The Primal Hunter

Chapter 949: Heavenly Tribulation Chapter 949: Heavenly Tribulation

Overconfidence was the downfall of many who thought themselves geniuses and darlings of the multiverse. Rapid progress could lead to feelings of absolute power like there was nothing in the world that could stop you. This was more often than not seen with people from worlds that had little interaction with the rest of the multiverse, and in this particular case, the main cause had been the powerup from Nevermore.

Leaving for only a few years in Realtime, only to return with more than sixty levels under your belt, so easily led to this phenomenon. Especially when the planet itself didn’t progress as much during this time. The wildlife remained as strong – or weak - as before, with many of the dangerous beast lords none dared to engage before now viewed as nothing but easy prey.

This was the folly the World Leader, Olliandra, had fallen for. Despite having agreed to enter the Prima Guardian Alliance and the fact that everyone during the final World Congress had been on the same page that facing the Guardian alone would be stupid, her thoughts changed after her return from Nevermore.

As a party of five, they had gone there and done way better than expected. They had gained so many levels and with the rapid progress one experienced after hitting a new grade, all got stronger incredibly fast. It was so fast, and they got so strong that when they returned from Nevermore and after hunting down all the so-called ”unbeatable” beasts, how couldn’t they believe the Prima Guardian would also be easily overcome?

Why would they possibly need some stupid alliance?

Well… Olliandra and her party, as well as all the other elite parties, soon learned they most definitely did need this alliance.

She had entered the Prima Vessel shortly after it landed on her planet to activate the boss and just get the event over with. When she also considered how they had barely killed any Primas during the first part of this Prima Event, with only her and one other having gone to the Seat of the Eternal Prima, she believed the system wouldn’t throw too hard of a challenge at them. At least not one they couldn’t handle post-Nevermore with all their newfound power.

Olliandra had been so wrong. It didn’t take her more than a few moments to realize just how badly she had fucked up after freeing the Prima Guardian. It had chased her out of the Prima Vessel, and in the ensuing battle, thirty-four of the fifty-seven people who had gone to fight the Guardian died. No… they were slaughtered.

Without any hesitation, she had done the only thing she could… and ran. Her one surviving party member helped her, a space mage, who managed to teleport them some distance away. However, that’s when she realized that there was no escape. As the World Leader, she was the living objective of the Prima Guardian. No matter what she did, it would keep chasing her, and to make matters worse, she discovered she couldn’t activate the teleporter to take her to another planet that was part of the Prima Guardian Alliance. At least not while the Prima Guardian of her world still lived and roamed free.

Wracking her brain, Olliandra tried to send a distress signal to other members of the Prima Guardian Alliance but got no response. So, she decided to try the absolutely desperate strategy of just opening up the teleporter to anyone who wanted to come. The chances of anyone capable of offering assistance actually choosing to help were incredibly slim, but it was all she could do before she took off and ran once more. With Prima Guardian on her heels and nearly a thousand Primas ravaging the planet, the defenses they had prepared were far from enough… but what choice did she have but to flee?

Over the next many hours, all she could do was run desperately. Her space mage companion tried to teleport them over and over again to make distance from the far faster monster, but it began to adapt. It, too, began to use space magic to follow them through the ripples of space, giving them less and less leeway between every teleport.

They were running out of time… and Olliandra knew it was all down to her own stupidity. In the end, she chose to stop running, knowing they would eventually just be caught, as she sought out the Northern Keep. It was the most isolated of the defensive bases they possessed and the place where she would make her final stand.

Olliandra had already sent messages to the mages there to prepare for her arrival, and the second she arrived, they put up the full defensive barrier.

”My Queen, you shouldn’t stay,” the mage said in a worried tone after they had a moment. ”If I and the others try and delay it here, and you try once more, surely the Celestial Child will hear our pleas and-”

”The alliance has abandoned us, and only I am to blame,” Olliandra sighed as a magic circle appeared beneath her, and she began to use enhancement magic on herself. Due to the space mage standing for all the travel, she had nearly fully recovered and was ready to fight again. She just hoped the Guardian was also at least a little tired now.

”It isn’t all you… we agreed to face the Guardian. We believed we could,” the space mage sighed.

”The responsibility still falls with me,” Olliandra sighed, continuing her buffing routine.

– and survived - the Prima Guardian the first time arrived teleported in, now

crowd. ”This may be our final battle together, our downfall caused by my own hubris… but do me this final honor, and help me at the very least take down this monster. Let our ends pave a future for our world. And

believed her own words, as she, deep inside, wanted to just run… but she didn’t have a choice. She would make her last stand and

space mage said, his face haggard from his low resources and

cue, space rippled as the Prima Guardian appeared. It was a creature about four meters tall, with a hunched-over humanoid form, its entire body seemingly made of bone, even if it wasn’t undead. On its hands, it had long claws that could extend and retract, while on its back, several spikes poked out, and from the prior fight, they knew these could

first encounter hadn’t healed, and several cracks still marred its body, along with dozens of small holes here and there, most of them left by fighters making their final desperate attacks, trading their lives for a small nick.

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tired at all, Olliandra sighed internally while outwardly

”Hold nothing back!”

lit up the air as they all attacked the Prima Guardian at once. The creature easily avoided most of them, but a few explosions managed to scratch it. If it did any damage, there was no way to tell, but the Guardian quickly counterattacked as it released its

entire fort as the mages struggled to keep the barrier intact, many of them falling to their knees, blood dripping from their eyes and ears. Gritting

Clearly, the Guardian wasn’t in a hurry either and was happy

the barrier began to show cracks. Looking up at the Prima Guardian, Olliandra prepared herself as she used Identify one final time. The response

Prima Guardian –

the backlash, should she

”Brave warriors… charge!”

protecting the fort

second time, Olliandra at the front wielding a spear wrapped in deep red flames. The

even the space mage, who’d been exhausted, did his best to assist. Less than ten seconds into the battle, the first person fell as the Guardian cut him into

body of the Guardian, leaving small holes but failing to truly penetrate. Many others also managed to land their own blows, but they could only do so much. Their opponent

to only ten people, with the Prima Guardian not that much worse off than when the fight began. Desperation was building, but soon, they all had to accept that none of

of the space mage echoed in

a telepathic nod and a smile his way. He also gave her a smile before his

couldn’t react in time as dozens of rings made of pure space energy encircled it

of fire appeared on her back as she pointed her spear toward the Prima Guardian and spoke

”Trail of Undying Embers.”

wrapped in deep red embers, struck the Prima Guardian in the chest… and for the first

burning hole. For a moment, Olliandra smiled, but it was quickly wiped away when the Prima Guardian simply looked down on

Without any hesitation, her arm exploded, releasing a rain of embers on the boss and launching her back. While flying back, she saw the space mage falling toward the ground, unconscious and bleeding from every orifice. Spikes had