Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

The next day around noon, the group finally emerged from the forest.

Paige Summers squinted in the sunlight, letting out a sigh of relief even though it wasn’t particularly warm. ’Only being able to glimpse the sky through the gaps between the trees was so frustrating.’

As if sensing something, Marcus Monroe’s face immediately turned stern. ”The hard part is still ahead. I want everyone on high alert!”

A bitter smile touched her lips. ’What a buzzkill.’ Still, she knew he was right. Out here, the jumbled footprints on the ground were more visible, and just as they’d suspected, they led toward the valley.

”Let’s move.”

As they drew closer to the valley, the faint sound of various roars reached them. It confirmed their suspicions from the previous night: something unexpected had indeed happened in the valley. With Isaiah Langley present, their intelligence became far more specific. For instance, he reported there were at least thirty different types of Mutant Beasts in the valley. After listing over twenty of them by name, he explained that they weren’t fighting each other. Instead, they were all focused on a single enemy—a powerful entity whose strength far exceeded any one of them. This enemy was bipedal, weighed at least 440 pounds, and its movements were somewhat clumsy. However, its strength was immense, and... it probably had a superpower as well.

After hearing him, Paige Summers instantly understood. It was clear why Marcus Monroe had brought him along, despite his lack of combat prowess. ’His ”super-hearing” was useful, sure, but this incredible analytical skill was the real prize!’

’But if that’s the case,’ she thought, ’the situation in the valley must be utter chaos. Is there even any room for us to get involved?’

While she was lost in thought, Marcus Monroe had already moved to the front and given the order. ”Follow me. Step as lightly as you can.” His expression was unchanged. Then again, ’maybe it was impossible for that face to get any more serious...’

The six of them began their silent approach.

The entrance to the valley was wide enough for seven or eight vehicles to pass through side-by-side. The slope was nearly sixty degrees; it would probably take over ten minutes to tumble all the way to the bottom. It was easy to imagine just how long the path down was. And the valley itself was far larger than Paige Summers had ever imagined.

Peering over the edge of the valley, she stared, transfixed, for a long moment.

The colossal roars assaulted her eardrums, but what she saw was the truly mind-shattering part.

The scene... was just too immense!

As far as the eye could see, at least several hundred Mutant Beasts occupied the right side of the valley floor. They came in all shapes and sizes, but the one thing they had in common was that they were all facing the same direction, their expressions savage. Gaping maws, sharp fangs, dripping saliva... and an aura of radiating bloodlust you could feel without even getting close... Paired with roars high and low, long and short, the sounds merged into a symphony of slaughter.

But the reality was the complete opposite.

They were the ones being overpowered!

On the right side of the valley floor, their enemy—just as Isaac Langley had predicted—was a single being. It stood nearly seventeen feet tall. While that wasn’t the biggest among Mutant Beasts, the savage aura it radiated was unmatched. Its form resembled that of a legendary Sasquatch, but its face was far more bestial. With a swing of its thick arms, several Mutant Beasts attacking from all angles were sent flying like kites, arcing through the sky like shooting stars. Its strength was immense, a rarity. When one beast managed to evade its counterattack and bite its leg, the creature simply snatched it up with a disproportionately massive hand, shoved its head into its mouth, and in an instant, flesh and blood went flying...

A cold dread washed over Paige Summers.

Not even the countless roars could drown out the sickening CRUNCH of chewing, the sight of blood trickling through its matted fur, or the half-eaten corpse it tossed to the ground... She nearly threw up.

It wasn’t just a rookie like her; even Marcus Monroe, who stood beside her, was frowning at the scene.

However, their points of focus were clearly completely different.

’This monster only eats the heads, and it’s selective,’ the more experienced Young Master Monroe thought. ’That’s no coincidence. The most likely reason is that the heads it’s eating contain Crystal Cores! That means it can tell which Mutant Beasts have a Crystal Core without even having to kill them first. A beast that sensitive to an energy source usually has higher intelligence, which means this whole mob-attack scenario might not be what it intended. After all, even ants can take down an elephant. Despite its thick hide, under the relentless assault of so many Mutant Beasts, it’s already starting to show wounds...’

”Boss, look over there!”

Howard Everett motioned for him to move over and look at the valley wall behind the monster.

The area was covered in thick layers of vines, but the Superpower Users, with their enhanced eyesight, could still make something out. The deep yellow beneath the plants was undoubtedly the rock of the valley wall, but what was that pitch-black shape amidst it?