[Mass release 1/5]

The cohort fell naturally into formation, Steven situated at the front with Nott right beside him, his grey spear clenched tightly in both hands.

Shawn pulled a short sword from its sheath and stayed firm at the rear of the group, forming two more spiders—making four spiders he had put on the field with them.

Steven was far more than tense. This was the first time he was facing a Disaster Rank Two. There were three ranks of Disaster—Rank One, Two, and Three—and so far, all the Disasters he had encountered were fiends at their base level. But this was different. A Disaster Rank Two, and from what he had read in textbooks, they were twice as dangerous as the usual Disaster, possessing greater strength, more abilities, and a far higher threat level.

The higher the Disaster rank, the larger the threat.

And for Steven and probably the entire cohort, who were standing before their first Disaster Rank Two, this was the most menacing battle of their lives yet.

"What’s the plan?" Shawn asked, leaning into a battle stance.

"Don’t hold back and don’t die." Steven wasn’t much of a planner. He was no leader, but even so, this was the best he could give. He turned to Nott, signaling for the Grey Knight to take the lead on this one.

To this, Nott did not hesitate. He crouched low into a sprinting position, exerting such force that the ground beneath him shattered. The Grey Knight lunged forward at full speed, and Steven followed, keeping a distance of a few meters as they charged toward the Disaster.

"KIEEECK!!!"

The Blood Burst shrieked at the top of its lungs as it broke into a charge of its own toward the Grey Knight, red muscle tissue bulging grotesquely as each lunge expelled violent bursts of energy toward the cohort.

The two colossals met right in the middle of the sanctum, a violent gale of wind bursting outward from the collision of their insurmountable force. Their strength was nearly on par with each other...

Almost.

In the great collision, Nott guided himself against the Blood Burst’s claws, using the side of his spear to deflect the attack. But the monster’s power was too great, it caused the spear to shatter under the sheer force.

Still, the Grey Knight did not hesitate. From his arsenal, he summoned his grey battle shield and attacked swiftly, swinging it at the Blood Burst’s face.

The monstrous being was far too quick to fall for the attack. It ducked beneath the shield, allowing the torrential strike to miss completely.

Then the Blood Burst countered.

It lunged forward with a clenched fist, surging with a red, sizzling aura, and thrust it straight at the exposed face of the Grey Knight. The impact struck the metallic plate of Nott’s helm with such overwhelming force that it cracked, sending the Grey Knight flying through the air like a blasted rocket.

The monster released another senile roar of dominance as it turned swiftly toward its next target.

Steven.

Steven raced forward with an unshakable demeanor, both blades firm in his grasp as he hurried to close the distance between himself and the Disaster.

The Blood Burst snarled, blood tendrils surging violently from its back. Four of them blasted forward, aimed to impale Steven before he could reach it.

{Rampage Blast}

Steven slashed the Echo Blade through the air, releasing a crescent-shaped, concentrated blast that projected outward and collided explosively with the crimson tendrils, stopping the attack dead.

He closed the remaining distance, swinging his sword at the monster’s throat, fast and precise.

The Blood Burst blocked the strike with its claws, slashing against the blade and sending sparks and embers flying into the air.

Steven pressed forward immediately, using the Red Fang to cleave at the monster’s throat the moment it blocked his first strike, revealing the initial attack as nothing more than a feint.

The Blood Burst shrilled in fury as the red muscles around its throat instantly shriveled, turning a sickly brown.

{Bleeding effect taking place}

{-3 HP}

The monstrous Blood Burst roared, enraged, swinging its claws at Steven in a frantic storm of attacks. But the half-awakened was trained enough to anticipate such a reaction.

He took momentary steps back with each incoming strike, sidestepping, parrying with both blades, pivoting and retreating as he waited patiently for an opening while the Disaster attacked relentlessly.

’Shit! How the hell is it so strong?’ Steven complained internally as he struggled to maintain his focus against the horrid behemoth. It was fast, terrifyingly so and each violent strike from its claws and tendrils threatened to knock his blades from his grasp.

{-1 HP}

Even with the Red Fang, it didn’t seem to be slowing down at all.

At this rate, Steven would run out of stamina long before he found another opening to land a decisive hit.

Luckily for him, he was not alone in this battle.

"I’ll take it from here! Move!" Shawn yelled, sending all four of his spiders charging toward the monstrous Blood Burst.

Steven pivoted backward just in time, escaping the brunt of the Disaster’s assault as the spiders rushed in to engage it.

But his retreat did not leave him unscathed.

One of the Blood Burst’s tendrils pierced straight into his left shoulder, causing him to groan in pain.

{Poison detected}

{Poison nullified! Poison does not work on the Lord of the Undead}

Steven frowned at the notification. ’Poison... This is even more worrisome.’

"I don’t think the plan is working!" Shawn said, moving up to Steven’s side while keeping his eyes locked on the battle.

Steven gritted his teeth, the same thought crossing his mind. Watching the four spiders fare poorly against the Disaster made his stomach churn. The Blood Burst was faster, much faster and far stronger, taking sick pride in destroying each spider in the most gruesome ways imaginable.

It lodged its disgusting, metallic-like claws into the rump of one spider, ripping it clean in half and spilling its insides across the ground.

Another was caught in a crushing bear hug, squeezed so tightly that its entire body exploded, blood and spider parts scattering everywhere.

The spiders were useless.

Their bites, webs, and attacks left nothing more than insignificant scratches on the Blood Burst’s crimson flesh.

This was the incomparable gap between Dreadlings and Disaster Rank Two Shadow Eaters.

"It’s insane! This fucker is crazy! How in hell are we going to kill something like that?!" Steven growled.

Shawn had no answer. Worry etched itself across his face as he watched his final two spiders fall just as quickly. "We have to run..."

"It would just catch up," Steven replied, rising from his crouch as he dismissed his sword back into the dimension shop.

{Your sponsor is interested in what you are about to pull off next: You better don’t die, fool}

Steven smiled at the message. For the first time, he felt amused rather than irritated by his outrageous sponsor. ’You better reward me if I survive this one.’

He turned sharply to Shawn and asked urgently, "How many spiders can you weave at a time, Shawn?"

Shawn hesitated, likely weighing whether it was safe to share that information with someone who might still turn on him for provisions. But after hearing the overwhelming wail of the hideous Disaster as it crushed yet another spider, he finally spoke.

"I can create six every minute, but my mana will run out after the fifth minute."

Steven nodded. "Then throw out as many as you can every minute. Keep your distance. I’ll handle the rest."

He tightened his grip around the Red Fang and, without hesitation, hurled himself back into battle against the baleful Blood Burst.

***Author’s note***

Mass release on the first for all that want to unlock privileges.