved Lunette's. However, unlike Lunette, his HP and MP had not been recovered by the slight boost. In fact, the little HP he had took a minor hit from the change. He currently had 200 HP and 500 MP. Definitely not enough for a prolonged fight.

Kashi noted his teams' MPs. The orchestra needed another 10-15 minutes before they would be ready for another song, Except Hektor, the other warriors' MPs were dangerously low, and as a result, could not effectively damage Belrug. A warrior's Ki recovered much faster than classes that used MP . Most of the warriors present needed only 5 minutes to regain their Ki , but Belrug would definitely recover from the shock in a few seconds and retaliate.

As Kashi drummed up a plan, Syel walked up beside him. Without looking at the halben , he asked. "How did it go?"

Syel conjured a ball of ice in his palm. "The beast had enough blood for one major attack." He noticed Kashi's hands shake slightly. "You really are not Mato Suzuki, are you?" He walked past, heading towards the Monig. "Don't worry, Kash," he called over his shoulder. "I made sure it had a swift, painless death."

Kira noticed the pained expression the daeben wore. It was the same one he held when he slew her mother. He was still willing to do what it took to achieve his goals, even if it went against his moral s . She closed her eyes and called out to her mother. ‘ Guide me . ’ With that, she charged Belrug.

As Syel charged across the room, Belrug let out a savage roar as he tore to his feet and flung the warriors off of him. With blinding agility, he slapped their suspended bodies into all corners of the room.

Syel noticed the attack but kept on his own path. His eyes met the Monig's, his sinister grin causing the priest to falter, even behind his protective barrier.

Meanwhile, Kira calmly called out to her partner as she neared the raging beast. "I'll give you the time you need. Let the others rest."

Kashi frowned, but he knew better than to question her once she'd made her choice. "Fine, be careful."

As the d irewolf charged, thick black smoke engulfed her frame. Like a massive living cloud, it expanded exponentially as it approached Belrug.

Syel punched the Monig's barrier, wincing as raging sparks of electricity rejected his advance.

"Fool!" the Monig gloated. "Even Belrug could not break this barrier. What do you think a dumb elf like you can do?"

"Now that wasn't very nice," Syel said as he placed his free hand against the barrier. To the Monig's surprise, the electricity stopped assaulting the elf. Instead, it seemed he had somehow made his body a relay junction: transferring the electricity back to the barrier without any damage to his own being. "Evil, disgusting, annoying, diabolical: I can be called many of these things and more, but I definitely ain't a fool," he said as his fingers dug into the barrier.

With a loud shout, he tore a hole the size of a small man in the barrier. At precisely the same time, a giant direwolf burst from the dark cloud and pounced on Belrug, now just a bit shorter than the beast.

As soon as the hole appeared, an arrow stabbed into the Monig’s skull and sent him flying back . Before Syel could process what happened, Four arrows pierced the Monig: through his heart, his gut, and the last tearing through his spine. All fatal shots in their own rights. A final arrow ripped through the priest's abdomen and shattered an object in his pocket.

The l aites and p riests screamed as the barrier dissipated, leaving them at the mercy of the rampaging beasts.

Syel jumped out of the way as Kira crashed onto some of the l aites, crushing them beneath her weight.

The d irewolf sharply got to her feet and charged at Belrug. Belrug's tail struck at her, but its teeth could not penetrate her hardened skin. She tackled Belrug to the ground and snapped at its neck, but the beast just managed to hold her off. It grabbed her neck and attempted to strangle her, but she phased out of his grip, bit down on its arm, and flung the beast against a wall.

Kira rushed at Belrug, but it kicked against the wall and rushed at her, arms spread to tackle her. Kira ducked under its arms as she ran past, lunged against the wall, then sprung back onto Belrug's back, claws sinking into its fleshed for added grip. She made for Belrug’s exposed neck, but its tail coiled around down hers and pulled her down, causing her to almost lose her grip.

Before Kira could regain her balance, Belrug grabbed her front shoulders and flung her off itself. Kira righted herself midair and landed a few meters from the daeben.

Her eyes met Kashi's for a brief moment, then she resumed her assault on the mad beast.

Meanwhile, the other warriors, no longer threatened by Belrug, turned their attentions to the panicked l aites and pr iests assisted by Kashi's covering fire. It was also an opportunity to test the weapons Kashi had crafted for them, and they were beyond impressive. It seemed after his battle with Suvron, the theme of his new set of arms was "Maximum Reach."

