No one knew when they appeared, but a pack of snarling dark red hounds materialized into existence, sending everyone into a bigger panic. Soon, howls of misery and glee intertwined in the air.
So Jiwoo quickly sidestepped Bai Yu's swing, but the possessed man seemed to have gotten a sudden power boost as he slammed his other fist into So Jiwoo's ribs.
Even with the distance between them, the group could hear an audible crack as some of So Jiwoo's bones shattered under the impact.
As if driven by Bai Yu's actions, the largest hound let out a particularly loud, deep howl, echoing across the pack as they lunged for the surrounding people with renewed vigor. With shrilling screams, people were torn apart left and right, regardless of whether or not they were a Serpent.
Nox took a quick glance at the hounds from an unknown origin, the sinking feeling in his gut intensifying. He ran to help So Jiwoo, not checking to see if there was anyone else following him. Their alliance still hadn't been dissolved quite yet. It would be nice for the leader of Arcadia to owe him a favor- if he survived.
Bai Yu's current strength couldn't be underestimated. The old fox's original overbearing aura acted as if it had been flooded by an unknown stimulant, crazily lashing out towards anyone who tried to come close, warding off a lot of lower level members who wanted to come and assist. Veins bulging from the side of his neck as he launched himself towards So Jiwoo at a deadly speed.
So Jiwoo lifted a hand in alarm to cover his head, but Bai Yu's boosted speed was really too much. Just as he prepared himself for a painful blow, a force pushed him to the side as a familiar clang sounded.
Sparks clashed as Bai Ys enlarged, black claw-like nails scraped off the surface of Nox's blade, reflecting the glowing red eyes of the unconscious man. He released a low growl of displeasure, lashing out again.
"Don't just sit there, move!" Nox shouted at the bewildered So Jiwoo, hissing out a curse as the tip of that demon claw dug unmercifully into his skin, the flash of a burning sensation appearing as he tore himself away.
So Jiwoo composed himself, carelessly healing himself with a healing item as he took out the newly acquired hammer.
At Bai Yu's next lunge, he met the terrifying force head on.
Squeeea.
Under the stunned stares of the two young men, Bai Yu's claws easily pierced through the red material of the hammer's head, aiming to score a wound between So Jiwoo's eyes.
Fortunately, he hadn't been stingy in building his agility skill. With quick reflexes, So Jiwoo barely managed to send Bai Yu's attack upwards with the handle of the hammer. The head of the hammer was fully deflated from the one attack.
Nox dashed in, aiming for the exposed spot between Bai Yu's ribs. The Sword of Hearts shone red, coated in a generous layer of Nox's blood.
On the other side of Arcadia's former boss, Kuna aimed for the same location as his Master. Just as the tip of his claws touched the black mark on the pallid skin, something pounced on him from the side, sending him flying into the brick building.
"Chee!"
Nox felt a split second of jarring pain coming from Kuna's side, realizing something had gone wrong. He swung his gaze to meet the haughty red eyes of a large red hound, causing his attention to falter. "Kuna-"
His sword swing was stopped millimeters away from Bai Yu's side, caught deftly between black claws. The older man turned to look at him, the glow in his eyes intensifying briefly as they rested on Nox's face.
... Not good. It seemed like the old bastard could remember grudges even in this state?
A roar filled with anger and spittle aimed towards Nox as a pair of legs swung around to kick him on the side.
It was too fast for Nox to stop it, so it hit him with full force. The entire left area of Nox's body numbed instantly, the impact sending him flying into the air.
He tensed, bracing himself for a painful landing. But instead, his back landed against something soft and... furry? He turned his head around in surprise, only to see a pair of worrying expressions. Liam patted Roscoe's scruff in praise. The raccoon's fat bulk acted as a cushioning mat, successfully preventing any further damage to Nox. The large raccoon lightly set Nox onto the ground.
As his full weight settled onto the ground, Nox cursed loudly at the buckling pain flaring from his side. "He broke my ribs."
Bak Soomin came around from the other side of Roscoe's expanded form with an unimpressed face, a hound strangled between her hands. The hounds were larger than the average dog, their broad shoulders reaching Nox's waist. Bak Soomin needed to use both hands to carry the hound because of its shear size. The unfortunate hound died from her needles, stuck in some... notably painful areas.
"Stop destroying my hard work. Look, you're coughing up blood again."
No wonder the corner of his mouth felt damp. "Thanks." He wiped it with his sleeve, ignoring Bak Soomin's look of disapproval. With a tug on Kuna's side of the bond, Nox teleported himself back to the scene of the battle.
Bak Soomin stared at the empty space in front of her in silence, letting out a short bark of laughter filled with anger. "See if I treat such a wild patient like you again!"
