Chapter 388: Disaster Upon Us
In a blink, Night Terror was on the balcony, crouched, with his lower arms gripping the edge, claws delving into it.
Zephyr backed away hurriedly, falling on his butt. His expression became horrified, and he felt strength leave his legs, just as chills ran through his spine.
'What is that speed? Why has it changed so much?' he questioned internally.
Night Terror glared at him, his four eyes gleaming with madness.
The creature let out a rumbling growl and jumped towards Zephyr, aiming to tear him apart.
Zephyr began to melt into sand. Night Terror jumped away instantly, flying back across the balcony and landing on the ground.
The balcony exploded, sending shards of stone flying around.
What happened up there? No one knew. But they all had their guards up.
This man, after all, was the most feared and dangerous person after Afkon.
And the scariest reason was that no one except for Night Terror and Annette knew why.
And Annette didn't even know enough to theorize what his talents or abilities were. And Night Terror didn't have any communication skills.
Even if he did, the stalwart creature didn't seem like the type to hold conversations.
All of them were suspended in a tense silence. Altogether, their eyes slowly moved towards the rest of the people in front of them.
The few drifters of Sloria that managed to survive, Shade, and his partner, Braham, had disappeared.
"I'll give you the same option I gave him," Gilbert said to Shade. "We have more important matters to fight about than each other. Surrender and fight with us."
Shade shook his head and giggled.
"You'd be stupid to think it's all over because the building disappeared."
Gilbert stared cautiously, trying to understand what this man in front of him meant.
"You guys have lost. Even if that man does manage to pull some trick, can you see our numbers? We might be few, but we have the strongest people here," he spoke, gesturing with his hands. "You guys have no chance."
Shade shrugged. "You can never know."
"Well then, you leave me no choice," Gilbert said and extended his hand.
The ground suddenly trembled, and everyone stumbled back in fear of what was happening.
After the tremor settled, their eyes were still restless.
It was as if a titan had shaken the land, so how could they not be restless?
Wham!!
Something fell from above, and a cacophony of red streaks like thorns plunged into every area, every corner, every air.
Streaking like branched red rods, aiming to tear through everyone.
Some of them managed to dodge, some got scraped, and some, like Arlem, fully defended themselves without even a scratch on their body.
Night Terror growled as he glared.
"Indeed, they are right. The best of the best is gathered here. But I am more than enough to take care of you all."
A figure stood in front of Shade, a whirlwind of red and white, his presence commanding the battlefield like a tempest.
Gilbert grimaced. "Zephyr..."
He had changed: blonde hair flowed wildly, catching the light of the glowing moon, giving the impression of a halo around a fallen angel.
His eyes blazed with an intense, almost feral determination as he gripped the twin katanas with deadly precision.
His attire was a stark contrast of colors: a long, flowing red scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders, serving as the source of the red branches that pierced through everyone all at once and retracted instantly into a normal scarf.
He donned white hakama stained with the blood of countless battles. Intricate black armor adorned his arms, offering both protection and an aura of dark elegance.
He placed both katanas on his shoulders and looked at Night Terror.
"You want to do this again? Let's go."
He shot forward, dancing across all of them, the red scarf trailing behind him.
Night Terror met him in a deafening clash, the air resonating with the sound of metal against metal.
After that, everything became blurry for everyone around to see, but what spoke of their battles was the disaster that was wrought in their surroundings.
Streaks of red, white, and black flew across the landscape.
As the battle between Zephyr and Night Terror intensified, the others could only watch in awe and trepidation.
The landscape around them transformed into a chaotic canvas of destruction, with flashes of red, white, and black streaking across their vision.
Zephyr's red scarf whipped through the air like living tendrils, lashing out at Night Terror with deadly precision.
The creature's shadowy form twisted and contorted, narrowly avoiding each strike.
Their movements were so swift that they appeared as mere blurs to the onlookers.
Night Terror's claws raked through the air, leaving trails of dark flames in their wake. Zephyr's twin katanas sang as they sliced through the night, parrying and countering with inhuman speed.
The clash of their weapons echoed across the battlefield, a cacophony of violence that sent shivers down the spines of all who witnessed it.
The ground beneath their feet cracked and splintered with each impact. Rocks were shattered, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of their conflict.
It was as if two forces of nature had collided, each determined to overcome the other. Gilbert and the others found themselves backing away, seeking shelter from the devastation. Arlem raised a protective barrier around some of the members of their group, his face etched with concern.
"This is beyond anything I've ever seen," Arlem muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Shade watched the battle with a mixture of fascination and fear, realizing that perhaps he had underestimated the situation.
Even though he knew Zephyr was, beyond any doubt, very strong, this raw power on display was far beyond what he had anticipated.
Annette turned away from the battle and looked up to the sky. Something was strange.
Helena also looked up. "Oh, damn... it's happening," she muttered.
Annette, not far from her, asked, "Happening? What is happening?"
Helena summoned her black staff and slowly marched towards Annette.
"I'm here on behalf of Terence. I am also the one who convinced Gilbert and his people to
come with me, while Terence convinced your people."
She paused and looked up.
"The reason we have come here is because of that."
Annette also looked up. The sky was rippling, and slowly, a crack began to run across the
clouds.
She scowled and ground her teeth angrily.
"What? What the hell is that? Is that a rift? At a time like this...?"
Helena shook her head. "No. That's not just any rift. It's a rift that is shattering. Which means
we are about to be bamboozled with an avalanche of monsters..."