On Earth, the imdiate crisis had subsided as the attackers withdrew from their targets, but chaos continued to unfold in the aftermath of unprecedented destruction. The death of an Ascender and the near-total destruction of Zone D had sent shockwaves through awakener society.
The Awakener's Association and multiple powerful families had suffered imnse losses. Early estimates placed the financial damage well into the trillions of dollars, while the human cost was even more staggering—hundreds of thousands of lives lost in a single day.
In what remained of Zone D, Tom Glassy stood atop one of the few skyscrapers that was barely intact, surveying the ruins of what had once been a thriving tropolitan district. Smoke rose from countless fires throughout the city, while ergency crews worked tiredly to rescue survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
"George, I never imagined you'd be gone so soon," Tom murmured quietly, his eyes reflecting the destruction of the city.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Rain began falling from the clouds, the water helping firefighters extinguish the nurous blazes while providing so small asure of relief to the ashy air.
A heavy sigh escaped Tom's lips as he shook his head with a ting of sadness crossing his face. George had been one of the few people he'd known since their youth, sharing decades of history despite their different affiliations. Learning of his death in combat against the masked attackers brought an unexpected weight to his chest. There had been no animosity between them—just two n who'd chosen different paths but maintained mutual respect.
"Everything is becoming increasingly unstable," Tom said softly to himself as he gazed across the city. "I need to grow stronger to protect the two young ones. Life is more unpredictable than ever, and only strength can guarantee survival in tis like these."
His expression hardened. One mont his figure stood silhouetted against the stormy sky atop the damaged building. The next, he had vanished entirely, his destination known only to himself.
Below in the ruins, nulls, Awakeners, and Evolvers continued their rescue efforts, working together to aid the injured and search for survivors. The rebuilding of Zone D would require months, perhaps even a full year, to restore the district to anything resembling its forr state.
But the lives lost would never return, leaving permanent scars on both the landscape and the hearts of those who survived to carry on.
♢♢♢♢
[You have killed the Level 25 S-Rank Wild Nature Deer]
[You have gained 750 Lives]
Moon stored the corpse of the S-rank beast in his storage ring, but satisfaction eluded him. The life rewards from S-rank creatures were declining with each kill, and he suspected they would soon drop to negligible amounts—perhaps as low as 5 lives per kill at so point.
It was becoming increasingly clear that Moon had outgrown the First Sanctuary's challenge level. His evolution was approaching rapidly.
[ Na: Moon ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Class: Classless, Swordmaster ]
[ Level: 25 ] [Awaiting Evolution]
[ Lives: 89,628 ] [Super Lives: 5]
[ Strength: 48 ] [ Agility: 48 ] [ Constitution: 55 ] [ Mana: 82 ] ( 5 to all stats)
[ Attribute Points: 0 ]
[ Skills: Elental Attack, Advanced Elental Body, Tenacity, Golden Skin, Ignite, Dagger Arts, Rune Inscription, Appraisal, Lightning Raiju, Calmness, Beastmaster, Minor nd, Purify, Stone Clasp, Heaviness, Air Step, Piercing Sword, Bird Dance ]
[ Talent: Grim Reaper ]
[ Class Skill: Class Slot {1/1} ]
[Kill Fifty level 25 creatures classified at S-Rank power level alone: 26/50]
After eliminating the two Tusked Boars, Moon had encountered two additional S-rank beasts in the Grand Horizon—the deer being the second of that pair. Both had fallen without presenting any challenges.
His evolution requirent was progressing smoothly, and he was already past the halfway point toward his goal.
The Grand Horizon had proven to be the most productive hunting ground he'd discovered so far. Most importantly, the region was vast, containing nurous unexplored areas that likely contained more S-rank beasts.
The prospect of reaching thirty kills within this single zone restored Moon's enthusiasm. He was no longer concerned about the diminishing life rewards from each victory—by the ti they beca truly insignificant, he would have completed his requirents and advanced beyond the First Sanctuary entirely.
The tournant deadline remained tight, but his progress was accelerating.
♢♢♢♢
Selene's left arm hung useless at her side, blood dripping down from her crippled arm onto the pristine white snow, creating an expanding crimson stain. Before her stood the two remaining Musk Oxens', one bearing so injuries from her earlier attacks while the other remained largely unhard.
