Above them, Nerzalia stood still.
She blinked slowly as her mind returned to the present.
A small smile crept across her lips as she looked toward the place where Alex had stood.
"Is he… my brother?" she murmured.
She looked at the monsters and ordered,
"Go and capture those humans for me. Don't harm them."
The monsters roared and growled in unison.
All of them turned and ran toward the other side of the mountain.
The earth rumbled under their weight, shaking violently—
an avalanche began to form behind them.
At the base of the mountain, Alex, Selene, and Hati appeared in a flash of purple light.
Hans and Hook also reached the base moments later, but they didn't stop.
They kept running.
The dread on their faces was real, like they truly understood the horrors that came with an S-rank monster.
Alex followed behind them, with Selene running beside him.
Hati sprinted close, alert, ready to teleport his partner at a moment's notice.
Then came the sounds—
