Chapter 78: Shadow Beast

Chapter 78: Shadow BeastHowever, the energy-piercing needles still managed to cause some damage, as a few received tiny cuts all over the body because of their late reaction.

"Are you all alright?" Vlad slowly stood up and looked at his subordinates.

"Yes sir, luckily, we wore this armour; otherwise, it would be dangerous."

Others also nodded, as this was really dangerous and unexpected, but thankfully they survived.

"Hmm, surviving this is just the beginning."

Old Man Aragon’s eyes shone ferociously as he looked at the runic formation ahead and continued to activate various traps one by one.

Crack! Clang!..

They again heard a weird noise, became alert, activated their armour, and were ready to face dangers.

Szzzz! Szzz! Bang! Bang! Bang! ....

This time, movements were not only from the ceiling but also from the two walls beside them. Countless small holes appeared on them, and a barrage of energy-piercing needles formed in three directions, showering them with an endless rain of attacks.

"Aaahhh! Aaahh!"

"Hold it!"

They held onto their armour as they were continuously overwhelmed by countless energy-piercing needles for thirty seconds straight.

Niara held Vlad tightly, attempting to evoke pity in hopes of gaining better protection in the current situation.

Meanwhile, Vlad focused solely on strategizing his survival and escape, paying no mind to Niara’s thoughts or actions.

"Finally, stopped."

After the barrage of attacks stopped, they sighed with relief, and this time, they were quicker and tackled without getting injured, feeling a little confident that the same time wouldn’t work on them.

But it didn’t last long, as suddenly, without any noise or indication from beneath them, spikes made from unknown metal filled with powerful energy came out.

Bang! Bang!...

"What!"

All were surprised, as they got caught in this and barely survived. They weren’t ordinary people, but the metal spikes that came out contained powerful energy and were deadly fast.

After Vlad looked at the spikes, he understood what they were and felt that the guy who made these traps knew what he was doing.

They resembled harpoons wielded in the pursuit of colossal sea creatures within vast oceans, their design imbued with potent energy to pierce and shatter the thick, armour-like hides of such beasts.

Despite their survival, two of them bore heavy injuries: one suffered a clean puncture from a spike to his leg, while another had a gaping hole in his stomach.

The situation was getting worse, and he could not wait anymore because he had bad feelings about it.

He was ready to use a law-grade scroll to blast away this place and leave quickly. But the earth suddenly trembled, and a large hole surprised the group.

Grrr! Grrrr!

This time, it wasn’t the mechanical noise they expected; instead, a deep growl echoed from the darkness, heralding the emergence of a figure from the gaping hole.

"This?"

Not only was the group of Vlad shocked, but even Apollo and others in the secret room were surprised to see the creature coming out from the depths of the earth.

They all looked at Old Man’s Argon, who had a smile on his face, looking at the creature released by him.

All present beheld the creature with chilling clarity: a towering, pitch-black tiger-like beast, enveloped in shadow and sporting menacing, blood-red eyes. Its form seemed unnaturally fluid, lacking a fixed shape or mass, resembling more a swirling mass of black ink depicting a fearsome predator.

"Shh..., Shadow Beast!"

One of Vlad’s subordinates stammered in a trembling voice upon beholding the horrifying beast before them.

Vlad’s countenance mirrored the gravity of the situation, his expression turning sombre as a hint of pallor crossed his features upon witnessing the enigmatic ’Shadow Beast’ looming before them.

Apollo wasn’t as knowledgeable as others because of his background, so he couldn’t help but ask his master, who also had a shocked expression after seeing the Shadow Beast.

"Master, what kind of beast is this?"

Master Aaron took a deep breath, looked at the beast outside, and spoke in a low, heavy voice.

"Shadow Beast, a rare beast from the Abyssal shadow realm."

"Abyssal Shadow realm? Shadow beast, are they strong?"

"The Abyssal Shadow realm is another dimension that is filled with horrendous dangers."

"As for strength, undoubtedly strong, exceptionally so. However, it’s not its destructive prowess that garnered infamy, but rather its unmatched ability to survive, rendering it a relentless nightmare for warriors worldwide."

"They are entities that are made up of shadows and don’t have any exact physical form. Like the current shape that looked like a tiger beast, but entirely because it might be the strongest creature it consumed."

