SSS-Grade Acceleration Talent made me Fastest Lord of Apocalypse-Chapter 61: Appearance

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Damien couldn’t help but voice the question, his tone low but serious.

Some time ago, they had arrived at the deepest reaches of the Thousand Beast Forest—a place where the trees stood like ancient sentinels, towering and twisted, their bark scarred by time and battle. Yet here, amidst that oppressive wilderness, they now stood in a surprisingly open clearing.

A vast lake stretched out before them, so wide it seemed to touch the horizon. Its waters glowing under the filtered sunlight, unnaturally still, like a pane of polished glass. Beneath the surface, the lakebed sparkled with multicolored crystals, each one pulsing faintly with spiritual energy—an eerie, mesmerizing glow that turned the lake into a prismatic mirror.

But it wasn’t the scenery that made Damien tense.

It was the aura—or rather, auras.

The area filled with power. Silver-ranked warriors were scattered across the region like unseen predators, hiding their presence with uncanny precision. Their killing intent was muted, but ever-present, like blades waiting to unsheathe.

Worse still, Damien could feel multiple presences blazing brighter than the sun—undeniably Gold rankers.

They weren’t moving. But they were watching.

Cautious, Damien scanned the treeline again and spoke, his voice slightly lower now.

"Are you absolutely sure this is the place?"

This time, it wasn’t Akira who answered, but the ever-silent figure beside her—Selene.

The silver-haired woman stepped forward, her ethereal presence drawing the faintest shimmer from the lake’s surface. Her amethyst eyes held no warmth, only calculation. Her long white hair flowed like a river of moonlight, untouched by the faint forest breeze.

"It is indeed this place," Selene replied, her voice cold and unnaturally stiff—as though the act of speaking itself was unfamiliar, perhaps even unnecessary in her world.

"Here, the void disturbance is strongest. The Thousand Miles Toad will appear here."

Even as she spoke, Damien noticed strange symbols flickering across her pupils—runes and characters foreign to him, alive with subtle movement, scanning the environment like a divine lens.

She tilted her head slightly, pausing, then turned toward him with that same unblinking expression.

"Five Gold rank warriors. Approximately twenty-three Silver rankers. All in position. Watching."

Her tone was calm, but there was a deliberate weight behind her words—as if she expected to see fear or hesitation bloom across Damien’s face.

But he simply met her gaze.

His expression didn’t waver. Not a twitch. If anything, there was a flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He gave a small nod of thanks, and replied with cool composure:

"Appreciate the intel."

Selene blinked slowly, then looked away, a trace of surprise flickering in her eyes—quickly hidden, but not before it had registered.

Even in the heart of danger, Damien remained unshaken.

On the other hand, Akira’s expression turned ghostly pale.

Her eyes darted across the treeline, then back to the lake, her voice catching in her throat before bursting out in a strained whisper:

"Why are we not running already?"

It wasn’t a rhetorical question—her tone trembled with genuine fear.

Yes, she had seen Damien’s monstrous strength firsthand. He had crushed Iron and Silver rank beasts like they were made of straw. But this?

This was something else.

Gold rank warriors were on an entirely different level. Their bodies were tougher than forged steel, hardened by battles that had claimed lesser men. Even the weakest among them could unleash power that dwarfed most Silver rankers—a terrifying gap that no confidence could bridge.

She wasn’t naïve.

She wasn’t about to start believing Damien could stand alone against several of those walking disasters.

But her alarm fell on deaf ears.

Selene stood still, her amethyst eyes locked on the shimmering lake, unreadable as ever. She made no move to run—perhaps because she still couldn’t feel any immediate threat directed at them.

And Damien?

He didn’t even flinch.

His gaze remained fixed forward, calm and unreadable. Beneath that composed exterior, there was only quiet certainty—a storm waiting for the right moment to move.

Then it happened.

The surface of the lake trembled—soft at first, like a ripple brushing outward from the center. Then it escalated.

Thousands of bubbles surged upward, turning the once-still waters into a boiling cauldron of motion. The air shimmered with heat and energy, a pulsing rhythm that seemed to thrum beneath their feet.

Croak! Croak!

The sound echoed unnaturally across the forest, deep and resonant.

Dozens—no, tens of female Thousand Miles Toads—rose from the lake depths, their bulbous forms drifting toward the surface. Their slick, multicolored skins gleamed like wet gemstones beneath the light. With every guttural croak, they released a strange, rhythmic vibration, a call laced with irresistible allure.

It wasn’t a warning.

It was a summoning—a melodic chant echoing through the void, reaching out far beyond the lake’s boundaries.

They were calling to their male counterparts—beasts so massive and rare they only answered when the stars aligned and the void shimmered just right.

