Minutes before the plan began, the Calamity Beast Spiking lay dormant in eerie silence. Its form resembled a plucked chicken—flesh raw and exposed, with stumpy appendages where legs should be, devoid of proper feet. But what distinguished this creature from any ordinary beast was its skin, tender yet menacing, bristling with countless spikes jutting outward in all directions, giving it the appearance of a living weapon.
The moment the meeting commenced, the spikes began to tremble, and its Calamity Force Core pulsed with a faint glow. As the plan against it crystallized, the core's luminescence intensified until it blazed brilliantly within the creature's chest, as if sensing the impending threat.
A wave of goosebumps rippled across its flesh. The beast had sensed them—those who approached with intent to harm. Immediately, it began to evolve, not in rank but in ability. With its current capabilities, it knew it would perish against these enemies. Survival demanded adaptation.
Its chicken-like appearance shifted dramatically. The body morphed into something akin to a guard, with a compact upper torso and a disproportionately large, wide lower body. The spikes began to multiply at an alarming rate, coiling against one another in an intricate defensive lattice.
These new spikes were smaller but thicker, more densely packed, and deadlier than before. They were designed not merely to pierce but to shred anything they contacted, tearing through flesh and metal alike with terrible efficiency.
Some transformed further, becoming blade-like protrusions embedded directly into the beast's body—natural weapons for close combat that gleamed with lethal promise.
The Calamity Force Core descended to its chest, and above it chicken head, something resembling a Beyblade formed, rotating at extraordinary speeds.
This rotation transmitted to the beast's entire body, turning it into a living tornado of destruction. As it spun, the sharp blades on its body became genuine shredders, carving through the surrounding building with terrifying ease. Then, sensing the approaching danger, it began launching thick, hardened spikes toward the perceived threat.
Pure intimidation radiated from the beast like a physical force.
"Change in plan," Buddhist Hand announced, his voice steady despite the monstrous display before them. "Dice, stay with Sasha when we get close and deflect all attacks. When Sani teleports her near the Beast, I'll be there to protect her. Vera, attack as many times as you can."
"What about drawing its attention? Someone needs to—" Vera fell silent as she observed Sasha's transformation. The woman's demeanor had shifted entirely, lightning now crackling beneath her eyelashes, power emanating from her very being.
That was when they felt it—a phantom spear piercing through their chests. Any Rank 1 Awakened with less experience would have convulsed and collapsed, believing they had been physically attacked. The five veteran members held strong, though the sensation was undeniable.
Buddhist Hand moved in a flash of yellow light, carrying two of them to the battlefield before returning for the rest, his movements fluid and precise.
The shift in the atmosphere was Elias's doing. He had scaled the wall, running across rooftops until he reached the alley, mirroring Fearmonger's approach. With a powerful leap, he swung his stump, and a grain-sized black hole materialized, its gravitational force punching downward toward the Calamity Beast with devastating intent.
The moment the black hole appeared, the Calamity Beast transformed further. Its beyblade-like structure above its head hardened and elongated, shooting toward Elias at several times the speed of sound—a counter-attack born of instinct and self-preservation.
The black hole accelerated Elias's stump just as before, meeting the beyblade attack head-on.
For a moment, silence reigned. The earlier feeling of being stabbed shattered, replaced by an overwhelming sensation that screamed: I am the center of the world.
Instinctively, all eyes turned toward the source.
The Calamity Force Core blazed brighter than ever, generating another beyblade that launched to reinforce the first. At the point of clash, Elias seemed suspended in mid-air. His keen perception grasped what was happening—this attack was countering him directly. His black hole had been stopped, halted, matched in force for precious seconds.
A smile spread across his face as he released more of its power's weight upon the world.
SCREECH!
A deep, nail-dragging sound tore through the air as the Calamity Beast was forced to rotate. It began to steam before it blasted away from Elias's intended destination. The chains restraining the beast buckled and stretched to their limits almost snapping entirely. The creature rocketed from its position, destroying buildings and gouging the ground in its wake.
It's escaping!
The beyblades were obliterated by the black hole as Elias descended. His body twisted as the black hole flew behind him, tracking the beast's trajectory. Several more beyblades launched at him, meeting the black hole's force and deflecting away like bullets bouncing off impenetrable armor.
But the force sent Elias backward, disrupting his control.
The beast, now at a distance, formed a massive twenty-foot spear above its head. It hardened in seconds before launching at cannon velocity—not directly at Elias, but toward his general vicinity.
BOOM!
The explosion resembled a small nuclear detonation, engulfing the area around him. The force of the black hole before him faltered, and Elias felt his energy draining at an alarming rate. He couldn't maintain this level of power, and panic began to set in.
His Black Hole Talent deactivated just as he reached for his Gravity Book. An indescribable sense of danger enveloped him as another twenty-foot spear formed in the distance. Elias's survival instinct activated his Black Hole Talent again—it didn't materialize fully, but a pulse of power surged through the book and his body, allowing him to dart away from his previous location.
BOOM!
These spears had extraordinary heads—more like spikes with thin, razor-sharp tips. The shaft was thickest at the center, tapering toward the opposite end where it terminated in another lethal point. Around each sharpened tip wrapped additional hard spikes, causing the spear to rotate at extreme speeds as it traveled, amplifying its destructive potential.
Elias's body shifted a fraction of a second before the spear reached him. The rotation created a wide, devastating explosion. His talent activation and the book he clutched deflected most of the explosion's power, but he was still hurled backward. The ground shattered beneath the impact, carving deep trenches in the earth.
Elias didn't even land among the rubble before another attack came. The explosion's force hadn't settled, and his perception couldn't keep pace with the speed of events unfolding around him.
Another spear was coming—no, it was already at his face, mere inches away.
Black Hole Talent activation. This one operated in auto-mode, similar to his barrier. Elias knew he was outclassed and hoped for the black hole to manifest automatically like his barrier, but it didn't. He lacked sufficient talent energy to support it, yet its activation produced enough force to shift him away from direct harm.
BOOM!
When facing the hyena-like Calamity Beast previously, the creature had been faster and moved to intercept him, but the black hole had somehow accelerated Elias's movements to match his opponent. That was how he had countered it. The same had occurred with Fearmonger.
Even though Elias was depleted and his black hole wouldn't materialize, the effect of instant acceleration to avoid danger persisted. The remnant power fueled his barrier, protecting him from explosions while propelling him away from the worst of the blast.
After surviving three spear bomb attacks, Elias managed to execute his plan—shaky as it was. He did what had once been effortless for him: sinking his mind into the book's Brand Skill.
He was encased in a stone craft when the fourth spear arrived. His talent flared one final time, sending him away as the craft broke and reformed around him.
More spears were already on their way, streaking through the air with deadly precision.