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Chapter 555 Beasts
Chapter 555 Beasts
Chapter 555 Beasts
Alex's smirk deepened as he closed the gap between himself and Caius, with Virtue's Edge gleaming with intense fiery flames as he activated his talents. He moved with a practiced, predator's grace as every single step of his was calculated and precise, always aiming for a kill shot. Caius, despite his ealier bravado, took another cautious step backwards, with his own aura flaring with clearly defensive intent.
"You're nervous." Alex said, taunting the man with an almost assured tone. "I thought you said I was outmatched?"
Caius' sneer twisted into a grimace. He raised a hand, with the air around it warping. Black tendrils of energy, jagged and pulsating like they were almost alive, materialised around him, coiling like serpents eager to attack. The ground beneath his feet cracked as the oppressive energy flared out.
"Don't flatter yourself," Caius snapped, though the unease in his voice betrayed him. "You're a nobody who got lucky. I'll show you why I have such influence over the city."
With a flick of his wrist, the tendrils shot forward, each one honing in on Alex like heat-seaking missiles. They tore through the air, leaving trails of raw, damning energy in their wake.
Alex didn't flinch though.
With a fluid motion, he raised Virtue's Edge, with the blade glowing in an intense, deep red radiance as he swung it in a wide arc. The tendrils met the large edge of the sword, and for a moment, there was a deafening crack as the two forces collided. Sparks and shards of black and red energy scattered in all directions, but Alex's swing didn't falter.
The tendrils were sliced clean through, dissipating into thin air.
Caius' eyes widened as Alex continued his advance, unrelenting in his approach. "Is this it?" He sneered, laced with a tone of mockery.
"For someone who calls themselves an A tier, you're looking alot like an amateur."
"You arrogant —!" Caius snarled, before calming himself down forcibly.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm a tamer — you haven't even seen the extent of my abilities yet!"
Alex frowned when he heard him speak of this. This was something he had considered at the start before fighting, and it was one of the many holes in his plan that could either make or break the whole fight.
If Caius somehow had a whole arsenal of A tier beasts to back him up, then Alex would have no choice but to retreat and recoup his losses, possibly just move location to another city entirely.
Whatever happened next would be the defining moment that decided whether he would stay or not.
Caius' smirk remained when he saw Alex's expression of wariness. He spread his arms wide, with his aura suddenly flaring up and surging as he called forth his tamed beasts.
The ground beneath the two of them trembled, and a low, guttural growl echoed through the clearing. From the shadows gathering around them, glowing eyes began to appear one by one, with their predatory gleam locking onto Alex.
"You didn't think I'd come alone, did you?" Caius said, with a voice dripping in smugness.
The air thickened as the forms of his beasts began to emerge. Massive, hulking creatures with razor sharp claws and teeth, muscled bodies prowled into view. There were three in total, each radiating an aura of power that matched their rank — A tier beasts, with their sheer presence alone being enough to bring any normal Awakened to cower in fear.
Alex himself gritted his teeth when seeing this. He knew now how someone like Caius could hold onto power for so long in Advent Garden despite only having mediocre attainments in his rank — anyone who provoked him wouldn't be going up against one A tier awakened, but four!
This wasn't unexpected after hearing him reveal himself to be a tamer, but it was far from ideal. His earlier calculations had taken into account the possibility for tamed beasts, with probably a good few B tiers being within his guesses, but three A tiers? This was pushing his luck.
Still, retreat wasn't an option – not until the last resort.
"You really brought the whole zoo, didn't you?" Alex joked, keeping his voice steady despite the increased tension in the atmosphere.
"Confidence and jokes won't save you." Caius sneered, stepping back to let his beasts take the lead. "Let's see how long you can last before they rip you to shreds."
The largest of the three beasts, a scaled monstrosity with a maw full of serrated teeth, roared and charged forward, with the ground beneath its feet shaking under its own weight. Its two companions soon followed suit, flanking Alex.
Alex exhaled slowly, focusing intently. This was quite a precarious situation he found himself in, but it was also about as good of an opportunity to test his strength as it got.
'One A- rank Mutant class beast, two A- rank Ordinary class beasts… I have no idea who he was able to tame a beast at the same rank as him, but I can hazard a guess to it being due to some coercion like he's trying to pull on me. Or, it could just be dumb like I had. Whatever, that doesn't matter right now.'
Overall, he would basically be facing off against two A- rank Mutant classes and two ordinary classes. He wasn't sure whether this was something he could handle just yet, but it was worth a try at least.
He sidestepped to dodge the charge of the incoming beast. Its claws tore into the ground where he stood moments before. Before it could recover, Alex spun and brought Virtue's Edge down in a powerful Arc, with the fiery blade hacking into the creature's skin. It let out a snarl, hissing some more, but that was that.
'Damn, only a few inches deep… That's not enough.'
The second beast, a sleek, panther like creature with glowing red eyes, took advantage of the opening and leapt at Alex's back. Without turning, Alex raised his free hand, and a blast of deep blood red fire erupted from his palm and slammed into the creature mid air. The panther was thrown back, landng in a heap, but once again recovering with a snarl.