Chapter 3: Asura’s Wrath

The Minotaurs ran forward, roaring as their hooves pounded against the ground.

The players exclaimed:

"Level 98 Minotaurs?"

"It's at least hundreds of them!"

Klade sat on the ground, saying to Asura, "Welp, you know the drill."

Asura's body crackled with red energy, replying, "You hate dealing with small fry goons."

"Damn right. I only kill the bosses. That's where the fun is."

"I'll deal with the Minotaurs."

"Sit tight for a second. Let's pretend we're actually paying attention to that guild that offered us a hand in their guild. The eternal guardians or something."

"Oh, they're moving!"

"They really want us to join, huh. So they're trying their best to show me they won't slow us down."

"They'll only use us and try to share our glory. OUR glory. Me and yours."

"I.HEARD.YOU."

The Eternal Guardians sprang into action, Orsik leading the charge. He bashed forward with his massive shield, slamming into the first Minotaur. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground. Locke, with a fluid, almost serpentine grace, darted past Orsik, twin blades slicing through the air in an arc that left a shimmering trail. He struck a Minotaur across the torso, drawing first blood—a deep, dark ichor that stained the ground.

[Locke has activated the skill, "Moon dancer" which increases speed and dexterity at the cost of 3% HP per minute—60% chance of a critical hit for more damage]

Orsik patted Locke on the back, "Nice!"

Locke replied, "Too easy."

Locke and Orsik looked back at Klade and Asura with a smirk. A smirk that basically said, "You saw that, right?"

Klade waved with a smile at them, and Asura smiled while waving his tail.

Zenith, his scepter casting geometric shapes, manipulated the very air to compress and burst forth as invisible blades, slicing at limbs and horns. His target—a towering Minotaur—roared as wind-made blades cut into its flesh, its own swing missing Zenith by a hair as he rolled under the beast's grasp, leaving it howling in the wind.

'Minotaurs are the most annoying bastards in the game. In every area, players avoid them and run around them. I can't look like an idiot now.'

Seraphina chanted softly, her hands glowing with blue luminescence. She threw her arms forward, and tendrils of light shot out, binding a Minotaur's legs. As it struggled, she whispered an incantation, and the tendrils tightened, the light sapping the beast's vitality and transferring it to her allies, their wounds beginning to mend almost instantly.

Zenith said to her, "Thanks!"

Seraphina looked back at Klade, with a look that basically said, "I can heal things."

Klade raised his thumb with another smile, as Asura raised his paw.

A Minotaur swung its massive ax toward Locke, who deftly leaned back, allowing the blade to whistle mere inches from his face. In a swift, fluid motion, Locke spun around, his blades dancing like leaves in a storm, severing the Minotaur's hand at the wrist. The beast roared, its blood spilling like a fountain as Locke smirked coldly.

"Haha! See that, Klade the Dragonhound Blacksmith?!"

[Orsik has used the skill "Bulls Barrage"]

With a thunderous bellow, Orsik swung his giant warhammer onto the cracked earth. The ground beneath the horde erupted, sending several Minotaurs stumbling. Quick to capitalize, Orsik charged, his body a moving fortress, knocking the disoriented beasts back with the flat of his hammer, bones audibly crunching under the force. Summoning his reserves of arcane energy, Zenith unleashed a vortex that pulled several Minotaurs off their feet. They spun helplessly in the air, a maelstrom of raw magical force encircling them. With a snap of his fingers, Zenith condensed the energy, the resulting implosion scattering the beasts like ragdolls across the battlefield, winds blasting repeatedly.

Seraphina raised her hands skyward, calling down a beam of piercing light that drilled through a Minotaur charging at her. The intense heat cauterized the wound instantly, leaving a perfectly round hole through the creature's torso. It fell, its body smoking and charred, before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

[Seraphine used the skill "Pierced Carving".]

A Minotaur swung its club down with earth-shattering force; Locke activated his ability, "Shadow Step," vanishing from sight and reappearing behind his assailant. Before it could turn, Locke delivered a devastating backstab, his blade coated with a venomous substance, causing the beast to stagger and roar in pain. Locke engaged a particularly large Minotaur, feinting to the left before dashing right, his movement a blur. As the Minotaur turned to follow his initial direction, Locke used his speed to come up behind it, thrusting both blades deep into its back. As the creature fell, he rolled forward, narrowly avoiding another's attack.

As Klade's piercing eyes surveyed the action of the battle, a growl rumbled low in the depths of Asura's throat. 

Klade asked Asura, "Sorry, boy. You've been waiting to eat haven't you?"

"Hell yeah…"

"Then go! I'll cheer you on. I'm waiting for a boss to show up."

Asura darted forward at the speed of light, his speed causing winds to shoot around him.

He was morphing into a colossal wolf beast, a towering incarnation of wrath veiled in swirling black and red flames. Horns sheathed in crimson runes curled terrifyingly from his head, and his teeth glinted, the runes etched deep within their structure radiating a malevolent energy. As Asura lunged toward the remaining Minotaurs, his transformation marking the beginning of a new and more gruesome chapter in the battle.

All the other players who were finishing off Minotaurs saw him, saying:

"It's Asura!"

"Move out of the way before he chomps on you too!"

Asura descended upon a group of Minotaurs, his size now truly colossal. Each footfall cracked the ground, sending tremors through the plains. With a massive swipe of his paw, engulfed in red and black flames, he obliterated the first Minotaur, its body incinerating upon contact. The flames spread like a plague, catching onto nearby enemies, who screamed as the fire consumed them, reducing them to nothing but ashes in seconds.

[System Notification: +1,200 XP. Continuing accumulation. Current Reward Class: Silver Ascendant.]

Charging forward with uncanny speed, Asura's horned head became a battering ram of destruction. The runes glowed brighter, pulsating with each contact. With a deft movement, he skewered two Minotaurs on a single horn, lifting them into the air effortlessly. As they struggled, the intensity of the flames increased until the horns exploded, sending shrapnel of bone and rune-empowered flames cascading across the field, shredding nearby enemies.

[System Notification: +2,300 XP. Accelerated earning in effect. Current Reward Class: Gold Guardian.]

Locke, Zenith, Seraphine, and Orsik were in the fray.

Zenith said, "Of course they get better rewards because of their high level!"

Locke responded, "And Klade is just sitting there not having to do a thing!"

Seraphina said to Locke, "You sound jealous."

"Nope!!"

Orsik added, "We can't let them outdo us, no matter what they're level is!"

In the eye of the storm stood Asura, pausing to gather the chaotic energy around him. His entire body vibrated as he unleashed a deafening roar. The ground before him shattered, and from the cracks surged a torrent of red and black flames shaped like runes. This ocean of fire swept forward in a devastating wave, engulfing a throng of Minotaurs. Their cries were short-lived as the runic fire silenced them permanently, leaving a scorching path in its wake.

[System Notification: +3,500 XP. Slaughter bonus applied. Current Reward Class: Platinum Destroyer.]

With a swift leap into the air, Asura's bulky frame seemed unfettered by gravity. His spin turned into a violent tornado, the flames around him intensifying into a fiery vortex. Each touch of his flame-laden fur resulted in explosions of flesh and fire. Like a demonic drill, he bore through the ranks of Minotaurs, leaving a trail of fire and ruin that no fresh horde could withstand.

[System Notification: +4,800 XP. Annihilation streak multiplier x4. Current Reward Class: Diamond Inferno.]