Shoko sported two gleaming twin Katanas. Their thin naked blades were almost as long as she was, with ordinate metal guards and a hilt designed to enhance grip and dexterity. The weapons had been crafted with the mindset that she was initially a one-sword user. While they could be used both independently and as dual weapons, they truly shone in the added bonus that they could be joined at the hilts to form a single- double-ended weapon. The widened grip ensured she could freely rotate the weapon about her while fighting, covering all angles of attack.

Kashi's compound bow was only one of the weapons he'd crafted for himself. Once he'd found out he could alter arrows in Krakul's lair, Kashi could not wait to find out just how far he could take the customization. What he'd discovered in the now-deceased mayor's home was that, as long as he could picture it clearly, he could make it. He'd proceeded to make several new arrowheads, each with a different function. He'd had to destroy some of the overly damaged instruments and other art forms to gain the raw materials needed, but desperate times...

In crafting the compound bow, Kashi copied the design used in Suzuki's Archery Club for advanced competitions, then added a few features, including the ability to use it as a makeshift grapple hook, and making it collapsible, the latter being purely aesthetic. (Suzuki had seen a movie once, and it looked badass, and Kashi agreed with that sentiment.)

Shadow, however, got the most defining weapons. Though he was an assassin and his skills reflected his class, his weapons had made his fighting style too direct to indeed be called an assassin. Kashi had seen this issue and rectified it with a series of weapons and accessories. First were the daggers. Though they seemed normal at first glance, with a push of a button embedded in the hilts, the blades could be shot out , but were still connected to the hilt by a thin, flexible cable. The blades could then be retracted after use. The entire process barely made a sound as the gears in the dagger were designed to reduce friction as much as possible.

Shadow was also granted a new arsenal of kunais, shurikens and throwing knives. He also had a gauntlet on his right arm from which he could shoot out needles (poisoned or otherwise.) Finally, that same gauntlet also had a mini-grapple hook installed for when he might need to infiltrate certain places.

The weapons would all fetch exorbitant prices in the market, but at the present time, the warriors were content with decimating their enemies swiftly and efficiently. All except Syel, who barely attacked, spending the majority of his time absorbing the blood of the fallen. Only when his MP was full did he join the rout, and with the crazed blood mage by their side, what a swift rout it was.

A few minutes later, Syel was draining life from the last surviving Laite. He grinned as his HP also increased to the max. He was almost an invincible character, but his greatest weakness also lay in his invincibility. In a one-on-one fight against an equally strong opponent, he wasn't sure how well he would cope - especially since he would definitely be forced to draw on his HP.

Syel looked to Kashi, who, in turn, had his full attention on Belrug.

Kashi stood in front of the orchestra , bow trained at the ferocious beasts. Whenever the battle got too close, he would fire off warning shots into Belrug, forcing it back.

Meanwhile, Kira finally outsmarted Belrug. She feinted a lunge, and the beast took a step back to reduce the force of the expected blow. As its foot retreated, Kira accelerated past it, knocking the pivot leg before the other landed. Belrug toppled to the floor, so disgruntled it landed on its own tail, crushing it beneath its weight.

Kira jumped onto the beast's torso and crunched the right arm it raised to defend its right arm with her teeth. She spat out the limp limb and pinned it down with her right paw, doing the same for the left. Enraged and frightened, Belrug roared hell as jerked back and forth in an attempt to break the d irewolf's grip. When that failed, it resorted to futilely attempting to bite Kira's head off, but its head couldn't get anywhere near the Direwolf's.

Taking a page from the humans' textbook, Kira slammed her forehead against Belrug's. Belrug fell to the earth, dazed by the attack, its brain still rattling in its shell. It lost consciousness for half a second, and within that second, a dark purple shard as large as a man revealed itself from within its chest, its horribly dark energy causing Kira to falter for a second.

A massive concentration of energy shot out from the shard and blasted her sky-high. Unprepared, she took the full brunt of its attack on her least protected region: her abdomen. The blast reduced her HP to just about 20% of its original state and knocked her unconscious. Her transformation collapsed in a dense cloud, and she emerged, reverted to the size of an ordinary wolf.

Whatever the purple shard was , pumped Belrug with intense energy. It shot to its feet and shot above Kira in a single leap. Its paws hardened as it raised its hand to strike her.

"Who gave you permission to harm my Guild?"

Belrug's raised arm shook as it stared at the daeben poised on its fingernails unperturbed by the heavy pressure he should have felt from the rapid ascension.

