The beast lunged towards the Australian leader, who easily evaded the beast quite effortlessly. The beast grew more irate, roaring increasingly, as the Australian guild just made fun of it, though most of them were also sweating buckets, realizing that only three people in their guild could actually take the beast out.

The leader charged towards the best, not using his ability, only his martial prowess. He dodged the beast's claws, then threw in a one-two combo, then targeted the beast's mana points, stopping it from spreading its fire, which could cause some major damage.

The leader then elbowed the beast on the chin, followed by a roundhouse kick to the ribs, which sent the beast backward. Then he laughed at the monster, calling it weak and insulting it as the rest of his teammates just agreed with him, not trying to piss him off.

Nova stood up, seeing how the beast was knocked out, and the Australian leader staring at them bizarrely, as if trying to bury him next to the monster as well. The girl Adam had faced before lunged at Nova impulsively, though all he did was knock her out, punching her square on the jaw.

The leader grew serious and accelerated towards him. Nova wasn't able to track him and was punched straight in the solar plexus, getting sent flying ten miles, crashing into another crumbling building, which crumbled on top of him.

The leader smirked, thinking that Nova was also nothing compared to him. Nova got up from the crumble of rocks, feeling the aftereffect of the punch. He wasn't able to fully stand up, feeling as if his stomach had shattered into a million pieces.

Nova groaned, staggering upright from the rubble, his body aching as if every bone had been shattered in the impact. His chest heaved, every breath a struggle, but he didn't have the luxury of pausing.

Across the crumbling plaza, the beast's eyes blazed with fury. It let out a deafening roar, the sound vibrating through the ruins, and then, like a black streak of lightning, it lunged straight at the Australian leader.

Nova's heart pounded. The leader didn't even flinch, sidestepping the attack effortlessly. The beast slammed into the ground, its claws gouging deep furrows into the plaza's surface.

Nova clenched his fists, rage boiling in him. He couldn't let the leader take all the credit. Not after everything the beast and he had been through together.

With a low growl, the beast spun on its heels, eyes locking onto Nova. Its entire body seemed to pulse with pure, concentrated rage. Nova's vision blurred from the pain and adrenaline, but he forced himself forward.

Without thinking, he tapped into his F-rank evolution and dashed. His speed was just above Mach 15, the air quivering in his wake, as the ground beneath him shattered on impact.

The leader barely blinked. With uncanny reflexes, he sidestepped, catching Nova with a counterattack before he even got close. A swift, brutal strike to the ribs sent him skidding across the shattered street, sliding over debris and chunks of broken metal.

Nova slammed into a crumbling building, his shoulder collapsing under the impact. Pain lanced through him, searing and blinding, but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself up.

The beast froze for a split second, watching the display. Its fury hadn't dulled, but something in its golden eyes shifted. It was like it understood.

Nova understood, too. Despite the chaos, despite the pain, despite the fire and blood and destruction, there was a strange rhythm between them, a silent truce, a shared purpose.

The leader smirked, looking between Nova and the beast. "Cute," he said, "but you're both nothing."

Nova didn't reply. He barely had the strength to breathe. The beast let out a low, guttural growl, and in that moment, Nova made a decision. He would fight together with it. Not as enemies, not as rival killers, but as two forces converging to bring down a greater threat.

The beast lunged again, not at Nova, but at the leader, claws aimed with deadly precision. Nova, gritting his teeth, launched a flurry of daggers from his Hellscript Arsenal.

The daggers streaked through the air, embedded with destructive sigils. They weren't trying to kill the beast this time; they just forced the leader to pay attention. He barely managed to block one, but the others grazed him, cutting through his defenses and burning the air around him with unstable energy.

The Australian leader staggered, and for a brief moment, Nova and the beast moved as one. The beast tore at the leader with its massive claws while Nova rained down destructive strikes, daggers, shuriken, and spears, all coordinated with uncanny precision.

The plaza shook as explosions erupted from the sigils and the beast's raw strength. Dust and debris clouded the air, painting everything in shades of gray and red.

For a heartbeat, it felt almost… peaceful. Nova's chest hurt, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, his arms trembling, but he was in sync with the monster.

The rage wasn't chaotic anymore; it was focused. Together, they were unstoppable. The leader tried to block, dodge, and counterattack, but their combined assault was overwhelming, forcing him backward.

But nothing stays peaceful for long.

The beast roared one final time, a sound that shattered the skyline, and swung at the leader with all its might. The leader barely evaded, but the strike caught the edge of a building.

The support beams cracked and groaned under the force. Dust and splinters rained down, blinding everyone, and then, Nova saw it. A massive chunk of debris fell toward the beast.

It didn't move. It didn't even flinch. Nova wanted to scream, wanted to push it out of the way, but his body refused. The debris smashed into the beast, crushing its legs, its torso, and finally pinning its massive head to the shattered ground.

The roar it let out turned into a wet, gurgling scream as its limbs twitched and snapped. The flesh melted in grotesque ways, black blood and molten veins rupturing as the energy inside it destabilized.

Nova fell to his knees, coughing blood, barely conscious. His arms and legs trembled violently, his vision blurred with crimson haze.

The beast's golden eyes, now dimming, found his, and for a fleeting second, there was understanding, a silent acknowledgment that they had fought together, and together they had struck down a powerful opponent. Then its body went still, the light in its eyes fading into black.

He barely noticed the leader stepping toward him, boots crunching over the rubble. His smile was a mix of cruelty, sharpness, and a boatload of confidence.

"Not bad, little boy," the leader said, his voice cold. "But don't think this changes anything. You've still got a lot to answer for, and so does your pathetic guild."

Nova wanted to respond. He wanted to spit fire and scream, but his body wouldn't obey. The world tilted, every sound muffled except the leader's cruel laughter.

And then, just like that, the ground beneath him glimmered, pulling him into a sudden vortex. The world twisted, a flash of light and shadow, and the leader's voice faded into the distance.

When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else. The city, the beast, the battle, it all vanished. Around him lay the bodies of his friends: Elesch, Zane, Adam, and Michael, unconscious, broken, and battered.

Nova groaned, tasting blood, feeling every rib, every bruise, every slash. He wasn't dead. He wasn't even fully conscious. But he had survived.

He tried to move, but his arms barely obeyed. Pain wrapped around him like vines. The grotesque image of the beast's death replayed in his mind. Its molten veins, its shattered limbs, its final glance.

And yet, beneath the horror, Nova felt a strange calm. They had fought. They had shared a moment of understanding in the middle of chaos. And for now, that had to be enough. Nova forced himself to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth, staining his hands and the ground.

He glanced at his unconscious team and whispered hoarsely, "We'll get them back. We have to…"

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