A powerful rocky rumble echoed through the narrow streets of this city.
The cars parked on the sides of the paved street shook violently, swaying from side to side and creaking under the mysterious powers of a monster that burst onto the scene.
The windows, geometrically arranged on the brick walls of the buildings and covered with plants and flowers, shattered under the presence of strange limbs that stretched out and struck the glass.
The people present at the disaster ran in terror. Many of these people looked very different from ordinary humans.
Desperate, they moved chaotically in every possible direction.
Some used their wings to fly away, others ran on all fours, jumping on walls and ceilings. Those who had no special abilities ran or hid.
The cars lined up on the road were pushed to the sides by mysterious black roots that emerged from the ground, the strange limbs mentioned above.
The monster walked calmly, looking around with its perfectly dark eyes, showing an expression full of curiosity. It was as if it were seeing the atmosphere of the big city for the first time.
It had an androgynous humanoid figure as a body, with six arms distributed on the sides of its shoulders and on its back. It was two meters tall and its skin was the color of oak wood, with cracks resembling the bark of a real tree.
It had no mouth or nose, but its black eyes were sinister, staring only at the destruction caused by its roots. Its head was covered with leaves that seemed to simulate hair, and its legs were actually six roots that functioned as tentacles.
Every inch the monster moved caused roots to break through the pavement and move cars. The road had been completely cleared after the roots made way for the Aberration.
Now there was nothing to stop it from advancing.
"Help me!" cried a man who had fallen under a car.
"Mommy!" cried a little girl who had been left alone in the fleeing crowd.
Suddenly, someone appeared running from the far end of the road. His brown leather military boots sounded like soft heels on the ground with each step.
His fluffy, well-groomed dog tail wagged vigorously as his body moved restlessly.
He pricked up his dog ears to listen carefully and sharpened his gaze to see the girl who was about to be crushed by the roots.
He smiled defiantly, his small fangs protruding from his mouth. His brown hair was caressed by the wind as he placed his hands on the ground to run on all fours despite being human.
Behind him ran a girl with similar features. She ran on all fours, waving her thin feline tail. Her sharp, perceptive eyes focused on the girl and saw the near future.
In that near future, the little girl was crushed by the roots, but neither of them was going to allow that. They both used their special abilities to their advantage to move faster.
The red-haired, feline girl looked up at the roof of one of the buildings and shouted:
"Rober!"
Rober, the name of the canine boy, jumped high onto one of the cars, and suddenly a blonde girl appeared, jumping from the roof of one of the buildings.
Her heavy silver armor creaked with the large shield and sword hanging from her back. Suspended in the air, she grabbed her large shield with one hand and threw it to Rober.
He used the shield to propel himself with both legs and reach the little girl before she was killed. He shot out like a cannonball.
When he reached her, he hugged her tightly and rolled on the ground to cushion the fall. He crashed into one of the cars and groaned.
Then he got up, but had trouble staying on his feet.
"Don't cry, little one. The cavalry has arrived," he spat, tired of having to get up again. Now his back hurt.
The little girl looked into Rober's black eyes and didn't know what to do.
"Don't worry, little one. Seriously."
Another root struck the cars and shook the ground. Rober looked back, then looked at the little girl again.
"Go over there," he pointed to one of the alleys where a woman and other civilians were hiding.
The little girl nodded in response and ran off. Rober smiled kindly and looked at the monster.
"Looks like we have to kick a tree's butt today."
He slammed his fist against his palm and a couple of small flames exploded.
The feline girl arrived on the scene, throwing herself into the fight against the monster. Rober followed her, jumping between cars. Flames erupted from his fists, and a fierce but ecstatic look lit up the scene with an impending fight.
Without saying a word, the feline girl jumped back when she saw Rober and stood aside for a second while the monster stared at her.
Faced with such an aberrant and unpleasant look, she frowned angrily.
"What are you looking at, ugly? Is this the first time you've seen such a pretty girl?"
A root shot out of the ground and tried to hit the girl. She jumped back with a somersault and slid across the ground, skidding her big boots on the pavement. However, the killer roots did not stop.
Three huge roots the size of a young tree came out, roots that crushed everything in their path, trying to crush the girl, who nimbly dodged them by jumping like a professional gymnast.
The monster raised two of its hands this time, controlling the roots, and clicked stubbornly inside its wooden head. Its empty black eyes did not reveal its true intentions, but everyone knows that Aberrations only exist to hurt humans.
That was something Rober took advantage of.
He jumped between the cars displaced by the sidewalk and, falling from above to gain more impact force, charged a punch wrapped in flames, aiming at the tree monster's face.
The monster casually turned its gaze toward him and summoned a root that shot out of the ground.
The root hit Rober in the face. He was thrown against a candy store, breaking the glass and landing on a broken table.
The feline girl watched him go with a pained expression.
The Aberration, which until now had seemed confused, frowned. It emitted strange, dry clicks that sounded disgusting, as if someone were crushing wet nuts. Then it raised one of its six arms, and this time more than twenty roots shot out of the ground, growing and breaking the ground into fragments that scattered across the asphalt.