"I believe I asked you a question?" Kashi's voice was calm, but something about his darkened eyes and the dark aura seeping menacingly from his body served to choke the beast.

During the brief questioning, they reached the apex of their rise. Belrug growled as it swung down at Kira, but a gust of wind knocked its raised arm backward, even as an arrow dug into the space between nail and flesh, causing it to yelp from the excruciating pain.

Kashi jumped down, hanging on to a rope tied to the arrow. Then, using the arrow as a lever, he swung around , grabbed Kira, and then swung back onto Belrug's back as they began their descent. He held onto one of the spikes jutting from the beast's back for balance, then jumped off just before it landed.

The daeben slid to a halt, then gently placed his partner on the earth. He examined her for injuries. Though she was severely bruised on her underbelly, it was definitely not life-threatening. With her rapid healing, she would be strong enough to walk unaided in a few minutes.

Kashi patted her on the head. "You were magnificent. You can take a well-deserved rest and let us finish the rest."

"I can still fight!" Kira protested as she struggled to get to her feet.

Kashi could not resist the chuckle that bubbled from his belly. "It's just like you to say that. Stubborn to the end as usual." His eyes were warm, but there was a finality to his tone as he said, "You've more than proven yourself. Give us a chance to show-" His words were interrupted as a strong gust of wind brushed past him.

He looked behind to see Belrug's fist held back by Shoko, whose swords were buried to the hilt in the beast's knuckles. She was assisted by several pillars of earth between her and Kashi that had slowed the beast's drive, and Hektor, who had dared to stop the assault with his bare hands.

Kashi looked to Kira one more time. "We are not fighting alone, so we don't have to do it alone."

Kira reluctantly conceded and limped behind the orchestra so she would not get in the way.

Kashi looked to Lunette, who nodded.

"We're ready," she mouthed.

Kashi nodded and turned around as Belrug's fist retreated. He notched an arrow as he thought of his days since he arrived in this world. From the moment Kashi was born, he had been surrounded by people. Leon, Serti, Leila, Kerta’s warriors, Lunette, Hektor, and so many others. He had experienced grave danger on many occasions, but now that he thought about it, there was always someone at his side. Through it all, there had been one constant by his side, her watchful gaze judging every action he took: the dire wolf who walked the thin line between life and death with him.

As he trained the bow at the beast, Kashi was reminded of the drawings he'd made of Kira and Hektor. "Twilight Wolf." When he coined the name, he'd felt it reflected the situation best, but not until this moment did he see its actual value. Twilight Wolf wasn't just a name - it was Kira herself.

The direwolf was a being of the twilight , trapped between being the god she was and the earthly wolf form she was consigned to. Her visage was like that of a savage beast, but she displayed intelligence on par with humans. Even her attitude, which seemed nasty at first glance, hid a kindness that surprised even him at times. She was neither good nor evil but nestled snugly between light and darkness: A pure being of the twilight.

It was embarrassing to admit, but Kashi sometimes found himself looking up to her straightforward, honest, distorted personality. In a way, it was what he wanted to be - not that she'd ever know any of this.

New Skill Unlocked: Dimension Break (Lv1. 0%) [ Dimension Archery Skill]

No Longer Limited By the Dimension You Reside in, your Weapons Can Now Travel Between Dimensions.

Consumes 800 MP Every Time It's Used.

Higher Levels Reduce MP Cost.

Congratulations! Through True Mastery of The Nature of Your Work, y ou Now Have The Option To Turn Your StoryBoard Into a Story painting.

Do You Wish To Do This?

YES NO LATER

"Change of plans," Kashi called. "Aim only for that stone in its chest. Do not kill it."

Syel laughed as he generated wind around his arms. "You sure make things easy."

Kashi's eyes narrowed as he shot three arrows at Belrug's chest. Belrug raised an arm to shield itself, but the bolts tore through, assisted by the skill [ Power Shot ] . "I aim to please," he said as the arrows slammed against the shard and shattered, but not without leaving a small crack.

The successful attack rejuvenated everyone . As the warriors prepared for the last round, Lunette led the orchestra as they burst out a forceful song that seemed to scream, "Destroy Him!"

Encouraged not only by the stat bonuses but also the motivational nature of the song, the warriors dashed towards the beast.

Belrug, though enhanced by the shard's power, was still severely damaged from its bout with Kira, and it showed in its slowed reactions. It got down on all fours and charged at them, swiping away once it got close enough.

