CHAPTER 18 :- UNLEASHED

Daphne, a striking noblewoman with cascading long blue hair, stood among a small group of young nobles, her expression a mix of disdain and amusement. They gathered in a corner of the lavish ballroom, where the air was thick with the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.

"Can you believe the audacity of the Rodriguez family?" she began, her voice laced with contempt as she glanced toward Jatom, who was animatedly chatting with a nearby noble, his laughter echoing obnoxiously through the crowd. "His desperation to claw his way back to the upper city is almost pitiable. Does he really think James will be his golden ticket?"

A ripple of laughter spread through the group, and Daphne pressed on, her tone cutting. "He hasn't learned his lesson. Just look at how two of his children have abandoned him, scuttling off to the upper districts and even changing their names to escape their disgrace. It's pathetic." She shot a disgusted look at Jatom, who continued his loud conversation, blissfully unaware of the scorn directed at him. "He does not belong there. I would die before I let him set foot in the upper districts again. He'll die here, forgotten, a nobody."

"Ehh! Miss Daphne, that seems rather personal, don't you think? Making it your life's mission to keep a nobody like him out of the upper districts?" one of the youths interjected, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yeah," Kael agreed, leaning back slightly in his chair, a smirk on his face. "That's a bit much, Daphne. You must have your reasons, right?"

Daphne opened her mouth to respond, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features, but just as the tension thickened, the ground trembled beneath them.

Then, in an instant, everything changed. BOOM!

A sound like a freight train crashing through a wall erupted from the far side of the room. The entire floor shuddered, a deep, violent tremor rippling through the space like a shockwave. Before Daphne could fully process what was happening, the world around her was swallowed by chaos.

A colossal force exploded through the wall, shattering the sturdy structure as if it were made of paper. Debris rained down, sharp fragments flying into the crowd like deadly shrapnel. Panic surged through the air as the sheer impact sent people sprawling—some launched through the air like dolls, others slammed into tables , the sickening cracks of bones breaking echoing in the chaos

A girl beside Daphne screamed, her voice abruptly cut off as the blast sent her tumbling across the floor. Daphne's stomach lurched, and for a moment, she felt weightless, as if suspended in time, before a sudden wave of force lifted her off her feet. The world spun, and then everything turned dark as her back collided with something hard, pain shooting through her body like a lightning bolt. Stars burst behind her eyes as breath escaped her in a ragged wheeze.

As the dust began to settle, she blinked against the haze, trying to clear the ringing in her ears. Her limbs felt heavy, her heartbeat a frantic hammer against her ribs. Then she looked up, and her breath caught in her throat.

Through the swirling dust and flickering lights, she saw it eyes glowing like twin crimson suns, staring down at her with an intensity that froze her in place.

The beast, standing over twelve feet tall, loomed ominously, and she was rooted to the spot, unable to move, her heart pounding in her chest.

"|—" Her voice faltered, cut short as the creature lunged forward with terrifying speed, its massive claws slicing through the air mere millimeters from her face.

Daphne's mind raced, panic clawing at her throat. She had expected it to stand still, to be a looming shadow of fear, not this swift, lethal force. But before she could react, the beast's claws tore through her, obliterating her upper body in a gruesome display of violence.

Kael, who had been watching the scene unfold from a distance, let out a shrill scream, his instincts kicking in as he turned to flee.Panic spread like wildfire through the other nobles, their faces pale with terror as they scrambled for the exit.

The few S.A.M.T. guards present reacted in an instant. One, with bright orange hair, ignited his entire arm in a blaze. The flames danced in a vibrant orange, flickering with yellow and deep crimson, a classic flame effect that licked upwards, ready to engage.

With a sudden movement, he disappeared, a crimson comet speeding toward the beast, while his companion a man with short black hair and cold blue eyes hidden behind silver-framed glasses summoned thick chains that enveloped the creature, restraining its massive hands and legs.

Working in perfect synchrony, one guard attacked while the other restrained. The fiery fist connected with the beast's face, delivering a powerful blow that sent it crashing into the wall.

Boom! The impact shattered the chains, and the beast was catapulted straight through the wall, creating a gaping hole. Dust and debris filled the air, clouding the scene in chaos.

One of the bodyguards from a noble family stepped forward, intent on investigating, but a hand gripped his shoulder, stopping him cold. "Wait," came the calm voice of the S.A.M.T. guard who had just punched the beast.

"Wait? How can | wait? This bastard just killed the young miss!" he shouted, struggling against the grip that felt like iron.

"| said wait," the guard repeated, his tone firm, eyes narrowed. The bodyguard's protests faded, the pain in his shoulder a reminder of the danger they faced and who were dealing with it.

Once released, he staggered back, thoughts racing. 'Damn, the S.A.M.T. are not a force to be reckoned with; he thought, a newfound respect mixing with fear as he observed the young man.

Turning to his companion, the fiery-haired guard glanced at the chaos unfolding. "Shila!," he called.

"Yes," the black-haired man replied, his expression a mask of focus. He stretched forth his hands, and suddenly, a gale swept through the area, clearing the dust and revealing the damage left in the wake of the beast's attack. The bodyguards eyes widened ' Conjuring! Isn't that under Aethericism!, Those guys are very rare just right below unique tier, with such ability he should have been an enforcer, unless.' he shook his head to clear his thoughts, now is not the time to think all these especially with a potentially still alive monster out there.

As visibility returned, the bodyguard's heart sank. 'How could the beast have survived such an onslaught?' He rushed forward, desperate to see if it was truly defeated, he wanted to be the one to kill it, so as to sooth the panic rising in his heart, he couldn't imagine what the Morrison family would do to him after he told them that their daughter was dead and the only piece of her intact was her lower body, so ignoring the cries of his comrades

He entered the hole, looking around frantically for any sign of the creature , but found only emptiness. The beast had vanished.

Before he could comprehend what that meant, he heard heavy footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw the orange-haired guard rushing in, fury etched on his face, his companion a silent shadow at his side.

"Before you get angry, you should know the beast isn't even here. | checked," he said quickly, raising his hands in a

placating gesture.

"What a waste," he muttered, scanning the room for any sign of the creature.

"Regardless, you can't just walk off like that," the fiery guard shot back.

"Yeah, whatever," the bodyguard replied, his tone nonchalant despite the tension.

Suddenly, the fiery guard's eyes widened. "Look out!" he shouted just as the beast, lunged down from above.

The bodyguard's last thought was a single word: "on the ceiling?"

SPLAT!