Predation 7

You guys are no different! A man with a Chaos Soul let out a shout, dying the beautiful shores in Florida with blood and a dark soul. All those who had been guarding him were already dead and devoured by the Predation I shared with the party prior.

Youre a monster that eats souls just like me! His HQ had been in New York, but he himself was hiding here in Florida with only a small number of elite guards. At first, I wondered if he really had a Chaos Soul as he was more powerful than Lee Minha, but he didnt make that big of a commotion.

Kohohohohoh!

There it is! Gray smoke filled the air and flowed towards us ominously.

[Is that the power of a higher entity, Captain?]

No way. Its just the power of a body holding connected souls. Its similar to what weve been dealing with so far.

[I think I want to vomit.]

Tighten the shields so there are no victims, Katsuragi. The elves strategy against humans was terribly effective. Humans would kill anyone in their way if it meant they could become stronger and stand at the center of this world. It hadnt been long since they started their plan with the Chaos Souls, passing it on to humans, yet it had already spread so far due to that.

Fate, I want to punish him.

Its odd to hear that from you of all people, Mireina.

Why are you attacking your own? The soul is so precious!

Yeah? Everything was going according to Elakatra and Ls plan. I had retreated too much before.

You guys will devour them too! Ill become the ruler of America- no, the world!

Lee Chan-yu, Mireina. I leave it to you.

I cant win!

Win anyway.

Even if you say it so lightly, we cant do what we cant do, damn it! While speaking, Lee Chan-yu transformed into a werewolf and ran towards the man. Mireina was determined to stand firmly from the start, following after him with a dagger. I could see they were focused on the situation.

[Captain, are you?]

Perhaps. There was almost no time left until the Devils Night. I was thinking about pulling them off the frontline if I could see their potential to evolve here. Lee Chan-yus claws shone with the dark energy of Predation, tearing the shoulder of this deteriorated monster as it tried to overwhelm him with a wave of dark souls. The Lee Chan-yu not long ago wouldve suffered a critical hit and fell away at that point, but now he was able to handle the power of Predation. I could feel it flowing through me through our connection.

Khhhhh! Mireina followed up right behind him. She jumped in between Lee Chan-yu and the souls that had gathered into the shape of a sword.

If we win, I get a kiss!

No! I was worried that I might distract her, but it turned out to be alright. He sent an attack my way, but I spread my hands forward and absorbed it. That was the biggest reason I wasnt too worried about them; he was focused on me behind him, so he couldnt put his all in attacking them. As I thought that, he began to show a movement I wasnt expecting.

Guooo!

Huh It formed into a huge soul mass that soared into the air, so far up, it was hard to see. It began to absorb the mana of nature from the air to increase its size. I almost felt sorry for it.

Its difficult to control

Ha, can you really eat me? Youll be my prey too! The man shouted outrageously while holding back both Mireina and Lee Chan-yu. Even though he was burning through his mana, he still had plenty to spare. I hated to think about how many people had died to grant him that power. My sister flinched momentarily before stepping forward, but I raised my hand to stop her.

Brother!

I know you want to help, but Mireina and Lee Chan-yu have to earn the experience thatll come out of killing that guy.

Kh The contaminated soul sphere was attracting mana in from every direction and turning it into destructive power. Finally, it began to fall down as fast as it had risen. That was, towards where we were fighting now.

Katsuragi.

[I cant stop it!]

Focus on using your defensive magic. Ill deal with the rest. I began using Predation and Lunatic Trickster simultaneously, imbuing Katsuragis defensive magic with both of them. My target was Lee Chan-yu and Mireina. I could see the soul sphere gradually growing in size as it approached. Meanwhile, the two were constantly attacking the enemy without getting distracted. They believed in me to take care of it.

Ill die anyway, so why should I stop?

Our goal is something bigger than an idiot like you! Lee Chan-yus claws tore into his face, demolishing the human body that was little more than an outer shell. The face of a monstrous pupa-like monster revealed itself, groaning at him.

