The scene was set in a valley, nestled within a vast desert. The land was hot and barren, the air dry and lifeless, and the sky bright and clear. The only sound in this empty expanse was the whistle of the wind passing by. It was a world of serene silence—until, suddenly, a massive explosion shattered the stillness. The ground near the valley erupted in a cloud of smoke, so immense that only something like dynamite could have caused it.
After a few moments, the deafening roar of the explosion still echoed through the desert, but all that remained was the vast dust cloud, still settling. Before it could dissipate, numerous figures shot out of the smoke, soaring into the sky before landing a considerable distance away from the explosion site.
There were five or six people. If the fact that they had jumped out of the explosion crater alive wasn’t telling enough, their appearance would make it clear: these were no ordinary individuals.
Each was dressed in battle attire—some wore plate armor, others robes and suits—each adding to their imposing and majestic presence. Yet, despite their formidable appearance, the expressions on their faces were far from confident.
Their faces were ashen and heavy as they gazed at the crater. Finally, one of them spoke, panting. "What the hell was that?" Another added, "I know that guy has a habit of surprising everyone, but when did he get this powerful? If we’d been even a second too slow to activate our defensive measures, we’d have been dead."
A third voice joined in, saying, "Guess a fight’s inevitable, then." Before anyone could speak further, one of the individuals stepped forward, causing the others to stop talking and focus on him.
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This man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with shiny black hair, bright red eyes, fair skin, and chiseled features. His well-built physique made him appear strikingly handsome, and the air around him radiated authority. It was clear he was the leader of the group.
After a few steps, he halted and, as he gazed at the smoke, spoke solemnly, "So, it has come to this... Courage."
At the mention of his name, a figure emerged from the smoke, dusting himself off.
It was hard to make out his features through the dust and smoke, and his hooded cape didn’t help matters. But as he fully stepped into view, he stood tall and replied, "Sorry, mate, but I’ve toiled and bled to get to this point. There’s no way in hell I’m giving it up now."
The leader sighed. "No point talking anymore, then." With a signal, the rest of his companions stepped forward and spread out, positioning themselves some distance apart. Their eyes locked on their target, and their intentions were clear.
Both sides stood facing one another for a moment, until, without warning, a burst of auras erupted from each combatant. Their bodies radiated with brilliant, multicolored glows, signifying their strength. From these auras, beastly silhouettes began to manifest.
The glow of the auras dimmed, revealing the beasts—creatures of various shapes and sizes.
The beasts roared and screeched, ready to fight. Their target was the hooded man standing before them. Unfazed by being outnumbered, he summoned his own beast, his eyes burning with determination and will. It was clear he wasn’t planning on going down without a fight.
His beast screeched loudly, radiating intense battle intent. In an instant, his opponents charged from all directions, surrounding him. Their claws and fangs crackled with energy, and just before the violent clash could occur, the scene froze, pulling back to focus on the hooded man.
"Yep, that’s me. I bet you’re all wondering how I ended up in this situation, or what’s going on here. Well, it’s a long story, so let me start from the very beginning. But first, a story you’ve probably heard a thousand times already, so I’ll speed through it. Blah, blah, blah, an apocalyptic event hit the Earth a thousand years ago, yada yada yada. Everything changed—flora and fauna mutated, turning into monsters, and most technology stopped working. Humanity seemed doomed, but life found a way. The indomitable human spirit, and all that. And then, beast taming became a thing. But that’s not where our story begins.
Fast forward a thousand or two years, and in an unassuming town, there was a plain-looking forest. Deep within that forest, there was an ordinary-looking boy. But as fate would have it, that boy’s story was destined to be anything but ordinary