[ Back Inside the Portal ]

The silence that followed the forced acceptance of the quest was heavier than the clamor of the previous mastication. The Primordial Exsanguinator, perched on the back of the Chimeric Cleaver like a king on its throne of flesh and magic, slowly wiped the black crow's blood that stained its chin.

It tilted its head to the side, a jerky, almost avian movement, mimicking the creature it had just ingested.

"Ah, Nox," it said.

Its voice was soft, but it carried the promise of infinite suffering.

"I see you managed, somehow, to protect everyone like you wanted. Well, con...gra...tu...la...tions," it continued, drawing out the last word with mockery.

"..." Nox did not respond. He merely watched it, contemplating the reason for its actions.

According to the information provided by the system, he knew that the monster before them was a very intelligent manipulator for whom the crow served as a puppet. If such a dangerous monster had revealed itself by stepping out of the shadows, it was surely because it had finished its preparations and was certain it would kill them all.

But for now, it was just playing with them. It was obvious since Nox already knew that it had also gathered quite a bit of information about them just by absorbing the crow. The monster's cognitive assimilation skill was not there for decoration.

The Exsanguinator smiled, its eyes gleaming with a non-human light as it gazed upon Nox and his team, all silent.

"You must be wondering, why is he doing this, aren't you? Why is he talking instead of attacking? Why this, why that..." it said as its voice began to change, becoming deeper, more threatening.

"It's simple. I want to kill you, of course. You, him... and all the others."

As it spoke, crow wings began to sprout from its back. The creatures previously led by the humanoid crow, which was still frozen in the air, began to transform into shadows one after the other.

Then, when they had finished growing, it deployed its wings, and without warning, the entire portal was plunged into darkness. The darkness was so thick it seemed to have a physical consistency, as if it could be touched and manipulated.

Nox reacted in time, unleashing a flurry of blades made of sharp aura at the Exsanguinator, but he missed his target. The Chimeric Cleaver had melted into the darkness before the aura blades reached it.

But Nox did not stop there; he knew he couldn't leave any opening for this monster. He had to keep watching it continuously, or it would be fatal to them. He therefore wholeheartedly took on this role.

Being a hunter, with all the training he had already undergone, a simple change of environment could not disturb him in any way at all. Even in this darkness, he was still in full possession of his faculties.

"Don't think you can hide, I know exactly where you are," Nox roared before lunging after the Exsanguinator.

With his [ Tracking ] skill active, he could sense his enemy's presence, its smell of blood and death floating in the air.

The Exsanguinator, sensing the ease with which Nox was following it in the darkness, began to laugh, its laughter echoing through the gloom.

"You're fast, Nox," it said, its voice moving around Nox like a ghost. "But didn't you forget something? Your teammates are defenseless, you know?"

Nox did not reply, his gaze fixed on the Exsanguinator and the Chimeric Cleaver moving before him.

"What concentration," it said, its voice filled with sarcasm.

But Nox once again had no reaction. He was still focused on the monsters that were moving at a frantic speed in that darkness.

Nox accelerated, his legs moving with supernatural speed and agility. The Exsanguinator moved to avoid him, but Nox was ready. He brandished his aura-infused sword forward, the sword slashing down at the monstrous duo with devastating force.

The Exsanguinator did not parry the attack; on the contrary, as if it was already tired of playing, it let the attack hit it. Nox's blade met no obstacle, passing through both monsters, but suddenly they evaporated.

With their sudden disappearance, Nox completely lost their trail. Nox spun around hastily, his gaze sweeping the area to locate his enemy. But nothing.

"Damn, did he completely escape me? Where is he? Don't tell me that..."

Images of his teammates flashed into his mind. It was for them that Nox had chased the two monsters. Even though he trusted them and knew they could defend themselves, a feeling of unease gripped his body. He would be sad if something happened to them.

But just as Nox wanted to return to his team, the Exsanguinator materialized behind him, this time, it was alone, its face contorted by a cruel smile.

"I'm right behind you," it said, its cold breath on Nox's neck.

Nox spun around instinctively, his sword slashing down at the Exsanguinator with devastating force. But the Exsanguinator had disappeared again, as if it were a shadow in its own right.

"Is he playing games with me? You're going to end up getting caught in your own game," Nox thought.

...

Just after the entire portal was plunged into darkness, unlike Nox, some members of his team were caught off guard, their eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden darkness.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long before a mage raised his hands, his fingers closing around the handle of his staff. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the energy flowing within him.

"Lux," he murmured, his voice firm and resolute.

A burst of light shot from his staff, illuminating the area with a pure white light, a light so pure that it drove away all the darkness around the group.

The Exsanguinator sneered, its eyes squinting from the light, watching the scene from afar.

But as a response, following its laugh, the shadows began to stir, taking shape and substance. Creatures of the night, shadow monsters, emerged from the darkness, their eyes glowing like lanterns in the night.

The creatures of the night threw themselves at Johan and his team, their claws and teeth gleaming in the light. And a new battle began.

Nox, who had realized the situation with his teammates, wanted to go and help them, but he refrained. Instead, he gathered his energy to attack the Exsanguinator with renewed vigor.

But as they were fighting, the shadows had begun to retract. The Exsanguinator's wings were starting to disappear.

Then, it smiled.

"I think I've had my fun, Nox. Let's move to the next level," it said before disappearing once more, only to reappear on the Chimeric Cleaver, which was at a safe distance from Johan and the other Guardians.

As all the shadows had retreated, the sky was once again lit, and even the forest had vanished, a silence settled. Even the murderous aura that circulated in the portal after the Exsanguinator's arrival—everything had disappeared.

The Exsanguinator, who had said it was done playing, looked at the Guardians next to Johan; blood oozed from its mandibles. Then, it sported a smile, one of the most demonic that no one would ever want to see, and spoke...

"Fear..." it croaked.

The voice was not its own. It was a man's, a voice belonging to one of Nox's teammates whom he recognized immediately. It was the voice of Garett, an A-rank Guardian.

Nox hastily cast his gaze towards the group of A-rank Guardians, but Garett was no longer there. He, who was there before everything was plunged into darkness, had disappeared without a trace. It was then that Nox understood that this monster had intentionally lured him away from his comrades, and then used the shadow abilities inherent to the humanoid crow it had devoured to achieve its goal.

"Damn... I'm cold..." the creature continued, using the last words of a dying man to psychologically break its prey.

One of the Guardians, an A-rank mage named Kael, snapped.

"It's Garett! He... He ate Garett!" he screamed, raising a staff that served as his artifact. An unstable fireball formed at its tip.

"No, you idiot! Don't attack him!" Nox roared, but it was too late.

The fiery projectile flew towards the monstrous duo. It was like throwing a match into a volcano.

The Exsanguinator didn't even move. It was its mount, the Chimeric Cleaver, that reacted. The beast's multiple eyes turned crimson red. With a simple snort, an Energy Wave was released. The shockwave instantly dissipated the fireball and struck Kael head-on.

The mage didn't even have time to scream. His body exploded into a mist of blood under the atmospheric pressure generated by the titan.

...

Here we are at the end of this chapter.

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