Chương 91: Chapter 90. Library lizard

It all happened in a matter of seconds. The floor collapsed inward with a thunderous crack, and something massive burst out of the hole in a spray of splintered wood and stone. A giant shape slammed onto the library floor with enough force to shake the entire chamber. A soldier standing too close barely had time to react. The creature crashed down on him, its sheer weight crushing him flat against the ground. His spear flew from his hands, skittering uselessly across the floor as he screamed.

Others rushed forward instinctively, blades striking into the creature's side. The strikes did nothing. The monster barely even flinched. Its head snapped down in a blur of motion, jaws opening impossibly wide before clamping shut around the soldier's upper body. There was a wet, crunching sound that echoed through the chamber. The man's helmet split apart like thin tin. Bone, steel, and flesh disappeared between the creature's teeth as it tore him in half and swallowed impossibly fast.

Rayne felt his stomach twist violently. Around him, more than a few soldiers gagged or groaned in horror. One standing close to the monster stumbled back, his face pale and eyes locked on the blood pooling across the floor. Captain Edran didn't waste time.

"Form up!" he roared.

"Into groups! Don't rush in without thinking! Its jaws can tear straight through armor!" The shout cut through the shock. Training and experience immediately took over. Soldiers pulled back at once, shields snapping up as squads reorganized. Within moments, the library floor was no longer chaos but a loose ring of disciplined formations, their weapons leveled and eyes tracking the monster's every movement. Rayne steadied his breathing and forced his gaze back to the creature.

If he had to describe it in one sentence, it would be a monstrous overgrown lizard. The monster stood nearly twice the height of an average man, its body long and thick with corded muscle. Its scales were dark green and black, layered unevenly like overlapping plates of armor. Jagged spines ran down its back, some broken, others freshly regrown, pulsing faintly with mana. Its head was massive, blunt and wedge-shaped, with a mouth far too large for its skull.

Rows of serrated teeth jutted out at odd angles, stained dark with blood. Its eyes were a dull yellow, intelligent and alert, watching every soldier. But rather than its mouth or claws, Rayne was the most alert against its tail that dragged behind it and was tapered at the end into a heavy, spiked club. If he had to make a guess, the thing was at least over level fifty. Maybe more. There was no other explanation for how easily it had crushed and devoured through armor and flesh without resistance.

The lizard didn't immediately attack again. Instead, it slowly turned its head, following the circle of soldiers around it. Its tongue flicked out once, tasting the air, as if it were enjoying the attention. Rayne tightened his grip on his sword. Then Casper made a move. Mana gathered around her gloved hand as a spell matrix formed, lines of glowing symbols assembling with practiced speed. But before she could unleash it, the monster noticed. Its head snapped toward her.

The lizard hissed, a deep, vibrating sound that rattled the shelves, and its tail suddenly swelled—muscles bulging grotesquely as it expanded mid-motion. The tail lashed out. Rayne's eyes widened as the massive limb tore through the air, aimed straight at Casper. But it never reached her. Captain Edran was already moving. He stepped in front of her in a blur, slamming his foot down as a translucent red shield flared into existence before him.

The tail struck it with a deafening crack, the impact echoing through the library like a battering ram against a gate. The shield shuddered violently. But it held. The force still pushed Edran back half a step, boots scraping against the floor, but he didn't falter. His sword ignited with red, bright mana as he glared at the beast. But the lizard didn't try to smash through the shield again. Instead, its tail swept out wide.

The massive limb carved through the library like a battering ram, smashing aside shelves and sending books and splintered wood flying. It slammed into raised shields with brutal force, the impact ringing out again and again as soldiers were hurled backward despite bracing themselves. Rayne saw one shield crack straight down the middle. Another was torn from a soldier's grip entirely, spinning away before clattering uselessly across the floor.

"Hold formation!" someone shouted. The next second, arrows rained down. They struck the lizard's flanks, its back, even its neck, and bounced off as if they were nothing more than twigs. Shafts snapped, tips shattered, and the creature barely reacted. Rayne immediately shouted, "Aim for the face! Especially the eyes—go for the eyes!" That was enough for him to get undue attention. The lizard's head snapped toward him, yellow eyes locking onto his position with sudden focus.

Rayne felt his breath catch as its tail coiled, muscles bulging grotesquely. Then it came for him. The clubbed tail tore through the air with terrifying speed. Rayne didn't raise his shield. He lunged sideways instead, boots scraping across the floor as the tail smashed down where he'd been standing a heartbeat earlier. The impact cracked wood and sent dust exploding upward. He ducked instinctively as the tail whipped back overhead, feeling the wind of it rush past his helmet. Stolen story; please report.

Then it lashed out again. This time, Rayne pushed mana into his blade. Darkness crawled along the steel instantly as death mana poured in, the weapon humming in his grip. He met the tail head-on. His sword screamed as it struck the spiked club, death mana bleeding outward in jagged waves. The force jolted his arm, but Rayne held on and squared his shoulders. But he knew holding on for long wouldn't work. So he didn't.

Rayne twisted at the last second, letting the tail slide past the edge of his blade instead of resisting it fully. The momentum carried it just far enough off-line. And then he struck. He stepped in, swinging with everything he had left. Death mana tore free from his blade in a crescent arc, slicing through the air and slamming into the lizard's back. Unlike the arrows, the attack dug deep.

Dark blood sprayed out in a hot burst as the monster roared, its body jerking violently for the first time since it had emerged. Captain Edran didn't miss the spray of dark blood.

"See?" he bellowed immediately, voice cutting through the chaos.

