Chapter 60: Sudden Attack

  The moonlight illuminated the forest, providing a soft beacon of light to the villagers looking in from the outside. This faint light offered some reassurance to the villagers, who were gripped in fear by the Devil beast.

  Guards stood on all sides of the walls, torches blazing brightly, hoping to easily spot any approaching Devil beast.

  The village was completely sealed off. The village chief forbade anyone from leaving the village at night. Even though the Devil beast only attacked in the mornings in the past, nighttime still remained dangerous.

  If this village were a fortified place protected by Enchanted artifacts or a spiritual barrier, they would have been able to sleep with much greater peace of mind.

  “According to the village chief, the time between the first and second victims was almost a month. The second and third attacks were similar,” Leader Mei said. Unit 3 was currently gathered in one of the houses the village chief had arranged for them. Although the next house was specially prepared for Princess Pailin, she declined and instead gave it to the soldiers she had brought with her to take turns resting.

  “But from the third victim onwards, the frequency has increased significantly. Only about a week in," Leader Mei frowned.

  “The latest victim was only three days ago,” Princess Pailin added.

  “There’s not much reason for such frequent hunting. Usually, it’s due to a pregnancy, needing to feed weak members of the pack, or the birth of a new member,” Kasa suggested.

  “But this Devil beast left all the bodies at the village wall. While there are some bite marks, there are no signs of being eaten. So, we can rule that out,” Nitaan said.

  “It’s as if…it’s looking for someone,” Nitaan murmured.

  Hearing this, Princess Pailin frowned. She jotted it down in her notebook and turned to Leader Mei anxiously.

  “Have Napha and Gion already gone out to patrol the outer perimeter of the village walls?” Princess Pailin asked anxiously. She thought what Nitaan said made sense, and if it was true, it would surely attack a stranger it had never met in the village before.

  “Yes, I have made the arrangements. After this, it will be Tawan and Kasa's turn,” Leader Mei replied.

  “Will they be able to handle it? That Devil beast is a First word Engraver, and most importantly, it’s terrifyingly intelligent,” Princess Pailin worried. Although she was confident in their abilities, the Devil beast's intelligence worried her.

  “Don’t worry. They are both experts in close-quarters combat. They won’t be easily defeated. I’ve instructed them to immediately signal if they encounter it and focus on stalling for time,” Leader Mei said, smiling as she picked up a transmission stone.

  “Besides, they both have defensive Enchanted artifacts from the army. They won’t be easily defeated.”

  Princess Pailin felt relieved to hear this, although she was still somewhat worried. The fact that they carried treasures meant they wouldn’t be easily dealt with.

  While they were discussing, Kiita’s ears suddenly perked up. It let out a ferocious growl. Seeing this, Nitaan frowned. Rising swiftly,

  “Found it!” With that, Nitaan rushed out of the house in a hurry. He didn’t even use the door. He simply leaped out of the second-floor window.

  “Kasa, you and Rain take Princess to gather soldiers and then quickly follow us!” Leader Mei reacted with the fastest reflexes. She leaped from the ground, tensing her palm into a spear and thrusting it into the empty air in front of her. Her body was instantly pulled along by the force of the thrust.

  Tawan’s face tensed. He floated up from the ground before swiftly following Leader Mei. His body floats in a way like he is standing on an invisible bird.

  “Kasa, come!” Princess Pailin snapped her right fingers. The small hairpin in her dress shattered, and a bright red light flashed at the neighboring house where the soldiers were stationed. At the same time, a similar bright light appeared at the village chief’s house.

  A commotion erupted from both locations. Soon, the soldiers and guards began to gather according to the rehearsed signals.

  Her body suddenly emitted a soft red light, illuminating into the moonlight-lit darkness. The red light from her body was like a bonfire, drawing everyone together.

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  Princess Pailin ran after Leader Mei after signaling to the village chief and soldiers, but being a Newborn, she was noticeably slow.

  “Excuse me,” Kasa’s voice rang out from the sky. Her figure appeared above Princess Pailin’s head. She was carried by Rain’s eagle form, which grabbed her by the shoulder. They swooped down and gently cradled Princess Pailin before speeding off to pursue Nitaan, who had now disappeared from sight.

  Their figures cut through the sky like a blazing red comet, a clear landmark for the rest to follow.

  The chaos starts to break out in the village. The red light in the sky, the village alarm blaring, the panicked screams of the villagers, and the roars of Devil beasts filled the air.

  Kiita, now carrying Nitaan on his back, leaped and soared above countless rooftops. Its speed at this moment was no less than that of Leader Mei, who traveled by piercing through the air.

  Kiita sensed a Devil beast that had suddenly appeared within the village. He focused his concentration on Devil beast, but its body was shrouded in thick black fog. Even his ‘Domain’ cannot see through it.

  Kiita is insanely fast in reacting to the sudden appearance of the Devil beast, so NitaanKiita rush out just a few seconds after the Devil beast arrives. As if the Devil beast had their target in mind, it swiftly lunged at the small house nearby.

  At the same moment, an alarm sounded. It sensed something was amiss. It had only just revealed itself, yet the humans had already noticed!

  Even so, it didn't hesitate. Roaring loudly, it leaped into the small house. Beneath the shattered walls, the figures of many children appeared. Their faces were filled with terror.

  The moment the alarm sounded, the wall of their orphanage exploded. They stared at the thick, dark mist before them. All the children are too afraid to move.

