"Ho...how is this possible?" Jake asked in shock as he stared at the two bosses standing before them.
Normally, he wouldn’t have thought they were bosses, since what they had always been taught was that for every beast horde, there was only one boss. But here he was, staring at two of them.
He realized instantly that they were real trouble. For them to be able to send Lana hurtling through the air like that, their strength was no joke. The oppressive aura rolling off their bodies made the air feel heavier, almost suffocating.
"Kuk." Lana coughed out more specks of blood as she slowly rose to her feet, and now the others could see the full scope of her condition.
There were injuries across her face, bruises wrapped around her arms, and her once graceful wings looked as if they were on the verge of snapping apart. Each feather drooped weakly, as if weighed down by her pain.
Jim stood frozen at the front. He was barely five metres away from the bosses, crouched in front of a dead goblin, his hands trembling. His whole body was shivering under the oppressive aura pressing down on him, his eyes wide and filled with helpless fear.
In an instant, Max activated his dragon eyes. His pupils glowed a fierce yellow, and at once the beasts’ purple aura became visible to him, burning with a terrifying brightness.
But that wasn’t all. As he focused, he noticed something strange. The aura of one of the beasts flickered sharply to the right, and his eyes widened in alarm.
"Fuck!" Max muttered. He planted his feet into the ground, pushing down hard with explosive force. Without a single hesitation, he shot forward like a bullet.
The goblin wielding the massive sword had already made its move. Its target? Jim!
In the blink of an eye, Max appeared directly in front of the terrified hunter. Without a moment’s delay, he grabbed Jim tightly by the neck and wrapped his own body around him like a shield. He tried to dash out of the way, but the goblin’s blade was already mid-swing.
The enormous sword connected with Max’s side, slamming into him with bone-crushing force. His body was launched across the battlefield, tumbling violently with Jim still clutched against him.
"Ack!" Max coughed, spewing specks of blood as his body bounced across the hard ground. Pain radiated through his ribs, but he refused to let go. Digging his fingers deep into the dirt, he stabbed into the earth and used the resistance to bring himself to a grinding halt. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelꜰire.net
Finally stopping, he released Jim, both of them huffing heavily.
"Ar...are you okay?" Max asked, his voice strained but steady as he glanced down at the hunter.
"Ye...yes. You saved me again! Th...thank you." Jim’s eyes glistened with tears, his body shaking.
Inside, his thoughts screamed. ’Nobody has ever cared for me. Throughout my time in the association, I was treated as nothing but cannon fodder, a disposable porter meant to die first. But here... he saved me. Again. He... he is my idol now. No—he is my hero!’
"Tch!" Max scoffed, turning sharply as anger lit up in his eyes. He glared at the goblins, who both wore wide, wicked smiles, their monstrous teeth glinting in the light as they stared at their prey.
"Be careful," Lana warned, her voice raspy but firm. Her wings curled forward as though ready to shield her. "They are dangerous. Nimble and fast at the same time."
"You don’t have to tell me," Max sighed, forcing himself upright from his crouched position. His frown deepened, resolve hardening across his face.
’I guess it’s time I use this skill, huh?’
{Skill: Draconic Suppression Aura Activated}
{Type: Passive | Area Control}
{Description: Host’s aura will exude a natural dominance field.
Enemies within range would feel sluggish, afraid, or even unable to use full power, especially if they’re demonic or hybrid.}
{Cool down: 20 minutes}
Instantly, the air began vibrating violently around Max, as if gravity itself had suddenly intensified. Dust swirled, tiny pebbles rattled against the ground, and a deep rumble seemed to pulse through the battlefield. Max grinned widely at the beasts, his eyes flashing with anticipation.
He stretched a finger toward the goblins, and though invisible to everyone else, his aura extended outward like a tidal wave, shaping itself into a dome that enclosed him and the two towering beasts. The dome stretched about eight metres wide, warping the air like heat haze.
"Now their speed will be capped. Let’s go!" Max roared, and without wasting a heartbeat, he shot off the ground at full speed.
"Capped? How?" Lana muttered with a raised brow, but Max was already gone, vanishing into a blur of motion.
’They shouldn’t be able to see what I’m about to do,’ Max thought, his focus narrowing sharply.
The goblins reacted instantly. The sword-wielding one slashed its blade downward with terrifying strength, aiming to split Max in two.
But as it swung, its eyes widened in confusion. The blade dragged sluggishly, as though wading through mud, unable to reach its intended speed.
Grinning like a predator, Max released the concealment on his body. His Draconic form flared—scales shimmered into existence across his arms, and claws extended with a metallic hiss. In one fluid motion, he swung upward, his talons colliding with the descending sword.
The impact rang like a thunderclap. Sparks scattered as steel met claw. Max smirked at the stunned goblin, then pivoted sharply, driving his foot into the beast’s face with crushing force.
The goblin’s head snapped backward as its hulking body was flung several metres away, skidding across the dirt in a violent spray of dust.
Before anyone could catch a glimpse of his true form, Max quickly cloaked himself again, concealing his scaled body and clawed hands beneath the guise of his human appearance.
But he wasn’t out of danger. The second goblin, the one clutching the massive hammer, had crept in closer during the exchange. With a guttural roar, it brought the weapon down toward Max’s skull.
Max’s eyes widened at the ominous hum of the hammer slicing through the air. He leapt back just in time, the hammer whistling past his face by mere inches. The ground where he had stood shattered, a crater opening from the sheer force of the missed strike.
The moment Max’s feet touched the ground, someone else had already moved. Jake blurred forward, appearing in front of the hammer-wielding goblin like a phantom. The beast was still mid-swing, unable to recover or reposition itself in time, especially under the suppression of Max’s aura.
With his grin sharpened into something savage, Jake cocked back his fist. The pressure alone from the gathering force made the air vibrate, and then...
His fist tore through the air, shattering the sound barrier as it rocketed toward the goblin’s skull.
The goblin’s instincts screamed, and it tried desperately to leap away, but it was too late. The only thing it could do was throw its hammer up to shield its face.
But Jake’s strength was merciless.
The deafening collision sent a shockwave exploding outward. Jake’s fist slammed into the hammer with earth-shaking force, and in the blink of an eye, the goblin was hurled backward, its enormous body flying helplessly through the air. It smashed across the battlefield, skidding violently until it landed beside its twin that had been knocked away earlier.
"That’s what you get for touching my teammate like that." Jake clicked his tongue, shaking his fist lightly before waving it through the air with casual defiance.