Bro, I'm not an Undead!

(A/N: Bonus Chapter)

As the descent of the island which had spawned from the stream of light that jutted out of the staff was upon the city, most were crippled of hope!

The overbearing force of wind from above gave an unsettling feel that just made everyone stop to gape for a few moments and then start running.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"Cowards! Come back and fight!"

"DON'T YOU SEE WHAT'S ABOVE YOU, DAMMIT!"

"Yeah! We'll die if we stay here!"

"Save some of the civilians at least!"

"Do I look like I can carry a weight, fight and run at the same time?!"

"PLEASE HELP US!"

"Stop and fight for us you hypocrites!"

The distressed voices of many echoed out throughout the entire city as mercenaries, Knights and civilians alike rushed towards the entrance from various positions within the massive settlement!

It was the natural thing to do when confronted with such a tragic situation.

Unfortunately, the hundreds upon hundreds of grey-skinned calamities immediately responded by attacking with even more zeal, their barbed tentacles making short work of normal people while they successfully stalled the Knights and mercenaries!

This attack was too much and the overhead calamity-in-chief would definitely destroy the entire city as well as slaughter millions instantly, especially when considering the number of civilians!

The top half of the island couldn't be seen, but vestiges of plant life could be made out if one was a sufficient distance away.

Tulnas who had used Alphat's water manipulating abilities to cushion his fall, could only gape at the falling mass as in no conceivable way could he image how this could be stopped at all.

By conventional means at least.

He couldn't afford to gawk at the island for too long however, as the beasts that he had dropped off through the sand had started rushing back towards the city and he was the only thing standing between them and the hundreds of thousands of lives!

If only the mercenaries and Knights that were tied up at the front of the city could get some leeway, they could join him.

Or perhaps Renialid and the others, if they were close enough.

'Any ideas?' Tulnas questioned the fox that dwelled within him.

'Maybe if we use the False Territory while suspended in mid-air, we could cause the island to break apart, mitigating its velocity...' the fox responded intelligently.

Tulnas thought about this but couldn't see it as a sure-fire way to nip the problem in the bud.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one tussling for an answer to the massive riddle as Terian also wore a troubled face as his hair and beard were rustled by the blowing wind.

In addition to this, he also had to deal with revamped beast in front of him that looked utterly pleased at the prospect of the colossal waves of damage that were about to ensue!

Its new appearance made Terian back away further as it was that much more monstrous!

A purple hue now washed over its body instead of the grey while what had been boils over its skin had now become akin to pale marbles imbedded superficially over its flesh, half protruding from it!

Its face remained the same, but the tentacles that once draped over the ground now floated up while being parted, divided into two sides over its visage like a flying moustache!

A burly body with a tout layers of thick flesh could now be identified as the creature confidently stood, revealing its chest pads and abs that oozed of sparkly slime as if to emphasise its hulking muscles!

Terian who had dissected what had occurred for it to uddenly change this much was gobsmacked.

Nomatter how much he had tried to reject this observation, it still shone above all other theories as the dreadful reality!

'Utterly ridiculous! So that's why it constantly takes in mana!' he thought. He had witnessed the creature take in extraordinarily deep breaths and in the process draw vast quantities of mana twice.

'Its using this natural ability to replace having to actively kill other beings in order to acquire their cumulative mana! This means... it just used all the mana it has absorbed to evolve just now!'

Exactly!

As Tulnas had mentioned before when describing Alphat's powers, certain beasts had unique natural abilities that didn't require mana, notably Cluster beasts.

This was one such ability.

In Aigas, it had always been the norm that taking a sentient life allowed for one to acquire the cumulative mana from their body and strengthen oneself, but this creature ignored this entirely through its ability!

Terian could barely believe it, and his inner scholar yearned to study this, but unfortunately two colossal problems plagued his sides!

The purple beast suddenly took steps forward towards Terian but the old man did not see anything but a blur before his neck was clutched firmly by the monster's thick hand, his elderly mass raised into the air!

...!

This speed!

There wasn't even a sound that he perceived as the creature moved!

Gin who had been having trouble standing up in the presence of the creature gnashed his teeth as he used every ounce of strength he had left, firmly holding his sword as he exerted strength in his legs to lunge forward.

Yet...

Pop!

One of the pale marbles over the skin of the octo-beast popped out and shot towards him before he could take his step!

As it approached, Gin was only able to try and knock it away with his bastard sword when...

BOOOM! SPLURT!

A viscous explosion occurred as the marble erupted with a highly condensed air force while at the same time, a dark liquid splashed over part of Gin's face and right arm!

The impact shot him away violently while the dark liquid seeped through the gaps of his armour and stained the skin on his arm!

"AUUGHHHH!" Gin screeched as he flew, his skin started to change wherever the liquid had touched as half of his face instantly turned grey with boils swarming over his skin while on his arm, the limb lost its firmness and started to transform into a long, slimy tentacle that wrapped around Gin's neck tightly!

The man stumbled over the ground as he tried to use his other hand to set himself free but the irritations over his face from the transformation eroded much of his strength and sanity as on top of this, he couldn't even breathe!

Terian eagerly struggled against the beast while also taking short glances to the sky where the brownish-red crust of the island could be seen!

The Hawk of Conflagration behind him screeched as it flapped its wings offensively at the purple octo-humanoid but the creature merely slammed its staff into the ground which released a bright white force that countered the bird's own, driving it a bit of a distance away!

