Chapter 57 Abomination

"So me and my frie-"

As Evelyn rambled on about various topics, Rick abruptly stopped in his tracks, pulling his hands out of his pockets.

"Get ready!"

His commanding tone caused Evelyn to retreat to the backline, while Kyle summoned his enormous Scythe, spanning over 2 meters long.

Meanwhile, I placed my hands on my Katana's sheath, following Rick's instruction not to intervene, since I was a 'Trash'.

As I stood there, I sensed an approaching entity. From the Mana it emanated, I discerned that it was an F Rank Abomination.

Although Rick had a shitty personality, I couldn't deny his impressive Mana Sensitivity. If he detected the Abomination before I did, his Mana Attribute must be exceptionally high.

Swish...

Suddenly, a silhouette emerged from behind the ash dune in the distance, drawing our attention. Its purple skin shimmered in the light, giving it an eerie glow.

The Abomination stood at least two meters tall, with razor-sharp teeth and massive claws that could pierce even the hardest metals.

The creature resembled a hairless human, with an ash armor covering its body. Its appearance was both grotesque and intimidating, sending shivers down my spine.

Its white eyes locked onto us, and it opened its mouth, revealing its menacing grin.

"..."

Without uttering a word, Evelyn drew her Mana, compressing it into several wind darts that made the air around her fingers swirl.

I also noticed that she didn't chant her spell, indicating her proficiency in her Mana Art.

Even though I was several feet away from her, I could feel the high density of Mana emanating from the projectiles floating above her palm.

I think she is around F Rank, which is quite commendable.

Growl...

The Abomination descended down the sand dune, its massive claws leaving deep cuts on the ground as it scraped against the soil, showcasing their sharpness.

Despite their humanoid appearance, Abominations possessed intelligence far below that of humans.

Whoosh...

The wind dart shot towards the monster's head, but the creature dodged at the last second, moving its head to the side, causing the projectile to miss by a hair's breadth.

Rick stepped forward, his strange gauntlets crackling with electricity as he summoned his Mana.

Crackle...

Punching his fist forward he sent a bolt of lightning towards the Abomination, striking it in the chest and causing it to stumble back.

Kyle seized the opportunity and charged forward, swinging his Scythe with immense force.

The Abomination tried to block with its claws, but the Scythe cut through them like butter, leaving deep gashes on its arms.

Growl...

Kyle's attack was devastating, but the Abomination was far from defeated.

It roared in anger, unleashing a wave of ash that obscured our vision.

I quickly drew my Katana, preparing for the worst.

But when the ash cleared, the Abomination was gone.

"Where did it go?"

Rick scanned the area, his Mana sensing skills at their limit.

"Watch out!"

Evelyn shouted, and I barely had time to react before the Abomination appeared behind me, its claws ready to strike.

Clank...

I spun around quickly, slashing my Katana and colliding its blade with the Abomination's claws. The impact dislocated my shoulder, and my entire body groaned under the monster's immense strength.

Another direct hit like that, and I knew I wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure.

Whoosh...

Thankfully, Kyle drew the monster's attention with a wide arc of his Scythe, forcing it to retreat and giving me a moment to catch my breath.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder as I readied my stance once more. The Abomination was proving to be a tough opponent.

"Rick, can you sense its location?"

Evelyn asked, hoping that Rick could track the creature.

"I can't pinpoint it precisely, but it's somewhere to the east!"

He shouted back, his gauntlets still crackling with electricity.

We quickly regrouped, preparing for another attack. Evelyn summoned a gust of wind, creating a shield around us, while Kyle stood in front, ready to engage the Abomination if it reappeared.

I was standing behind all of them, putting my shoulder back in its original place.

Growl...

A low growl echoed across the desert, and we braced ourselves for the creature's next move.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the area, kicking up sand and obscuring our vision once again.

When the dust cleared, the Abomination was standing in front of us, its claws at the ready.

But this time, it was different. Its eyes had turned red, and its skin was pulsing with a sickly green glow.

"What's happening?"

Evelyn asked, sweat flowing down her pale face.