  Standing before them was an old man in the robes of a First Knowledge priest. His face was contorted with fear, yet he stubbornly stood in front of the children.

  "Damn it! An orphanage!" Nitaan cursed angrily. Without hesitation, he channeled his physical strength and speed to Kiita. Kiita’s speed skyrocketed, and his dark fluffy figure surged forward like a shadow.

  Even with that much speed, its arrived place was terrifyingly close to the orphanage. Nitaan gritted his teeth. There was no way he could make it in time.

  The black mist whipped around, sending the old man crashing against the wall. He passed out in one hit. Nitaan could only sense his faint breath from afar.

  The ominous black mist was approaching all the children. Their body trembled pitifully as they watched Tiran's hand slowly reach towards them.

  In that instant, a burly figure appeared, wielding a large sword in both hands, his face contorted with rage, confronting the black mist.

  Sila! Witnessing this, Nitaan let out a sigh of relief as Kiita charged forward with even greater speed.

  Facing Sila, the black mist raised something that should be head to the sky. The silence roar burst out from its wide-open mouth.

  Nitaan felt a tremor in his soul, as if a giant hammer had struck his heart. Since Nitaan is the one who uses ‘Domain’ right now, he unluckily suffered the attack from afar.

  Sila, who was closer, gritted his teeth. Veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes become bloodshot. He endured the pain in his soul and lunged forward, striking the Devil beast with his giant sword. However, it easily jumped back.

  The Devil beast lunged in again. This time Sila was caught off guard. He was sent flying, spitting out a large amount of dark, black blood. His face was pale, but he managed to stand up again, blocking all the children with his body.

  Nitaan looked at Sila worriedly. It was normal for Devil beasts to be stronger than humans of equal level. An ordinary Engraver without treasures would find it difficult to contend with a Devil beast of the same level.

  Sila was sent flying a third time. Blood gushed from his body, one eye could no longer open, and his limbs were horribly twisted. Yet he could still manage to protect the children once more, even with his battered body. Nitaan couldn't help but admire his spirit.

  Just as the black mist was about to finish off Sila, a thick golden spiritual energy barrier enveloped his body, blocking the black mist's attack before shattering.

  Napha, now wearing knuckle guards, rushed out from the shadows, unleashing a powerful punch at the black mist, but it dodged again.

  Gion followed closely. His sword skillfully coordinated with Napha's, thrusting towards the spot where the black mist had dodged.

  Clang!

  A resounding clash echoed. The black mist's body remained motionless, but it was Gion who was sent flying.

  The black mist raised its head high again, preparing to unleash a soul-shattering roar once more. Napha was about to retreat when Sila's weak voice rang out first:

  "I will seal its attack!" Sila's hoarse voice said. Even with his tattered body, his eyes were still filled with determination. Napha and Gion swiftly answer Sila’s determination. They charged fearlessly at the Devil beast.

  The black mist roared again, yet this time there was no burst of spiritual energy that could strike souls like it used to be. The black mist turned its furious gaze to Sila. It prepared to strike and kill him first. However, Napha and Gion, being the quickest, coordinated their attacks, pushing the Devil beast back away from all the children and Sila.

  The black mist halts its attack. It senses a danger approaching. It looked up to see a large, black dog charging towards it at high speed. On the black dog’s back is a young man with deep blue eyes who locks it in his sight.

  In the young man's hands, a spear starts to spin slowly and steadily.

  The black mist narrowed its eyes, glancing at Napha and Gion as they charged towards it once more.

  It turned to look at the children one last time. The bloodthirsty gaze flickered, and when it opened again, it was clear without any sign of evil intent. It looked around. Due to the black mist, Nitaan and others couldn't clearly discern its form. However, its face moved strangely.

  It was grinning?

  Its body suddenly exploded, a black mist spreading everywhere, obscuring all vision. Nitaan instantly poured spiritual energy into ‘Domain’ to empower it, but he still couldn't see anything under the thick black mist.

  The experienced Napha and Gion turned their backs to each other, moving in front of the children at the ruins of the small house.

  Nitaan had a bad feeling. He quickly shoots his incomplete Falling Vajra at the last place he saw it. The azure projectile sliced ??through the sky.

  Even though not at the maximum output, he was somewhat enhanced by Kiita. So this attack was no less potent than the Falling Vajra that killed emerald-fur bear.

  In an instant, Falling Vajra reached the target, piercing through the thick black mist and dispelling all the dark mist around. As the Falling Vajra struck the ground, its shaft shattered, scattering countless small specks of wood and earth.

  Falling Vajra missed its target by only a fraction. The black mist parted slightly from the impact, revealing a monstrous, insect-like creature. In a flash, its body was enveloped in the black mist again. Falling Vajra couldn't completely dispel the mist. It only dispelled it for a moment. The thick black mist continued to spread, obscuring the Devil beast's form.

  Napha and Gion shielded the children from the fierce wind and flying debris. Napha choked as dirt flew into his mouth, and the burning smell of the lightning also caused the children behind him to gag.

  After a short while, as the black mist reached a certain point, it began to dissipate like smoke. When Kasa arrived, she unleashed a gust of wind that pushed away all the black mist, clearing their vision.

  The Devil beast's body vanished without a trace, leaving only a sinkhole at the point where Falling Vajra had struck.

  Not far away, Sila lay down on the ground. His body was covered in thick, black blood.