Draconic King of Shadows-Chapter 62: Steel-Plated Angry Rhino

Lord Vorgath. The Night Dragon. The Lord of the Shadows. The Ruler of the Skies. The Destroyer...

The Dragon God of Shadow had been called so many things, ranging from names filled with reverence, to names that invoked fear and terror in the hearts of the bravest of men.

This being of untold might, spanning kilometers in size, had powers exceeding the understanding of many. Yet, his name wasn’t soiled as much as most expected.

There would always be those who hated you for some reason, whether it be because you had hurt them unknowingly, or they just had this feeling of hatred for you because of your glory, or your ideals opposed theirs. Either way, Lord Vorgath had too few of those people.

Some said he annihilated them. Some say he threatened those who did, silencing them for good, while some say his presence spread out farther than anyone could imagine, and he used its potency to affect the thoughts of anyone and everyone who had negative thoughts about him.

All these were just rumors, rumors that had no solid base or proof.

What no one knew was that this was caused by a race of little beings. A race whose extinction should have long occurred, but were preserved by the Dragon God to serve him for a purpose in exchange for protection.

However, Lord Vorgath had seemingly disappeared over a thousand years ago, and their numbers slowly dwindled down to a few.

Fortunately, they had found their Lord again, and they were willing to serve under his wings just like they once did. But, they needed to find a way to approach him without appearing hostile, or else...

The spherical ball with Violet eyes shuddered, and it turned around, giving out orders immediately.

***

Oblivious to this new development, the squad pressed forward, their patience waning.

They had been moving for close to an hour already, but there was no sign of any beast in their proximity.

Of course they weren’t wishing for danger, but they should have encountered at least two or more beasts, considering the constant beast roars that echoed in the jungle.

"We have gone deep enough to have crossed paths with more beasts than we can count, but the jungle feels..."

"Empty," Kenzo completed her words.

"Exactly!" Lyra exclaimed. "I monitored our path on our way here, so we don’t risk getting lost if we go further."

"But should we?" Matilda asked. "This is tiring, how are we going to find the Steel-Plated Grey Rhino if we don’t know their general location or habitat to make a proper search?"

Damion sighed. "We have to keep searching," he chimed in. "It would be incompetent for us to fail our first missi..."

Matilda shot Damion a glance. "What is it?" she asked, noticing his sudden pause.

Damion remained silent, his ears perking up in focus.

Kenzo and Lyra stopped what they were doing, focusing on Damion. He was the best scout of their group, so they trusted his instincts and waited patiently.

Damion turned on his feet, looking in different directions and searching for something. Suddenly his gaze snapped in a certain direction, and he squinted his eyes.

The ground rumbled, and the rest of the team looked in the direction he was staring.

The rumbling multiplied, so much so that their footing was affected, and they almost stumbled.

"Fan out!" Damion yelled and dived into his shadow.

The rest obeyed, using their various methods to scatter in different directions.

Kenzo leaped from his spot, activating his Stigmas right before he did so to gain a boost.

Matilda got on all fours and pushed to the nearest tree, scaling it with her claws and jumping to the next.

Lyra’s thrusters pushed her off the ground slightly, and she made use of that small momentum to push away.

Damion reappeared ahead, his eyes fixated on the approaching threat.

The rumbling grew louder, and the ground shook more beneath their feets.

[Lower Rank 5 Beast]

[Steel-Plated Grey Rhino]

Truly, the herd of Steel-Plated Grey Rhinos looked like their skins were made from tough steel. How was he going to even kill them? Sure there were gaps between each flap of skin, could he deal enough damage to injure it, not to talk of killing the beast.

Damion wasn’t so sure if he could do it by himself, but he wasn’t alone.

"Get ready!" Damion shouted, his voice loud enough to be heard above the approaching Rhinos.

The team readied themselves, each member preparing for the impending battle. This was a tough challenge they had been given by Captain Shodan, so they were going to give their all to complete it and get stronger.

Kenzo drew his Nodachi, its blade gleaming in the moonlight. Matilda crouched low, her claws extending and her eyes dilating, and Lyra charged up her energy cannons, her eyes locked on the target ahead.

The Rhinos burst through everything in their way with the force of a truck. They didn’t care to know if they crushed anything beneath their feet or trampled a fallen brethren to death.

They were agitated by something, but the team of four couldn’t be too bothered, that’s if they could even read the Rhino’s expression.

The Rhinos barrelled through the tree Damion stood on, and he jumped, landing on the massive creatures back.

’Phantom Slash would have been really useful right now,’ Damion thought as he raised his sword up and pierced down.

A loud wail shook the vicinity, and the Rhino came to a sudden stop, throwing Damion off its back.

Damion flew through the air and fell, rolling to his feets swiftly, his sword in hand.

At that moment, he seemed to understand one thing... The Rhino was angry.

It took a step back, dragging its feets across the ground as it huffed out a hot steam-like breath.

Damion’s gaze steeled, and he raised his weapon.

"Come at me, big guy," he taunted.

The Rhino roared and charged ahead, its aura practically rolling out in pressuring waves as its horns lit up with a fierce red hue.