— West Ward, Eastern Badlands
The blinding rays of the bright white sun illuminated a continent of lush, green fields and tall, rolling hills. But in the far western and southern regions, a darker atmosphere prevailed. These areas were known as the Western and Southern Wards, notorious for their rampant violence and dark magic. The voodoo practitioners of the West Ward, especially, were famed for their debauchery and wicked curse arts.
Eastern Badlands, a seemingly endless wasteland. The air was thick with death and malice; an eerie wind whistled through the trees, and distant roars echoed from wild beasts lingering within. The land was barren and filled with rocks of all sizes, while sickly brown grass grew sparsely in some areas.
From afar, this place looked like a graveyard for rocks and withered grass and was so vast that the forest behind was hardly visible. It was a genuinely unnatural appeal. Rocks of varied sizes littered the land, the boundaries of which stretched back as far as the eye could see. Five hooded figures moved stealthily through this unforgiving land. As they made their way deeper into the forested region, the trees became taller and thicker until they eventually blocked out any view of the mountains around them.
Amidst the chaos of battle, a young man stood tall and defiant. His fierce hazel eyes blazed with determination as he surveyed the field before him. He wore white clothes fit for a king, adorned with jewels on his hands, wrists, and neck. But his torso was exposed, revealing glistening muscles and fresh scars earned in this fight.
In front of him were two monstrous creatures--a seven-meter tall purple orangutan with lightning symbol patterns in its fur and a small silver horn atop its head crackling with electricity and a six-meter tall wolf with azure fur and an icy silver patch on its back. Its fangs resembled crystalline daggers as it howled out its challenge. The two behemoths clashed and roared, shaking the very earth beneath them, but the giant ape's single target seemed to be one of the humans whose magical spells bounced harmlessly off its thick hide.
The men in black garb took turns attacking the ape.
The ferocious, purple-furred ape charged forward with a thunderous roar, shaking the ground beneath its feet. In the face of danger, four rock walls burst up from the earth, surrounding the beast. In response, the ape let out an enraged bellow as its arm became a shining purple lightning bolt, smashing through the stone walls and sending shards flying in every direction.
"Greater Earth Piercing Spike!" A stout man called out, running towards the ape with a massive rock spear raised high.
*Boom!*
With a single thrust, he pierced down fiercely into its shoulder, leaving a wound that leaked thick purple blood. The ape screeched in pain while simultaneously unleashing an electric storm of thunderbolt force, which sent the man flying backward.
"Golden Sea Frenzy!" Suddenly, a tall, slim figure with blonde hair visible from his hood blew into a magical conch and released a rushing sea of sparkling golden bricks that engulfed the beast! Yet the ape was unfazed by this attack and slammed heavily on its chest to shatter the waves.
"Dreaded Plague!" A slender warrior slashed out searing saber light that quickly transformed into a dreadful beam full of gray starlights that streaked straight for the beast's injured shoulder. Unfortunately for him, the ape sensed danger and narrowly escaped being torn apart by the purplish ray.
Rising from behind came a charging wolf with large fangs radiating frigid energy. It clamped onto what remained of the ape's wounded shoulder and ruthlessly tore away a huge chunk of flesh that soon froze over in its icy grip. The ape shot back in agony, releasing another violent burst of thunderbolt force that sent both wolf and warrior fleeing! Though frozen, its icy limb regrew rapidly as its eyes glowed with wrath.
The warriors' furious spells bombarded the ape with overwhelming force, as every magical projectile was met with a ferocious bite or swipe of its mighty paws. In full force, the ape let out an earth-shattering roar, releasing a scalding shock wave that plowed away the warriors and wolves alike in a single terrifying moment!
The enraged beast flew forward at an ungodly speed in a blinding flash and began condensing thunderbolt energy into its right leg. With one deadly kick, it unleashed a thunderous boom and sent the female warrior flying through a giant tree, revealing her delicate curves hidden behind her protective armor.
She spat out a mouthful of blood and screamed for help from her nearby companion as the ape ran towards her with lightning speed. Its fists pulsed with destructive power, aiming to turn the woman into roasted meat cakes before she could take another breath.
"Slaughter, dodge!" shouted Mercer as he soared like a rocket towards the female warrior in a blaze of fiery wings, knowing he'd never make it in time. Just as he feared his mission would fail miserably, a silhouette swiftly appeared under the crushing fist and snatched up the woman safely within arms' reach. The duo then vanished agilely on a gust of winds, leaving Mercer relieved but determined--his mission had changed from rescue to retaliation!
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
A loud rumble of thunder filled the air as the giant ape charged toward the two warriors, determined to crush them with its muscular arms. The young man in white raced ahead of the beast with supernatural speed, using his agility and reflexes to slip beneath the purple-furred creature's legs and trip it up. With a loud crash, the monstrous ape tumbled through several trees before approaching a heavy stop on the ground.
The big blue wolf appeared out of nowhere, diving from the sky towards the fallen beast. As if it had turned into a glacier, shards of ice flew out of its fur and mercilessly pierced deep into the back of the ape's neck. With a blood-curdling roar, it grabbed hold of the wolf and flung it away from its body. Undeterred, the creature spun around midair and continued its assault, unleashing powerful mini tornadoes packed full of razor-sharp wind force. This was coupled with an icy chill that numbed its opponent's muscles and slowed down its reaction time.
The enraged ape retaliated by shooting electric loogies that sizzled with lightning energy. They swiftly expanded to become meter-thick and meter-long energy bolts that struck at their target accurately, one after another. After three crackling hits, the mighty wolf was finally forced to retreat. At this moment, the devilishly handsome man landed next to it—the wolf pendant on his neck exuding an eerie purplish light.