294 Destruction
"Alert! Please evacuate if you are in the city," announcements could be heard across the city.
Some of the buildings had already fallen, and the damage just kept getting worse.
Medics were dispatched to the city to identify any awakened individuals who had been hit by the Mana wave.
Although most people had evacuated, there were still some residents remaining who needed to be rescued.
Amidst the chaos, important areas within the cities were being separately protected to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation.
"We have raised the Mana Barriers over the cities," the announcement said.
"After 24 hours, we will completely seal this city with Mana Barriers!" The announcement was repeated.
The alert was sounded across three cities to warn even awakened individuals of D Rank and below to evacuate.
The incoming mana wave carried rampant mana, which could damage the mana core of many people. Over time, this could lead to mana poisoning, killing thousands if they absorbed this mana wave.
"Instruct the A Rank Hunters to retreat; only S Rank or above will stay at the borders," the Executive announced as they received multiple reports.
The intensity of the mana wave beyond the Mana Barrier had a chance to damage the Mana core of an A Rank, which led to the recall of all A Rank and below hunters from the borders.
While maintaining the Mana Barrier, the SS Rank Hunters fought the beast to keep the Monster Horde at bay.
Inside the Entrapment Dome, which had a radius of half a kilometer,
Declan, the Vice Chairman of the World Association, was battling with Osbert. However, a shoulder injury made his attacks somewhat weaker.
The effect of the Entrapment Domain was also impairing his strength.
Both Osbert and Declan, familiar with each other's fighting style, took turns attacking the puppet monster.
BOOM
A massive explosion happened in the air as some saw a monster flying towards the sky and getting absorbed into the Black Dome.
Farnus used a lightning blast, converting the energy of his spear into a massive explosion that could be directed wherever he wanted.
The physical force behind the attack was absorbed by the dome, but Farnus was sure that he had inflicted some damage on the monster.
His keen eyes noted that the monster had attempted to evade the attack and had taken shelter in the Black Dome.
Farnus's armor began to glow, lightning thundering all around him, all emanating from the Stormscale Armor.
A bluish rune appeared around Farnus's neck, forming a certain pattern and amplifying the golden lightning surrounding him.
Farnus moved his spear, the lightning tracing its path, his crown of light brightening and his aura intensifying.
The monster lunged out of the dome, its black eyes focusing on Farnus, who it deemed to be the most significant threat.
But instead of charging directly at Farnus, its claw extended and black whips unfurled, chasing Farnus who skillfully dodged them.
Boom
Rather than maintaining his distance, Farnus rushed forward, causing a massive soundwave as he dashed.
But now, the problem for the other SSS Rank Hunters grew more substantial as the two SSS Rank Monsters kept regenerating their wounds.
Even as they aimed their attacks at the blue fire burning in their eyes, the monsters would dodge or use their bodies as a shield.
Osbert slashed at the ground where the Monster stood, but it evaded his attack.
"This damn thing," Xarax cursed as he felt his strength ebbing.
He had been fighting for nearly a month, and his mana was far from its peak.
This made even these SSS Rank Monsters a challenge for them.
If not for Dexter, who was cornering the monster each time, he wouldn't have managed to fight this long without suffering a critical injury.
At the World Academy,
"He is suffering from Mana Rebound," the Doctor informed Elena and Eva who were waiting outside the medical room where Kevin was placed.
"Was he absorbing any kind of Mana Gem?" The Doctor asked.
"No, we were only sparring," Eva replied.
"Strange, our analysis shows that the mana instability is the major issue," The Doctor responded.
Kevin wasn't just any ordinary student; he was from an Elite Family, which made the doctors pay extra attention to him.
However, nothing that Eva and Elena said matched with their diagnosis for why Kevin had fainted.
"Well, he will be fine, but we need to monitor his mana more closely," the doctor advised.
"We will stay here for now," Elena declared, and the Doctor had no choice but to comply with their decision.
The students before him were the daughters of two different Elite families, and he couldn't simply tell them to leave.
So, he went back inside, leaving Elena and Eva still anxious about Kevin's condition.
