It didn't take long for us to make our way back to the transport vehicle. The air was tense, filled with the lingering echoes of the fight we'd just escaped. Without wasting a moment, I turned to the group and commanded, "Get in the car. Set it to auto-mode."
"What? Why?" Ashlyn asked, her voice laced with confusion and a hint of irritation.
"Just trust me," I replied, my tone firm. Before anyone could protest further, I activated the vehicle's automated system and sent them off toward the nearest settlement.
As the car began to move, I called out, "Don't worry about me. I'll handle the monster. But I can't guarantee your safety if you stay."
Their expressions were a mix of surprise and frustration. I could see the hesitation in Ashlyn's eyes, but she remained silent, her gaze piercing as if trying to decipher my true intentions.
She mouthed a reluctant goodbye, and with that, they were gone, leaving me alone to face the beast.
I turned back toward the forest, my senses heightened and my resolve firm. The air was heavy with the stench of blood and decay. As I approached the battlefield, the sight before me was nothing short of chaos.
The Earth Elemental Bear—or what was left of it—was scattered across the clearing. Pieces of its massive stone body were strewn across the dark green grass, now stained with blackened blood.
In the center of the carnage stood the Shadow Basilisk, its obsidian scales shimmering in the dim light. It was feasting on the bear's remains, its monstrous jaws tearing through flesh and stone alike.
Then, it noticed me.
Its fiery orange eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, there was something almost human in its gaze—surprise, quickly replaced by a predatory glint. A sinister smile curled across its reptilian face.
It didn't waste any time. Opening its massive jaws, the Basilisk unleashed a sphere of black poison, the toxic orb streaking toward me at alarming speed.
I sidestepped effortlessly, the orb crashing into the ground behind me. The earth sizzled and melted under its corrosive effect, leaving behind a blackened crater.
The Basilisk wasn't done. It launched a volley of poison orbs in rapid succession, each one turning the surrounding forest into a wasteland. Trees dissolved into nothingness, and the once-vibrant grass took on a sickly, toxic sheen.
The Basilisk's tail lashed out next, cutting through the air with terrifying speed. But I was ready.
As the massive appendage bore down on me, I clenched my fist and poured mana into it. My aura flared, golden light enveloping my arm as I prepared to counter.
"Dragon Fist!" I roared, unleashing a devastating punch. This was my first time using conceptual power. Though It's a mysterious source of power different from Laws and the others but It's strength no less than others.
My glowing fist collided with the Basilisk's tail, and the impact was cataclysmic. A deafening boom echoed through the forest as the sheer force of our clash vaporized the Earth Elemental Bear's remains. Trees within a hundred-meter radius were obliterated, reduced to splinters and ash.
The ground beneath us crumbled, sinking several meters as a shockwave rippled outward. The forest trembled under the weight of our power, and weaker monsters in the vicinity were killed instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the intensity of the sound wave.
Just one clash had been enough to destroy an ecosystem that had likely thrived for thousands of years.
The Basilisk recoiled, its tail slightly cracked from the impact. Its fiery gaze burned brighter, now filled with rage. It let out a guttural roar that shook the earth, its entire body coiling as it prepared for its next move.
"Is that all you've got?" I taunted, cracking my knuckles as I stepped forward.
The Basilisk responded by slamming its massive claws into the ground, summoning jagged spikes of blackened earth to erupt around me. I dodged and weaved through the deadly barrage, each spike narrowly missing its mark.
Drawing mana into my core, I activated Omni Vision and Omni Sense, heightening my perception to its peak. The Basilisk's movements slowed in my mind, each of its attacks becoming more predictable.
As it lunged at me, its jaws wide open, I countered with a burst of mana-infused speed. I closed the distance in an instant, delivering a devastating upward punch to its jaw.
The Basilisk roared in pain, its head snapping back as it staggered. Not giving it a moment to recover, I followed up with a spinning kick, sending the massive creature crashing into a nearby cliffside.
The impact caused the cliff to collapse, burying the Basilisk under tons of rubble. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring my vision for a moment.
But I knew better than to think it was over.
Sure enough, a low growl emanated from the rubble, and the Basilisk emerged, its obsidian scales cracked and bleeding but its will to fight unbroken.
"You're tougher than I thought," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow.
The Basilisk roared again, its aura flaring as it prepared one final attack. Dark energy gathered around its body, and the ground beneath it began to crack and crumble.
I could feel the oppressive weight of its mana, the sheer intensity enough to make most people fall to their knees. But I wasn't most people.
Channeling every ounce of mana I had, I raised both hands and began to shape a massive spell. Golden light radiated from my body, illuminating the devastated battlefield. I got the idea from using the conceptual atrack i used before but this time i am gonna pour more power while turning it into spell format, this is gonna be devastating.
"Let's end this," I said, my voice steady despite the strain.
The Basilisk lunged, its entire body coated in a black, venomous aura. At the same time, I unleashed my spell.
"Dragon's Wrath!"
A colossal beam of golden energy shot from my hands, colliding with the Basilisk in mid-air. The two forces clashed, creating a blinding explosion of light and darkness.
The shockwave tore through the forest, leveling everything in its path. The ground quaked violently, and for a moment, it felt like the entire world was coming apart. The explosion most likely had killed any lifeform for miles, below the level Rank 2 maybe even Low Rank 3.
When the light finally faded, the battlefield was unrecognizable. The forest was gone, replaced by a massive crater. At the center of it lay the Basilisk, its massive body broken and lifeless.
I staggered, my body drained from the fight. Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and turned away from the destruction. That level kf destruction was definitely Nuclear level i mean most likely even greater, thankfully this world was many times larger than earth otherwise with the level of beings here it would've been a wonder how this place remained intact and i also Didn't have to worry about climate, i mean that's a bonus.
This quest, which had started as a simple monster hunt, had turned into something far more dangerous than any of us had anticipated. But in the end, I had emerged victorious.
As I made my way back toward the settlement, I couldn't help but smirk.
"Not bad," I muttered to myself. "But I'll need to get even stronger, and propably a shower be very good now".