Nox had left before she could even pass on the message Claude had given her, immediately disappearing like a phantom after with a reluctant Li Zemin dragged behind him.
If she hadn't lost the wager against the man before, then she would still be assuming that his ability was so weak he had no choice but to run away in a direct confrontation. Every time there was a major conflict, the man took a step back from such matters and tried not to directly involve himself in the surrounding affairs. Unless his inactivity had to do with his special prophet ability and prevent the future from altering...
Bak Soomin glanced thoughtfully at the hound in the her hands, dropping its dirty corpse onto the ground.
As if. Even if he had the ability to do so, the future wouldn't change because of a single individual.
"Liam, watch over the situation here, all right?" she called up to the young boy, the corners of her mouth unconsciously gentling when she caught a glimpse of the fluffy blond hair."
"I got it, Doctor!" he shouted down, eyes scanning around diligently.
On Kuna's side.
The phantom familiar felt indignant enough to reveal his tiny fangs, baring his teeth at the hound several sizes larger. It was all his master's fault for forcing him into such a small form, Kuna thought with regret as his own small paws came into his field of vision.
But that didn't mean the large hound was stronger than him!
Size wasn't everything!
Invigorated by his thoughts, Kuna lashed his tail from side to side proudly, sizing up this unworthy opponent. His master got smacked because he was weak, but the little fox- he had simply been caught off guard earlier, that's all!
Who told this stinky mutt to tackle him like that.
The hound glanced down at the creature similar to it in confusion, wanting to poke its small stature with its nose. Their pack didn't have a lot of females, so pups were rare. But there had never been a pup this small before.
Its snout approached cautiously. As soon as Kuna could see the gleaming fangs in the hound's the large salivating mouth, his claws fell on its face in a flurry!
He needed to get revenge!
The hound howled pitifully, trying to snap at the blood red creature to force it to stop.
Kuna leapt onto its back to avoid the deadly mouth, daringly digging his claws into its back pelt. He split his blood tails, securing himself onto the hound's back so he could scratch it to his heart's content.
The hound ran around erratically, but he couldn't get rid of the pup. No, it couldn't be considered a pup. This was clearly a true devil hound!
Nox teleported into this scene: his familiar, staring up at him with his large ears perked up, eyes shining brightly with glee as deadly claws raked into a blubbering hound's pelt like it was a personal scratch board.
... Maybe Kuna should've taken a cat form instead?
A small hand grasped onto his. He looked down to see Ari's face devoid of the sleepy stupor she had shown in the trial. There were traces of anxiety and urgency on her face as she pulled Nox forward, stopping on the edges of the fierce battleground created for two.
The grass and concrete paving the paths between the brick buildings had all been torn up and scorched back, crumbling as soon as he took a step forward in surprise.
His return had been a moment too late- So Jiwoo had finally released his ability.
And now, watching the two beasts prowl around each other without a single glimpse of consciousness in their expression, he could understand why So Jiwoo never used his ability.
Turns out his ability was like a berserker's.
The two leaders of Arcadia faced each other, halting in their steps. A painful collision sounded as they flew at each other.
So Jiwoo's berserk form was different from Bai Yu's- although he was in a similar instinct-driven state, he seemed to still maintain a semblance of understanding towards the battle. His eyes held a light blue glow, with glowing blue stripes under his eyes. His aura wrapping him in defensive layers to offset the aggressive aura coming from his opponent. White claws gleamed from the tips of his fingers, every inch just as deadly as their counterparts.
Hidden muscles coiled tightly, releasing an explosive power when needed as the two men exchanged a series of blows. The younger man showed signs of higher agility, although his attacks seemed to have less of an impact than Bai Yu's immense strength.
"Leader is powerful," Ari explained in a tearful voice. The little girl stared at the battle in front of her, unaware of the tears streaming down her own face. "But- but..."
Nox grimanced, finishing her sentence in a low voice. "He's not strong enough to go head to head with Bai Yu."
Every time the two finished their attacks, So Jiwoo's power was whittled away little by little. In contrast, the symbol wrapped around Bai Yu pulsed greedily, absorbing the energy in their surroundings. It expanded a little more, spikes almost touching each other around Bai Yu's muscular torso.
The center of the symbol pulsed boldly, declaring sovereignty.
So Jiwoo flew towards Bai Yu, as if sensing the tilt in power. With a shake of his head, Bai Yu stomped his feet, waiting in anticipation for his prey to throw themselves into Death's grasp.
So Jiwoo extended his claws, eyes flaring wide as the sharp, black tips of Bai Yu's claws pierced his chest. Without hesitation, his own claws drove into the other man's stomach and he pinned the stronger man in place.
"Now!" he shouted hoarsely, making Bai Yu's body flinch in surprise.
So Jiwoo had wrestled for control from the beast to send the signal.