Hidden behind a rough boulder nearby, Nora and Sora held their breath, wide-eyed.

"Here it is..." Sora whispered, his voice barely a tremor.

Their ticket to a better life.

A successful hunt here meant wealth, resources, and fame. A future without uncertainty.

Just as he whispered those words, dozens of previously concealed auras flickered into awareness—silent, deadly presences focused entirely on the lake, every one of them waiting for the same thing:

The arrival of the Thousand Miles Toad.

---

Akira finally calmed down.

The rising tide of tension receded from her face, replaced by a gleam in her eyes that only those obsessed with their craft could recognize. The moment the female toads surfaced, it had reignited her Divine Researcher’s spirit—a burning curiosity that eclipsed even the fear of death.

She turned toward Selene, her gaze silently pleading for confirmation.

Selene, ever unreadable, met her eyes with that same calm, porcelain expression. Then, with a subtle shake of her head, she replied in a voice as smooth and cold as flowing mercury:

"There is still some time."

Her tone held no emotion, no inflection—just quiet certainty.

From the corner of his eye, Damien observed the exchange. Though his stance remained relaxed, his muscles were subtly coiled, his senses stretched taut like a drawn bowstring. He was alert, ready to move in an instant.

Akira suddenly stepped closer to him, her earlier panic replaced with focused intensity.

"Crown Prince," she said in a hushed but firm voice, "use this formation to trap them. It’s custom-built to capture the toad."

From within her bag—or perhaps some hidden compartment—she pulled out what appeared to be a simple fishing net.

But the moment Damien touched it, he paused.

The net, while delicate in appearance, carried a surprising weight—dense, almost metallic. It felt alive with mana, like holding a current of condensed spiritual energy woven into form. The threads shimmered faintly, runes carved so finely they were nearly invisible unless looked at from a specific angle.

He gave Akira a brief nod, his eyes solemn now. He understood this wasn’t just a tool.

It was a weapon of precision, forged for one purpose.

At that exact moment—

CRACK!

The space above the lake shattered like glass, twisted fractures spiderwebbing across the air itself. It was as if reality could no longer contain what was coming.

Crooooooak!

From within those rifts in space, behemoths emerged—each the size of a tiger, their bulging forms rippling with energy.

Male Thousand Miles Toads.

Their skin shimmered like refined green jade, polished to an unnatural sheen by void energies. Their very presence warped the air, distorting it with waves of pressure.

Their croaks echoed with raw, masculine energy, filled with vigor and primal excitement.

Their eyes darted across the lake, and the moment they spotted the gathered females, their bodies quivered.

Desire.

That was all they felt.

Unaware of the invisible predators lying in wait.

Then—

"Here’s our chance!" freewёbnoνel.com

"Capture them!"

Multiple voices rang out in unison—filled with urgency, greed, and the thrill of the hunt.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of auras erupted from the treeline, from behind boulders and under the canopy—warriors from all ranks revealing themselves at once.

Spells flared, weapons glowed, and the battle for the Thousand Miles Toads began in explosive fashion.

And yet, Damien stood still—his eyes calm and focused, net in hand, waiting for the perfect moment.

Before making his move, Damien paused. His sharp eyes flicked toward the two women beside him.

In a calm voice that cut through the rising tension, he asked,

"How many do you want?"

Akira blinked, caught off guard by the question. For a split second, her usual composure cracked.

Then her expression shifted—eyes shimmering with a strange blend of desire, greed, and obsession.

"As many as you can get. No... I want them all."

There was no hesitation in her voice. It wasn’t just the researcher speaking—it was the ambition of someone who’d seen a path open before her and couldn’t bear the thought of letting it slip away.

Damien arched a brow, but said nothing. Instead, he gave a small nod and a thin, almost amused smile tugged at his lips.

"Alright then."

And with that, he moved.

---

Meanwhile, the once-serene lake had become a chaotic battlefield.

Dozens of figures had already plunged into the waters or hovered above its surface, each wielding bizarre and eclectic weapons—hooked chains, rune-bound nets, compressed light spears, and talismans that pulsed with enchantments.

They danced around each other in the air and water, their eyes never leaving the shimmering forms of the Thousand Miles Toads.

A battle of speed and precision had begun—hunters vs prey, though the prey was anything but helpless.

Amidst this frenzy, the toads croaked in panic and rage, some leaping into the air with explosive bursts of void energy, others diving deep in an attempt to flee.

From behind cover, Sora and Nora watched with wide eyes, breath held as they observed the scene unfold.

"So many people..." Sora muttered under his breath.

"We need to act now," Nora whispered back, already preparing her talisman, veins glowing faintly with mana.

Unseen by many, Damien stepped into the open.

The net in his hand glowed faintly—subtle, but deadly.