"Did this happen because of me?" Elena mumbled, her voice shaky.
She was blaming herself for Kevin's unconscious state but was unaware of the true cause of the incident.
Only two people knew what had happened to Kevin: Farnus and Asher himself.
Currently, Asher was inspecting the Hidden Quest reward he had received and could easily surmise why it might have happened.
Hidden Quest Completed
Objective: Limit Kevin Whiteheart's growth
Reward: 1000 Fate Points
The prompt had appeared out of nowhere while Asher was mastering Node Art. He paused, speculating that this could only mean one thing.
"So my assumption was correct," Asher muttered upon receiving confirmation about Kevin Whiteheart's admission into the medical facility.
He suspected that it was related to the other half of the Stormscale Armor or the Ancient Rune that Farnus possessed.
"So, it will end soon," Asher mused, looking at the number of people that Tom had successfully brought under Aztech.
He knew that all the calamities would soon be resolved, but he was unaware of the peculiar occurrence of the Peak SSS Rank Monster.
In his previous life, the SSS Rank Monsters that were forcefully awakened did so one at a time, not simultaneously as Asher had initiated.
Ignoring the current situation, Asher soon returned to his training.
"Is the old man still not finished?" Declan shouted, referring to Silvus who was still chanting his spell.
But the burden on them was increasing; the Domain's power was affecting them more and more over time.
They were protecting Silvus, who was in the midst of casting a spell.
"Keep your eyes on them," Osbert reminded Declan as he parried the Monster's attack with his sword.
Pushing it back, he glanced at Declan who was the most injured of all the SSS Rank Hunters, even more so than Xarax.
BOOOOOOOM
A massive explosion occurred, drawing all eyes upwards to see Farnus standing amidst the blasts, his spear impaling the throat of the monster.
"So this is your weakness?" Farnus queried as he saw his spear miss the Black Stone inside the monster's head.
He was about to pierce the monster's head, but it twisted its body, allowing Farnus to impale its jaw instead.
However, instead of recoiling, the monster grabbed the spear, its black eyes beginning to exude black energy. The other SSS Rank Monsters below them turned their heads towards the sky.
The next instant, they levitated towards Farnus, who glanced sideways.
But Dexter and Osbert prevented them from ascending further as they battled in mid-air, positioned below Farnus and the Peak SSS Rank Monster.
"Stay down, you damn thing," Dexter shouted as he smashed the monster's claw, forcing it down.
But Farnus felt that something was amiss, despite being so close to him, especially his Golden Lightning Aura, the monster was taking the damage as it aura kept nullifying the Black Element of the Monster.
He felt that the monster was overly aggressive and was causing more harm to itself in the course of the fight.
Rather than waiting, Farnus amplified his aura and spun his spear, forcing the monster to release its grip. He then redirected his spear towards the monster's head.
There was only one thing Farnus didn't know all this time, and had he been aware, he would have never used his Ancient Rune or summoned the Crown of Light at all.
Just as they were running out of time due to their mana being depleted by the domain, the monster wasn't much different.
It wasn't an original Peak SSS Rank; the strength it had gained was temporary, and the more it absorbed the Black Stone's energy, the stronger it became.
However, this power was not permanent. To consolidate its strength, it needed years to truly become a Peak SSS Rank.
But for now, it had the power of a Peak SSS Rank Monster, and although it would soon end, the most significant threat when it weakened was Farnus.
Therefore, it was hell-bent on killing Farnus first before chasing after the other SSS Rank Hunters.
If only Farnus had known this, he would have chosen to risk the chance of getting critically injured in a fight rather than wasting the efforts he had put in for the last 15 years.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAUR," The monster roared at Farnus, and the ones below became even more aggressive.
"Do it fast, Silvus," Dexter muttered as he clashed with the SSS Rank Monster.
Shatter!
The Silver Crystal shattered. Silvus, who had his eyes closed, became visible, and upon opening his eyes, a massive Silver Spell Circle appeared on the ground.
"Finally," Dexter thought as he repelled the monster.