Shadow slid under its paw's swing as Shoko's sword sunk into the open paw, her feet spread out to absorb, and slow the impact. Shoko retrieved her sword, then dove out of the way as Hektor roared and swung down his fully charged ax. The red beam of concentrated energy tore the beast's paw off, and it reeled back in pained agony.

Shadow latched onto its open injury and was launched into the air where he hovered above the beast. He then fired several needles directly into its eyes.

Belrug screamed and clawed at its eyes in futile efforts to get the needles out, but the assassin was far from done. He landed on the back of the beast's neck and jumped off, blades buried in the beast's spine.

Belrug screamed in agony as it clawed at its back, but the pest was already gone. It was finally able to open its eyes and was greeted by a thousand arrows pointed directly at its forehead.

Gales of wind picked up around each arrow, rotating and repositioning them till they all formed one giant conical drill, with each arrow still spinning with fantastic speed in place. Belrug took a step back in fear as dark, dense lightning clouds appeared within the drill, sparks shooting off in all directions.

The lead collection of arrows tore off towards the beast, and it raised its damaged arms to defend the strikes, but the drill seemed to shoot off into an invisible pocket of space and disappear. Before Belrug could process what just happened, the arrows reappeared right in front of its chest and began shattering against the shard. With each arrow destroyed, larger crack s formed on the buried shard, until the final arrow shattered. The cloud of lightning assaulted Belrug through the crack s and shocked the beast from the inside out.

Smoke billowing from its body, a weakened Belrug fell forward and crashed to the earth next to Kashi and Syel, the men responsible for the last attack. With the orchestra's song as a catalyst, they were able to sync their assaults because of their similar affinities.

Kashi walked over to the beast and placed his palm on the shard. The beast was too weak to attempt retaliation and resigned itself to its fate. "Syel."

Syel walked over and examined the shard. "It's definitely magic, and I've seen something similar before."

"Can you remove it?"

"When it's dead, easy. But I suppose you want to keep it alive."

Kashi's reply was a measured gaze.

Syel sighed. "Okay, I'll try." He placed both hands on the shard as Kashi removed his. "No promises, though. The unlimited freedom the game gives means I have to come up with stuff like this on the go."

Kashi nodded. "I understand."

With that, Syel concentrated on the shard. He seeped some of his own blood into the cracks as he struggled to gain control over the shard. A few agonizing minutes later, he yanked his arms off the shard.

"How'd it go?" Kashi asked.

"See for yourself," Syel said with a faint smile.

The shard eased out of the beast's body then hovered midair. The shattered fragments around the room hovered alongside it, then affixed themselves to it, restoring it to its unblemished state. It then shrunk till it was the size of a small gem and fell to the ground.

Kashi picked it up and examined it.

Tier 5 Soul Stone [Legendary]

Soul of Greater Vampire Trapped Inside

When Soul is Released, Can be Used for Infinite Enchantments.

Loses Element After Each Use Until Recharged.

Requirement: Master Enchanter

Kashi placed the shard in his inventory, then retreated as wafts of dense vapor oozed off of Belrug's skin.

The beast cried as its body began to disintegrate, short burst of pained cries that caused some of the men to falter in their conviction of its madness.

Syel forged a spear of ice in its hand, intending to grace the beast with a swift death, but Kashi placed a hand in front of him and shook his head.

"Wait. Let's see what happens," Kashi urged.

Kashi observed the dying beast as the mist swallowed up its frame. His hands tightened around his bow as a silhouette rose from within the fog. It grew in size as it approached, then its owner stepped into the open.

Kashi and the rest of his party gawked at the majestic creature before them. It possessed f ur the color of gold, with two sapphire horns that sat atop a head of mane fit for a king. Amber eyes regarded them fondly as wings the size of a man furled by its sides. A king cobra with teeth sharper than steel, and a sapphire tongue coiled above, eyes locked onto the party.

The griffin bowed its head in reverence. "My Saviors, you have my utmost gratitude. I h ad been trapped as this Belrug for far too long."

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" Syel questioned, his amazement gone as quickly as it had arrived.

If the griffin was exposed by his tone, it did not show it. "I am one of the Divine Creatures, a guardian against the Nether like your friend." He gestured with his head to Kira, who had walked up to her partner's side. "Although it would seem she did not undergo the binding."

"Binding?" Kira urged Kashi to question further.

