Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday-Chapter 350: The Hunt Begun

The jets descended like silent hawks into the dead city.

The sun had vanished beyond the horizon and twilight was cloaking the ruins of the city in a gloomy veil. The air was dense with the scent of saltwater, decay, and something fouler, something dark and unnatural.

From above, the ruined coastal city looked like a skeleton of steel and shattered concrete. All types of vehicles were rusting throughout the streets of the city, with vines crawling over them like forgotten memories. And somewhere deeper in this graveyard of civilization, the Class 12 Shadow Beast was resting.

Grace was standing at the edge of the southern cliff, overlooking the disaster zone while her dragon hovered behind her in the clouds, cloaked from plain sight. As a Class 16 Shadow Beast, it was able to hide its presence from everyone and anyone, leaving the enemy unprepared.

"2025, confirm enemy positions," she murmured through their mindlink.

"Three hundred and sixty-seven beasts readings. Two Class 11s are moving near the northern ruins. One Class 10 is resting in the collapsed subway tunnels. Infected counts still stable at around 3900. No direct contact with the Class 12 yet. It's still submerged near the central harbor."

Grace nodded before issuing the command. "Tell Davian to proceed."

One second passed. Two. Three. And then, from the north end of the city, explosions rocked the ruined overpasses as Silas and Nina unleashed a coordinated barrage, forcing several Class 9 beasts to break cover. Rio and Sera moved like shadows beneath the crumbling structures, using chaos to create openings.

At the same time, Rune's team entered from the west. Kael and Dain were leading the charge with their weapons ready. They moved in sync, their steps cutting through groups of infected with swift efficiency. Mira and Elandra focused on casting spells, either to kill or trap their enemy, and giving the men enough time to end them all effortlessly.

The sudden chaos at two different parts of the city left the other creatures confused and shocked, and those fleeting moments were enough for Kevin and his team to dominate the eastern rooftops.

A long-range rifle echoed like thunder as one of his warriors took down a Class 7 monster beast before they could fully get a hold on the situation.

"These new rifles and bullets are insane. We can now actually take down Class 7 beasts in one shot if done properly," Valeska said with awe as she adjusted her own target, ready to take down a Class 7 too. Seconds later, she shot.

The bullet went straight through the skull of a Class 7, taking it down in seconds.

A smile of satisfaction bloomed on her lips and she moved to focus on her second target.

- - -

Grace was still waiting as her opponent had not yet risen.

But it didn't take too long for the creature to notice the increasing disturbance in its territory.

Beneath her feet, the ground quivered. In the distance, the ocean surged, waves rolling inland like a rising beast as if something ancient and wrong was clawing its way out from the depths.

And from the heart of the ruined harbor, the water exploded. Seconds later, a massive form burst forth in a cyclone of seawater and stone.

The Class 12 Shadow Beast emerged with a roar that shook the sky. Towering above the remnants of the city, its form was semi-aquatic and grotesque. Scales of black obsidian were glistening with seawater, but patches of its body shifted with stone-like plating. Its head was long and serpentine, while eyes were like glowing pits of molten gold. A jagged spine was running along its back, ending in a tail that could shatter entire buildings with a single strike.

[System detection: Twin elements - earth and water.]

Grace's eyes widened at the piece of information she just received. This Class 12 was actually a dual-elemental Shadow Beast, the first of its kind.

And it had sensed her.

The beast's roar echoed through the city, commanding its underlings. The infected surged toward the southern front like a tidal wave of madness. Hundreds, then thousands of them, howled and shrieked as they sprinted across broken streets, twisted and contorted by apocalypse.

Grace activated her armor.

Black and silver layers of sleek nanoweave armor assembled over her form. And then, a sword materialized in her hands. It was a majestic weapon forged from the bones of a Class 11 Monster Beast and bathed in her dragon's breath, and she had named it Nightpiercer.

She stepped forward. "I'll take the beast. The rest is yours to play with." frёewebηovel.cѳm

She sensed it humming in approval through their bond right before she leapt from the cliff.

She landed amidst the first wave of infected with an earth-shattering impact. Her sword swept in a deadly arc, severing heads and limbs in a dance of blood and shadow. She moved like a storm and cut down dozens in seconds.

And then, the beast attacked.

The ground beneath her cracked and split open as massive spikes of stone erupted. She jumped, somersaulting midair as a torrent of pressurized water followed, trying to catch her mid-flight.

She landed on a shattered rooftop and looked up just in time to see the monster leap.

For a creature so large, its speed was terrifying. It struck the building like a meteor, leveling it instantly. She was already airborne, her dragon swooping down to catch her.

She leaped again and this time landed on the Class 12s back.

For a moment, her breath caught, because up close, it was more terrifying than she had imagined. Its body was writhing and moving unnaturally, and its roar was deafening.

The beast tried to throw her off, smashing itself into buildings, but she held fast. She drove her sword deep into its shoulder, then used the leverage to vault upward, slicing across its neck.

Dark ichor started spilling through the wounds but it was far from enough.

The beast snarled and spun, finally throwing her off. She landed in a pool of debris with a grunt.