"...It’s here. So that’s 'Subnock,' the Master of the Magical Wilds."
Rest, having pushed deep into the heart of the territory, finally laid eyes on the gargantuan beast responsible for the anomaly.
The Evil Lion of Corrosion... Subnock.
Its colossal frame rivaled that of a blue whale, looming so high that one had to strain their neck just to see it. It was a monstrous lion with six legs and multiple compound eyes.
Its pale blue fur stood on end, flickering like a spectral flame. Corrosive saliva dripped from its maw, and even though a significant distance still separated them, a pungent, nauseating stench assailed Rest's nose.
The Lord of the Plain. It was a massive magical beast that many powerful figures, including the former King, had attempted to slay, only to meet with utter failure.
Other monsters of the same species surrounded Subnock. Whether they were its offspring or merely subordinates, these "Corrosion Beasts"—more than three sizes smaller than their master—began to close in, scattering their foul odor as they moved.
"If something like that makes it out of the plains, the casualties will be unthinkable..."
A staggering number of people would lose their lives.
And among those lives might be the people Rest held most dear.
"...I won't let it happen."
No matter how reckless it seemed, no matter how foolhardy the courage... there came a time when a man simply had to act.
Rest was certain that, for him, that time was now.
He couldn't run. He had no choice but to fight.
(I won't let this thing reach the Plain Entrance where Viola and Primula are. I'll kill it... or at the very least, I'll drive it back!)
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Subnock and the surrounding Corrosion Beasts let out a collective roar.
Unleashing cries that made his very soul shiver, they charged toward him.
"Star Eater."
Rest activated his original magic.
An onyx sphere appeared before him, a void that reflected absolutely no light.
A pitch-black celestial body. The Dark Star—a manifestation of his intent that could devour anything he imagined and reduce it to nothingness.
"............!"
The moment the spell took form, Rest felt a staggering amount of mana being siphoned away.
The sheer volume of mana it demanded would drain any ordinary mage dry in a single second; only someone like Rest, with his infinite reserves, could hope to sustain it.
"...As usual, it’s an ugly spell. It hasn't a shred of refinement."
No one would ever praise a spell that was literally impossible to cast without an infinite well of mana.
However, it was exactly what he needed to kill this enemy.
"Forgive me... but I don't intend to show any mercy from the start. I hold no grudge, but you have to disappear."
The magical beast was technically innocent.
It had merely lived in its territory. Someone had poked the nest, and the startled creature had simply wandered out.
Even so... he would kill it. He would slaughter every last one of them without a hint of hesitation.
"Revolve, O Star. O Dark Star that devours even the light."
The Dark Star measured about a meter in radius.
Rest could only move it about an arm's length away from his body. If it drifted any further, he wouldn't be able to supply it with mana, and it would vanish.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Having identified Rest as a target, several Corrosion Beasts under Subnock’s command lunged out from the pack.
They shared the master's pale blue fur, six legs, and compound eyes. Corrosive saliva trailed from their snapping jaws.
Each was roughly twice the size of a normal lion. They were terrifying in their own right, but compared to the master, they seemed almost small.
"Die."
Rest swung the Dark Star toward the leaping beasts.
The Corrosion Beast that lunged to tear out his throat was instantly sucked into the Dark Star, its physical existence erased as it vanished into the void.
These Corrosion Beasts were high-tier monsters. Their corrosive saliva could melt through swords and armor like water, and if it touched flesh, it would rot a person’s cells from the inside out until they died.
Furthermore, their fur possessed incredibly high resistance to both physical and magical attacks. They were enemies that even Royal Guards or Court Mages would struggle to defeat.
"Eat."
One, two, three... Rest systematically annihilated the powerful monsters as they came.
No matter how tough their hides were, they vanished the instant they touched the Dark Star. The enemy's strength was irrelevant.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Oops...!"
A Corrosion Beast spat a high-pressure stream of saliva like a water cannon.
Rest raised the Dark Star like a shield, intercepting the corrosive liquid and neutralizing it.
"Wha—!?"
The other Corrosion Beasts followed suit, spitting their saliva in rapid succession.
They held their ground a safe distance away from Rest, staying just outside the reach of the Dark Star.
"Are you serious... they’ve already learned!?"
While catching and blocking the saliva with the Dark Star, Rest’s eyes widened in shock.
After seeing only a few of their kin erased, they had already realized that touching the black sphere meant certain death.
(They’ve decided that getting close is suicide and switched to ranged attacks...! These things are smarter than they look!)
Their ability to adapt was unexpectedly high.
If they were just lemmings charging blindly to their deaths, he could have finished them easily.
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Kh...!"
A deafening shriek shattered the air.
The roar hit him like a physical shockwave, a cannon blast of sound that made the earth tremble. The sheer pressure ruptured his eardrums, and the world went suddenly, terrifyingly silent.
Sharp pain radiated from his ears as absolute stillness descended upon his world.
"Ngh...!"
In the next heartbeat, the source of the roar—Subnock—lashed out. It slammed its tongue, which was as thick as a massive tree trunk, directly at Rest.
With an explosive impact, the ground shattered, kicking up a blinding curtain of dust and debris.