Lord of Annihilation

Mindlessly enthralled by the fleeing purple figure before it, the Stage 3 Scrofanian took no notice of its gradually increasing injuries mounting its massive body. The current appearance of the Scrofanian was a far cry from its initial look.

It's bulging tummy had mostly shrunk while its face radiated a sense of tiredness. Dozens of major injuries and hundreds of minor ones dotted every single part of its exposed skin. However, the creature barely noticed such serious injuries as its mind was overtaken by its lust and desire.

The game of cat and mouse had been going on for nearly three hours now. 

Olivia continuously adjusted her speed to precisely bait the irrational being, while periodically casting [Suppress] to maintain its addled state.

These actions combined with the precisely timed attacks of her group managed to wound the Stage 3 being to this instant.

However, death was still far away. If the Scrofanian managed to regain his mental faculties, it would only need to revolve its soul power once throughout its body to completely heal.

This was why the next step of their plan was very important. 

They needed to deal a fatal strike on this opponent to completely get rid of him once and for all.

After continuing for five more minutes, Olivia decided that the time had come and instructed her subordinates to stop firing and assume their next positions.

With the constant attacks finally coming to a stop, the wounds started to slowly wriggle and gradually recover. It was a far cry from its initial speed as what previously took seconds to heal, seemed to now take a few minutes.

Olivia then contacted Alex on her comms.

"Alex, I'm done on my side. I'm bringing the creature to the ambush site!" Olivia spoke while panting. The continuous chase and mental pressure exerted by the Stage 3 being had thoroughly exhausted her.

"Copy that. We are already here!"

Closing the comms, Olivia deliberately slowed down once more and changed her route. The destination site of their ambush…the Earth Alliance Academy!

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Within the grounds of the Earth Alliance Academy, Alex, Anya, and a few other experienced Stage 2 beings lied in hiding while waiting for their prey to show up.

Tightly clutching onto his spear, Alex's face wore an incomparably serious expression as he prepared himself for battle.

"Are you sure we can trust that woman to lead that beast to this place?" Anya begrudgingly asked.

"Anya, we already talked about this. You can trust her." Alex looked into his wife's eyes and replied.

"I find it hard to trust someone who tried to kill me once." Anya snorted in response.

"That was just a misunderstanding and you know it." Alex sharply replied. To which Anya muttered under her breath. "I still don't understand why you trust her so much." 

"Can we not have this conversation, right now?" Unable to control himself, Alex raised his voice.

Hearing Alex raise his voice caused Anya to finally snap.

Rising to her feet, Anya looked into Alex's eyes and started to fiercely shout.

"No! I want to have this discussion right now. Why do you trust her so much? She wasn't there in the three years that we suffered. She wasn't there when we continuously lose battle after battle, soldier after soldier!"

"And then suddenly she just shows up announced, wanting to provide help? Why?! Does she think we people need charity?! Have you seen you seen how high and mighty her troops strut about while insulting all of our soldiers?!"

"Even that day when we were fighting, you immediately took her side! Aren't you supposed to be my husband? Shouldn't you support me?" 

"Hell, even after that battle you took your sweet time showing her around the place, not taking a single moment to come to find me or ask if I was alright! I even heard that she attacked Jack for no reason, and you simply stood by watching it happen! Aren't you the First General?! Shouldn't you prioritize your own people before looking out for outsiders?!"

Anya started to vent. Her voice was strained and forceful, and tears started to appear in her eyes.

"Give me a proper explanation, Alex! Why do you always take her side? Is it because she was your first crush? What are you, a teenager?"

"That has nothing to do with why—" Alex tried to calm her down, alas Anya was not listening.

"Then tell me why?! Do you not love me anymore?! Am I worthless compared to that slu—" 

"ANYA! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Alex fiercely shouted. His eyes were furious as he stared at his wife.

Throughout their relationship, Alex and Anya had many quarrels. Just like any normal couple. However, this was the first time that Alex had raised his voice to such an extent. 

Peering into his livid eyes, Anya suddenly felt like she had understood something.

"I see…so that's how it is." Her tone was blank and devoid of power. She turned around, refusing to meet his face.

Realizing his mistake, Alex immediately turned apologetic and tried to console her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I was jus—" 

"It's fine." Anya interrupted his explanation. "I understand." 

"I'll move to Spot B. Staying here will affect me in the coming battle."

Having said that, she started to walk away. Alex, however, noticed the faint trembling of her shoulders. Understanding what that meant, he immediately stood up and was about to walk to her, when…

"I hope you people are ready! It's here!!" Olivia's voice crackled from his comms, followed by the quivering of the ground.

The quivering started to slowly intensify, moving to noticeable shaking before turning into a full-blown earthquake.

Alex immediately reverted to 'Combat/General' as he barked orders into his comms.

"All squads listen up! The target is here! I repeat, the target is here!"

"Weather Control Team, your time has come!!" 

The operation to deal the final blow finally begun.

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With the ambush spot in sight and the target in tow, Olivia activated her comms and screamed.

"I hope you people are ready! It's here!!"

Accelerating a final time, Olivia leaped over a tall wall and entered the Academy territory. 

The massive behemoth following her did not pay any attention to the wall, as it crashed against the wall without the slightest impediment to its speed. Its muddled eyes continued to follow Olivia's figure.

Making her way towards the center of the ambush location, Olivia closed her eyes and chanted a prayer.

'Please work! Please work! Please work!' desperate pleas rang within her mind.