The feline girl watched her end being crushed by the roots with her Future Vision, an ability that superimposes a short vision of the near future onto reality, but the blonde girl landed in front of her holding the heavy shield that sank into the road and broke the pavement.
The blonde girl planted her feet firmly on the ground and instantly prepared herself after landing.
All the roots rose up like lava in a volcanic eruption and slammed into the shield, causing the girl's arms to crack painfully from the recoil of the blow.
The flesh of her muscles tore. Blood splattered. However, the pain did not seem to matter to the blonde girl. Her arms were bleeding with bone splinters protruding from her skin, but she just stared seriously at the monster with her mythical green eyes, as if she felt no pain at all.
"I'm sorry, Elara," said the feline girl.
But the blonde girl, Elara, shook her head, pushing the roots away with her shield. The broken bone splinters protruded further from her skin due to the sudden movement, but suddenly, a faint, pale green glow covered the wounds and healed them in seconds.
"We need more power," said Elara, frowning.
As if she had remembered something, the feline girl raised her ears and tail and looked back.
"That's right."
The last member of the team had arrived.
He walked relaxed down the middle of the road with an air of absolute calm.
His black hair was long and straight down to the nape of his neck. His skin was as pale as winter snow, but his gaze—his eyes—were yellow like amber. His black trench coat, black leather military boots, and fashionable uniform made some of the people hiding in the alleys recognize him and finally understand who these people were.
"I know him! He's an Empath!"
"The Empaths are here!"
Some people celebrated from the nearby alleys.
The boy glanced at them sideways, then turned his gaze back to the target.
Elara acted as the team's shield and tank, stopping all the killer roots, while the feline girl helped her predict the monster's movements. Meanwhile, Rober had just climbed out of the broken window of the candy store, complaining as was his custom.
"Stupid plant! How dare you?! My clothes are very expensive!"
His combat uniform was torn on the shirt and part of the ends of his pants.
"Get ready! I'm going to break your branch!"
The boy with amber eyes sighed. He took a powerful leap forward and appeared stylishly next to the two girls, braking suddenly and causing his raincoat to almost fly away.
"I'm late."
Both girls ignored him and looked at the disaster.
'It's okay. I didn't say anything.'
He looked at the Aberration before making a decision.
At this moment, Rober is jumping between the roofs of cars, dodging the killer roots.
The Aberration didn't seem to move from where it was and just summoned dark roots. That was enough to want to start.
"Okay, let's begin," he extended his hands toward Rober and narrowed his amber eyes.
"Elara. Go to the front. Tank all the damage. Miyu. Stay with Rober. Help him dodge. I'll cover you."
Neither Elara nor Miyu objected. They both immediately ran towards the enemy.
Elara positioned herself at the front, where the roots aimed at her and struck her like deadly whips. Of course, she used her shield and Self-Heal to endure. Miyu, on the other hand, grabbed Rober by the hair and jumped, lifting him up and forcing him backwards.
"What are you doing, fool? Let me go!"
"The usual, fool. Don't waste your time."
They landed. They skidded with their boots on the ground and, in a split second, disappeared from view.
In the rear, the boy unleashed the power of his Spectrum.
'Judging by its strength and summoning ability, it's a Category 7 Aberration. This one's for us, huh…' he thought, increasing the capacity of his power.
A slight, amused smile formed on his face.
Energy gathered all around his body; golden and bright; beautiful and soothing. The energy spread from his hands like a mist from beyond, stretching out like ethereal hands and covering Miyu and Rober with its power.
Both were imbued with a totally exceptional Spectrum enhancement.
Rober smiled and let out all his Anger as he felt his friend's support. His body was covered with a crimson red energy that ran through every molecule of his body. His muscles burst with power and his mind was lost in the pleasure his Spectrum gave him.
He struck one of the roots with a strong punch, and it recoiled loudly, crashing into one of the cars and crushing it with the power of the impact.
Miyu didn't hold back. She used her sharp nails to cut everything in her path.
Two roots rose up on either side of her, but she smiled with satisfaction. Agile as a gymnast, she jumped back, skidded across the ground, and propelled herself forward to cut the first root with her claws.
Elara was having some trouble containing the rest of the roots. The roots were too strong. Her body broke every time the blows of dozens of roots crushed her to the ground.
In that regard, she bore the brunt of it. However, her Trust led her to heal her body repeatedly so she could continue to resist.
This allowed Miyu and Rober to make their way through the road and the roots. Thus, as if they were dancing amid all the destruction, they jumped very high. She grabbed Rober by the leg and smiled amusedly.
"I love doing this."
She wanted to tease Rober by saying that.
"Well, I don't so much."
In the air, they spun in the same direction.
She let go of Rober, and he plummeted toward the Aberration like a missile.
Rober prepared himself as he headed toward his target. With his fists ablaze, he crashed into the tree monster, and together they exploded in a sea of flames that lit up the center of the road.
Before dying, the Aberration opened its black eyes and let out a couple of clicks. The next moment, all that remained of the mysterious monster that had emerged from a Dimensional Portal was its ashes.
Rober was also there. However, his clothes were singed and he was unconscious. Although it seemed like he liked going to sleep this way.