Chapter 4377: Encounter

Harksha looked back at the invisible barrier. Although it had disappeared from sight once again, that didn’t mean it no longer existed. From everything she had studied in the reports of previous expeditions, barriers like these completely prevented Godly Creatures from crossing them.

At the very least, that had always been the case for every known example. Turning her attention back to the others, she immediately adjusted her plans. "Change of plans. Rean, can you detect any other Godly Creatures coming our way besides this one?"

From inside the airplane, Rean quickly checked the radar before answering through the RC. -No. There are a few readings within the thirty-kilometer detection range on our side of the barrier, but they’re probably just Godly Spawns or at most Godly Beasts. None of them seem to have noticed us.-

"Good." Harksha nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, I want everyone to retreat to a safe distance from the barrier. I’ll stay behind and see what exactly this creature intends to do. Since it came from inside, there’s a good chance it knows how to pass through the barrier. Just to be sure..." She glanced toward Rean’s airplane. "You’re certain it isn’t a Godly Horror?"

"It shouldn’t be," Rean answered after another glance at the readings. "The Godly Pressure doesn’t match that level. It’s far below a Horror, although it is almost certainly a Godly Predator."

How did Rean know the exact amount of Godly Pressure for a Godly Horror? The answer was actually very simple.

We can’t forget that during the assault of the Godly Horrors’ mob, the twins intervened, and that led to the Besgol Region’s victory. That day, they killed all the Godly Horrors... except one, which they captured. The Godly Horror was in terrible shape due to the Power-Link used by the Godly Colossi outside Besgol. It was supposed to have died.

It didn’t, however. The Besgol Experts worked to heal it just enough so it would stay alive, but wouldn’t be able to do anything else. Even today, it was still there, very close to the Sacred Relic, which suppressed its power. Rean used that Godly Horror to get the necessary readings for his Godly Pressure Detection Radar.

That was enough for Harksha. "Very well. Everyone, fall back immediately."

Without questioning the order, the group turned around and retreated. Harksha, meanwhile, descended onto the ground and calmly waited. Zone Gods could indeed fly under their own power, but even for them, sustained flight consumed an enormous amount of Godly Energy. Unless absolutely necessary, they preferred remaining on solid ground. In Harksha’s case, she could probably maintain continuous flight for a little more than a minute before the consumption became unreasonable.

The others withdrew until only Kentucky’s extraordinary eyesight still allowed him to clearly observe Harksha from afar. There they waited silently, ready to react if anything unexpected happened.

Several moments later, Harksha noticed the earth trembling faintly beneath her feet while Rean’s voice reached her again through the Ring Communicator. Just like every other airplane, Mark possessed an antenna capable of relaying RC signals over long distances. Naturally, Rean had also improved that system considerably. Although it couldn’t connect to the Besgol Network from this far away, it was more than sufficient to keep everyone in the exploration group connected.

-It should be directly in front of you now, Senior. On the other side of the barrier.-

*Bang!*

The ground burst open beyond the barrier, instantly putting Harksha on guard. If there happened to be an exit somewhere nearby that they hadn’t discovered, whatever was inside could easily reach her. She refused to lower her guard simply because a barrier stood between them.

"This..."

Her eyes widened.

What emerged wasn’t a Godly Creature at all.

Instead, it resembled a strange spiritual lifeform composed almost entirely of Godly Energy. Countless tiny runes revolved around its translucent body in perfectly synchronized orbits, while streams of Godly Energy circulated endlessly through its form before converging into something resembling a glowing crystalline core near its center.

"Is this... some kind of spirit?"

Godly Creatures existed, but Godly Spirit Creatures...? At the very least, Besgol hasn’t ever registered the existence of one before—not even in the records of the regions Besgol could contact.

The question had barely left her lips before the entity reacted.

Godly Energy began gathering in front of it, compressing into an impossibly tiny point. The pressure rose with terrifying speed until—

*Ziu!*

A beam of concentrated energy shot forward.

Harksha’s attention wasn’t focused on the attack itself. It was focused on the barrier. The laser never actually touched it!

Instead, the invisible barrier detected its approach before contact occurred. A tiny opening, barely large enough for the beam itself, silently appeared within the barrier, allowing the attack to pass through without disturbing the rest of the array in the slightest.

Harksha’s pupils contracted.

That completely overturned everything she knew about these ancient barriers.

Worse still...

The beam was simply too fast.

*Puft!*

She barely managed to twist her body.

The laser that had originally targeted her chest instead struck her right shoulder.

"Arghhh!!"

*Blasg!*

The destruction was horrifying.

Although the beam itself measured less than a centimeter across, the instant it struck, the contained energy exploded outward with overwhelming force. Her entire shoulder vanished together with her right arm, the devastating blast tearing so deeply into her body that it nearly reached her heart and its main pumps on top.

The strange construct showed no intention of stopping.

The instant its first attack failed to kill its target, three new points of Godly Energy immediately began condensing around it.

It was preparing three beams simultaneously.

Fortunately, Harksha’s countless years of experience immediately took over. She sealed the bleeding from her destroyed shoulder with Godly Energy while launching herself away at full speed. At the same time, she transmitted a single order through her RC.

"Run! This isn’t something we can fight!"

*Ziu! Ziu! Ziu!*

Her instincts saved her life.

Rather than watching the beams themselves, Harksha focused on the three tiny spheres gathering energy. The moment they reached the same level of compression, she abruptly altered her flight path before they were released.

*Vuf! Vuf! Vuf!*

All three attacks missed.

Barely.

*Cough... cough...*

Blood spilled from Harksha’s mouth, but she ignored it completely. She no longer cared where she was flying. Her only objective was to put as much distance as possible between herself and that bizarre being.

Then...

Her expression froze.

"So many..."

Dozens of new spheres of condensed Godly Energy had appeared around the entity.

Each one pointed directly toward her. Even worse, they weren’t charging at the same speed. Harksha understood the strategy immediately. The first attacks would force her into predetermined evasive movements. The remaining beams would simply strike wherever she tried to dodge.

"...Fuck."

The first five lasers fired almost simultaneously, each traveling at a speed that no ordinary Zone God could ever hope to match.

Yet Harksha didn’t dodge.

Instead, she pulled a small pink badge from her Spatial Ring and crushed it without hesitation.

*Zua!*

A magnificent lotus made entirely of pink energy instantly bloomed before her.

It was one of the greatest life-saving treasures she had ever obtained.

She had discovered two of them during an ancient exploration many years ago. One had already been spent to survive another impossible battle. The second had remained untouched ever since, reserved for the one day she truly had no other choice.

That day had finally arrived.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The five beams struck the lotus one after another, and Harksha’s face immediately turned pale.

Every single laser destroyed several petals.

By the time the fifth beam was blocked, the lotus had almost completely disintegrated.

Which meant...

The dozens of remaining beams were already about to arrive.

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