"It can bleed! Attack that spot and keep pushing. Don't give it room!" The order snapped the soldiers into action. Arrows flew again. Shafts hammered into the same bloodied patch on the lizard's side, some snapping, some skidding off, but a few sinking just enough to widen the wound. The creature roared, a deep, guttural sound that shook dust loose from the chandeliers. Its tail lashed out in a furious arc in retaliation. But it didn't reach anyone. Fiery hot chains erupted into existence around the spiked tail.

They wrapped around the limb and yanked it down hard. The impact cracked the floor, the tail slamming into place and stopping dead. Rayne's eyes snapped to Casper. She stood with her arm extended, teeth clenched as she poured mana into her spell matrix. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the tail jerked violently, muscles bulging grotesquely as it tried to tear free. But she held it.

"Move now!" Axel shouted. The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. They surged forward at once, with Varrick leading the charge. The Crown's Hand apprentice stepped in with his greatsword blazing with mana, the blade humming as it slammed into the lizard's flank. The impact rang out like steel striking stone, and though the blade didn't sink deep, it tore open another shallow gash. Surprisingly, Fredrick was right behind him.

Rayne blinked as the man crashed into the creature's side, driving his sword in with a feral grunt. It sank deeper into the wound, buried to the hilt between scales before Fredrick ripped it free and staggered back. More soldiers piled in. Spears and swords hacked into the side while burly soldiers like Jason and Hobbs hacked out flesh with their axes.

The whole thing wasn't clean or effective—most blows skidded off or only cut shallow—but blood started to drip and then pour more from the original wound Rayne had opened. The monstrous lizard snapped wildly. Its jaws clamped shut inches from a soldier's head, claws raked across shields and armor, sending men sprawling. One shield split under a downward strike, another soldier thrown aside hard enough to crack ribs. But Varrick stayed in its face.

He met claw after claw with his greatsword, mana flaring with every strike. Every time the lizard turned its head toward another soldier, Varrick slammed into it again, dragging its attention back to himself. With its tail chained, the monster couldn't reposition properly. And that was killing it. Hobbs barreled in again, axe raised high. He brought it down with a roar, smashing into the wounded area. The lizard jolted, its roar breaking into a strangled hiss as more blood sprayed across the floor.

Rayne didn't join them. He stood back, eyes locked on the tail. More chains wrapped around the limb, tightening, digging into scale and flesh, but the lizard was thrashing harder with every new wound. The floor trembled beneath Rayne's boots as it struggled. He could see it. The chains were starting to crack, and when he looked at Casper, she already knew. Her breath came in sharp gasps as she forced more mana into the bindings.

The chains glowed brighter, but the tail jerked violently, muscles swelling again, scales splitting as it fought. The lizard let out a deafening roar and bucked. One chain snapped. It shattered into fragments of fading mana. Then another soon followed. Rayne's stomach dropped.

"Back!" he shouted.

"Get back!" But it was too late. With a final, convulsive shake, the lizard tore free completely. The remaining chains ripped apart like brittle glass, dissolving into sparks as the tail whipped loose. Casper staggered due to the movement as the tail came around in a brutal, horizontal sweep. It was aimed straight at the cluster of soldiers hacking at the creature's flank. Rayne moved even before his mind fully caught up. He poured more death mana into his blade and swung.

This time, the arc was smaller—tighter and compressed—but it did exactly what he needed it to do. The dark crescent energy slammed into the tail mid-motion. The impact knocked it off course just enough. Instead of tearing through the cluster of soldiers, the spiked club smashed into a towering bookshelf. Wood exploded outward in a storm of splinters and dust, shelves collapsing as books and debris rained across the floor. Only two soldiers were clipped by the edge of it.

They were thrown hard, bodies tumbling across the ground, but they were likely alive. Rayne was already preparing his next move before the tail could rise again. His chest burned as mana drained rapidly from his core into the sword. He only had enough mana left for maybe two more [Death Strikes]. And he couldn't afford another small one. So, as the tail twitched and the lizard grunted in rage, he shouted, "Casper, hold it!" She reacted instantly.

Chains burst into existence again, coiling around the massive tail from multiple angles and yanking it down with brutal force. The limb slammed into the floor, cracking the ground. The lizard shrieked and thrashed violently. One of the chains snapped almost immediately. Another strained, glowing red-hot as the monster fought. Rayne saw Heins step in, spear braced, trying to pin the tail further, but the shaft shattered with a jerk of the muscled tail.

Heins barely had time to register it before Nate lunged forward and dragged him back by the collar, both of them rolling across the floor as the tail jerked again to hit them. Rayne shut everything else out. He pulled in as much death mana as he could. The blade screamed in protest as darkness flooded it, the air around it warping as death energy crawled along the steel. His arm shook under the strain, but he kept pushing out more until the chains snapped. Without wasting a second, he swung.

The destructive mana came down like an executioner's blade. It cleaved through scale and flesh in one brutal motion, carving deep into the tail where it met the body. Dark blood sprayed across the floor in a steaming arc as the lizard let out an ear-splitting scream. Before it could recover— A fireball slammed into its wounded tail. Casper's spell detonated against exposed flesh, flames sinking in and igniting blood and muscle alike as soldiers stepped backward. The smell of burning meat was sickening.

The monster went berserk the very next second. It roared and thrashed wildly, smashing into soldiers, knocking shields aside, tearing through armor with savage strength. One man screamed as claws ripped into his chest, metal folding like cloth before he was thrown aside. But even in its rage, it didn't jump onto the nearest soldier to hack it apart. Instead, it turned and its bloodshot eyes locked onto Rayne.

Even as blades hacked into its sides and spears struck its back, it launched itself forward with terrifying speed. The distance vanished in an instant. Rayne knew he couldn't dodge. Even if he did, the burning tail would follow. So he planted his feet. He raised his shield and braced as the lizard's claws came down toward him.

Read 50 chapters ahead Join the discord server HERE.