Explosive Leveling (4)
Emperor Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta).
They were apex predators in the insect world.
Small in size, but ferociously powerful hunters.
Powerful jaws.
Strong enough to shatter hard shells or insect exoskeletons with ease.
Blinding speed.
The tiger beetle boasted the fastest land speed among insects.
Some species could cover over 125 times their body length in a single second.
Keen eyesight.
With large compound eyes granting wide fields of vision and exceptional acuity.
Especially in combat, they exhibited incredible dynamic vision, precisely tracking even the fastest-moving foes.
In short: razor-sharp vision and blistering speed, topped with jaws that could snap an enemy's throat in one kill.
These were the three keys that cemented the Emperor Tiger Beetle's throne as the insect ecosystem's top predator.
"You think this body will go down easy?!?!"
A tremendous wave of energy erupted from Zephyros's body.
That aura crashed over us.
Exposed to Predator's Killing Intent.
'Kugh.'
My body froze in place with a jolt.
Dizziness hit me all at once.
I couldn't even twitch a finger.
Zephyros's technique seemed like the same kind of aura skill Azkai often used—Primordial Intimidation.
Now I finally understood why so many foes had been paralyzed before Azkai.
『Master!』
"This...!"
"Master..."
The guardians froze upon seeing my debuff.
To them, my safety trumped wiping out the enemy.
"Kuh!"
Catching the unexpected opening, Zephyros whirled around.
Planning to beat a hasty retreat.
'No!'
My inner shout rang out.
The Dragon Heart pulses.
Dragon's Blessing envelops your body.
All negative status effects are cleared.
'Ah.'
My gasp unleashed draconic energy from my body.
"Catch it!!"
The moment I shouted.
Boom!!
Azkaia and Archeron were already charging.
Tzzzing. Thung—!!!
Wispent loosed a spirit arrow.
Ziiiiiing! Paaaah!!
Lulumiel's speed debuff locked its legs.
"Dimensional Pull."
Crimson unleashed dimensional authority.
Then.
"Guhk."
Zephyros, bolting away like a shot, was yanked back like metal to a magnet.
"Grrrrrr—how dare you against Master!!"
『Pay the price.』
The spirit arrow pierced its back, just as furious Azkai and Archeron's strikes hammered home.
Spluuurt—!!!!!
Green blood sprayed into the air.
"Kraaaagh—!"
Zephyros's agonized scream tore from its maw.
Huff.
Abandoning escape, it twisted its upper body.
One-third of its torso hung in tatters.
"I'll drag at least one of you to hell!!!"
It knew survival was off the table.
Choosing mutual destruction, defenses be damned.
Emperor's Charge
Boom!!!
A sonic boom erupted from Zephyros.
Blending tiger beetle speed with transcendent reflexes for an absurdly swift lunge.
Splitting instants into microseconds.
Zephyros was already at Azkai's nose.
Its deadliest weapon: jaws that shredded all.
Creeeeak!!
Its lower jaw split wide, massive mandibles surging forth.
Jaws of Annihilation——!
Kwajijijijijik!!!
Space itself crumpled with the sound.
Incredibly, its strike warped reality with transcendent force.
Even from afar, my heart dropped at the power.
But Azkai met it head-on, unflinching.
Whiiish—!!
Ducking low to evade, then.
"Grrrrrr—!"
A low roar, and molten lava boiled from his frame.
Fwoooosh————!
The area flooded with yellow lava in an instant.
Lava Flame Burst Advance——!!!
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
Azkaia raked the ground with claws; the earth exploded, a lava pillar erupting.
"Kraaaaaaaaagh!!"
Zephyros's massive scream rang out.
It dodged the blast's range, but its right leg got swept.
Result.
Thud—!
Zephyros staggered back, struggling to balance on one leg.
Its right leg was gone from the shin down, vaporized clean.
Its speed sealed for good.
『Whirl, thunder!!』
Kwarrrrrrung!!!
I hurled Dragon Words at the reeling foe.
Kwajijijijit—!
"Kuhhh."
Purple lightning coiled around Zephyros, drawing a faint groan.
Normally, it would've shrugged off the damage, but its wrecked state let it land.
"You bastard—!"
It glared at me with seething rage.
"Grrrrrrrr! How dare a worm like you eye Him with that filthy look?!"
Azkaia appeared, slamming a yellow-lava-charged fist into its face.
Fierce Flame Strong Strike——!
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!!!
A massive explosion rocked; yellow lava detonated from Zephyros's face.
Kwagagagagagagakgagaga!!
Boom!!!!!!!
It rocketed over a hundred meters before cratering.
No head left on its corpse.
One shot, skull obliterated.
Kwaaaaa!
Amid the unresolved scorching heat.
Tremendous growth energy surged into me.
Kugrrrrr!
'Kuh.'
My level had been 183 moments ago.
Reached after a week of butchering the insect horde.
Post-180, even single levels felt torturously slow.
Yet now, explosive heat flooded my body despite that.
Messages blanketed my vision.
I rocketed straight to the daily max of 190.
Not just me.
The guardians exploded in levels too.
Then.
Paaaaah!
Black starlight poured from Zephyros's corpse, spilling ★ jewels and ▲ fragments.
"Whoa..."
An awe-struck gasp escaped me.
How many was that?
◈ ▲ Fragments x4
***
Elatrium.
The grand forest where forest spirits, the Elatria, gathered to form their domain.
Paaaaah!
Ashen mana converged before it, manifesting a being.
『This is the place.』
A rippling shadow body.
Eyes blending red and gold light.
The Evil Entity.
He stared at Elatrium briefly, then sneered.
