While Ricky was locked in a desperate struggle for survival, Jack Velcrast was far from finished.
The air around him shrieked like a tornted spirit, with Jack standing as the eye of the storm. A torrent of power erupted, shaking the very foundations of the earth beneath him.
Lush greenery withered and crumbled as the life-giving moisture within was sucked away, leaving behind a desolate landscape.
Argh!
Jack Velcrast inhaled deeply, drawing in the air around him like a mythical dragon preparing to unleash its fury.
His chest swelled, and veins bulged across his body, every muscle tensing as if on the brink of explosion.
"Let show you why you never disrespect a mber of the Radiant Knight Order," he growled, his voice laced with a fury that burned like an inferno.
The flas of rage within Jack's heart blazed uncontrollably, threatening to consu his sanity.
His ntor, a being of unparalleled nobility and kindness, revered by millions, had t his end in this naless forest. Worse still, these vile creatures had desecrated his body, denying him a dignified burial.
How dare these filthy pests show such disrespect? Did they not fear the wrath of the righteous?
Jack drew another deep breath, channeling the surging anger within him into a devastating attack—the most powerful he had ever mastered.
The sword in his hand blazed with an intense, fiery orange light, casting a glow that seed to defy the laws of nature. The temperature soared, as if the sun itself had been summoned to bear witness to his fury.
For a fleeting mont, daylight seed to return, banishing the shadows that had claid the forest.
"...Majesty of the Radiant Knight," Jack intoned, his voice echoing with an authority that commanded respect.
Even before the sword began its descent, a terrifying pressure descended upon the surroundings. The forest trembled under the weight of Jack's righteous anger, and Ricky, already pushed to his limits, felt a primal fear grip his soul.
His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst free as he stared at the sword poised to strike him down. The pain that had wracked his body monts before seed to vanish, replaced by a strange and unfamiliar emotion.
This was it—this was the power he yearned for: an unstoppable force of nature that none could resist.
Jack Velcrast's attack descended like the judgnt of a vengeful god, punishing Ricky for his transgressions. Ricky felt his very essence begin to burn away, his existence fading from the world.
The tallic sheen of his exoskeleton blazed like a funeral pyre, consuming him in flas.
Just as Ricky seed lost to the inferno, a desperate cry echoed through the distance.
"Thief! Hold on... I'm coming to save you..."
A peculiar, sticky substance enveloped Ricky's body, smothering the flas that sought to devour him. The fire retardant properties of the substance extinguished the blaze, leaving Ricky dazed but alive.
"Black Shadow...?" Ricky's consciousness flickered, recognition dawning as he heard the voice of the spider he had once deceived.
Before he could dwell on the thought, a sudden force jerked him away at incredible speed, pulling him from the jaws of death.
Jack Velcrast, the trainee knight, stood in stunned disbelief as Ricky vanished before his eyes.
"Stop right there, you filthy pest..." he roared, his eyes burning with a fury that threatened to consu him.
But it was too late. Ricky was gone, spirited away by a force far greater than anything Jack could hope to overco.
In the face of a Stage 2 being like Dark Shadow, Jack's power was insignificant. If she wished to save Ricky, nothing could stand in her way.
"Damn it..." Jack seethed, his anger boiling over as he laid waste to the surrounding forest.
In that mont, he bore little resemblance to a knight, his fury more akin to that of a wrathful sorcerer.
.....
So ti earlier, Dark Shadow had been contentedly tending to her garden, her heart swelling with joy at the bounty before her.
Her fruits flourished, and she had ascended to beco a proud Stage 2 being—no longer a re Feral Hunter, but a formidable Ravaging Beast.
With her newfound power, she could cultivate even more fruits, and she had gained a new friend in the process.
The thought of her small companion brought a flash of happiness to Dark Shadow's eyes.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the distance, drawn by an ominous aura that sent a shiver down her spine.
"A human magus?" she whispered, her heart sinking as ancient mories stirred within her.
Though the aura was weak compared to the terrors of her bloodline's past, it was enough to give her pause.
As she debated whether to investigate, a realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.
This was the direction her new friend had taken.
"Thief is in danger..." Dark Shadow's mandibles trembled as she grappled with her conflicting desires.
She yearned to save her friend, but the thought of leaving her precious fruits unguarded filled her with dread.
"What to do..." she fretted, her mind racing as she weighed her options.
Boom!
An explosion echoed through the forest, and a blazing sun seed to descend from the heavens, scorching the earth below.
Witnessing the devastation, Dark Shadow's resolve hardened. She would not stand idly by while her friend suffered.
In an instant, her body transford into a streak of darkness, racing towards the source of the commotion.
She found Ricky on the brink of annihilation, his body engulfed in flas.
Dark Shadow's fury surged within her, and she longed to reduce the human responsible to a bloody pulp.
But Ricky's dire condition stayed her hand. She quickly enveloped him in her webs, extinguishing the flas that sought to consu him, and fled the scene.
.....
Jack Velcrast gave chase, his heart pounding with a mix of rage and desperation.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and a ghostly presence descended upon him.
"Hehehe... Blood of Velcrast," a voice whispered, sending a shiver of dread through Jack's body.
He turned to face the source of the voice, his eyes widening in shock at what he beheld.
"Teacher...?" he gasped, his voice barely more than a whisper as he stared in disbelief.
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