Chapter 767: Holy Rhino
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even the black-flame phoenix and dark cloud refused to draw closer at this time. It was the same for Han Sen, who chose to only watch the gallons of blood stain the black sand.
"Roar!"
The white rhino roared to the skies and its skin cracked like charred earth, as blood gushed out of its crevices.
Han Sen was frozen. The rhino was as big as a mountain, and it was as if he was watching one crumble to the ground.
"Roar!"
The white rhino’s flesh peeled away, ceaselessly unraveling. Beyond the blinding lights, he could make out the shape of its disintegrating skeleton. More and more streams of blood began to appear, like the birth of mountain waterfalls. And all the while, the motionless rhino cried out in agony.
"If this was going to happen, why did it so greedily want to eat the fruit? It’s like it chose to self-destruct." Han Sen sighed. He believed death was the only conclusion to the rhino’s current suffering.
Boom!
The white rhino’s skin was torn to shreds, and heaps of its soggy, frayed flesh dislodged themselves from its bone and fell to the ground. The holy light began to dim as a mound of mushy meat collapsed.
The surrounding area of the desert had been stained red, and streams of blood began to form; the body’s crater acting as a source. The white rhino was living out its final few breaths, exhausted faster by its strained cries for aid. Its bones were all exposed and naked, and it shivered in agony. Such pain was difficult to comprehend.
Seeing the white rhino now unable to fight, Han Sen turned his gaze to the black-flame phoenix and cloud-creature to see if they’d make a move.
They looked as desperate as ever, but still, they did not dare to fly down.
Han Sen frowned, but as he did so, he heard a mix of noises. It sounded like an army was approaching.
He turned around to take a look and jumped. Along the ground and even from the skies above, countless creatures were running his way.
Han Sen could see insects, birds, and animals of all varieties coming towards him. They were everywhere. They were all coming for the now-fleshless rhino like a tsunami.
Han Sen quickly summoned his little angel and prepared for a fight. It was to be a hot and sweaty battle, with the number of opponents headed his way.
But the creatures ignored him. They all raced past him, with an insatiable lust for the white rhino.
Han Sen had seen most of these creatures before, and they weren’t particularly high-class creatures or anything. They were a mixture of ordinary, mutant, and sacred-blood class creatures.
It looked as if they had been summoned by something. With disregard for everything else, they all bee-lined directly for the rhino.
As Han Sen watched them rush there, he suddenly heard the frightening sound of a gargantuan bird ring out. He turned around to see a black hellfire rain from the sky to incinerate countless numbers of the newly-come creatures.
The black-flame phoenix flapped its wings, unleashing concentrated storms of fire to halt the approach of the creature-army that had just arrived.
Thunder also sounded from inside the dark clouds, and netted webs of green lightning formed to ensnare and char those below.
A hooved chimerical creature emerged from the clouds, and its skin was green. It was a frightening thing, and it looked like a cross between a dragon and a unicorn; like a kirin.
It was a massacre!
Blood was everywhere, as a mountain of bones began to pile up with each roasted creature. With no regard for themselves, the approaching creatures seemed to happily throw their lives away for the chance to reach the rhino.
The two scary super creatures above were halting all who dared approach. The black flames of cruelty, and the green lightning of savagery prevented the coming of everything. Not one of the creature-stampede got close to the rhino.
Han Sen was in awe of what he was seeing. The creatures ignored the presence of the two super creatures above and just continued to march towards their doom.
Countless lives were being wasted, all in a short amount of time. The super creatures had to have been even mightier than the average super creature, too, for killing so many other creatures in such a short amount of time was an exhaustive, difficult task. They were both standing side-by-side, a bulwark to the tide of creatures they sought to incinerate.
Now Han Sen understood what the true meaning of massacre was. The battles between humans and creatures were so weak, in comparison. Between the thunder and rain, countless creatures still struggled and strove to claw their way across the scorched earth to get as close as they could.
Han Sen, spectacle aside, thought the entire event to be a little strange. He wondered why, despite their prevention of others from eating the white rhino, did they not go and eat the rhino themselves.
If it was because they thought the white rhino was not dead yet, they could have at least let the little creatures go first.
But they didn’t. And instead, they stopped every little creature from approaching the dying white rhino. Since they themselves didn’t desire to eat the white rhino either, Han Sen was just confused.
"Roar!"
The white rhino—that was only tattered skin on bones now—roared again. It was weak and strained, and lacked all the power it once had. It didn’t strike fear into the heart as it once had, and instead made those who heard it want to cry.
A tear left the white rhino’s lifeless eyes. The blood-scourged eyes made the tear look so pure. It was like jewelry, glistening brightly.
Han Sen watched the tear descend and drop into the pool of blood, which quickly extinguished its beauty in the nectar of pain and suffering. With fragile, trembling bones, the rhino did its best to stand back up.
But as it struggled to rise, more of its flesh fell. Only the skeleton of what once was now remained. Yet somehow, a force compelled it to stand up, against the odds. The skeleton of the rhino, in a pool of blood, amidst the red and black sands of a charred landscape made for an incredible image.
The holy light had left it completely by now, however. Only its seemingly lifeless skeleton remained. It shook in the wind and looked ready to collapse into a shapeless heap any second.
"Roar!"
The white rhino of bones roared to the sky once more. It looked doubly sad, beneath the night sky and moonlight.
A tiny little light appeared on the rhino’s horns, like a star from the sky.
Slowly, the light grew brighter and brighter on the horn. Soon after, it ignited the entire horn into flame. The horn was like a sconce of holy fire.
This was not yet the end. The holy light spread to the remainder of the rhino’s bones, and its entire skeleton was alight with that same holy fire.
"Roar!"
The white rhino roared to the sky again. It was like it was declaring war, standing in defiance of a wretched fate. The holy fire was like a volcanic eruption, and it lit up the entire desert brightly.