"I don't know!"

Rick exclaimed, tensing his leg muscles and preparing to bolt towards the abomination.

"It's undergoing a Mana Mutation..."

I finally felt like it was my time to speak. Honestly, I wasn't fond of the group, except for Kyle, who seemed kind of cool.

Nonetheless, it would be bothersome if one of them died.

Well, with the exception of Evelyn, who I wouldn't mind seeing meet her demise as she was an antagonist that would try to kill Drake.

I had to at least warn them of what had happened to the Abomination we were facing.

Mana Mutations were rare occurrences where an Abomination's Mana Attribute changed, increasing its power exponentially. It was a dangerous and unpredictable event, and we needed to be careful.

The Abomination roared, unleashing a wave of ash that engulfed us in a choking cloud.

"Fuck!"

Rick cursed, sending another Lightning Attack into the ash cloud, hoping to hit the Abomination.

The lightning crackled through the cloud, illuminating the area and revealing the Abomination's position.

But it was too late.

The creature had already charged towards us, its claws glowing with a sickly green energy.

Kyle stepped forward, his Scythe raised high.

"Everyone, get behind me!"

He shouted, and we quickly followed his instructions.

The Abomination's claws clashed against Kyle's Scythe, creating a blinding explosion of green energy.

Kyle held his ground, gritting his teeth as he pushed against the creature's immense strength.

But the Abomination was too powerful.

With a final push, it knocked Kyle back, sending him flying into the ground.

However, Evelyn seized the opportunity and created a Wind Disk, launching it towards the monster and severing its right arm from the shoulder.

Growl...

The Abomination let out a pained growl, its red eyes shining in the ash cloud.

As Kyle struggled to stand up, the monster disappeared from view, reappearing near the blind guy and slashing its claws towards his neck.

Clank...

Luckily, Rick managed to use his strength to kick the monster's arm away before delivering a lightning-charged punch straight into its face.

The force of the punch sent the Abomination flying dozens of meters high into the air before crashing down onto the ground.

"You okay?"

Evelyn quickly ran over to Kyle, offering a health potion to help him recover.

Kyle took the potion, gulping it down in one go.

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

He stood up, his Scythe still in hand.

"We need to finish this quickly before it can recover!"

We all nodded in agreement, knowing that we had to act fast.

The Abomination had already started to stir, its body writhing in pain as it struggled to get up.

Rick charged forward, his fists crackling with lightning as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

However, the Abomination had one last trick up its sleeve.

Roar...

It let out a deafening roar, and the ground beneath us shook as its mana erupted in a massive shockwave.

We were thrown back, tumbling across the ground as the shockwave rippled through the area.

When we finally regained our footing, we saw that the Abomination had vanished.

"Where did it go?"

Evelyn's frantic gaze swept over the area, searching for any sign of the creature.

Meanwhile, I remained silent, focusing my attention on the surroundings. I extended my senses and spread my Mana around the immediate vicinity, attempting to detect any traces of the creature's presence.

The ash cloud, which had been created by the creature, had already settled. However, despite my best efforts, I couldn't spot any hint of its purple skin.

The creature was unable to turn invisible and also couldn't fly...

There was only one possible explanation for its sudden vanishing act!

It had to be underground!

Without hesitation, I directed my Mana downwards, attempting to pinpoint the creature's location. The ground slightly trembled beneath my feet as I channeled my power, searching for any signs of disturbance in the earth.

Rumble...

It was subtle, but I could feel the subtle shifting of the earth, indicating the creature's movements beneath us.

"It's under-"

I didn't even have the chance to finish my sentence before the Abomination unburied itself from the soil and pounced on Evelyn's back.

"Agh..."

Evelyn cried out in pain as the creature's claws scraped through her skin, tearing her t-shirt and jacket with ease.

Unfortunately, she was wearing some kind of armor beneath her clothes that partially blocked the impact of the claws, but the force of the attack still knocked her to the ground.

Crackle...

Rick used the chance, charging towards the creature from behind and grabbing it by the neck.

Roar...