The Unvanquished: Child of Nihility-Chapter 52: True 3-Star Monster

’Something is wrong... why do I feel threatened? And the thing that’s about to come out of that cave–could it be...’

If anyone could see her face beneath the mask, they’d notice a rare crease of worry.

Then it happened "...?"

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Suddenly, the space around the mouth of the black cave cracked as two long, dried bony hands–each with four sharp claws–shot out as if trying to tear the cave apart. Time seemed to pause. Morca, standing directly in front of the black cave, felt the world still around him. He couldn’t move.

The air grew suffocating. The claws moved with a speed so fast it seemed illusory, a blur of black aura trailing behind them as they shot straight toward Morca’s head–like they intended to tear him to shreds.

No movement–no escape. In that moment, the space around him was sealed, locked tight. All he could do was think, helplessly, as the sharp, deadly claws drew closer. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.

"Shit... I’m screwed." For the first time since transmigrating to the planet Eden, Morca felt it–that familiar, terrifying sensation he hated the most...

The taste of death.

Then, at the very last second, something happened–

"..."

At the very last moment, something changed.

Morca’s mind raced, thoughts flashing through his head like streaks of lightning. His right eye, the crimson one, gleamed sharply with focused intent, while his left–an abyssal black vortex–began to swirl with ominous force. That eye wasn’t merely seeing anymore–it was devouring. Tearing through the restraints placed on space itself, as if it had grown hungry for liberation.

Around him, the very molecules of darkness and shadow began to tremble. No longer bound by the spatial pressure that had locked everything in place, they loosened, broke free–liberated by the will of his eye. The moment was narrow, a fraction of a second, but that was all Morca needed.

Seizing the opportunity, he activated his unique skill–Blank.

His body began to melt into the surrounding shadows, each of his cells cloaking themselves in the freed molecules of darkness. His presence vanished, fused perfectly with the ambient void. No aura. No sound. No light. He became one with the shadows–an untouchable wraith.

Then, he disappeared.

And just as quickly, he reappeared–this time no longer bound by the spatial lock that had gripped him before. He stood still, unmoving. If someone looked at him now, they might think he was dead–his form silent, his breathing shallow, his aura unreadable.

But then–

His blade, Avoc, materialized in his hand with a flash of blood-hued steel.

From the side, the monstrous skeletal claws lunged at him, intending to smash him into paste–like a god slapping a fly. Morca’s eyes narrowed. No time to dodge. No hesitation.

He braced himself.

CLANG. BAMM

SHREEEEE–BAMBOOO!

The clash of power cracked through the battlefield like a war drum. Morca was flung through the air like a meteor, crashing through three dead trees in rapid succession before finally slamming into the ground. Dust exploded outward, and debris rained down like shrapnel from a battlefield.

Stones rolled. Branches snapped. And Morca lay still, a crater beneath him, the dirt scarred from the impact.

As for the monstrous claws–two of its claws were visibly broken. The entire skeletal hand quivered for a moment before it began withdrawing, retreating slowly into the swirling black hole from which it came.

One thing was certain.

The battle wasn’t over.

Far from it.

The other trial candidates stood in stunned silence, jaws slack, breath held. What they had just witnessed shouldn’t have been possible. That creature–its aura alone had paralyzed them–and yet Morca had clashed with it. Survived it.

They had expected him to die. Expected that monstrous limb to erase him from existence. But now, even though he’d been sent flying, even though they couldn’t sense his aura anymore–none of them believed he was dead. Why?

Because the creature’s claw had suffered.

The only reason it had retreated... was because it too had been wounded.

But this wasn’t the end.

They all knew it.

That claw–it wasn’t the true form of the monster. It was just a fragment. A hand reaching through a portal.

And the weight of that realization finally hit them.

"That was just a hand... so the real monster is still inside...?"

Someone muttered the obvious, and others felt the dread sink into their bones.

A 3-Star monster.

That term echoed in their minds like a death knell. A 3-Star monster was equivalent to a Golden River Stage cultivator–or the third rank of supernatural experts. Such a being could annihilate a small army of Saint-ranked experts in moments.

And they? They were merely awakened rank–geniuses, yes, but undeveloped. In front of such absolute power, genius meant nothing but trash.

Geniuses only in name.

Soon, the dust around the impact crater began to settle. A lone figure emerged, his body limping slightly, but his gaze sharp as ever–locked directly onto the swirling black hole inside the cave.

A wide grin tugged at his lips.

"Good... very good. This is it," Morca muttered. "This is the feeling. Now I don’t need to hold back anymore. I can test my limits–after breaking through to the Saint Rank."

Instead of looking fearful or weary, Morca grinned like a madman.

And that’s exactly what Brain Magnus whispered out loud, voice hoarse, "He’s insane... a madman."

He didn’t even realize he’d spoken until all eyes turned to him.

Max, who knew Brain’s battle-hardened nature, silently agreed. For all his recklessness, Brain had limits. But this? This was something else. Morca had taken a direct hit from a monster of impossible strength and came out smiling.

Who else among them could even hope to react that way?

A handful at most. Maybe less.

And then the cave responded.

The swirling portal twisted, and from within, a figure stepped out.

It was... familiar, yet terrifying.

A Bone Devourer Skeleton–but mutated.

Instead of standing 19 feet tall with six hollow eyes, this one was roughly 10 feet in height. Its dried, decayed skin clung tightly to its bones, as if it were wearing death itself like a cloak. Three eyes sat on its skull–two glowed with a violent red aura, while the third, on its forehead, was sealed shut into a slit. Atop its head, three radiant horns pulsed with silver energy... holy and yet abyssal.

Its very presence twisted the atmosphere.

Its broken claws had already regenerated. The red aura around it surged, growing stronger with every breath. It grinned–grinned–at the trial candidates.

Then it spoke.

A voice that churned through bone and marrow.

"Grrrah... Hue-man... Gienius... Grrrch... Kii...ll... Ahall... Dieeee... Kill!" (Human genius kill all... die all)

The garbled speech was monstrous–inhuman–but they understood enough.

It could speak.

And that fact alone confirmed it.

This was no ordinary monster.

This was a true 3-Star monster.

Thick crimson mist bled into the skies above them, clouding the heavens. A sealed domain had formed–a fog of blood and malice–separating them from the outside world. Panic seized the trial candidates.

And then their wrist devices lit up.

Beep. Beep.

A flickering red panel appeared in front of them: 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

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[Academy Trial Notification]

ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.

Sur...vive f...five mi...nutes...

Rein...force...ment will ar..rive soon...

Beep. Beep. Beep.

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