Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The men in black all had a small black insignia on their sleeves. The insignia was crimson in the middle and embroidered in gold.
“They’re with the Black Flags.” Gao Peng could recognize them right away.
His grandfather had told him all about the various departments under the Allied Government, even the secret ones. The Black Flags were a secret unit under the Allied Government tasked with handling emergencies like these within the base cities.
With them were scores of jet-black hounds. Each of these hounds was easily 15 feet long and ten feet tall. Jutting out of each of their backs was an intimidating row of bone-like protrusions, which tented their skin like sheer arches.
Their obsidian fur had a glossy sheen to it, and their muscular limbs hinted at the incredible distances they could cover in a single bound.
[Monster Name]: Obsidian Hound
[Monster Level]: 23-35
[Monster Grade]: Normal (Elite)
[Monster Attribute]: Dark Type
[Monster Condition]: Healthy (Ferocious) (Alert) (Ready)
[Monster Weakness]:…
The level of the hounds ranged from 23 to 35, but not a single one of them had a grade above Normal. These hounds were obviously well trained. Not only had they shown no fear in the face of a Lord-tier monster, they had become even more fired up instead.
Make no mistake, these hounds were an elite combat squad of familiars.
There were at least 50 of them at the scene. That was to say, there were at least 50 Commander-tier familiars, all of them expertly trained to turn on a dime. Still, Gao Peng wasn’t quite sure if they could take on the Lord-tier statue.
After all, this wasn’t a game with offensive and defensive power. If one couldn’t break through an opponent’s guard, one couldn’t hurt them. That was why numbers didn’t really matter.
While enough ants could eventually take down an elephant, that, too, was predicated on the fact that the ants had to actually be able to pierce through an elephant’s skin.
“Sir, I’m going to need you leave this area,” said a young police officer politely.
“You should stay away, too. That monster is insanely strong.” Gao Peng smiled lightly as he turned to leave.
Naturally, he didn’t actually leave. He only backed a few hundred yards away.
More and more police familiars were being brought into the plaza. He even spotted a few military personnel there, as well.
They surrounded the statue, eyeing it warily.
In the apartments surrounding the plaza, people gathered on their balconies to watch the unfolding spectacle.
With all eyes on it, even a dumb brute like the statue could tell something was amiss.
Amidst the noise in the background,the head of the bronze statue slowly swiveled around with a creak and let out an ear-splitting cry as it raised its crescent blade, which gleamed spectacularly in the midday sun, to the sky.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bronze steed started trampling wildly into the crowd of people around it, the giant crescent blade letting out a low hum.
A fearsome burst of wind ripped through the air, rattling the bricks on the ground.
Bang! Another stomp. A ring of dark golden light emanated from the point where its hoof had struck and slowly radiated outward. The ring was strangely beautiful in its uniformity, with sharp lances of light decorating the four cardinal points of the ring.
Nobody really paid attention to this, since they were looking at a Lord-tier creature after all!
The curious spectators around the plaza quickly drew their windows and curtains shut, but they still couldn’t help peeking out.
Some of the more cowardly ones left the area altogether.
“Control the situation, and let it be known that a Lord-tier familiar has appeared in the city! Hurry!” Upon seeing the ring of light that burst forth from the statue, Luo Qian’s face paled. His immediate concern wasn’t damage control, but how to save his job. “Evacuate everyone in the vicinity as well! This part of the city is now a Red Zone!”
Anger bloomed in his chest. What are you stupid people gawking at? Don’t you realize you’re all about to die?
The battle at the center of the plaza was already underway!
With a mighty sweep of its crescent blade, the statue cleared a path through the hounds surrounding it and immediately attempted to break through.
‘Woof!” The hound closest to the statue lunged out, a whirling dervish of fangs and claws.
It managed to catch the back of the horse, but its claws, which were strong enough to crush iron, could only leave the merest of scratches.
Thud!
In a flash, the hound was struck down by the crescent blade with an ugly thud. The creature slumped onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. Blood and froth oozed from its nose and mouth, its arched back broken clean in two.
Enraged, the pack of hounds surged forward to avenge their fallen comrade.
That did it. The fleeing statue slowed and turned around to face the pack of hounds, its left hand casually stroking its beard.
“Die!”
Such was its speed that the ghostly afterimages of the crescent blade slicing and dicing through the hounds lingered on even after the hounds fell.
While its technique weren’t overly impressive, it was effective nonetheless. Factored in with its god-like strength, and the fight was over before it had even begun.
“Tell them to stand down. Stand down!” Luo Qian was beside himself while watching his familiars being swatted down like flies.
Under orders, those hounds that could still move stood down, but there were only 30 of them left at that point.
The rest were lying motionlessly on the ground. Some of them were distorted beyond recognition, a blood-curdling mess of bone and flesh. The worst of them were barely breathing, their insides leaking out of the gaping holes in their bellies.
All of a sudden, Gao Peng felt the earth rumble beneath him, and a manhole cover shot up into the sky. The ground trembled violently, rough cracks radiating outwards from the epicenter.
There was another huge rumble. A drill of midnight purple emerged from the ground. Intricate patterns of lightning could be seen on the drill, which was crackling with violent electricity.
There was a brief moment of silence before the ground erupted, causing debris to fly in all directions. It was a good thing that the civilians had already evacuated. Other than Gao Peng, there were no civilians in sight.
Somewhere far away, Stripey felt a little itch on its back, almost like a mosquito sting.