Terian tried to cast another spell but the beast strengthened its hold over him, challenging his nerves' tolerance!

The beast looked at him deeply, as if it was trying to peer through his very soul.

It had noticed the high quality of his mana but for some reason, it couldn't draw it from him with just a breath from its natural ability.

With the continued cruel hold, Terian's eyes had started to become hazy as oxygen ran out from him, his body starting to turn weak as his faculties failed.

He blinked as he tried to maintain his focus when he saw...

A distance away, where Gin had fallen, the Knight struggling with his own predicament, he saw someone crouching over him!

As he noticed this, it seemed like the beast that held him also noticed something and turned.

A young man with flowing dark hair held up Gin's head as he then swiped with his hand at an imperceptible speed, the tentacle which was Gin's arm being lopped off!

The Purity Knight felt his neck loosen and took a sharp breath before sitting up!

He looked up at the emerald green eyes of the young man who had saved his life and after a moment nodded wordlessly, the young man rising with a slight smile as his chiselled build revealed by the fact that he wore nothing but a tied up brown cloth at his waist to cover his privates, oozed of power!

Terian looked immensely relieved at seeing this man.

'Finally...' he thought.

Finally... he was here.

So damn late but here!

"Regression brings Strength..." the young man with dark hair said as he crunched his hand into a steady fist that became saturated with billows of heavy, deadly and suffocating mana!

...!

The purple beast was shocked!

This man's core...

It spilled voracious volumes of thick mana, like deep waves of the ocean into his body, giving the well toned body of this new arrival a transcendent feel in its senses!

His core....

It was a light shade of purple like its own!

What Frock had told Skullius for a golden price on their first meeting was now coming to fruition!

There was only one individual with a purple core in this entire city!

And that... was the man who stood before the Cluster beast at this moment!

The man's emerald eyes flashed with an outline of horrendous mana, his sunken cheeks becoming filled with air as he took in a deep breath!

Before what was known as a millisecond could be counted all the way through, the dark-haired man.... was already flying past the purple beast with his figure streaking through the turbulent atmosphere, his throbbing vein covered fist which trailed behind sinking into the beasts face with a nasty crunch!

POW!!!!!

The breeze brought on by the falling island was nothing compared to the ring of devastation that rippled when the punch from the black-haired slammed against the octo-humanoid's face!

The ground had rose, flying as it couldn't take the sudden burst of horrendous power that was released!

Within a range of over a hundred meters, the hard crust crumpled and spewed up dust as the Cluster beast that had met this attack was sent piercing through the air and smashing against the city wall only to blast out the other end as it kept on going for over a few hundred meters more!

WUUUU....

Terian had used his Hawk of Conflagration to keep himself anchored and safe while Gin had plunged his bastard sword into the ground to keep himself from flying with his remaining hand!

The aftermath of one punch was this extensive as the young man with dark hair that draped over almost to his waist emitted a hot breath that cleared the dust all around the vicinity!

His tanned body got into a forward leaning stance as he seemed to want to rush on ahead, but not towards the beast.

"Strength brings Salvation..." the man said with a soft voice as he...

VUBOOOM!

The ground was superheated and eradicated under his feet as he lunged forward like the god of speed!

A distance away in his course, a battle to survive was taking place as the tension was visible and audible among the participants!

"KEEP IT IN PLACE, DAMMIT! I ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT REMAINING!"

"You come and try to hold it place if you can, bastard!"

"Don't just stand there! Attack!"

"I'm doing my best!"

"STOP FIGHTING AND FOCUS ON PILING DAMAGE!"

Six mercenaries who had been having trouble facing one of the grey skinned beasts, especially when the oppressive force of the island that was falling was bearing down on them yelled and flung their attacks at the creature while risking their lives.

They were on edge seeing as they could easily die, much like their companions on the ground.

As some used their shields while another shot an arrow, another barely dodging the barbed tentacle swung across the entire street, all six of the mercenaries saw a darting blur pass by them...

SPLAT!

At the same time, the beast they had been fighting hard against, spontaneously exploded into a mass of blood, organs and fleshy chunks that rained all over them by the time they blinked!

"..."

Huh?

What the hell just happened?!

The mercenaries and Knights who had been battling the beasts in their collective groups while also trying to distance themselves from the city found the same happening to their foes!

Masses of flesh would be left flying after the darting blur passed by them, hundreds of the tentacled beasts within the city being dispatched in but a measly FOUR seconds!

However, the sheer quantity of these beasts was was too much for this young man to deal with when the threat of the island was still afoot!

He had to address this first.

After culling at least half of the monsters in the city, the black-haired man stormed towards a rather tall building, scaled up its height and then without stopping, hunkered down and leapt up with all his might upwards!

The building he had used folded in on itself from the immensity power!

The man's naked upper torso revealed his muscles turning firm and compact as he gathered all his strength and cocked back his arm which radiated with the blinding white hue of mana!

Mana condensed many times over what any blue core individual could ever dream of, filled every ounce of the young man's body, saturating it to the utmost limit!

This fist carried an unimaginable force, the young man huffing in air as his cheeks became inflated again, his eyes opening wide as he grimaced before he launched a straight punch whose whistle as it soared upwards was heard throughout the city...!

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