Episode 266
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zeke sprinted toward the forest, the ground shaking beneath his feet.
The monstrous Gungi let out a terrifying roar, chasing after him with relentless fury.
Its massive paws swung wildly, smashing through the sturdy trees as it pursued him.
Zeke maintained a careful distance, close enough to taunt but just out of reach, leading the beast toward the dwarves’ trap.
Then it happened.
Screeeeech!
Zeke knew exactly what that sound meant. He spun around, conjuring a shield of light with his sacred weapon to defend himself.
Swoosh!
A radiant shield materialized in front of Zeke and his companions.
Gungi exhaled a cloud of gray smoke toward Zeke.
Rumble!
The smoke spread through the forest, and wherever it touched, grass and trees turned to stone.
The smoke carried a petrifying curse, turning living things to stone.
But Zeke’s shield of light deflected the curse, rendering Gungi’s attack useless. Frustrated, the beast let out an enraged howl.
Then, it unfurled its wings, preparing to take flight.
Cautious and cunning, Gungi seemed ready to flee when its petrifying curse failed.
Zeke signaled to his ally.
“Aaron!”
From a rocky hill overlooking the forest, Aaron took aim and fired his sniper rifle at Gungi.
Bang!
The bullet, infused with compressed air as Zeke had instructed, struck Gungi squarely between the eyes.
Thud!
The beast’s head snapped back violently, its attempt to fly thwarted.
Gungi staggered, trying to regain its senses, and searched for the source of the attack with a fierce glare.
Aaron fired again, sending a volley of bullets toward the beast.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gungi turned, shielding its back with its tough hide, the bullets unable to penetrate.
Screeeeech!
Enraged by the incoming bullets, Gungi bared its teeth and roared, its eyes blazing with fury.
Zeke seized the moment, launching a powerful sword strike at the beast.
Crash!
The blow landed, pushing Gungi’s anger to its limits.
Screeeeech!
Gungi spread its wings, bristling its feathers, and began to shake violently.
Swoosh!
A whirlwind erupted around the beast, sending its massive, razor-sharp feathers flying in unpredictable directions.
“Duck!”
Zeke’s companions ducked low, dodging the storm of feathers that swept through the area.
Jason tried to erect an earthen wall to block the feathers, but they sliced through both earth and wall with ease.
“Haah!”
Clang!
Fortunately, Clone swung his mace, deflecting the incoming feathers.
Zeke shouted to his team, who were dodging in their own ways.
“Move to your positions while I hold it off!”
As Zeke created a barrier of wind to block the feathers, his companions rose and moved toward the trap site.
Left alone with Gungi, Zeke continued to strike, keeping the beast’s attention on him.
Forgetting its failed escape, Gungi instinctively pressed forward, determined to capture its attacker.
“Over here! Come and get me!”
Zeke turned again, using his flight technique to lure Gungi.
As they emerged from the forest, the dwarves’ trap lay in sight.
‘I need to keep this cunning beast here.’
Zeke took the place of Rick and Arin, who were meant to be the bait.
The others lay in wait, holding their breath for Gungi’s arrival.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive beast barreled through the trees, charging at Zeke with reckless abandon.
Screeeeech!
Clearly enraged, it charged at Zeke, heedless of its surroundings.
In his past life, Zeke’s master had struggled to catch this elusive creature, but now, the provocation seemed to have worked perfectly.
Zeke stood his ground, sword in hand, as Gungi approached.
Suddenly, Gungi leaped, releasing another cloud of petrifying smoke toward Zeke.
Whoosh!
The smoke enveloped Zeke, but he activated his curse reflection skill.
The petrifying smoke dissipated, neutralized by the skill.
Gungi, believing its curse had succeeded, approached slowly, ready to consume Zeke’s soul.
Unlike ordinary beasts, Gungi didn’t simply devour its prey. It turned them to stone and consumed their souls.
As Gungi moved through the thick gray smoke, searching for Zeke, something sliced through the haze.
Swoosh!
Zeke’s sword, charged with sacred energy, slashed across Gungi’s neck.
Swoosh!
The sacred energy suppressed the beast’s dark magic, preventing the wound from healing.
Screeeeech!
Sensing danger, Gungi tried to take flight.
At that moment, dwarves and merfolk appeared on the hill.
“Now!”
Whoosh!
A massive net, crafted by the merfolk and modified by the dwarves, flew through the air, ensnaring Gungi.
Screeeeech!
Trapped, Gungi thrashed wildly, but the net’s barbed hooks caught its wings, holding it fast.
Simultaneously, the merfolk hurled harpoons at the beast.
Swoosh!
The harpoons, tethered with strong metal cables, pierced Gungi from all sides.
“Hold it steady!”
The dwarves and merfolk gripped the cables, anchoring Gungi in place.
Then, Nerissa, who had been waiting, cast an ancient spell.
Eeeeeee!
Gungi writhed in agony, spewing water from its mouth and nose.
Nerissa had summoned seawater inside the beast’s body using her ancient magic.
