{A few hours earlier.}
It was a normal night in the kingdom of Felmora, the streets buzzing with life.
Catgirls stood along the roads, magic-lit lamps casting a warm glow over them. As always, most were scantily dressed, their soft tails swishing smoothly behind them as they welcod yet another wave of visitors from other kingdoms.
"Hey... co with . I’ll show you a good ti," one catgirl muttered. A few male visitors were imdiately captured by her charm.
"It’s only 7 gold coins per night, boys, but since you’re looking pretty cute, I’ll give you a discount."
The visitors were srized, choosing which girls to have fun with before dragging them away into the night.
Then suddenly, another group of visitors walked over. These ones had a different aura than the others: they weren’t srized or looking for fun. There was just sothing about them that gave the catgirls chills.
But they smiled anyway. "Hey... welco to Felmora. Would you like—"
The n passed the girls without a word. There were four of them. The girls watched them go, wondering just how such suspicious individuals had managed to get into the kingdom in the first place.
A few minutes after the hooded n walked deeper into the capital, a female knight, bloodied and injured, ca dragging herself along the pavent.
"S-sound the alarm..." she managed to mutter to the girls. "The gate... it has fallen. Sound the warning alarm!!"
But it was too late. Screams began to echo from the direction where those n had headed. Then, the guttural sounds of monsters took hold of the entire city.
"Help!!!! Monsters!!! There are monsters here!!!"
In the heart of the kingdom, the four hooded n were concentrating their magic on a summoning circle. A dark cloud swirled with ominous evil energy, and from within it, monsters were popping out and infesting the streets. The circle began expanding, looking as if it were about to crack under the pressure.
"Oh, demons... here cos the nasty one!" one of them exclaid, pouring in more magic.
From the circle, horns like those of a rhino erged first. Then, the full, hard-skinned Behemoth of Terror stepped out. It was massive—easily the size of an elephant—towering over the panicked citizens.
Another hooded man laughed. "This kingdom is done for." He turned to the beast. "Cause havoc! Destroy every household and kill each and every person you see in your wake!!"
The monster let out an approving huff. It charged forward, breathing out hot lava fire—so intense it lted the stone buildings in its path. Families sleeping in the comfort of their hos didn’t even have ti to react; they were scorched to death before they could think of running.
One of the n laughed. "Are we, the Revolutionaries, the most powerful organization in the world right now or what?"
"It’s all thanks to Number One," another replied. "He created these monsters by mixing literal human souls into them, giving birth to a new kind of chira... ones that are able to listen to commands and carry them out obediently."
The four of them shared a look of total respect for their leader.
"But at this rate, the cat-folk will go totally extinct," one noted. "What is Number One thinking?"
"Who knows?" The other shrugged. "But I trust he’s got a plan. He doesn’t do these things without a clear goal. Let’s just focus on doing what we were ordered to do and stop the chit-chat, alright?"
"You got it! Let’s cause so serious havoc!!"
They weren’t lying. More than half the population had already fallen in the short ti since the massacre began.
The Felmora knights, though caught off-guard, ard up and rushed to fight. Soon, the air was filled with the sound of swords schlicking into the gooey, disgusting skins of the monsters. But for every one they killed, others retaliated and slaughtered the knights in return.
It was an unfair battle against ridiculous numbers, but it beca a nightmare when the Behemoth of Terror made its appearance on the front lines. Even the proudest knights felt their knees buckle.
"We are... done for," one muttered, her sword clattering to the ground.
Another knight stretched her bow. "Don’t give up, guys!! We have to protect this kingdom!!" She let an arrow fly, but it bounced uselessly off the Behemoth’s hide.
"Oh, Goddess of Grace... please, help us!!"
The Behemoth’s neck began turning crimson as heat rose from deep within its gut. It opened its massive maw, smoke drifting out. It fired—a blast of fire so powerful it would have incinerated the remaining knights into charred bones.
However, right in the nick of ti, they were saved. One minute they were in front of the beast; the next, they were pulled far away. When they looked up, they saw the Grimfangs.
Or at least, the forr Grimfangs—the catgirls who had once been Queen Nyxa’s most trusted, only to "betray" her to serve Tama.
"Leave the monster to us," Stellani ordered. "You concentrate on rescuing civilians, protecting Queen Nyxa, and healing the injured."
The knights weren’t thrilled to be helped by them. They still considered the group a heresy because of their new black fur, thanks to the mark of their evolution and Tama’s blessing.
"I hate being saved by black-cats... but fine!! We’re counting on you!!"
Stellani let out a smirk.
The only boy in the team, Sylvester, adjusted his round eyeglasses as he retrieved a massive to from the shadows. He flipped to a specific page.
"It says here this is a Behemoth of Terror," he said calmly. "It usually takes six S-rank hunters to take one down, and even then it’s a struggle. Its skin is practically indestructible. The only real weakness it has is its... well, its balls."
Stellani’s grin widened. "Well then. It’s about to get the most brutal testicular torsion it’s ever seen in its life."
She glanced back at her team. "Stara, Silla, Stelvia, and you, Sylvester... let’s show the world the power of the Shadowlings. For the honor of our Excellence, Queen Tama!!"
"You got it!!" they shouted in unison, shadow-stepping instantly and leaving the Behemoth spinning in confusion, seeing them disappear and appear in front of it.
Tbc
Reviews
All reviews (0)