Chapter 727: The Hill
The stench of decay wafted upward, even reaching Northern at his altitude. It was a foul mixture of rot, blood, and something acrid, something ugly. The air around the hill shimmered faintly, as if warped by the sheer density of the energy emanating from the creatures.
Northern focused on the hill. It was like a river of malevolence, each creature connected to the others in a grotesque web.
"Disgusting."
His voice was cold and resolute.
As he descended toward the writhing mass, the hill seemed to notice him.
The creatures at the top turned their glowing eyes upward, snarling in unison. Slowly, the entire mound began to shift. Limbs untangled, massive forms rose, and the "hill" began to collapse as the monsters descended to face him.
The liquid-like hill was alive, and it was coming for him.
Northern smirked, his fists clenching.
"Good. Saves me the trouble of climbing."
Northern descended rapidly, his crimson trail streaking through the ashen sky like a falling star.
The writhing hill of monsters below began to unravel, its grotesque layers peeling apart as the creatures within surged forward in waves. The sound was deafening-a cacophony of snarls, guttural roars, and the sickening squelch of wet flesh shifting against itself.
The first wave of monsters broke free, a swarm of smaller, four-legged creatures with hollow eyes and jagged teeth, their bodies glistening with dark ichor.
They darted across the ground, their claws tearing through the cracked terrain as they leapt toward Northern.
Northern landed with explosive force, activating Earthbreaker the moment his feet touched the ground.
The impact sent a massive shockwave rippling outward, splitting the earth and hurling the smaller creatures into the air.
Chunks of stone and debris rained down, mingling with the shredded remains of monsters caught in the initial blast.
Northern surged forward, his fists blurs of motion. A creature lunged at him from the side, its maw wide open, but he intercepted it mid-air with a devastating uppercut. The force of the blow shattered its skull and sent its lifeless body careening into the horde behind it.
Another beast-a larger one with jagged spines protruding from its back-charged at him head-on, its roar vibrating through the air.
Northern caught its charge effortlessly, grabbing the creature by its spines. With a roar of his own, he lifted it overhead and slammed it into the ground with such force that the impact sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
More monsters poured from the collapsing hill, their massive forms crashing down in a relentless tide.
A wicked light flickered in Northern's eyes, dividing in twain as he analyzed the monsters' movements and calculated their weaknesses.
A towering beast, easily twice his size, lunged at him with clawed arms raised high. Northern crouched slightly, then launched himself upward, his fist driving into the creature's chest.
The monster's ribcage caved inward as its body was lifted off the ground by the force of the punch.
Northern followed through, grabbing the beast by the throat and slamming it into the ground with a sickening squelch. Black ichor sprayed across the battlefield, staining his boots.
The horde pressed in, their sheer numbers threatening to overwhelm him.
A dark grimace settled on his face as he surveyed the numbers of the monsters. Then he muttered:
"Weight of the World."
The air grew heavy as a crushing gravitational force radiated outward from him.
The ground cracked and buckled beneath him, and the weaker monsters collapsed, their bodies flattened under the immense pressure. Those that managed to stay upright trembled, their movements sluggish as they struggled against the oppressive force.
Northern moved like a blur, his punches and kicks tearing through the immobilized creatures. One swing of his arm obliterated a cluster of monsters, their bodies reduced to chunks of flesh and bone. A single kick sent another beast flying into the air, its body disappearing into the distance.
The larger monsters roared in defiance, their glowing eyes blazing with fury as they fought against the gravity. One particularly massive creature, its body covered in thick, bone-like armor, managed to rise and charge at him.
Northern met its charge head-on, driving a gruesome kick into its chest before it could get any closer.
The impact was like a thunderclap, the creature's armored body crumpling under the sheer force. Northern grabbed the beast by its horns, twisted, and tore its head clean off, dark ichor spraying like a fountain.
The battlefield was a scene of carnage. Corpses littered the ground, ichor pooling in massive craters left by Northern's relentless assault.
But the hill wasn't done.
The creatures still at its peak began to surge downward, their forms larger and more grotesque than the ones before.
One beast, its body a writhing mass of tentacles and limbs, let out a piercing shriek as it charged toward him. Northern braced himself, his eyes narrowing.
The tentacled beast lashed out, its limbs snapping toward him like whips.
Northern sidestepped the attack, his movements swift and precise. He grabbed one of the tentacles mid-swing, his grip tightening until the appendage snapped.
The creature shrieked in pain, but Northern didn't stop.
He yanked the tentacle forward, dragging the beast closer. With a roar, he drove his fist into its face, the force of the blow shattering its skull and sending its lifeless body crashing to the
ground.
More monsters closed in, but Northern was a storm of destruction.
He used Colossal Force to tear punches that created shockwaves through the horde. Each strike sent monsters flying, their bodies disintegrating under the sheer power of his blows. The final wave of creatures descended, their massive forms blocking out the sky. Northern smirked, crouching low as energy surged through his legs.
"Titan's Leap," he muttered.
He launched himself into the air, his body hurtling toward the largest cluster of monsters like
a missile.
He slammed into the center of the group, activating Earthbreaker upon impact.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground shattered, a massive crater forming beneath him as the shockwave obliterated everything in a wide radius. The remaining monsters were torn apart, their bodies reduced to nothing but blackened fragments.
Northern straightened, his crimson aura fading as he surveyed the battlefield. The hill of monsters was gone, reduced to a sprawling graveyard of shattered corpses and dark ichor.
He wiped a smear of blood from his cheek, his expression calm.
In the distance, the monolithic structure loomed, its ominous energy pulsing faintly. Northern locked his gaze onto it... and leaped.