"T-They're here." A Hunter Association Staff spoke nervously as he carried a large camera and focused upon the Dungeon Break, watching the Bone Dragon exit fully this time.
It was apparent that the other side came prepared. And at the sight of the raptors, his legs became weak, shivering in response as he felt it difficult to keep the camera steady.
"Let's just hope the Bone Crusher Guild is prepared." Another staff said, lacking any strength in his word.
"They've been preparing extensively just for this purpose. So, let's believe in them." Suddenly, a confident voice resounded as the two staff turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "President, you're here? It's dangerous."
"Precisely why I'm here." The Hunter Association President said as two individuals landed behind him. The nation's two active S-Rankers!
Moreover, gradually taking positions on the buildings were A-Rank and B-Rank Hunters from all over the nation, huddled to control the damage.
Even though they trusted the Bone Crusher Guild, the enemy was just too powerful. And since the fate of their country rode on the outcome of this fight, they mobilised pretty much most of their power.
Only the Hunters required to hunt in Dungeons to prevent them from breaking were left behind in other places. Everyone else had arrived at the current location as the eyes of everyone nervously fell upon the figure of Ying standing gallantly before the Lich.
"We'll only move if Ying is unable to handle it." The Hunter Association President said when the two S-Rank Hunters behind him became nervous upon seeing the Lich move, "We don't know what they have prepared. So, let's not interfere with their plans."
"But, remain alert and don't let the Lich become aware of our existence." The Hunter Association President said as the two S-Rank Hunters nodded in response.
"Dad…" Noll muttered upon staring at the skeleton of his father protecting the Lich. Of course, he couldn't recognise his father based on the bone structure alone. But the equipment worn by the skeleton and the technique it unleashed before was the indication of their relationship.
Noll's father was an S-Rank Hunter that had raided the A-Rank Dungeon—A Lich's Laboratory—in the past out of emergency when it was about to break. His actions prevented a break, but he ended up losing his life in the process.
Even Noll was unaware of the identities of the other two S-Rank Skeletons, just that they didn't seem to originate from their country. 'The Dungeons are pretty mysterious indeed.'
"Kill!" The Lich raised its staff and uttered human words, shocking everyone at the scene. The eyes of the entire nation were focused on the Lich through the broadcast. And when it spoke, they trembled in fear, having never expected a Lich to speak the human language, their language.
"Get ready," Ying announced in all seriousness, intending to transform into an Orc-Dragon the moment he sees the perfect opportunity.
Roar…?
The Bone Dragon opened its mouth to utter a roar, only to stop midway in utter confusion, one that morphed into fear midway.
"W-W-What is happening?" The Hunter Association President lost control of his nerves, muttering in shock at the absurdity of the scene.
The Lich, one of the most terrifying lifeforms to enter their world now lay on the back of the Bone Dragon, prostrating in fear like an ant gazing at a storm.
Aieee…!
The Bone Dragon whimpered like a wounded cub, not even budging an inch. As for the three S-Ranked Hunter skeletons, they acted no different from statues. Except for the faint rattling of their bones, they would have appeared inanimate.
The undead army's bones cluttered in response as they stood still.
Overbearing Oppressive Fear!
It wasn't limited to the undead alone as even the Hunters were the same, trembling in fear. The fear seemed to stem from the depths of their being, the source of their power as Hunters.
The stronger they were, the greater they could sense this thundering sense of oppression, to the extent of feeling it difficult to breathe, suffocated in the depths of the ocean.
"Something seemed to have happened. Why is everyone stunned?" The anchor seated within the helicopter expressed her shock as she spoke. She was only a normal human and hence couldn't feel what was happening.
"T-This is…?" Ying struggled to move, feeling as if his figure was locked by a mystical power. Through the Orc-Dragon Sense, he observed the System fragment in his body struggling to operate, trembling like an ant facing a tsunami.
His eyes darted forth, staring at the crack beginning to close down as it stopped at a height of three metres. And from it exited two people, a man, and a woman, appearing no different from youths twenty years old.
The girl had a slender figure, sporting toned limbs. Her hair seemed like a flame but behaved like a stream of water. Ying focused on her eyes only for a moment and felt as if he would faint.
Standing next to the lady was the youth that had a pretty lean frame and a rather innocent look. But upon noticing Ying staring at the lady, he gently extended his index finger, muttering softly, "Kneel!"
Bang!
Instantly, Ying fell on all fours, feeling as if he was being pressed by a mountain. Grunting in response, he activated his Orc-Dragon form, gasping in shock upon seeing it fail to activate.
[No! I need to escape!]
A shout resounded in his mind when immediately, time seemed to have stopped in the world as its colours faded. The world turned monochromatic as none were able to move, stuck in time as a portal began to form before Ying, leading to the System World.
Clang!
But suddenly, a ring manifested in the sky, spanning around the entire world.
Clang!
The ring split from one to two, already covering one-twelfth of the world's surface as they continued to increase in number, causing the formation of the portal to slow down to a crawl.
[No, save me, Bossssssss!]
A heavenly hand manifested in the sky and reached towards Ying when suddenly, one of the rings blocked its approach. A massive dent formed on the ring from the impact, but it didn't cave in.
As for the portal, a hand exited it in an effort to yank Ying into it, but the youth appeared before it and swatted it away, grunting as he clenched his hand into a fist and snuffed out the portal.
The Secondary System stared in despair as 24 Rings covered the entire world, cutting off contact with the System World and Astral Network. Massive punches from Zaira landed on the rings, denting them rapidly, but the rings remained sturdy and didn't collapse.
The girl arrived before Ying, letting out a familiar voice, "It has been ages since I last saw you, Money-Making System."
"Have you been well?"