And then, it happened.

Seemingly responding to her desperate prayers, a thick bolt of lightning fell from the sky, precisely striking at the spot in between Olivia and the Stage 3 Scrofanian. 

And with one, followed two, two followed by four, four followed by eight.

In a matter of seconds, countless dense beams of lightning fell from the clear sky!

With the arrival of the storm of lightning, the Scrofanian who was following Olivia immediately slowed. His line of sight was broken, rendering him unable to find Olivia within the storm of lightning.

Stopping his chase, his eyes helplessly looked around and a confused cry was emitted from his throat.

Seeing this, an unrestrained joy exploded within Olivia. Seizing her watch, she spoke.

"It worked! Continue with the plan!"

At the very next moment, a dense fragrant fog appeared within the area, rendering all forms of physical sight meaningless. The fragrant loaded within the fog blinded the Scrofanian's nose!

With his sight blocked, his sense of smell blinded, and his hearing deafened by the furious roars of thunders, the Scrofanian found himself helpless to find his target.

Had he been conscious and rational, a simple sweep with his soul power would have solved this problem. However, it was exactly due to his addled state, that the plan managed to work.

Using her soul sense, Olivia quickly made her way out of the misty ambush zone and arrived at the peripheries where the rest of the troops waited.

Finally coming to a stop after a long, arduous run Olivia grabbed onto her knees, bent completely and heavily panted. 

"*huff*, *huff* I'm never doing that again.*huff*, *huff*" She announced.

"You did well." Alex, who was waiting in the peripheries, commended her efforts. He then stared into the fog with utmost seriousness and loudly announced.

"We have successfully trapped the beast inside the fog! Now, we entrap him for real. Stick your harpoons into that bastard and immobilize him!"

"Let's move!!" Raising his spear, Alex ran into the fog followed by his emboldened.

His team was only one of the six teams surrounding the area of fog.

The next step of the plan was to immobilize the large Scrofanian by harpooning him to the ground. This step was essential, as the next and final step heavily depended on it.

Within the fog, the Scrofanian continued to tiredly roar. The injuries on its body were in the process of slowly healing due to the lack of energy. However, the continuous heals only served to deplete the remaining energy, weakening and tiring the giant monster further.

Its body felt heavy and its eyes were half-lidded. An intense desire to eat and sleep appeared within the Scrofanian's brain. 

Just as it was lost in this state, dozens of harpoons, cutting through the air, arrived and pierced its skin. Attached to the ends of the harpoons were long chains which were firmly bolted to the ground.

Feeling restricted by chains, the Scrofanian instinctively struggled. Unfortunately, its body was too weak and it contained no energy whatsoever to struggle free from its bonds.

Chained to the ground, the Stage 3 beast helplessly screamed.

Meanwhile, having completed their task, the human soldiers and Alex arrived to the peripheries. Upon evacuating to a safe distance, he stopped and looked towards the area of fog and lightning, hearing the screams of the beast.

"The Orbital Cannon is ready." Reyna's tired voice resounded within his comms.

This was the final step. A full-powered attack by the Orbital Plasma Cannon was stationed directly above the ambush spot.

A fully charged shot contained power that equaled the might of a Stage 3 being. Once hit, there was little hope of surviving for the Stage 3 Scrofanian.

Taking in a deep breath to relish this moment, Alex announced.

"Fire."

The moment his words fell, a second sun started to form within the sky. The light radiated by this newly formed sun continued to intensify gradually overtaking the real one.

At this moment, the earth and sky shone with an ominous blue light. Just as the light seemed to reach its peak intensity, it fell!

Inside the fog, the struggling Scrofanian seemed to have realized something, as it raised its head to look at the sky. Its vision was blocked by the fog and the storm of lightning, however, its sharp instincts immediately recognized the danger.

Fear clouded its mind finally breaking the Stage 3 creature out of its confused, irrational state.

Alas, it was too late.

An extremely dense and thick pillar of starlight-blue energy fell directly atop the area of fog!

The human instinctively closed their eyes, as the light was too bright to be directly looked at. Immense heat waves radiated off of the pillar of light but were thankfully stopped by the barriers deployed in advance. 

The full-powered attack continued for a whole fifteen seconds, before vanishing.

Looking at the fog-covered area now, the fog, lightning, and the ground beneath were completely vaporized. In its place, a 50m perfectly shaped circular hole of unknown depth had formed on the ground.

"Is it dead?" A soldier asked, unable to hide the joy and hope in his voice.

Looking at the crater, Alex nodded his head.

"Looks like it. Nothing could have survived that strike."

"YEAH!!" 

"WHOO-HOOO!!" 

"HELL YEAH! DIE BEAST!!"

Cheers and shouts of jubilation filled the troops. Alex's face finally sported a smile as he felt a heavy boulder fall of his shoulders. Just as he was about to join the celebrations, the bodies of everyone within the area froze.

"I gave you one job. To destroy. "

"Instead, what do I come here and find? A Stage 3 being almost being killed by a bunch of pathetic Stage 2 weaklings. You disappoint me, Virim."

A voice announced resounded from the heavens and a dark spot appeared in the sky. The dark spot which looked extremely tiny and insignificant, formed a humanoid silhouette when looked at carefully.

"I will give you a final chance to redeem yourself. Deploy your Domain and wipe away this shame."

In response to this mysterious entity's monotonous words, a growl sounded from within the 50m wide crater.

"Yes, Boss."