Chapter 184: Blue Streak in the Night
In a shadowed corner of the island, the clash of battle raged. Beasts howled and snapped, their corpses already littering the ground in mangled heaps. Some carcasses bore signs of being partially devoured — ripped open, cores torn out.
Among the attackers, a Gold tier 1 essence beast bellowed orders through guttural growls, leading the frenzied charge. Its claws gleamed like sharpened stone as it slashed through the night air, rallying the pack around it.
Holding the line were three figures — Corvin, Cromlan, and Prawna.
Corvin, his fists encased in earthen ki, punched with bone-crushing force, every strike leaving cracks in the beasts he struck. His body was already covered in wounds, sweat mingling with blood, but he gritted his teeth and refused to fall.
Cromlan fought beside him, bladed brass knuckles glowing with fire ki as each blow ignited sparks. He smashed down beast after beast, but his breathing was ragged, his face marked with bruises and cuts.
Both men had only recently broken through to Silver tier 4, regaining the strength they had before their rebirth — but the tide against them was overwhelming.
Then there was Prawna. Half-transformed into her panther state, claws extended, fangs glinting, she tore through the battlefield like a predator among prey. Her aura flared at Silver tier 5, teetering on the brink of Gold tier. She clashed head-on with the Gold tier 1 beast, forcing it back with sheer ferocity.
"Damnit, Prawna!!" Corvin roared as he blocked a charging wolf-like beast, nearly getting knocked off his feet. "This is your fault! You had to gorge yourself and stir up the whole damned island!"
Prawna ducked beneath a swipe of the Gold tier beast, her lips curling into a smirk. "You've got plenty of breath to whine — maybe use it to fight harder."
"You—!" Corvin snarled, blasting a warthog beast back with a ki-infused punch, only for three more to surge into its place.
A fiery strike cut one of them down. "Shut your mouth and focus, fool!" Cromlan barked, his brass knuckles blazing.
"I don't need to hear that from you either!!" Corvin shot back, rage and desperation sharpening his blows.
The three fought shoulder to shoulder, but the waves of beasts kept coming.
Then Prawna struck like lightning, ripping into a wolf's chest and pulling out its essence core, crushing it between her jaws before swallowing. Energy surged into her body as she landed lightly on her feet, only to stagger as the Gold tier beast's claw nearly split her in two. The ground quaked beneath its strike.
Essence cores — unlike demonic cores — were easier to absorb, safer. But for cultivators, consuming too many destabilized the foundation of their path. For beasts, though, it was their natural way to evolve. Prawna, in her hybrid form, straddled that line.
Corvin and Cromlan were soon separated by a fresh wave of enemies. Corvin was sent flying by a warthog looking creatures's charge, tumbling hard into the dirt. Cromlan was battered back by a barrage of blasts.
They could no longer guard each other's backs. Prawna was bleeding heavily, one hand pressed to the gash at her side.
"This is bad," Cromlan hissed, teeth clenched. "We need to warn the mistress—"
"We're surrounded!" Corvin snapped, panic breaking through his fury.
That was when three new auras rippled through the battlefield.
Three Gold tier beasts appeared, snarling as they tore through their own pack to reach the familiars. The strongest, a hulking figure with fists like boulders, towered over the others — its aura at early Gold tier 2.
It smashed a punch down on Prawna, sending her body crashing into the dirt beside Corvin, leaving a crater. Blood poured from her mouth, but she forced herself up, glaring.
"Too late to escape, little pests," the beast sneered, its guttural voice thick with hunger. "Just die and feed us."
The horde roared in unison, rushing the three. Corvin and Cromlan braced themselves, despair flickering in their eyes. Prawna's nose twitched. Her expression shifted subtly — relief? — but she didn't look toward the forest.
Instead, she stood tall, reverting fully into her humanoid form. Her lips curled in defiance. "You dare lay hands on the mistress' familiars? On Milord's property? Prepare to pay the price."
Corvin blinked at her words. Cromlan frowned but raised his fists again. The three locked eyes with their enemies, choosing to go down fighting.
"Pitiful creatures," the Gold tier 2 beast sneered. "Devour them."
The pack surged forward — only for a streak of blue light to rip through their ranks like a thunderbolt.
Beasts shrieked as the streak cut cleanly through bodies, then looped like a boomerang and carved another swath of carnage.
"What—?!" The Gold tier 2 beast staggered back, eyes wide. "Grooooar!!"
The light rose into the air, glowing like a falling star, before crashing down with explosive speed. One of the Gold tier 1 beasts never even had time to defend before its body was pierced straight through, its core ripped free.
Prawna roared, tearing back into the disoriented beasts with renewed vigor. Corvin and Cromlan finally understood, their shock turning to wild grins as they joined in the slaughter.
The blue light cut again — this time through another Gold tier 1 beast. The Blue Heavenly Star Destroyer hovered in the air, gleaming, before vanishing back into the trees.
Then he stepped out.
Elton.
His blade sheathed across his back, expression calm but curious, as though he had merely strolled into the chaos.
"Milord!!" Prawna shrieked with joy. She flung herself forward, knocking aside a bleeding beast before practically tackling Elton. She pressed against him shamelessly, nuzzling her cheek into his cheek. Then — lick, lick, lick — three wet strokes across his face.
Elton froze, utterly stiff, as Prawna smiled up at him like an eager cat. "…Prawna. Doing that in your human form is… forget it." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "I'm glad you're alive."
The Gold tier 2 beast stared at him, fear creeping into its eyes. "Y-you! One of the invaders!"
Elton's eyes narrowed, white lightning sparking across his fingers. "You all have been warned already. Yet you still dare." His gaze sharpened. "Tell me — are more of your 'comrades' hiding, waiting to attack too?"
The beast flinched, shocked. "…How perceptive. Hahaha! Yes — they've gone to fetch a Sea Lord. Prepare yourself—"
Its words cut short. Elton blurred forward, stabbing two fingers into its chest. White lightning and flame erupted inside, roasting it alive. Its screams were cut off as Elton leapt upward, driving his glowing fingers through its skull and pulling free the demonic core.
Silence fell.
The remaining beasts turned in panic, fleeing in every direction.
Elton lifted his hand.
—White Lightning Spear Barrage—
Spears of blinding ki rained down like a storm, ripping through the herd. What few survived were cut down by Corvin, Cromlan, and Prawna, their shouts echoing across the battlefield.
Then —
A crushing pressure smashed onto the island, suffocating, aimed straight at Elton. The familiars collapsed to their knees under the weight of it.
Elton casually raised a hand. The pressure dispersed like mist in the wind. His lips curved in a faint smile.
"Go back to the barrier and continue acting as guards. I'll deal with our guest."
The Blue Heavenly Star Destroyer appeared beneath his feet. In a flash of light, Elton shot skyward like a comet, vanishing into the night.
Behind him, Prawna pressed her hands to her chest, blushing as she clutched the two Gold tier cores Elton had gifted her. Corvin and Cromlan gathered Silver tier cores in silence, their expressions complicated as they exchanged glances.