Deviant: No Longer Human

Above the general class, there was emperor class beasts, and then only the sovereign class!

There were only three known Sovereign-Class Beasts in the world, each one a cataclysmic threat that had required the combined might of the Guardians—beings akin to demigods—to neutralize.

Yet here, above Frostholm, was something that dwarfed those threats, a creature whose very existence defied all logic and reason.

A Sovereign-Class Beast was equivalent to a human Sage, who stood at the pinnacle of power.

Even then, it typically took multiple Sages to bring down just one of these beasts.

And now, this creature...

This... thing shadowed above them, an unprecedented horror that no one was prepared to face.

Amaya\'s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that blood began to seep through her fingers. "I-I need to tell this to the Prince..." she whispered, her voice quivering with a mix of fear and urgency.

It was her only option, her only hope in this seemingly hopeless situation.

Even if she despised that man, even if his very name made her blood boil, she couldn\'t deny the truth: only he had the power, to solve this catastrophe.

\'Only he can face this monstrosity... and maybe, just maybe, save us all.\'

Shua! Shua!

At that very moment, two of the Venomwing Reapers broke away from the swarm above and dove toward Amaya, their massive wings flapping with such force that the ground beneath them trembled.

Their terrifying purple eyes locked onto her, promising death.

"Careful!" voices screamed from behind, the soldiers and bystanders shouting in panic as the monstrous creatures stared down on her.

Amaya barely managed to dodge the first Reaper, its wingtip brushing past her with a gust of wind that nearly knocked her off her feet.

But before she could regain her balance, the second Reaper struck from behind, its clawed foot smashing into her back.

"Argh...!" she cried out in pain as the force of the blow sent her hurtling through the air.

BAM!

KACHA—!

She crashed into the side of a building, the impact so powerful that the wall crumbled around her.

The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed through the plaza, a hole formed in the building.

Dust and debris filled the air as Amaya collapsed to the ground, her body trembling from the shock.

"Cough... Cough..."

She coughed violently, blood splattering the pavement as she struggled to stand.

\'This can\'t be happening...\' she thought, her vision blurring as she forced herself to look up.

Her heart sank as she saw three of the Venomwing Reapers now turning their attention toward the barrier, where Xinyue Zhilan and her daughters were trapped.

"No... Stop them!!" Amaya screamed, her eyes widening in terror as she clutched her broken hand.

The pain was excruciating, but she couldn\'t let it stop her.

She had to protect them—she had to do something.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The soldiers outside the barrier opened fire, their photon guns flashing as they aimed at the approaching Reapers.

But their efforts were in vain.

The powerful beams of energy barely fazed the monstrous beasts, their thick, scaled hides deflecting the shots as if they were nothing more than raindrops.

The soldiers\' faces paled as the realization sank in—nothing they did was working.

Inside the barrier, the situation was growing more desperate by the second.

"Mom…" Wang Xueying whimpered, her voice trembling as she clung to Xinyue Zhilan. "What do we do? We can\'t—"

But Xinyue could only watch in horror, her heart pounding in her chest as the Reapers bore down on them.

She had no words of comfort, no plan of escape.

All she could do was pray that the barrier would hold.

"Stay away from them!" Amaya, still shaking from the pain, pushed herself up again, her vision swimming.

She knew she was outmatched, but she couldn\'t just stand by and watch them die.

With a pained grunt, she began to move, hoping against hope that she could still make a difference.

At that moment, the three Venomwing Reapers hovering ominously in front of the barrier opened their massive jaws in unison, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Their purple eyes glew as they prepared to unleash their most deadly attack.

The air seemed to ripple as the creatures inhaled deeply, their chests expanding, before they released a torrent of poisonous green breath—a noxious cloud that spread out, ready to engulf everything in its path.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The soldiers surrounding the barrier looked at each other in dismay, their eyes wide with the realization that there was no escaping this.

The thick, toxic green mist was only moments away from reaching them, and the inevitability of death sank in.

"Well, shit..." one soldier muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Guess this is it, boys... anyone got any last confessions?"

There was a brief, stunned silence before another soldier, a wiry guy with a crooked grin, chuckled darkly. "Alright, I\'ll go first! I, uh... I kinda hooked up with your sister last weekend," he said, pointing at the guy next to him. "Sorry, bro, but she was really into me!"

The guy he pointed at just stared in shock before bursting into laughter. "What the hell, man? My sister? I knew she had weird taste, but you?!"

Another soldier raised his hand, grinning sheepishly. "I accidentally shot Captain\'s cat last month and pretended it ran away... sorry!"

"I\'ve been secretly eating the rations stash in the armory!" another blurted out, causing the group to snicker despite the dire situation.

The soldiers continued to laugh.

The poisonous breath was just seconds away, and they were preparing to die with whatever scraps of dignity.

But just as the deadly mist was about to envelop them, a sudden splash of water erupted from the sky, forming a shimmering curtain that blocked the poison in its tracks.

"What!?"

"Huh?"

"Is this for real?"

The soldiers blinked in surprise as the green mist dissipated harmlessly against the watery barrier.

"Holy shit, we\'re saved!" one of them shouted, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Ha! I\'m not dying today!" another cheered, grabbing his comrades in a bear hug.

The soldiers, who had been on the brink of despair, now found themselves laughing and celebrating their unexpected salvation, embracing each other like old friends at a reunion.

The water curtain, now solidified and glistening like a wall of liquid crystal, suddenly surged forward with tremendous force.

It slammed directly into the three Venomwing Reapers, who had barely a moment to react before being crushed beneath its weight.

SSCREEECH—!