[Idiot? Thats it!]

Was that the signal? The soul sphere engulfed the entire space, falling to the ground. Katsuragis shield met it, resisting it for just a moment, and then burst with a loud bang. That triggered Lunatic Trickster, consuming all the power in the sphere, and transferring it to Lee Chan-yu and Mireina.

Kuhh!

Oh!

[Unbelievable!]

Yells erupted from the three.

Brother, what are you doing?!

Nows your chance! Do it now! I didnt have time to listen to my sister. I poured an immense power into them at once. Now, they would have to endure it until they were promoted. It would be tough.

Theres a limit to how far you can push them!

They wont die.

[What nonsense!]

Ahhh! Lee Chan-yu moved first. I wondered if his body would burst instantly, but instead, he pushed his right arm forward as if shooting a cannon. The tip of those huge, sharp claws was the focal point of his mana, facing right at the monsters head.

[Damn youdie!]

Recognizing Lee Chan-yus movements, the man tried to crush him with his momentum. Both attacks were hoping for the others death, completely neglecting defense. Each attack hit. The mans head burst apart, and Lee Chan-yus head was crushed in half. The roar of the impact made me think the sky might collapse.

Ahhhhh!

[Kuoooaaahhh!]

Both of them regenerated almost instantly and were destroyed again just as fast. They were trying to overwhelm the others regeneration.

[Huh?!]

At the moment, Mireinas dagger found its way into the monsters heart. Her fast and secretive movements made me wonder if she had awakened Reaper herself, but it wasnt enough to kill the monster. It wasnt enough to stab it in the heart. You had no choice but to extract the source of their energy with Predation. But Mireina soon exceeded my expectations.

[That is]

Now! A bright white glow erupted from her dagger, denying and destroying all the elements that made up the monsters body. It was the power I had from memories of myself. The power that was the enemy of Jinma, possessed by the elves. Mana that could weaken the mana of Jinma. It was the absolute defense she had learned, now expressed aggressively.

The change in mana was only possible because Mireina managed to survive and defend her soul from other beings in the Rookies Battlefield and had repeatedly battled with contaminated souls. Mireina, who was regarded as disposable by L and the Elakatra, called a hybrid by Rain and the others, didnt care about it at all. She manifested the purest and most powerful ability among our ranks.

[Ahhhh!]

My worries for Mireina evaporated. After this battle was over, a full-fledged change would occur.

Lee Chan-yu, dont you lose!

Of course! Lee Chan-yus attack followed right behind. He kept wailing on the enemy, biting and tearing at it. The end came soon after. In the first place, as soon as he failed to damage us with that sphere, his defeat was clear. Now the end had shortened due to Mireinas unexpected awakening.

Hahah! After the enemy was slain, the mana that formed him was absorbed into Lee Chan-yu. Whether he could break through his limit or not. He roared fiercely as he accepted the mana. Mireina was changing, as well. All of the mana that composed her flesh was altering immensely, ripping her clothes apart. I quickly threw clothes over her to block her appearance before Katsuragi could respond.

[Why? Why?!]

No. I kicked Katsuragi, who was screaming, and waited for their evolution to end.

Brother, can I become a higher entity?

Only

Well, I dont know if its possible for a human. Because its difficult, I wonder if these people were driven to try a terrible method called Chaos Soul.

I dont want to do that! She jumped and shouted in disgust. I gave her a smile and stroked her head as she began to pout.

If I become stronger Ill achieve it with my own strength.

Ill help however I can.

There are things that my brother cant help with

Then give up.

Thats unfair. I didnt tell her that I wasnt sure humans could even reach that level. But, for my sister, who was linked to me by that chain of Dominionthen maybe

I didnt open my mouth because I didnt want to give her any false hope. We walked over to greet the two, who had finished evolving into higher-level entities.