Every monster within miles was coming to join whatever unholy ritual was about to begin.
Gilbert, along with every other survivor who volunteered to provide support from the rear, could only watch in horror as their supposed divine salvation turned into a nightmare.
"RUN!"
Nero's shout echoed across the battlefield as the shimmering death field expanded outward like ripples in a pond made of pure death.
Running was supposed to be the smart choice here.
Too bad smart choices don't mean jack shit when you're being chased by a death-draining wave that moves faster than Olympic sprinters on crack.
*WOOOMMM...*
The expanding death field was turning everything it touched into withered husks.
Trees that had stood for decades crumbled into dust.
Bushes turned into skeletal remains.
Even the fucking rocks were developing stress fractures like they were aging a thousand years per second.
"This is some next-level bullshit!"
Mina was running at full enhanced speed, but the death field was gaining on her like a persistent ex-boyfriend with abandonment issues.
"How is it moving this fast?!"
"Because the universe hates us!"
Nero was sprinting alongside Jin, his above-normal human reflexes keeping him agile enough to dodge the occasional falling debris.
He can't just use metalloid transformation yet.
The mana cost was too steep, and the reduced dexterity would make him a sitting duck in this chaos.
*ROAAARRRRR!!!*
The first batch of distant roars was getting closer.
Much closer.
"Incoming hostiles from the east!"
Juno's voice cracked with the kind of panic that comes from doing math and realizing everyone's about to die.
"Multiple A-tier signatures... and several B and C-tier clusters!"
"Well, that's just fucking fantastic!"
Through the trees came the first wave of reinforcements.
A pack of direwolves the size of motorcycles, their eyes glowing with hungry yellow light.
Behind them, something that looked like a cross between a bear and a bulldozer was smashing through trees like they were made of paper.
And flying overhead...
"Are those fucking giant blood bats?!"
A bunch of massive winged nightmares, each one about the size of a large car with wingspans that blotted out patches of sky.
Their leathery red wings dripped with some kind of corrosive crimson fluid that was eating holes in the ground below.
A bunch of A-tier monsters responding to an SR-tier's call.
They're deadly enough to turn any frontline combatants into paste if they weren't careful… but at least they weren't dealing with multiple apex anomalies.
*SCREEEECH!!!*
One of the giant blood bats dove toward them, claws extended and mouth revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.
*Slice!*
Aurelia's broadsword caught it mid-dive, her weakened divine energy still sharp enough to cut through A-tier hide.
But the effort made her stumble a bit mid-air.
Her usually perfect flight was becoming more like controlled falling.
"Aurelia!"
"I'm... fine, Lord Nero."
The angel clearly wasn't fine.
Divine energy was still being drained from her faster than she could replenish it.
The silver aura surrounding her white wings were dimming, and her movements were getting slower by the second.
And judging from how the Verdant Tyrant is eyeing on her, it seems to be hellbent on absorbing her.
*BOOM! CRASH!*
The bear-bulldozer creature came charging through the tree line, aiming directly for their group.
"Everyone scatter!"
Ren threw up an ice wall that was immediately smashed to pieces, but it bought them enough time to dodge.
The massive creature skidded past them, leaving gouges in the earth that looked like someone had driven a tank through a garden.
*HOWWWWL!!!*
The direwolves were circling, using pack tactics that would make military strategists weep with envy at how synchronized their movements are.
Six monsters coordinated their attacks while the death field continued expanding behind them.
And the Verdant Tyrant?
The plant anomaly was still getting stronger by the second, and as if that wasn't enough… it's still calling more friends to the party.
"This is insane!"
Yuki unleashed another rainbow explosion at one of the direwolves, the magical girl's attack detonating in a spectacular display of colorful destruction.
*BOOM!*
The blast actually sent the creature flying backward, chunks of fur and flesh scattered across the battlefield.
But within seconds, two more wolves had taken their place.
"There are just too many of them!"
"Join the fucking club!"
Mina was dancing between wolf attacks, her enhanced speed the only thing keeping her from becoming dog food.
But even she was starting to slow down.
Enhanced abilities meant enhanced mana consumption, and they'd all been fighting for way too long.
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*
Genya was summoning restraining chains from thin air, the metallic links wrapping around wolf legs and bear paws.
But fighting one-handed meant his usual coordination was shot to hell.
"Damn these ugly creatures!"
The numerous monsters were appearing from behind the restrained monsters almost as fast as he could bind them aground.
*SLICE! SWIPE!*
Haori's plant magic was working at full efficiency, her vines wrapping around creature necks and limbs squeezing the life out of them with a satisfying bone and blood crunch.
But still…
*ROAR! KRIEEE!! KRAA!!*
There were still too many enemies and not enough manpower to eliminate them.
"Ara ara~ This is quite the predicament."
Even her gentle voice carried notes of strain.
Meanwhile, the death field kept expanding.
Six meters away.
Four meters.
Three meters.
"We're going to get caught!"
Jin's voice was climbing toward full panic territory.
The math was simple and fucking terrifying.
If they couldn't outrun the "death" field, their energies would not only get drained but would also power up the Verdant Tyrant.
But the most dangerous part is the fact that if they were drained, there's no way they could fight the converging monsters, let alone this plant anomaly bastard.
There's also the big possibility that their life force would be drained directly from them, given if they were too weak to resist the pulling force of the ability it's using.
