GOD FORMULA

32 The Arrival~

[ Removing Wolf Limiters ]

……………………………

[ Removing Fox Limiters ]

[ Warning! ]

[ Hybrid Gene Override Detected! ]

[ Notifying Worldwide Trinity Network Administrators… ]

[ Alerting Providence Headquarters… ]

The rushing gandr-gators stopped in their tracks and eyed their adversaries with confusion.

Snarl! Drake's figure bulged into humongous proportions. Dark fur erupted on his arms and back. His legs elongated and became animal-like

Chisss! His skin started fuming with red mana. Fangs and claws erupted.

Crunch! Eve's bone structure shifted, and she hunched like an agile fox. 

Both let out battle growls and charged at the gandr-gators.

Woom! Wuzz! Shing! Swash!

Crackle! Zip! Bam! Smash!  

The monsters let out cries of mortal pain as the transformed duo ravaged through them, causing a massacre.

On the other end, a group of the assailants were bombarding the trio’s defenses.

Crack! Smash! The WhiteForce barrier shattered as a large gator fell through. Its teeth clasped around Nadja's leg and dragged him away. 

"Aaaaaaaaa! "

The monster was almost past the circle of light when Drake's figure manifested behind it. 

The gator, who possessed superior instincts, turned sharply to tackle his prey. But the Ace's sword had punctured through its neck already. 

Thwack! The creature was decapitated instantly. A shower of green blood rained down on Chad, who scampered away towards the light, screaming.

"Ace, come in! Come in!" It was Piper on the party radio.

"Grrrrr," Drake said, shaking his beast-like head to rewind to his humanity.  

"Tell me!" Eve spoke into her com. She had surprisingly transformed back into her regular appearance. The fox-girl had fought faster than Drake, zipping through the crowd of gators with 4x agility, slipping the edge of Heartspan into their throats.

"Is everyone all right? Tell me you haven't triggered it yet!"

"What are you talking about, Piper?" Eve asked, confused. "If you are talking about the horde of gators here, we have overcome a good number with ease. Everything is under control."

"No, it isn't! Trust me, it isn't!" Piper's voice was shrill and panicky. "We've been calling you for minutes!"

Eve sounded irritated. "We were kind of busy, you know. Giving the gators a taste of their own medicine."

Drake walked up to Eve and planted a kiss on Eve's lips. "You were damn good!" Chad came limping behind him. His leg was almost split open, but the health potion he took was acting fast.

"What is it, PiedPiper?" Drake asked. He had also reverted to normal. "Tell me what's wrong."

"You never listened to the bad news I have. You gotta escape from there immediately!"

Drake scoffed. "Stop behaving like a coward, kid! We are doing quite well here. Some credit goes to you for the frost attack tip."

"No, no, you don't understand. The Mayor was not lying."

"What are you talking about?" 

"The appraisal! It said that the gandr-gators have rallied at the lake under a mythical ancestor. In this quest, there is a follow-up boss stage! It will be unlocked if we kill forty gators!"

Drake and Eve exchanged terrified glances. 

"Oh, fuck me!" the Ace cried out. Rin, Nadja, and Chad whimpered like frightened kittens.

"Let's calm down," Eve said, more to herself than to the team. "Let's see. We killed seventeen gators, right? It's unlikely that Noah's team would have killed twenty-three by itself?" There was doubt in her voice. It turned to certainty as the truth dawned on her. "Oh, shit!" Noah must have definitely killed a much larger number!

Krlllllll! 

There had been a circle of gators waiting in the surrounding darkness. They had been coming at them wave after wave.

Brawwrrrr! A roar echoed throughout the battlefield.

The gandr-gators backed off from around them.

"What is happening?" Nadja exclaimed. "Why are they leaving?"

The winds died down abruptly. Insects, night birds, all went silent.

"What's going on?" Rin asked. Her voice rang like a bell in the silence.

The lake water ahead suddenly bloated and parted. A shadow rose from the partition.

It rose and kept rising, towering over twenty feet!

It had eight arms and four legs. From behind its hideous gator-like head, twelve tentacles emerged. They had scythes at their ends. A pair of red, ominous eyes glared at them.

Chad pissed his pants. Rin fell on her back as if paralyzed.

Drake and Eve watched the unreal spectacle as if hypnotized.