Vajra Ape

The Spine-Armored Dragon was already as big as a two-story building, but the Vajra Ape was even larger. With the exception of unusual cases like the Green Shadow Demon Snake, all Magic Beasts followed the same rule: the bigger they were, the stronger they were.

The enormous Vajra Ape with golden-yellow fur in the distance was gigantic, as big as a small mountain. It was even larger than when Guen had seen the beast last time.

The Vajra Ape sat cross-legged between several small mountains, looking like one of them.

Though Beast Canyon was called a canyon, it was vast enough to hold many High-Tier Ferocious Beasts. It stretched for hundreds of miles, and at its widest points was more than ten miles across. Its winding, twisting shape was like a maze.

If Del hadn't brought Guen here, Guen might not have found the place on his own.

"So, what do you think of this big fellow?" Del's lips curled up, but his expression was grave.

This wasn't just some ordinary giant. It was a genuine threat: a Planetary Level Ferocious Beast whose ferocity in battle was beyond that of ordinary beasts.

Guen simply rolled the Kejia Beast aside and drew the Meteor Light Blade, making his stance clear.

"Good. In that case, I'll draw its attention from the front, and you can look for an opening to deal it a serious blow." Del drew his own emerald-green longsword. "This is a Force Weapon crafted by the High Priest herself. It's every bit as good as your blade."

Guen merely smiled, unwilling to argue over whose weapon was better. He gestured for Del to go ahead.

Del entered the forest first and jogged toward the Vajra Ape at an unhurried pace.

Guen kept some distance between himself and Del.

This Vajra Ape just arrived, and it doesn't have any underlings. That should make things easier.

Most Ferocious Beasts preferred to act alone, and there were fewer that lived in groups. There were exceptions, though. Once a beast reached Planetary Level, many High-Tier Ferocious Beasts would naturally gather around it. They guarded the Planetary Level beast, and both sides benefited.

But Beast Canyon wasn't a natural forest out in the wild, and the Vajra Ape had only just arrived. It didn't have any underlings yet, which made it much easier to deal with.

"Roar!"

The Vajra Ape stood up. At twenty meters tall, it radiated an indescribable pressure as soon as it rose. Its golden-yellow fur looked like some kind of indestructible armor, inspiring dread in anyone who saw it.

As a Planetary Level Ferocious Beast, it ruled over the entire valley. It would notice any living thing that came near.

Guen and Del were no exception.

This made the Vajra Ape furious.

It was bad enough that those powerful humans, whom it couldn't resist, had captured it and brought it here. Now even two humans who weren't Super Tier dared to challenge it? It would crush them to dust and vent its hatred.

With a soft whoosh, the Vajra Ape vanished from where it stood.

"Shhk!"

A huge figure suddenly appeared before Del. Del hurriedly activated the Flame God Armor. His bright-red Battle Suit instantly spread over his entire body, tightly covering all his vital areas.

Foul smoke billowed from the Vajra Ape's nostrils. It was furious beyond measure.

The air around it suddenly seemed to freeze. The mere act of clenching its fist nearly squeezed all the air from its surroundings.

"Boom!"

The Vajra Ape punched Del before he could react. Del flew backward and slammed into the ground, sinking more than ten meters into it. Before he could recover from the violent impact, the Vajra Ape leaped after him. It deliberately compressed the soil around them, forcing it all toward Del.

Del's body creaked under the pressure.

Without the Flame God Armor, he would have been crushed into a lump of flesh.

I still underestimated the power of a Planetary Level Ferocious Beast. I'd seen the data, but fighting one myself is completely different. I should've known better. There's no time to warn Guen to run now, either.

Del grew anxious.

He wouldn't be in mortal danger right away, but the Flame God Armor only weakened attacks; it didn't block them completely. Wave after wave of powerful shock force still battered his body.

The Vajra Ape had completely taken control of the battle's rhythm, leaving Del unable to use the moves he relied on most.

He was starting to worry about Guen, the genius who had just joined the Forest Goddess Temple. Del was a Core Member of the Goddess Temple, from a direct bloodline. If he truly faced danger, the High Priest wouldn't abandon him. But Guen was another matter.

The High Priest didn't concern herself with the lives of anyone outside the direct bloodline.

In the distance, Guen remained fairly calm as he watched the Vajra Ape unleash its power.

Moto's database contained detailed information about Planetary Level monsters and their abilities, so Guen could assess the gap between himself and the Vajra Ape. It wasn't an insurmountable one.

Besides, the Vajra Ape was only an ordinary Ferocious Beast. Moto's database contained countless far more powerful monsters. One Vajra Ape was nothing special.

"Roar!"

The Vajra Ape kept flinging Del into the air and slamming him back down, as if he were a toy.

But the Vajra Ape wasn't focused entirely on Del. It also stared intently at Guen. The moment Guen showed the slightest sign of retreating, it would go after him and teach the overconfident human a lesson.

But how could Guen back down?

Guen kept his pace and charged toward the Vajra Ape.

"Roar!"

The Vajra Ape went berserk.

Its purple pupils burned with a fury anyone could recognize. It wanted to destroy Guen completely, to wipe him out. Anyone could see that.

Guen swung the Meteor Light Blade. Its tip trembled slightly as a special energy stirred the air around it, forming a sharp, terrifying force at the blade's point. He slashed from a great distance, and even though the Vajra Ape did everything it could to dodge, it couldn't avoid the strike.

A tuft of glittering golden fur drifted away on the breeze. A wide gash appeared in the Vajra Ape's skin, and blood flowed from it.

"He actually wounded the Vajra Ape?" Del's eyes widened.

Even while being tossed around, Del had managed to find openings to land a few sword strikes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the confidence to pick a fight with the Vajra Ape. But his sword could only leave a tiny scratch on its body, without drawing a single drop of blood. Guen had wounded it with just one slash.

The ground trembled as the Vajra Ape let go of Del and charged at Guen.

Guen narrowly dodged the oncoming Vajra Ape, but his brow furrowed. He wasn't satisfied with the power of that strike.

It was the first move of Flame Slash. Guen was only at Apprentice Level, so its power was limited, but he was still dissatisfied with the result.

Every move of Flame Slash was exceptionally powerful among techniques of the same level.

Mastering four moves made one invincible among Planetary Level fighters. Mastering the fifth even allowed someone at Planetary Level to challenge those at Star Level.

So Guen spun around and rushed in again, swinging his blade once more. This time, he would use the second move of Flame Slash.