Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday-Chapter 263 : The Gathering Storm

They watched as the monster's elongated limbs twitched unnaturally as it ripped through the dead infected, its fingers... or claws... sinking into their flesh with slow, deliberate precision.

Then… it stopped.

Slowly, unnervingly, it lifted its head.

Its face - if it could even be called that - was featureless, save for a gaping maw filled with rows of glistening, serrated teeth.

And then, it smiled.

"Ew! Ew! Just Ew!"

Aleena was ready to throw hands at the sight. But it seemed like her reaction to its beauty didn't set right with the creature. Before she could have even time to react, the creature moved.

It lunged, covering the distance between them in a blur of motion, faster than anything she had ever seen.

"MOVE!" Rune roared, shoving Aleena aside as the creature's claws sliced through the air where they had just stood.

The warriors reacted instinctively, drawing weapons, but Rune knew already- they were outmatched.

This wasn't a mindless beast.

This was a predator.

And it was playing with them.

- - -

Back at Greenstone, the scream sent a chill through the residents.

[Master, we have the location.]

2025's voice filled Grace's head, letting her know that Rune and his team had accomplished their mission. But it also meant that they were now with the monster.

"Move out!" she commanded.

The rest of her team and the warriors surged forward as Davian immediately opened a portal to the nearest spot he had visited to the mosnter's current location.

Grace led the charge, her body pulsing with energy while her enhanced senses remained on alert.

They reached the village within minutes... just in time to see Rune and his team barely holding their ground against the nightmare before them.

Rune was strong... strong enough to take down the monster on his own. But he was being held back because he had to protect the team, and it seemed like the monster had realized the same as well because it kept going for the team instead of Rune.

Grace's heart slammed against her ribs.

The creature stood at the center of the clearing, unharmed. It tilted its head as if curious… then grinned wider.

She didn't hesitate. She moved, but not before casting a barrier around the rest of the warriors to ensure their safety.

Faster than thought, she closed the distance between herself and the monster, summoning a sword of energy and attacking it. The monster reacted instantly, twisting away, but she adjusted mid-strike, anticipating its movement.

Her blade connected, and a deep gash split across the creature's side.

And for the second time, it screamed... but this time in surprise and anger instead of excitement.

It didn't seem to be in much pain, but it gave Grace the confirmation she wanted - it could be hurt... by her energy weapons.

"Focus your attacks!" she finally ordered the team and the warriors. "It's fast, but it's not invincible!"

Her words pulled everyone out of their state of shock, and they all moved to regroup, surrounding the monster in a coordinated attack pattern despite the fear that they were all experiencing at its sight.

But as they moved, for the first time, the predator hesitated.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

Then, without warning... it retreated.

Faster than any of them could react, it vanished into the darkness, leaving only a group of shocked people.

Silence hung heavy in the air.

"Boss?" Kevin was the first one to break the silence, his gaze turning to Grace as he waited for her next decision.

Grace let out a sigh, turning her attention toward Rune who already knew what she wanted him to do. With a quick nod, he disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Only then did she turn her attention to her team and the warriors. "I made you all join this mission just so that you all can witness a sneak peak at the real danger that was soon going to hit out world in full force. So far, you have only been hearing about it from me... but seeing it with your own eyes might have waken you all up in real."

She let her words sink in for a moment before continuing, "It was just one, now imagine an entire army of hundreds of thousands of such monsters. It was just one... while there's ninety-five of us. Still, we couldn't kill it. Return to Greenstone now, and think about how you are going to protect yourselves and your loved ones from these monsters in future."

No one spoke... there was nothing they coukd have said. They just did as they were told, returning to Greenstone through the portal that Davian opened.

Once everyone was gone except for Davian and Grace, the duo followed Rune, heading to hunt down the Monster beast before it could cause chaos in their world.

- - -

The night was thick with tension as Grace and Davian moved through the shadows. Their steps were silent, and their senses were razor-sharp.

Rune was still ahead of them, following the monster. His presence was barely detectable even to them, but 2025 was doing a great job at keeping tracks on both the monster and Rune.

Grace knew they had to kill it before it could vanish completely. If it disappeared into the wild or infiltrated another human settlement, it would be catastrophic.

They couldn't let that happen.

"Can you sense it?" Davian murmured beside her, his voice low.

"Not directly," she admitted, her eyes scanning the dark expanse of the forest that the monster had led them into. "But it's out there."

[You are almost there.]

2025 informed and Grace led Davian to the location the system was showing her. They pushed deeper into the unknown forest. They didn't come across single infected or Shadow Beasts, they all went into hiding the moment they sensed the Monster's presence.

Even the stupid zombies were smart enough to avoid something as dangerous as the Monster Beasts.

They finally spotted Rune who signaled them to look in a certain direction where they found the monster. It was aware of their presence, waiting for the inevitable fight that they all knew going to happen.

"Let's end it." Rune muttered.

And then, they struck.