Their malevolent glares seed to penetrate her very soul, radiating pure hatred for the intruder who had just killed their companion. The taste of her blood still lingered on one ox's muzzle where it had torn a large chunk of flesh from her arm during the battle.
The two creatures began circling her body, sensing her weakened state as she desperately began channeling her remaining mana for another spell.
Before she could charge the spell, the two beasts struck at once, charging from opposite directions to prevent any possibility of escape.
"Shit!" Selene cursed through gritted teeth, imdiately casting an earth spell.
A thick pillar of stone erupted beneath her feet, lifting her rapidly above the converging attack as both oxen crashed into the base of her impromptu tower. She seized the perfect opportunity—both enemies were clustered directly below her position.
Selene unleashed [Dragon's Breath] with her remaining mana, the devastating cone of fla engulfing both creatures as they struggled to recover from their failed charge.
The magical fire consud them both, their anguished roars echoing across the mountainside as the inferno seared through their scruffy hide.
But her high ground position couldn't be maintained. The earth pillar crumbled from the oxen's impact, sending Selene tumbling toward the rocky slope below.
Thud!
She hit the ground hard, pain shooting through her already injured body.
One notification blazed across her vision, but only one. The second ox had survived the attack, though clearly wounded and enraged beyond reason.
"I have almost no mana left, I can't kill it…" Selene gasped.
The surviving ox was already recovering from the flas, preparing for another charge that she simply couldn't counter in her current condition.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Selene made the only choice available.
"Goodbye for now," she called out to the charging beast, waving her hand in farewell. "I'll co back for you another ti."
Without hesitation, Selene launched herself off the edge of the mountain cliff, choosing to fall to her death rather than dying on the hands of the beast.
The wind rushed past Selene as she plumted toward the snowy slopes far below, her body spinning helplessly through the cold air.
CRACK!
Her body made violent contact with a rocky outcropping partway down the cliff face. The impact sent soul wrenching pain through her entire body, shattering her remaining arm and breaking most of the bones in her torso. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. The mountain's steep angle ensured that her body continued tumbling and rolling off its subsequent ledges.
The pain was overwhelming for the brief monts she remained conscious before death claid her mid-fall.
[You have died]
[You have lost 2500 Lives]
Monts later, Selene found herself in mid-air, still falling toward the unforgiving terrain below. The system had restored her to the exact location of death, which happened to be hundreds of ters above ground.
THUD!
She made yet another fatal contact against jagged, protruding rocks, followed by more rolling and bouncing down the mountainside.
[You have died]
[You have lost 2500 Lives]
Again she spawned in the air, and again the fall proved lethal. Only on the third death did her body finally co to rest at the base of the cliff .
[You have died]
[You have lost 2500 Lives]
'Shit... I only have two re-spawns left before permanent death,' Selene cursed weakly as the death debuff took effect.
She hadn't anticipated that the fall would require three separate deaths to reach the bottom safely. Her body felt sluggish and weak from the penalty, every little move requiring more than twice the effort.
Selene imdiately began limping away from the cliff base, searching for shelter where she could hide and recover while the debuff ran its course. Being caught by any powerful creature in her current weakened state would likely result in her true death.
Unfortunately, before Selene could limp more than a few dozen ters from the cliff base, a thunder-clapping roar shook snow from the surrounding pine trees. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she slowly turned toward the source of the sound.
The bloodied Musk Ox was charging down the mountainside directly toward her, its massive hooves creating small avalanches with each pounding step.
Selene's mouth fell open slightly, unable to process what her eyes were showing her. The ox had sohow managed to catch up to her position despite her leap from the peak to escape it.
Examining its terribly wounded and bleeding body, Selene understood how it was able to catch up. The beast had followed her over the cliff edge, jumping after her in pursuit of vengeance for its fallen companion. Otherwise, even given its speed, it would be unable to catch up to her.
Unlike her, the Ox had a powerful body that could resist the impacts of falling from massive distances, but not without a cost.
"This crazy beast..." Selene's mouth twitched. She felt a grudging respect for its resolve, it had thrown itself from the peak, risking its life…just to catch up to her—to avenge its dead companions.
Although she was worried, she felt so relief upon looking at the ox's bloodied figure, Selene realized they were both in similarly desperate condition. ***
I have listened to your suggestions from last chapter, and the pov's will remain focused on moving the story forward from the next 2 chapters. These chapters have already been written, so apologies in advance.
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