After it was out of Moon’s sight, the alpha pivoted.
Its trajectory changed abruptly. It abandoned Moon and cut across the chamber toward Rowan, who was still firing arrows into the mass and was completely unaware of the alpha’s change of target.
The Underground Bat who had been tasked to protect Rowan felt the danger. It released a massive shriek aimed directly at the alpha.
The alpha’s head shook once, absorbing the strike without any visible injuries.
The attacks that had disoriented the lesser Cragbrutes barely registered on it.
Realising that its sound attacks were not working, the bat tried a different approach. It generated earth spikes across the alpha’s charge path, using its own earth-element control to raise obstacles in the beast’s way.
The alpha didn’t slow down.
Its massive body simply charged through the spikes. Its dense hide shattered them like brittle glass. Its physical strength was in a realm of its own, and no ordinary earth manipulation was going to stop it.
Moon felt something was wrong. He had been dealing with charging Cragbrutes whilst staying alert for any ambush attacks by the alpha. And yet, the attack he was anticipating never came.
He activated Air Step and launched himself upward, breaking above the mass of Cragbrutes to get a vantage point on the wider chamber.
His heart sank the moment he rose.
The alpha was already within ten meters of Rowan.
There was no time to cast anything. The alpha’s speed had crossed the intervening distance faster than any of Moon’s regular skills could respond.
A skill rune appeared in his palm. The skill rune he had prepared with Lightning Raiju during his stay at Tom’s estate, exactly for emergency scenarios like this one.
He activated it.
The purple wolf erupted from the rune with hungry white eyes. Its body coalesced from concentrated lightning instantly and launched toward the alpha at full speed.
Despite its efforts, the lightning raiju couldn’t reach them in time.
The alpha reached Rowan first.
Rowan saw the danger coming. He tried to leap sideways, his instincts firing correctly, his body moving with the speed of a fighter recognizing his imminent death.
The alpha leapt too.
Its massive body launched off the ground with a springing agility that only body refiner beasts possessed at its size and rank.
Its third horn drove forward at the exact angle required to intercept Rowan’s evasion.
~PTUI~
The horn pierced the chest armour Rowan wore, before driving deep into his chest and claiming his heart.
Rowan eyes became wide and bloodshot immediately from the shock. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
His body vanished within a second, torn apart by the violent attack.
The Lightning Raiju arrived a heartbeat later.
The purple wolf slammed into the alpha’s flank. The impact carried the alpha off its feet and sent it tumbling several meters through the air. Its massive body crashed into the chamber’s far wall with enough force to shatter the stone.
The wall collapsed around it, forming a small rubble.
Moon’s eyes locked onto the settling dust.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then the alpha rose from the rubble.
Its hide showed scorch marks from the back whilst its front leg was scraped raw from the attack. Its breathing was heavier than before. But its body was intact.
It had taken a direct hit from Lightning Raiju and stood back up without major injuries.
Moon’s brows rose slowly.
’Oh. It’s strong... really strong.’
For the first time in a long time, he was looking at a beast that could absorb his most powerful ranged attack and keep fighting.
He didn’t have time to admire it.
He rushed forward, running on the air slabs that he formed using Air Step.
His hand extended toward the location where Rowan had reappeared after reviving.
Rowan’s body had rematerialized on the ground in a dazed state that came with reviving. His eyes were wide, his breathing shallow, and his hand was pressed against his chest where the horn had punched through seconds ago.
Moon grabbed him by the collar and lifted him with one arm as he continued his motion.
He kicked off and rose higher into the air.
His off-hand shaped a platform of condensed earth mana against the far wall, forming a small ledge suspended ten meters above the chamber floor.
He deposited Rowan on the platform gently.
His voice was quiet but urgent.
"Are you okay?"
Rowan blinked slowly, still processing the effects of having just died.
The sensation of death was disorienting.
He nodded weakly.
"I’m fine."
His voice was hoarse.
Moon glanced back toward the alpha across the chamber.
Moon placed a healing rune on Rowan and cast Cleanse under its cover.
"Stay here. Don’t move. Don’t fight. Just breathe."
Rowan nodded weakly.
Moon reached through the Curse connection to the Underground Bat.
’Dig through the wall and get him out of the mountain.’
The bat acknowledged and immediately dropped down to the elevated platform. Its earth ability activated the moment it made contact with the wall behind the platform.
The stone began to part.
A tunnel opened outward, the bat’s earth manipulation carving a path through the mountain.
As a creature that had done this for its life’s entirety, it was a simple task.
Rowan wanted to stay, but that would mean he was protesting against Moon’s order.
The words never left his mouth.
He was too disciplined to argue with a direct order in the middle of a fight. Orders were law on the battlefield. Whatever his personal instinct to keep fighting, Moon’s command superseded it. He allowed the bat to carry him into the newly formed tunnel, and the two of them disappeared into the mountain’s interior.
The tunnel sealed itself behind them.
Rowan was safe.
Moon dropped back to the chamber floor.
His two swords back in his hands. Purple lightning crackled along both blades.
He stood facing the three-horned alpha across the ruined chamber.
Dozens of the surviving Cragbrutes had regrouped behind him during the brief pause.
Moon didn’t care, his eyes stuck on their leader.
"Are you going to attack? Or should I start first?"
The alpha didn’t understand the human tongue. But Moon’s tone and aura made his challenge clear.
The alpha’s three-horned head lowered slightly. Its front leg pawed at the packed dirt.
It roared.
The sound thundered through the chamber. The ground shook as the Cragbrutes behind Moon charged forward.
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