Gungi, overwhelmed, continued to vomit water, its cries echoing through the air.
Screeeeech!
Watching the struggling beast, Zeke donned his sacred armor and gripped his sword.
Whoosh!
The blade shimmered with a golden aura of purification.
Zeke leaped into the air, charging at the disoriented Gungi.
His sword unleashed a powerful, golden aura.
Infinite Sword Technique
Second Form
Dragon Slayer
Whoosh!
The purifying blade cleaved through Gungi, slicing its massive body in half.
Crunch!
As Gungi tried to tear through the net with its claws, Zeke’s sword cut it down.
Screeeeech—
With a final, piercing scream, Gungi collapsed.
Thud!
The massive body hit the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Zeke gazed at the fallen beast, exhaling a small sigh of relief.
‘That was easier than expected.’
Considering his master had needed a triple spell to capture this rare creature, Zeke felt they had managed quite well.
Cautious to the end, Zeke approached the beast, wary of any tricks.
He wrapped its body in chains, ensuring it was truly subdued.
Only when the chains held firm did Zeke allow himself to relax.
‘Devouring this beast will yield great rewards.’
He planned to consume the beast’s essence slowly, away from prying eyes, once the area was secure.
But then, Zeke sensed something amiss.
‘What is that?’
He looked up, spotting a massive, bird-like figure hovering in the sky.
As he focused, his expression hardened.
Zeke shouted to his companions.
“Take cover, everyone!”
As he called out, he conjured a massive shield of light.
Moments later, something rained down from above.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sharp, feather-like projectiles fell like daggers.
Crack!
The feathers struck Zeke’s shield, creating fractures.
Infused with dark magic, the feathers widened the cracks.
Zeke concentrated, urging his companions to flee.
As they moved, the shield shattered, scattering light everywhere.
Simultaneously, a thick gray smoke descended from the sky.
Zeke swung his sword, the purifying blade cutting through the smoke.
Whoosh!
The golden aura cleansed the petrifying smoke, leaving only harmless mist.
Screeeeech!
Another gunggi, suspended in the air, let out a furious roar.
“Could there really be two of them?”
When he had hunted with his master, there had only been one.
It was hard to believe, but the creature gliding through the sky was unmistakably a gunggi. It slowly turned, setting its sights on Zeke, and flew toward him.
Then, with its mouth wide open, it unleashed a torrent of black lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the black lightning rained down, Zeke rolled to the side, gritting his teeth.
“So that’s the one. The one my master faced!”
It was cunning and powerful, just as he remembered.
As Zeke dodged, the gunggi cautiously flapped its wings and landed on the hill.
But its size was much smaller than the one Zeke had seen in his past life—about half the size of the gunggi they had just taken down.
The creature crouched, scanning the area as if checking for traps, its eyes fixed on Zeke.
Zeke gripped his sword, aiming at the creature.
“I should’ve used the trap on this one. Who would’ve thought it would use another as bait?”
The gunggi blinked, glancing between Zeke and the fallen gunggi. Then, its face twisted into a grotesque smile.
Cackling like a human, it sent shivers down Zeke’s spine.
Only then did Zeke realize the creature had deliberately sent the other gunggi to its death, planning to claim its territory.
The smaller gunggi, outsmarted by its larger counterpart, had used Zeke and his group to do its dirty work.
After a long laugh, the creature wiped the smile from its face and descended the hill, moving slowly toward the dead gunggi.
Zeke watched carefully, sword in hand, wary of the creature’s cunning nature. If it escaped, it would be nearly impossible to catch.
“If I don’t stop it here, we might have to abandon this island.”
As they faced off, the gunggi suddenly tilted its head back and let out a long, eerie howl.
A different sound from any gunggi before.
Zeke followed its gaze skyward and saw something approaching.
“What is that?”
To his astonishment, beetle-like beasts were flying in, clutching other beast-like creatures in their claws.
With another howl from the gunggi, the insect-like beasts released their captives, dropping them from the sky.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Some landed awkwardly, their heads cracking and limbs breaking. Yet, most quickly recovered, thanks to their monstrous resilience.
“This is insane…”
Though it was known that aberrant beasts could command others, this was the first time Zeke had seen such a trap.
In no time, dozens of beasts surrounded Zeke.
He raised his sword, aiming at the advancing creatures.
With a screech from the gunggi, the beasts charged at Zeke.
Crackle!
No mere beast could stop Zeke.
Clad in Hershion, he cut through them like a wolf among sheep, his sword wreathed in sacred fire.
While Zeke dealt with the beasts, the gunggi swiftly dove into the body of the dead gunggi.
Summoning the beasts had been a ploy to create this opportunity.
Realizing the gunggi’s intent, Zeke understood.
“It’s trying to absorb the dead gunggi!”
He quickly raised his sword, summoning the Blade of Purification.
The dead gunggi’s body convulsed, its bones cracking and shifting.
Crack!
“Haah!”
Zeke surged forward, unleashing a golden wave of energy from his sword, aiming it at the gunggi’s body.