It's basically GG for them if they can't find a way to stop or outrun it.
*WOOOMMM...*
Nero's brain was scrambling for anything.
Some sort of weakness, pattern, or any exploitable flaw in this nightmare scenario.
'...Shit.'
But every angle he examined led to the same conclusion: they were fucked.
The Verdant Tyrant was too strong, too well-defended, and it regenerated faster than they could damage it.
*SCREECH!*
Another giant blood bat dove at them, this one aiming for Aurelia while she was weakened.
*CLANG!*
She deflected its claws, but the impact sent her spinning toward the ground.
"Aurelia!"
Nero caught her before she could crash, but holding her close made him realize how desperate their situation really was.
Her divine energy was almost completely drained. Her silver aura was losing its radiance.
"Lord Nero... I cannot maintain this much longer."
'There has to be something!'
Nero voiced internally with frustration.
"Some kind of weakness or... or vulnerability we haven't tried!"
*HOWL! ROAR! SCREECH!*
The second batch of monster reinforcements was getting closer, and Nero was still grasping for solutions in this desperate situation.
Maybe if they focused all attacks on one spot?
No, the regeneration was too fast not to mention they can't get in contact with the anomaly given the expanding death field.
How about if they could somehow disable the death field?
No fucking clue how that would work… Also, fuck that guy who owns that overpowered ability only to get absorb by this plant bastard.
Well… how about if they could turn the monsters against each other?
But how the hell would they even–
"This isn't working! We need information! We need to understand what we're fighting!"
Ren was barely staying upright on his ice platform, mana exhaustion hitting him like a truck.
Wait.
Information.
'Of fucking course!'
The word hit Nero like a slap to the face.
"Juno!"
He turned toward their rear support position, shouting over the chaos.
"I need tactical analysis! What's the Tyrant actually doing?!"
*CRASH!*
The bear-bulldozer thing came charging at them again, forcing everyone to scatter.
Nero rolled behind a fallen tree, still yelling toward the back.
"Is there any weakness we can exploit?! Some pattern or vulnerability?!"
"I'm... I'm not sure!"
Juno's voice was tight with concentration, his enhanced processing power working overtime to make sense of the magical chaos.
"The energy signatures are complex, but... wait..."
*BOOM!*
Yuki's rainbow explosion created enough noise to drown out Juno's response, but Nero could see him frantically checking his readings through his brain.
"There might be something…"
His voice was getting clearer as he pieced together the data.
"Multiple overlapping magical processes! Death field expansion, creature summoning, and regeneration…"
"ENGLISH!"
Mina slashed with her leg at a wolf while shouting back.
"The Verdant Tyrant might be juggling multiple different abilities at once! There's an approximately 15% decrease in other ability performance each time it's using a specific ability!"
Juno was talking faster now; uncertainty was still in his voice, but there was a hint of hope.
"If we could somehow force it to prioritize one ability, the other abilities would likely weaken!"
Understanding finally clicked in Nero's desperate mind.
"It's like overloading a circuit!"
He could feel his Greater Instinct pinging with possibility rather than immediate danger for once.
"If we make it focus all its energy on regeneration..."
"The death field expansion slows and monster control weakens!"
"But how do we force that choice?"
Aurelia was struggling to stay airborne to defend against the flying monsters, her weakened state making every movement an effort.
"We've been attacking, but it just heals faster than we can damage it."
"... Not if we hit it at a certain point at once."
The plan was crystallizing in Nero's mind, built from desperation and the tactical information Juno had provided.
"Massive critical damage to a single vital area… Make the regeneration system choose what to prioritize."
*ROAAARRR!!!*
The bear-monster was charging again, but this time Nero was ready with more than just dodging.
"While it's busy healing, we turn the summoned monsters against each other!"
"How?!"
Genya was wrapping chains around creature limbs, but they kept breaking free through coordination.
"They're still working together!"
"Because the Tyrant is maintaining control."
Nero's voice was gaining confidence as the strategy took shape.
"But if we make ourselves a bigger threat than their current targets..."
*BOOM!*
He slammed his fist into the ground for emphasis, already reaching for his Metalloid Transformation.
"We force them to reassess their priorities."
"But Lord Nero… your mana capacity."
Aurelia started to object, but Nero was already committed.
"It will be worth it if this works."
*CRACK! POP! CRACK!*
Grey scales erupted across his body as dragon strength flooded his muscles.
100% strength increase.
120% vitality boost.
25% reduction in dexterity.
And mana draining fast.
*BOOM!*
His metalloid-enhanced fist created a shockwave that knocked several monsters off their feet.
Turns out having your STR from 1.8 to 3.6 is more than a massive jump from just a strong guy to superhuman strength.
The power display had an immediate effect on every creature in the area.
*GROWL! SNARL! ROAR!*
Territorial instincts kicked in as they reassessed the transformed human as the primary threat.
"It's working!"
But even as he said it, Nero could feel his mana reserves dropping rapidly.
Maybe 20 seconds before he'd have to drop the transformation or risk complete exhaustion.
20 seconds to turn a losing battle into chaos and hope everyone could capitalize on the opportunity.
Time to find out if desperate improvisation and tactical analysis could save their lives.
"It's all or nothing!"
***
Like what you see? Add it to your library, and Power Stone it if you want to support the novel! It helps!
Feel free to also comment, rate, or review your thoughts of the chapter/novel!