"Because they lack physical bodies, ordinary physical or energy attacks don’t affect them. They simply regenerate and persist endlessly, like an unbroken cycle."

"So, are they invincible? How can they be stopped and defeated?" Apollo asked, taken aback by the trickiness and near-indestructible nature of the Shadow Beasts.

"Naturally, they are not invincible; they can also be hurt, destroyed, or sealed."

"Although they are immune to most attacks, the power of law can still hurt them. For weaker limit-breakers, they are nightmares, but for powerhouses and strong ones, they are not."

"Law is a very mysterious power that is the core of the world and its creation, so even if shadow beasts don’t have physical shape or form, they cannot survive the power of law as they are still bound to the world."

"Laws hah!"

Hearing his master’s words, Apollo grasped the significance of the law. It wasn’t just about increasing strength; it represented the fundamental force governing everything in the world.

He felt the ice law he understood and then looked outside, where a fierce battle was going to start.

"No more waiting. That’s it," Vlad declared firmly.

He retrieved the law-grade scroll, intent on blasting their way out of the tunnel. However, it wouldn’t be a simple task; countless traps reactivated, subjecting the group to a barrage of attacks ranging from energy-piercing needles to powerful energy spikes.

Amidst the chaos, the Shadow Beast leapt upon them, unperturbed by the traps that failed to hinder its advance.

"Damm It!"

Vlad had no choice but to hastily activate the law-grade scroll, as his group would be destroyed if they fought against the shadow beast in this place.

"Hide!"

Old Man Aragon roared as he saw the scroll taken by Vlad in this desperate situation.

Upon hearing this, Apollo and the others in the secret room swiftly tried to hide themselves. Outside, it appeared as though a tremendous, awe-inspiring power had been unleashed, causing the surrounding area for miles to tremble.

Boom!!!

A massive explosion reverberated through hundreds of underground tunnels, sending shockwaves that even reached the people above ground in the city, causing them to feel powerful tremors.

After the explosion, only silence pervaded the utterly devastated tunnel. Everything seemed to have been obliterated, leaving behind only scattered rubble.

But the silence didn’t last as, from the debris, slowly, a few figures came out. They were none other than the Vlad group, who seemed to have somehow survived.

"Finally survived!’

As they breathed a sigh of relief, another movement caught their attention ahead, and slowly, four figures emerged from the rubble.

"Damn! That was close," one of them exclaimed.

"Ragnar!" Vlad shouted, immediately recognizing him among the group of four.

Niara glared at Ragnar, her voice rising in anger. "It must have been you controlling those traps from behind, lurking in hiding!"

Vlad and others also felt this might be true. And they cannot control their anger and killing intent.

"I am going to torture you all a thousand times before killing you."

Vlad, filled with rage and killing intent, roared at Apollo and others.

"However, if I were you, my first thought would be to look behind," Apollo said with a smirk, seemingly poking fun and further stoking his anger. Just as the group was on the verge of erupting, a low rumble of a beast interrupted them.

Grr! Grrr! ...

"Hmm!"

As the group slowly turned around, they were suddenly confronted by a massive, ferocious giant claw, which sent tons of debris and them flying in all directions.

Bang! Bang! Bang!...

They all landed dozens of metres away from where they were, surrounded by debris strewn about.

"See, I told you," Apollo taunted Vlad once again, who seethed with anger. But at that moment, he knew he had to focus on the shadow beast ahead, which was targeting them.

The Shadow Beast had half of its head blown away, yet it still stood, slowly regenerating with difficulty. Its aura appeared significantly weakened, suggesting that while it survived due to tenacity, its strength had greatly diminished.

"The shadow beast lived up to its name as an immortal beast; even after such an attack, it survived. Only by destroying it fully with the power of laws can it be stopped."

Master Aaron looked at the shadow beast, sighed, and couldn’t help but ask Old Man Aragon.

"But why is it only attacking them, not us?"

"Because we have the aura of my master on us, and it didn’t dare attack us."

Hearing this, all of them were shocked, contemplating the monstrous nature of Old Man Aragon’s master. Even mindless, immortal beasts, unafraid of death, were horrified by its mere aura.