NOVPUB
Chapter 137: DONT JINX IT!!
"Showoff," Zayn muttered with a grin, still panting slightly as he rejoined the group with Seren. "We’re stealing your kills, you know."
Ragnar smirked, his arms soaked in monster guts. "You can try."
Another wave was already incoming.
"There are quite a lot of monsters coming," Ragnar observed dryly as Elisse took a step back, clutching her staff a little tighter.
He wasn’t wrong.
The sky darkened — not from clouds, but from wings.
Dozens of flying monsters screeched above them in erratic spirals.
On the ground, more beasts approached: lean, horned creatures that looked like someone had taken a raptor and said, "Make it angrier."
They were fast. Vicious. Covered in thick scale-plates and glowing soul cores in their chests.
And they were coming in hot.
Zayn took a deep breath, stretching out his neck and rolling his shoulders.
"It isn’t that much. Not like the boss could fly anyway."
And because fate absolutely hates peace and quiet —
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
A roar ripped through the sky. Everyone looked up. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
A massive shadow descended like a meteor.
Wings as wide as a house.
Six glowing red eyes.
Scales dark as midnight.
A fanged beak opened and unleashed another shriek that rattled their bones.
The boss could fly.
"Seriously?" Zayn muttered, already squinting at the sky like it owed him money. "Of all the times..."
"You weren’t supposed to jinx it," Tobias said, rubbing his temple as if trying to physically massage the bad luck away.
"Oops," Zayn said.
The beast roared again, and just like that — the final wave was upon them.
Monsters crashed into the frontline, fangs gnashing and claws swiping.
The flying boss remained above, screeching orders or maybe just enjoying the chaos.
"Alright!" Zayn shouted over the noise. "Tobias, you and Ragnar handle Big Bird! I’ll stay ground-side!"
Ragnar didn’t need convincing.
He was already leaping up onto a boulder, then into the air like he weighed nothing.
Tobias followed a beat later, using a soul-empowered jump to soar after him.
Zayn turned to Seren and grabbed her shoulder. "New mission: Protect Elisse."
Seren blinked. "What?"
"I trust you. Keep her alive."
Her expression changed — mild surprise, then serious nod. "Got it."
Zayn turned back to the battlefield just as three raptor-beasts lunged at once.
His soul energy flared to life, thread wrapping around his arms like glowing ropes.
"I really do like these damn threads though," he muttered then his eyes fell on the Raptor beasts. "Let’s dance."
...
High above, Ragnar and Tobias broke through the cloud line.
The flying boss screeched, flapping its massive wings.
Its form was like a fusion between a hawk, a dragon, and a bug from someone’s worst nightmare.
Its beak clacked menacingly, and toxic green mist oozed from its underwings.
It saw them coming.
And charged straight in.
Ragnar met it head-on, soul energy erupting around his body in a radiant golden blaze.
He brought his fists up just in time to block the monster’s strike — clawed talons smashing against his forearms.
The impact cracked the air like thunder.
Tobias spun around the creature’s side, slashing with his sword.
A clean hit across the wing membrane.
The beast screeched and twisted midair, one wing flapping awkwardly now.
Still, it snapped at Tobias, who narrowly dodged with a roll mid-flight.
Yes, he rolled mid-air. Soul energy is wild.
"Try not to get bitten!" Ragnar yelled, grinning as he grabbed one of the talons and threw the boss downward.
It tumbled a dozen meters before catching itself with a furious flap.
It screamed at them, and its eyes glowed — soul energy visibly pulsing through its body.
Then it spit acid.
A jet of green mist blasted toward Ragnar like a cannon.
He didn’t dodge.
He punched it.
The mist dispersed instantly, Ragnar’s fist glowing with pure force.
"You’re trying to spit on me?" Ragnar scoffed. "I drink more dangerous things for breakfast."
Tobias, meanwhile, zoomed in from above with another soul-fueled slash — this time going for the beast’s head.
It snapped upward with its beak, catching the blade between its jaws.
For a moment, it was stuck.
Tobias held on, legs swinging midair as he grunted.
Then the blade shimmered — and exploded with violet soul energy, blasting open the creature’s jaw and forcing it to release.
Tobias flipped away, landing on the monster’s back. "Time to clip your wings."
He stabbed his sword deep into the spine just between the shoulder joints.
Soul energy surged along the blade — and the wing snapped.
The creature howled.
And then Ragnar slammed into it from above like a golden meteor.
Both wings folded beneath the force, and the boss crashed to the ground.
...
Down below, Zayn watched it fall — barely dodging as a horned raptor lunged for his throat.
He spun, soul thread wrapping around its neck like a leash.
He yanked hard, then drove his knee up into its jaw as it reeled back.
Crunch.
To the side, Seren guarded Elisse with frightening efficiency — poisoned blade flashing, venom spraying in elegant arcs like a damn cannon.
Elisse provided backup with light spells, each blast hitting clean, supportive magic shielding Seren when needed.
"Damn," Zayn muttered. "They’re doing better than me."
Bran and Kara were pushing the flank, working in tight sync.
Kara created distractions and openings with her magic while Bran’s axe took out the heavy hitters.
Zayn dodged another strike, summoned twin threads, and lashed them out like whips — grabbing two flying beasts mid-air and slamming them into each other like fleshy cymbals.
Boom.
"Two-for-one special!"
Another roar snapped his attention skyward.
The boss was getting up.
Bruised, wings broken — but still not down.
And it was mad.
Tobias was still on its back.
He plunged his blade again — but the boss reared, finally shaking him off.
He flipped in the air, using a soul burst to land beside Ragnar on the ground.
"This thing doesn’t quit."
"I like it," Ragnar said, flexing his knuckles. "Makes smashing it more fun."
The creature reared its head — and opened its mouth for one last screech.
Too bad for it.
Ragnar jumped first.
And punched it straight in the throat.
It made a gurgling sound and staggered back — only to have Tobias slash across its exposed underbelly in a clean X-pattern.
A second passed.
The lines glowed purple.
Then the monster exploded in a burst of soul energy and gore.