『Kukukuk, dragon aura indeed.』
The Entity eyed the area directly behind Elatrium, lips curling.
『What a coincidence. Wonder what that'll thing do when it wakes and finds a Dragon's Lair overhead.』
Muttering cryptically, the Entity advanced on Elatrium.
Then.
Gugrrrrr!!
The Elatria's leaves thrashed wildly at spotting him.
『You...』
『Foul... being... do you know... where this is...?』
『Begone... or else...!』
The Entity tilted his head blankly amid their fury, peering into Elatrium.
『Strange. Not even a full dragon, yet a hatchling's aura leaks outside the lair?』
At his words.
『Noooo...!』
『Shut... that mouth...!』
『How dare... you filth... utter the great one's name...!!』
The Elatria raged, channeling forest power to extremes.
Kwaaaaa!!
A green hemispherical barrier enveloped Elatrium.
A Barrier of Exorcism repelling evil.
But.
『Foolish relics of the past—still as stupid as ever.』
Scoffing, the Entity stepped toward the barrier.
Pajijijijijit!!
A barrier that should've repelled him.
Yet he slipped inside effortlessly.
『You...!』
『This place... is...!』
『Foul one... retreat...!』
Outraged Elatria lashed branches and roots like whips.
Attacks filling every direction.
But.
『Still don't get it? Your power can't touch me.』
Pfshk, paaaak, pfuuuuk!!
Like striking a ghost, their assaults phased harmlessly through.
"Awooooooo!"
"Woooooo—!"
"Grrrrrrrrr!"
Shadow wolves charged next.
『So Grim Reaper's mutts were holed up here.』
The Entity smirked amusedly at the lunging wolves.
Thuk, pfuuuk, pfubububuk!
Their strikes merely grazed him, no damage dealt.
"Awooooooo!"
"Wooooo!"
The wolves kept coming, slashing empty air.
『Pointless.』
Grinning crookedly, he pressed onward.
"F-Foul being...!"
"Ahh!"
"Li-Lili..."
Next, trembling Lili tribesfolk.
『So the Lili queen's here too. Tsk.』
The Entity realized Vermith's blunder had let her slip away.
『No wonder causality started fraying.』
Vermith's rashness was inexcusable.
Shaking his head, he advanced.
The hatchling aura grew nearer.
Elatria and wolves assaulted fiercer, but inflicted zero harm, slowing him not a step.
Instead.
Kururrrr.
Ominous storm clouds gathered above his head.
Carrying malice, he reached the center.
『Uh...』
A radiant five-colored dragon emitting brilliant light.
『Ho. Not the real body—an avatar. How'd it project outside the lair?』
The hatchling before him.
Dania's avatar.
How had Dania slipped out?
Her secret preparation.
The first day out with Seojun.
Dania realized she couldn't physically exit via magnetism, but 10th Circle avatar magic allowed it.
Secretly prepped while devouring Glacial Fruits behind Seojun's back.
Thus, when he left, she activated it to play outside.
Dania's cute little rebellion, unspoken to Seojun.
It summoned fortune to thwart this unprecedented intruder.
『Kkyu!!! Get out of my house!!』
Five-colored mana burst from Dania's floating form.
Tiny body, but its dazzling radiance held no small power.
Nay—transcendent presence and dignity beyond mere magnitude.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!
『......Kuh.』
The Entity groaned faintly for the first time under the aura.
『Elemental Dragon...』
His eyes widened.
To encounter one of the Genesis or Cosmos Dragons—capable of transcendence and ultimate—among dragons.
Elemental Dragons ranked top-tier even among them.
『Kukuku. So that's why causality held despite Vermith's screw-up.』
He understood.
This Elemental Dragon would become their grand scheme's greatest obstacle.
And those around it would achieve immense growth.
For Elemental Dragons embodied growth and transcendence.
『Better this way.』
The Entity grinned.
Causality's tangle was clearer now.
His original plan still worked.
Probing was his only option anyway.
『Dragon God Alkarsha, never imagined you'd prepare this. Fine—let's see whose machinations reach the finale. Hahaha—!』
As the Entity cackled madly.
『Kkyu—!! Shut uuuup———!!!』
Intenser five-colored mana erupted from Dania, sweeping him.
Pasususususu!!
Then.
The body immune to Elatria and wolves crumbled like sand from the head down.
『Next time... won't be so...』
『Kkyu!!!』
Flash—!
Pfuuuuuuk!!
The Entity's presence fully dissipated.
The ominous clouds above evaporated clean.
『Ooo... as expected... of the great... one...!』
『Ahh... praise... to the great... one...!』
『Blessings...!』
The Elatria marveled, lauding Dania.
"Awooooooo!"
"Woooooo!"
"Ah, great one...!"
"Lili!"
Shadow wolves and Lili followed suit.
Dania puffed her chest, head held high amid the praise.
『Kkyu!! I'll protect our house! Don't worry, friends!!』
***
"Whoa."
I gawked at the ★ jewels and ▲ fragments from Zephyros.
Three ★ jewels.
Vestiger gave two—first time for that—but now three.
Plus four ▲ fragments.
Most from a single foe ever.
'This...'.
Wanna hunt the rest of the Corps Commanders.
Desire flared.
"We must take the other Corps Commanders too..."
I was about to say we'd sweep them per plan.
Eh?
The insect legion changed abruptly.
They were retreating en masse.
What?
We hadn't even started the finale.
Then!
Wispent stepped forward.
"Actually, perfect timing. I have a good idea."
Wispent.
Her red lips parted, unleashing a knee-slapping scheme.