"You haven't learned speech yet," the griffin observed, much to Kashi and Kira's surprise. "You can already access so many of your powers. That should also come shortly." He took a step towards them, and Kashi could not help but notice its massive frame. The beast stood three heads above him, an intimidating sight for most people. "The binding is a ritual all divine creatures undergo when we reach maturity. It binds us to the 'free' realm from where we battle for eternity against the Nether. That you did not undergo this means you lost your guardian much too early."

Kira's furs stood on end, irritated, and a little frightened by his insight.

The griffin looked to Kashi, eyes solemn. "I do not know if it is luck or fate, but while she might one day access the gifts of the free realm, she can never become a true god. Her fate is to battle in this plane until she dies, much like mine is on the other side."

Kashi glanced at Kira, who did not seem disturbed by the news. She had probably always considered this outcome a strong possibility. He took a deep breath and turned to the griffin. "You have my thanks for this information. May I ask for your name?" Ever since he shrunk, the griffin's bar no longer showed Belrug as its name. Instead, its HP bar was shielded by a mist.

The griffin paused in thought. "A Divine Creature's true name is its life. It is not something that can be given away easily, as I'm sure your friend can attest to."

Kashi raised a brow as he glanced at Kira, but she rebuffed his gaze with a steely one of her own.

"However," the griffin continued. "I am forever indebted to you, for not only did you free me, but you also kept me alive when most would have slain me, and with good reason," he said as he closed the gap between them. "I will give you and only you my true name. Until the day one of us perishes, when you call, I'll answer. This is a powerful tool, do with it as you will." With that, he lowered his head and whispered his name into Kashi's ear.

Divine Contract Forged!

You Have Learned The True Name of a Divine Beast

When You Call, They Will Answer Your Summons

Can Only Be Used Once a Day

Duration 15 mins

Increased Duration with Frequent Calls

The griffin backed away and regarded the full party with a solemn nod. "To show my appreciation for your help, I will reveal to you the riches you stand on." He raised his head and roared, his voice a rich timbre that echoed through every passage, hall, and cavern in the mine. The mines shook as decades-old enchantments were forcefully ripped off its walls.

Kashi's eyes widened as the walls of the mines dissipated like they had never been there. Behind them, dirty stones jutted irregularly out of the walls. He did not need to inspect them to know what they were. Gemstones. The kind used in the creation of soul stones, and for enchantments. He could hardly suppress his joy as he knew that if this chamber held gemstones, then the walls of the massive mine would have several other minerals.

Now he understood why the Brotherhood had placed such a heavy watch on the mayor.

Kashi had suspected that the Brotherhood had vast stores where they kept gemstones mined before the mine died out, and he had pressured the mayor so he could get his hands on them. Not in his wildest dreams did he consider that the mine was still functional, a fact he almost felt foolish for.

"I hope you are satisfied with this," said the griffin. "I am weak and must regain my strength. I will see you in t-"

"Fools!" A disembodied voice screamed out between coughs. "You Heretics will Pay for your Crime!"

Syel whistled. "Damn, he's persistent, I'll give him that."

The Monig knelt beside the altar at the center of the room, which had risen from beneath the floor. He raised his arm to strike the sun, but two arrows burrowed into his skull, knocking him back into four rock spires that tore mercilessly through his body. He coughed and spluttered blood, but his bloodred eyes remained fixed on the altar. He stifled a cry as he struggled to stretch just close enough to touch the altar. An arrow severed his right hand as his left arm spontaneously combusted. He cried out in pain as he rained curses and threats at their group, then an arrow through his forehead finally silenced him.

Kashi set down his bow, a decision he soon regretted.

"rrrRRRAA!" With the vigor of the living dead, the Monig sprung back to life, fueled solely by willpower. He lurched forward, grotesque cries as flesh and sinew were torn apart from the strain and slammed his head against the floating sun. Blood seeped from his forehead and disappeared into the floating hologram. The Monig held a satisfied smile as the light faded from his eyes. With the last of his energy, he chanted, "Long live the god of Chaos; Long live the Destroyer; long live Lord Razzn-" Three arrows tore through his mouth, shutting him up for eternity.

"I hate religion," Syel muttered, oddly severe for once.

"It is not religion, but man, that is the problem," Kashi suggested. His fists gripped his bow with an intensity shortened its durability.

Lunette walked up to Kashi, expressing a mixture of fear and amazement. "What do you suppose he was trying to accomplish?"

