Sky-cracking Rider

The scene was dead silent, with not a whisper to be heard.

Not only Adrian, but everyone else was looking with disbelief at the remains of the Holy Knight that were left below the waist.

Just the second before, he had been speaking to them.

But in the blink of an eye, the man was gone!

And to top it off, he had been devoured by his own beast companion, which had bitten off his upper body in one bite.

Damn... none of them knew how to describe their feelings at that moment, it was truly surreal!

"Sam!"

Adrian's eyes were bloodshot with fury.

Team 04 had witnessed its first casualty, and in such a manner, he couldn't accept it.

"Squeak!~"

The Green Scale Colt Mini, its mouth wide in a horrifying gape, let out a piercing screech that bore no resemblance to the creature's usual sounds.

The sharp teeth, each over a foot long, densely packed within its mouth, made it easy to imagine that once bitten, even if not cleaved in two, one would have difficulty breaking free.

"Kill it!"

A-grade Metal Ability User Kiterley's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, brimming with murderous intent.

This Green Scale Colt was not his mount, and he had no sympathy for a traitorous beast.

Metal Elemental Psychic Power enveloped his body, and blades grew from every part of his being, he looked like a human-shaped porcupine all of a sudden.

"Be careful!"

Just as Adrian shouted a warning to everyone, the scene before him blurred, and the Green Scale Colt, Second Rank Wind Series Magical Beast, which had gone mad, charged at him, barreling through the bloody remains and organs of the Holy Knight's lower body, closing in on him rapidly.

The Green Scale Colt excelled at short bursts of speed, with hooves lifted it could almost instantly close the distance in a flash of lightning.

"Get lost!"

Mouri Misono's gentle shout came along with the whistle of two blades streaking through the air, landing heavily on the neck of the Green Scale Colt.

As the blade dragged across, sparks flew but failed to penetrate its scale armor; yet, the immense impact force nonetheless staggered the beast several steps aside, narrowly missing Adrian, who had had no time to dodge.

The samurai sword was incredibly sharp, but once it encountered an equally formidable defense, its poor ability to penetrate armor was blatantly revealed.

"Secret Technique, Flash Strike!"

Neanderthal Chief Bassan's figure flickered as his single-toothed long halberd heavily chopped down on the Green Scale Colt's back that had yet to stabilize, finally tearing through the armor and causing beast blood to gush forth.

His massive build was justified by his burst strength, which surpassed that of the petite Mouri Misono's; his weapon, both heavier and better at penetrating armor, also held the upper hand.

The Neanderthal tribe's secret technique "Flash Strike" had a short-distance movement speed that surpassed even the Green Scale Colt's, yet it couldn't be activated at will; Mouri Misono's timely strike provided Bassan the chance to unleash the secret technique.

"Squeak..."

The pained Green Scale Colt let out a shrill screech.

From the wounds on its body, blood no longer poured out; instead, over a dozen strange tentacles protruded, thrashing wildly in the air.

"Is this thing still a Green Scale Colt?"

Earth Mage Ruan Tiankai's eyes widened, his face turned pale with fright.

This wasn't some Magical Beast Green Scale Colt at all, it was a monster!

Quick to react, Adrian decisively cast a Magic Shield on himself while saying with a grim expression, "It's become a Mutant, what kind of cursed mutation is this!"

They had still arrived a step too late; Angela Pharmaceutical Company's underground laboratory had experimented on the Holy Knight Walter Sam's mount, the Second Rank Wind Series Magical Beast Green Scale Colt Mini, transforming it into a Mutant. Moreover, its disposition had dramatically changed, and it had unexpectedly bitten to death the completely unprepared Holy Knight Walter Sam.

The members of Team 04 were primarily from military contractors that dealt with Mutants as their operational targets, making them no strangers to these odd creatures.

The emergence of Mutants had complicated origins, with some coming from Blue Star's native species, others stowing away from Cangqiong Star, and even a few transforming from Magical Beasts, signifying that mutation was like a receptor-broad virus, capable of infecting all forms of life.

One thing was clear: this type of mutation was far from a benign evolution; it was a particularly nasty form of malignant genetic disorder that turned perfectly normal beings into something chaotic, completely losing control of their life forms.

If left unchecked, nature would eliminate these failed evolutionary offshoots over time through the process of natural selection—but not without posing a significant threat and causing severe damage to Blue Star Humans during this period.

Therefore, Blue Star Humans could not afford to wait; they had to continuously exterminate the endlessly emerging Mutants through human intervention, hoping to quickly pass through this phase of Mutant outbreak.

Birth, growth, stability, decay—this is the natural cycle of all life, and even Mutants would not be an exception.

