Lord Of Beasts

The entity that had possessed the A Rank earlier had a presence unlike any Ethan had experienced, one so powerful he thought he was done for.

’But maybe it could save us.’

That was the logic behind his desperate call, and it seemed to have just been a waste of his last breath.

But that’s when it happened...

Just as the mandibles were about to close in on his head, crushing it with ease, everything froze. A sudden, suffocating aura flooded the cavern, one that was heavy and dark.

Every movement ceased, and even the Ant Queen hesitated.

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

’No way...’

He didn’t think his desperate call would actually work, but boy, was he glad that it did. The ant beasts were a guaranteed enemy, while whatever was within the A Rank was an uncertainty.

A slow, almost disbelieving breath escaped him.

’I never thought I’d want to see her possessed again, but damn, am I glad it happened now.’

The A Rank’s body shifted, her head lowering before suddenly snapping up.

Gone were her normal eyes, now replaced by a deep, blood-red glow. Her aura twisted, thick and stifling as it poured into the space around her, pressing down on everything like an invisible weight.

Then she suddenly disappeared.

There was no sound, wind, or distortion; she was just gone.

In the next instant, she was there, standing beside Ethan, as if she had always been there.

The ant that was nearest to his face and was about to end his life had no time to react. Her hand shot forward, grabbing it by the skull and lifting it in the air.

Then she squeezed, doing to it exactly as it would have done to Ethan.

Crack!

The creature’s head collapsed in her grip, crushed effortlessly as green ichor burst outward, splattering across her face.

She didn’t flinch or recoil.

Instead, she smiled, relishing the gore as the warmth of the creature’s insides coated her skin.

"How pleasant."

Her voice was layered, distorted, and inhuman.

She then turned her gaze toward Ethan, whose heart skipped a beat.

"What a pathetic vessel," she said, her tone dripping with disdain. "To think you would have died here if it weren’t for me."

Ethan didn’t respond, nor did he dare to, especially after the next thing she said.

"The next thing to move dies."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be; it carried around the entire cavern. It was not a bluff; her intent was universal, even the beasts understood it.

Every ant remained frozen, their instincts screaming at them to stay still. Even the Ant Queen held its position, its massive body unmoving as that oppressive red aura filled the cavern.

Her presence was so powerful it was almost visible, and it carried with it one thing...

Death.

Darius stared at her, a mix of shock, relief, and hope on his face.

All of it surged through him at once as he began moving toward her, his expression filled with disbelief.

’To think the weakest A Rank was actually this powerful...’

He had only met one S Rank in his life, and they were something else entirely, completely on another level. It was almost like they were transcendent beings.

And right now, she felt the same.

"This is perfect," he said, approaching quickly. "You’re finally using your abilities. Help me, and we can defeat this beast easily and get out of here before-"

He froze.

His heart skipped because she suddenly disappeared, then reappeared right in front of him, inches from his face.

"I said nobody moves, boy."

Her voice was quiet, but it shook him to his core.

"But if we-"

BOOM!

Her fist moved faster than he could perceive, coated in dense, crimson mana that was visible even to the naked eye.

It slammed into his chest, which instantly caved in from the impact.

Darius didn’t react, block, or even register it simply because he couldn’t.

His body was launched across the cavern, smashing into the wall with a thunderous crash, embedding into it for a brief moment before falling to the ground.

There was still silence, as the powerful B Rank lay there crumpled on the ground.

"Arrogant weakling," she muttered, shaking her head. "Trying to order me around."

She didn’t look at him again to check if he was alive, not carrying in the slightest.

Ethan stared.

The man he had just watched with admiration, the B Rank who had led them, fought for them, and stood as their only hope, had been erased in a single blow.

Not because he was weak, but because the possessed A Rank was just on another level.

"D-Did you just kill him...?" Ethan managed, his voice barely a whisper.

Her gaze snapped to him.

"I held back."

That was all she said, shrugging casually as if killing him didn’t bother her in the slightest.

Ethan swallowed, falling silent.

’If that’s holding back, then just what can she do...?’

Well, he was about to find out, and what he was about to witness would make him feel as insignificant as an actual ant...

-

It was a terrifying display of power.

And the scariest part was that she didn’t even seem to be trying.

Ethan stood frozen, his breath uneven as he watched the A Rank move through the swarm of ant beasts like a force of nature unleashed.

No visible technique or structured abilities were being used.

This wasn’t skill; it was just pure, unfiltered violence.

He had no idea what she was capable of or what her Title could be, aside from that unnatural displacement. It wasn’t speed in the conventional sense. There was no buildup, no acceleration, no blur cutting through the air.

She simply disappeared, then appeared as she pleased.

One moment, she stood several meters away, surrounded by a cluster of Ant Troops, and the next, she appeared in the middle of them, her hand already buried deep inside one of their bodies.

A sickening crunch echoed out.

Green ichor burst outward like a ruptured container, splattering across the ground, the walls, and her face.

She laughed, a low, delighted sound reverberating in the cavern.

"Ah... this is more like it."

Her fingers tightened, and she tore the ant clearly in half, deliberately making it slow. The creature’s insides spilt out in thick, viscous strands as she pulled her arms further apart, as if testing the limits of its durability.

It didn’t even have a chance to fight back or resist.

Another ant lunged at her from the side.

She didn’t even look; her arm shot out and caught its mandible mid-snap.

Crack!

The entire head caved in as she crushed it in her grip, the force so overwhelming that the exoskeleton shattered like brittle glass.

She was leisurely picking off the frightened ant beasts, but that’s when they began swarming her from all directions. There were hundreds of them, their instincts overcoming their fear to protect their queen at all costs.

But it didn’t matter; her power was simply too overwhelming.

Though, just like all things, the A Rank also had her limits...