"That is what I am afr-"

Sparks shot out of the hologram, accompanied by several waves of energy that pushed them all back a few steps. Little by little, cracks begun to form on the sun, and their eyes drew to the ceiling, which showed the sun in the sky. A similar phenomenon was occurring, and before they could make sense of it, a being begun to emerge from it, its low growl reaching them all those meters deep into the earth.

Kashi fell to the ground and clutched his chest, his heartbeat a thunderous tempest. Steam seeped from pores as his blood burned him from the inside out. His pupils narrowed, and he threw up his head to the heavens, screaming at the being that emerged from within the sun.

He wasn't the only one to react this way.

Both Kira and the griffin had their teeth bared . Their furs stood on end , their visage a mixture of rage and fear.

Across the world, all manner of beasts looked to the east, then began to run as fast as they could, caring not what they ran into or if they became easy prey for the adventurers.

Fladnag looked up from his table to Bert, who returned his solemn expression.

"He has risen," Fladnag said.

Bert looked out the wizard's window at Yanakal who had tied the forest together, leaving not even enough space for an ant to breathe. The great tree was just as unsettled as the rest of the world. "Now he's awake, this world will surely descend into chaos."

"And that will summon him ."

Bert closed his eyes. "We cannot interfere, but somehow it feels like we're allowing this to happen just so we can be released from our curse."

"You may or may not be right," Fladnag said as he got to his feet. "But it does not really matter. As you said, we cannot interfere."

The dragon rider soothed his wailing dragon as he looked up at the sun. Following the adventurers had been the right decision. If it was them, they could be of use someday.

Imperial City.

Deep within the temples, a young shaman's brush flowed across a parchment, her eyes glowing.

"Madness Without Equal, Destroyer Beyond Measure,

An Army of Death Shields the Light of the Sixth Moon.

Thunder Deafens the World, Yet no Light Breaks the Darkness,

The Earth Bleeds Where Chaos Reigns,

The Destroyer Returns"

A priest sitting next to her paled when he saw the words. "Call everybody!" he screamed. He stared at the prophecy, hands trembling as a cold sweat broke from his brow. He prayed to the gods that his translation was wrong, but he knew deep inside what this meant.

The Herald of Chaos had risen...

Kashi grated his teeth in agonizing pain as the sun exploded to reveal the beast it had housed within.

Dirty gold scales that burned brighter than the exploding sun. Wings the size of cities unfurled as Skyrm, lord of all , cast his red glare across the burning fields of sand. It let out a bloodcurdling roar as a soul stone the size of a small building protruded from its chest. The great beast clawed at its chest as it screamed, each releasing burst of winds that felt like hurricanes several leagues away.

Skyrm took to the skies and then flew to the north, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Kashi gasped for air as the attack stopped. He looked up to see Kira and Lunette staring at him, the latter with fear, then relief in her eyes as he sat on his back.

"W-what was that?" Lunette asked, confused by the paled expressions most of the orchestra members had.

Kashi wobbled as he got to his feet, but steadied himself as he answered. "Skyrm, King of Dragons-"

"-and greatest divine creature to grace the realms," the griffin finished, just as overwhelmed as the others.

Kashi was about to speak when a prompt appeared.

WORLD QUEST

Skyrm, Former King of Dragons is Now a Crazed Beast. His rage Knows no Limits, and He Will raze all to the ground. Slay him before he regains his full power and awakens his army.

Time Limit : 6 Months

Rewards: Title: God Slayer

Any Province in the Imperial Kingdom

Any Position up to General in the Imperial Army.

3,ooo,000,000 Syros.

Kashi stared at the prompt in disbelief. Was this how Skyrm was supposed to meet his end?

He made to stand, but another quake - a heavier one this time - toppled him. "What is it this time!?"

A ways off from Kashi's location, the Burning Desert collapsed on itself and sunk, as if swallowed by a hidden abyss. The banks on either end of the abyss shook as a heavy rumbling sound approached growing in intensity with every passing second. Seconds later, a tsunami gushed past, somehow confined only to the abyss. The tsunami continued for several miles east, where it came to a stop near a small village. The newly formed river channeled into several smaller, abandoned networks of streams that spread across the southern part of the Merriheim.

Kashi got to his feet and studied the prompt one last time. He made up his mind much faster than expected. Kashi reached out and smashed the prompt. Skyrm was not some game to be hunted. The cause of Razznik's toughest battle was not going to be brushed under the rug by some ignorant, glory-seeking idiots.

Kashi raised his bow, a determined look in his eyes. He would personally take care of Skyrm. As to whether that entailed killing him or not, the daeben would figure out when they met...