Blood Nemesis-Chapter 100: Into the hole

The Cerulean Cobra’s nursery felt like a prison to the creatures within. They were meant to be contained in separate cavernous compartments, pits, or specialized areas. Somehow, the Fist King seemed to have broken through the walls dividing these compartments.

Now, creatures of all kinds–big, small, high-ranked, low-ranked, amphibious, aquatic, land-dwelling, and even aerial–were escaping through the gate. Whatever had happened inside appeared to have terrified them into fleeing towards the exit. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

The silver flash that appeared near Oliver, grazing his face, was one of the escapees.

’A bladewing?’ Oliver was surprised to see the creature moving quickly through the blackness of night.

Fortunately, the lights from the mechs and spotlights around the building illuminated the night sky. Or else, he wouldn’t have been able to spot the nasty bird.

Bladewing, as he called it, was a type of small sparrow found on Second Earth. They were not that dangerous and were generally peaceful creatures. However, when their young ones are threatened, they would become a ferocious menace that slashes down anything and everything in their vicinity.

The mana beast earned the name "baldewing" due to the thin, sharp feathers at the tips of its wings. Despite their classification as only Rank D, they could exhibit a fighting prowess capable of defeating a Rank C opponent under special circumstances.

For example, right now.

"Ah! It’s a pity," Oliver muttered, looking at the figure of the bird swiftly moving across the battlefield.

In its rampaging state, it disregarded Oliver, whom it had attacked moments before, and flew up. Luckily, the soldiers stationed around the gate were prepared, shooting down the flying menaces in seconds.

Oliver felt slightly regretful watching the bodies of the birds falling from the sky. Unlike the frogs or crocodilians, the bird was a genuinely peace-seeking creature. And yet, the thought of having to kill them all made him slightly uncomfortable.

Every bladewing that escaped from the gate was falling to the ground with half its body missing. Oliver finally turned around to look at the gate.

"The mana beast was in a berserk state. It would have attacked anyone and everyone. To protect the city, they had to be put down." Oliver reasoned.

Although regrettable, the course of action was necessary. After all, human life holds more importance than the life of anything else, especially since this city was one where his family lived. Sometimes, people are forced to make difficult choices. And once they made the decision and executed it, dwelling on it offered no benefit.

Following the Poison Arrow Frog, Skull Snappers, and Bladewing, a multitude of other rampaging mana beasts surged from the gate. Among them were creatures resembling a hybrid of rats and beavers, others with the elongated, glossy bodies of eels supported by four legs, and some even akin to ostriches. The exodus didn’t cease there. Numerous unfamiliar mana beasts, unseen even by Oliver, emerged and covered the entire crater.

Eventually, the sheer volume forced everyone to evacuate the crowded crater surrounding the gate. Even Oliver had to step back when the battle became crazier than he could imagine.

Soon, the defensive formations changed to suit the evolving situation. Having retreated from the crater, the mechs now stood in close formation on either side of the gate. Meanwhile, the A-rankers – one representing the military, one from the Hunter Association, and two from Nova Rift – positioned themselves around the gate, each covering a cardinal direction.

The Military’s A-ranker was Achara, while the others were Swift Sword and the two superhumans from Nova Rift.

Instead of a frontal assault, they began to work together and protect the defensive barricade around the crater.

Oliver stayed a little back, watching everything act out. The golden glow around his body slowly diminished when he stopped providing blood to the spinning golden coin in his body.

’This won’t last long.’ Oliver commented in his mind, watching the unorganised defensive line they made.

While A rankers and B rankers are standing in a group, cutting off the path that the creatures might use to escape, he could predict the outcome.

"The sheer number of mana beasts is overwhelming. Without intervention from another S-rank superhuman, this entire area will be overrun within minutes." Oliver muttered.

Few of the people around heard his words and scowled.

They didn’t seem to like his pessimistic outlook.

Meanwhile, Oliver glared back at those who were trying to intimidate him.