Blue Star was practically an epicenter for Mutants, and Cangqiong Star had not been spared either. It saw occasional appearances of a small number of Mutants, but these were still no match for the devastation wreaked by Magical Beasts. The distinct natural environments of the two planets meant the same Mutants posed different levels of threat and impact.

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"Kill it as soon as possible!"

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After Adrian finished speaking, he quickly chanted the Spell Incantation, combining spiritual power and Magic Power to construct a spell model.

Mutants varied in strength; the weaker ones could easily be slain by ordinary people, while the stronger ones could even overpower Magical Beasts and higher-level Ability Users.

The Green Scale Colt, having become a mutant, displayed a threat that far exceeded its original rank at the Human Order Second Rank.

However, it seemed to have lost its Spellcasting ability and relied solely on its enhanced body to launch attacks at Team 04.

"'Earth Prison'!"

Ruan Tiankai was the first to complete the Earth Magic, and thick rock pillars burst forth from the floor, walls, and ceiling of the corridor. They surged forward in an interlocking fashion, squeezing the Green Scale Colt into a corner and forming a narrow Cage.

With its agility snatched away and unable to use its Fangs to bite anyone, the irrational mutant Magical Beast could only continue to roar furiously, posing no threat.

In the underground space, which was nearly the home turf for Earth Element Users, the rank Seventh Earth Magic "Earth Prison" easily subdued the beast due to tactically sound maneuvers.

"Well done!"

Adrian nodded to the Ninth Rank Earth Mage and soon completed his own Spell, aiming a point at the "Earth Prison." Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

A pigeon-egg-sized azure Fireball nimbly wove through the interlocking rock pillars and thrust straight into the gaping maw of the Green Scale Colt's Fangs.

This seemingly mild Spell burst forth with terrifying power the next moment. The affected Green Scale Colt had flames spewing from every orifice—eyes, ears, mouth, nostrils, and even its scale gaps flickered with slowly undulating flames.

The encircling rock pillars instantly turned red hot, and if Ruan Tiankai hadn't maintained his spiritual power and Magic Power, they would have melted into magma on the spot.

Almost devoid of any sounds of roaring, within a few breaths, the robust Green Scale Colt, along with its Fang-riddled mouth and the hideous tentacles on its back wounds, turned to ashes.

"What Spell was that?"

Mouri Misono, who had been on guard with her weapon drawn, witnessed Adrian use a Spell to spark the Holy Knight's mount into ash. Yet, until the flames disappeared, she felt no heat wave spread, nor was she hit by any scorching thermal radiation.

The sudden appearance of flames seemed illusory, but the ashes of the Green Scale Colt corroborated that its temperature was sufficient to incinerate any living being instantly.

"Rank Eighth 'Soul Extinguishing Demon Flame,' unyielding to death!"

Adrian's face, however, was filled with a deep sigh, showing no hint of triumph.

Reluctantly, he still took out a Body Bag from his Space System Alchemy Storage Device—prepared in advance—fit for the Green Scale Colt's size.

But now, only half of the Holy Knight was left, and his mount had been executed on the spot, reduced to a handful of dust.

"Damn 'Sacred Advent'! Damn 'Water Bear'!" gritted Kiterley, an A-grade Metal Ability User.

Even though the Holy Knight Walter Sam had met his demise at the maw of his mount, the Green Scale Colt, it wasn't the creature's own will. Ultimately, the Colt's mutation was due to unlawful experimentation.

A mutant knew no reason. If it had reason, it wouldn't be called a mutant.

"Those Magical Beasts, and the other test subjects, are all..."

The Old Tree Boundary Ape Lulu'an, leaning on its Withered Vine Staff, glanced towards the rooms on either side of the corridor.

Although it didn't continue, everyone could guess what it left unsaid.

Each room held a subject like the Green Scale Colt Mini; ordinary creatures, Magical Beasts, and even humans—these madmen wouldn't show mercy even to their own kind.

Biting his teeth, Adrian said, "We have to be ruthless—i'll take the responsibility!"

Givens the conditions, where even a companion's mount had been struck down by their own hands, turning to a handful of ashes, they could no longer afford mercy and had to continue on this dark path.

If blame were to come, Adrian was prepared to bear the brunt of it.

Neanderthal Chief Bassan considered for a moment and said, "Count me in!"

He had narrowly escaped death once before and thus had fewer qualms.

"Me too," declared Kiterley, the A-grade Metal Ability User, nonchalantly.

"And me!"

Mouri Misono immediately followed suit.

Ruan Tiankai revealed a wry smile as he raised his hand.

"You can't leave me out!"

"It's no big deal,"

Lulu'an seemed quite relaxed about it.

Everyone unanimously decided—whatever the ordeal, they wouldn't let Adrian bear the brunt alone.