The curved edge of a blade pierced through Bai Yu's aura brutally, the unstoppable momentum driving it into the older man's heart.
Unless the gods gifted a human with two hearts, there was no human who wouldn't succumb to that attack. Naturally, Bai Yu was no exception.
The older man's grip slacked, the red glow extinguished from his eyes. He stared at So Jiwoo's burning, blue eyes, and admitted his defeat deep in his heart. The symbol on his back pulsed in regret.
His body collapsed onto the ground, cold.
Behind him, Nox flicked his fingers in greeting.
Victor lowered the curved blade of his katana, edged with Nox's ability that helped pierce through Bai Yu's defenses. The crimson blood slowly slid off, dripping onto the ground in steady drops.
A blur of red flashed past as Kuna absorbed his owner's blood before anymore could be lost.
The rain finally broke through the storm clouds, washing the entire base in a hazy light crimson. So Jiwoo stood in front of Bai Yu's body, unable to feel any emotions. In the end, he couldn't manage to muster up sympathy for the old fox. He had placed the people they protected under threat- as a leader of Arcadia, and as himself, this was something he couldn't forgive. But these thoughts were thought by the person, and the current him in berserk mode didn't have the ability to think this clearly.
Victor quickly pulled out a silver disk from his inventory, walking up to So Jiwoo calmly. Naturally, he walked over Bai Yu's dead body without any regard.
The young leader of Arcadia hadn't yet regained a clear state of mind. He watched as the tall figure approached him, holding something in his hands that seemed to sooth the raging anger within him. Reassuring words came from the man's mouth and the calming object was pressed into his hand.
Upon contact, the glowing blue stripes on So Jiwoo's face disappeared, and he regained full consciousness. He smiled at Victor in thanks, exhausted eyes drifting to Nox. The young man flushed when he met the inquisitive expression on Nox's face. "You see why now... I showed you something unsightly," he apologized.
Nox smiled, waving away So Jiwoo's concern. "You're very strong. There's nothing to apologize about that." He only played a minor role in this victory. When So Jiwoo used his ability, Nox decided not to get involved until Victor asked for his help. This had been a matter between the two leaders of Arcadia- to eliminate the weak and declare a ruler between one of them.
Two tigers could not share the same mountain.
"One mountain cannot contain two tigers," someone voiced out in agreement.
Nox looked to the side to see Lei staring at Bai Yu's corpse with some pity in her eyes, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes. "Jiwoo is at an adult's prime age. It's natural that Bai Yu suffered defeat."
The rain started to pour down harder.
"I think you're messing up the prime age of an athlete with an adult," Nox pointed out, unable to resist swiping away water in his own eyes. He squinted at the sky in suspicion.
Lei blinked in surprise and shrugged, "It's close enough."
Nox gave her a strange look. "What were you doing this entire time?"
"Killing hounds." Lei frowned, spreading her hands helplessly. "Their skin is surprisingly thick. It takes a lot of effort to electrocute them to death. And for some reason, they kept on coming in an endless wave."
The uneasy feeling in his gut still hasn't subsided. Nox looked up at the sky again.
...Shit.
Although the visibility was low in the rain, it couldn't conceal the vibrant crimson portal in the sky. Nox pulled on Lei's hood before she could walk away. "Stay close."
His alarm made him momentarily lose control of his own aura. The unnatural sharp spike made So Jiwoo and Victor pause their conversation, following Nox's line of sight.
So Jiwoo inhaled sharply.
Behind the spiraling energy, the mark that possessed Bai Yu's mind and body thrummed in the air, showing off its owner proudly.
Nox tracked the source of aura vigilantly.
Sensing something off, many people turned their attention to the sky again, frightened by the reappearance of the crimson energy.
From the portal, a young man stepped out lazily, covering a yawn with a gloved hand. He couldn't be older than 24, faint traces of baby fat still on his face despite his sharp jawline and fierce features. He had long legs and messy black hair; one could tell his body had muscle definition even though it was covered up by his red and black coat.
Red eyes stared down at the crowd, pleased as their anxious and fearful expressions became more and more obvious.
It wouldn't be hard to kill all of them.
He snorted in amusement, tossing the idea around in his head for a bit before discarding it regretfully. Tsk, it was a shame he was on babysitting duty today.
Nox felt a chill run up his spine as those crimson eyes swept past his location; he ignored the seemingly endless amount of aura this man was releasing as the images of the young man overlapped in his mind.
'How interesting. You managed to destroy Amon's seed. But your stats are still...'
'I heard through rumors that Li Daiyu was marked by the Calamity of Destruction.'
'Useless bastards! Just see how Amon deals with you!'
The same person he had seen in the vision back when they destroyed the Seed of Catastrophe- the man who saved Zera.
He was Amon, the Calamity of Destruction.