"Where is the damned Thunder Emperor when you need him." He scolded and went back towards the crater.

It didn’t matter in the end. He was lucky enough to have the ability to survive anything the world throws at him. So, he decided to train a little more. He couldn’t waste the chance to shine, literally.

As Oliver moved forward, the battle near the crater’s edge intensified. The mana beast’s roars and shrill screams forced their way into his ears.

Achara was finally using her ability to control water to wash away the creatures that climbed up to the edge, back into the pit.

Meanwhile, the humongous bodies of the Mechs grabbed a sword placed behind their shoulder and swung left and right, killing any that came near them. The sword was too sharp and too heavy for the low-ranked mana beasts to resist.

On the other side, Swift Swords was moving across the battlefield, flying and dodging the aerial beasts, killing them swiftly like his name suggested.

The other two A rankers were also doing their job, protecting the area they stood, blocking the advancement of the mana beasts.

"Ah! Fuck!" Suddenly, Oliver exclaimed.

When he moved close to the crater, he saw the rodent-shaped creatures disappear quickly from his vision. Their numbers were diminishing unnaturally.

While more and more bodies, dead and alive, piled onto the crater, the rats that went missing raised the alarm bells in his mind.

Just to make sure what was happening, Oliver jumped onto the edge of the crater, converted some blood to mana, regaining his golden glow, and dashed. His body swiftly moved towards the spot where the remaining rodents had gathered.

Like a daredevil, he jumped over the mana beasts, stepping on the head of the Skull Snappers fearlessly, he reached the midway point of the crater.

Finally, he noticed something amiss.

While everyone was busy thwarting the offense of the rampaging mana beasts, the rodents seemed to have dug down into the sewer canals.

Oliver saw the dirt turning around as a large dirt mound formed where the rodents stood.

"Ah!" Oliver grimaced.

Then, without a delay, he gathered all the mana he could control and slammed it right into the mound of soil. It was a way to attract attention and warn the rest about what happened.

"THUMP!"

The ground shook as his fist slammed into it. The rodents the size of dogs were thrown away, fully revealing the hole they had dug.

Immediately, Oliver heard the Hero Radio operators talking about him. They too noticed the hole the rat dug to escape. After making sure that they noticed it, he jumped into the who without hesitation.

"Ah! Damn it!" He cursed, his voice disappearing into he vast tunnel below.

It was a dark and disgusting pit filled with a rotting smell too difficult to bear. Oliver immediately blocked his nose with some blood. Then he wrapped his body in a thin layer of blood. Now that no one was looking, he was free to use all his abilities.

The rodents were a Rank D beast. They were not that strong, so even if he was surrounded by them, Oliver was completely sure that he could beat them all, muchless when he was using a bunch of mana.

Through the hole, his body fell into a large, cavernous pit below. In there, it was pitch black. He couldn’t see anything for a few seconds. But soon, his senses recovered.

Oliver himself was a beacon of light. The golden glow from his body lit up the tunnel dimly, allowing him to see what was around him.

Immediately, he noticed the dozen or so red glowing eyes appearing around him. The eyes were slanted and curved, just like those of the rodents he had slain. Immediately, Oliver smiled, five blood tentacles sprouted from his body and moved towards the eyes.

*Splush*

The rest was history.

It didn’t take even two seconds for him to dispose of the dozen rodent-shaped mana beasts that surrounded him. Maybe due to the golden mana, the tentacles were also easier to control and stronger. It pierced the bodies of his enemy like it was nothing.

Oliver was pleasantly surprised.

He had been using his blood control ability conservatively while he was fighting. Thus, he didn’t notice the changes the golden mana had on his other ability.

’For some reason, they are weirdly synergistic.’ Oliver thought, considering his two abilities.

The coin needed blood. The blood now seems to need coin to perform even better.

Somehow, Oliver was growing at a pace that even he couldn’t comprehend because of the golden coin in his blood sac.