Lord Of Beasts

”This thing’s cheating!”

The Platinum Bulwark simply curled into a ball, then it launched itself forward like a living cannonball, flattening everything in its path. No matter how hard Kalea tried, she couldn’t break its metallic exterior or deal it any damage at all.

Liora barely managed to redirect it with several layered barriers.

But aside from its insane durability, it was surprisingly simple; it had no terrifying venom, impossible speed, or powerful mana attacks. The beast simply rolled and charged, while occasionally releasing an absolutely foul smell whenever it was cornered.

”I think that thing just farted,” Ethan coughed.

”I preferred the hornets,” Seraphina groaned, bursting away in a pink blur.

”That’s saying something.”

It hardly felt like an A Rank beast, but although it wasn’t the biggest threat, it was very difficult to kill. That’s when Ethan remembered his previous encounter with the Steel Scarab.

His eyes lit up.

”I’ve got it!”

Everyone glanced toward him.

”We knock it off the island!”

Kaela grinned.

”I like this plan.”

She launched herself forward, and with one monstrous kick, she struck the Platinum Bulwark squarely underneath. Rowan and Seraphina followed it up with a flurry of attacks, then Wolfy and Talon.

After dozens of attacks, they cornered the enormous beetle and eventually managed to topple it over the edge.

”There!” Ethan pointed triumphantly.

”I told yo...”

His voice died in his throat.

Click!

The gigantic shell split apart, and from beneath them unfolded delicate, translucent wings.

Everyone watched in silence.

The Platinum Bulwark calmly began flapping them, flying casually. It then rose back to the floating island before landing exactly where it had started, completely unharmed.

Nobody spoke.

Ethan smiled sheepishly. ”I didn’t think beetles could do that.”

Kaela slowly turned toward him.

”You made the strategy without knowing that?”

’I mean it worked on the Steel Scarab, but maybe only some Coleoptera can fly,’ he thought to himself.

Nobody wasted time blaming him, and instead they got back to work.

The boss beast could barely threaten them: every charge was intercepted, every rolling attack was redirected, every foul-smelling cloud was avoided with varying degrees of success.

Unfortunately, the opposite was equally true, and almost nothing they did significantly damaged it.

Minutes became an hour, and that hour dragged on.

Bit by bit...

Tiny cracks spread through the platinum shell.

Kaela battered it relentlessly. Elara’s and Dave’s energy beams widened every fracture. Darius repeatedly stabbed the same weak points. Wolfy clamped onto damaged joints, refusing to let go.

Ethan constantly scorched the armour, heating it until glowing cracks finally began spreading across the surface.

”It has to break eventually!” he shouted.

”It better,” Kaela replied, panting heavily before throwing another devastating punch.

Finally...

CRACK!

The shell split open from shoulder to abdomen.

All the damage had finally accumulated, and despite being fatigued, every member of the squad attacked simultaneously.

BOOM!

The already weakened armour shattered apart in an explosion of silver fragments.

For the first time, the vulnerable body beneath was exposed.

Kaela didn’t hesitate.

She drove her fist straight through the opening, and the impact erupted from the opposite side of the beast.

The Platinum Bulwark froze.

Its enormous body swayed once, then collapsed onto the floating island with enough force to make the entire platform tremble.

Just like that, it was dead.

Nobody cheered or celebrated.

They simply looked at one another before collapsing onto the ground beside the fallen boss, completely drained once again.

’I would’ve rather had the kill for the Evolutionary Shards, but I’ll take its meat as payment. And at this point, I just wanna get out of this place.’

One more colony had fallen, leaving them one step closer to doing so.

-

Several more hours passed before they continued once again, sticking to the same rhythm: search, destroy, recover, repeat. Only this time, they smelled what they were looking for before they saw it.

Ethan pinched his nose.

”That smell...”

The others smelt it not long after he did, all looking genuinely offended and trying not to gag.

”It smells like shit mixed with even worse shit.”

They definitely weren’t looking forward to whatever they were going to face, especially Kaela, who was surprisingly affected the most.

”You’d think the alcoholic would have a strong stomach,” Ethan commented as they followed the revolting stench.

She was so disoriented that she didn’t even respond.

Eventually, it came into view.

”You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The Diptera colony.

It was exactly what Ethan had feared.

Their base was an enormous mountain of rotting organic waste. It looked like a giant had relieved itself across several floating islands before deciding to build a civilisation on top of it.

”It is literally...”

Kaela stared.

”...a giant pile of shit.”

Rotwing Flies buzzed everywhere, bloated insects crawled through decaying flesh, and others spat streams of corrosive rotten sludge capable of dissolving stone.

The smell alone nearly made Seraphina vomit.

”I hate this Gate,” she said, slowly for once.

”This is officially worse than prison,” Ethan muttered.

Everyone relied heavily on ranged attacks, and nobody wanted those creatures anywhere near them.

Liora’s barriers deflected streams of disgusting bile. Rowan launched reinforced wooden javelins that pierced multiple flies. Elara repeatedly erased groups with Crimson Flash. Ethan blanketed entire sections in Ember Pulse, burning both insects and the revolting terrain beneath them.

Only one person refused to participate directly.

”No.”

Kaela folded her arms.

”I’m not fighting those insects.”

”You literally just elbow-dropped a cricket.”

”That was different.”

”How?”

”It wasn’t covered in shit.”

”...Fair enough.”

Ethan couldn’t exactly argue with that logic.

Eventually, after a far longer battle than anyone wanted, they defeated the A Rank Diptera. It looked like a giant, and even more disgusting version of a Rotwing Fly, and its abilities were similar.

But thanks to Liora keeping them at bay with her constructs, they were able to defeat it without a hitch. And even without suffering any injuries, they were still drained beyond belief.

Nobody lingered.

As soon as it was over, they retreated several floating islands away before resting. Absolutely nobody wanted to remain anywhere near that disgusting colony.

Kaela glanced toward Ethan with a grin.

”Go on.”

He was confused.

”You love eating beast meat, so go and have some.”

Even Ethan looked horrified.

”I have standards.”

Everyone laughed, the tension easing slightly as they all felt like the metaphorical finish line was in sight. Ethan sat quietly while using Beast Recovery, but was struggling to focus as much as usual, his mind racing.

’There were the wasps, which are like ants since they have highly evolved communication and social structures. Then the crickets, beetles, and flies.’

His eyes slowly narrowed.

’It’s in the exact same order I encountered them before.’

Knowing the system, that definitely wasn’t a coincidence, and it was unnerving feeling like he was just a small part of a wider plan. And there was still only one that remained, the one that had troubled him the most.

The Lepidoptera, which were butterfly-like beasts.

Ethan stared into the endless distance beyond the floating islands and could practically feel it.

’The final Boss Beast is going to be the hardest battle of them all...’