Transcendent Gene
Chapter 219: Simulated Riftworld [5]

Chapter 219: Simulated Riftworld [5]

Whoooooosh!

The moment they joined the rush for the peak, the temporary ceasefire was broken.

It was a rat race, not a fair one. It was a race that only one being was allowed to finish. All of the rest were fated to fail somewhere along the line.

Boom!

Gio looked to the side as a part of the mountain exploded into debris, sending snow barreling down the slope. An ape-like beast similar to the one Shiro fought was the one who caused it.

Rumble!

The snow tore down the side of the mountain, slamming into any being behind the ape and throwing them away. At the same time, a flying creature swooped down and dug its claws into the ape’s head, causing it to roar in pain.

’This is intense.’

Gio narrowed his eyes and used virtual energy to boost himself into the air, just barely avoiding the diving attack of a nearby monster. He turned to face it, his hands already gripping twin pistols.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shots flew through the sky, two of them puncturing the manbat-like monster’s wing. It screeched and tumbled to the ground, sinking its fangs into a nearby wolf to keep moving forward.

Gio didn’t pay any more attention to it.

This was a battle of attrition and strategy, though the monsters were likely unaware of that part.

They fought wildly. Somewhere between a hundred and two hundred of them were split between the ground and the sky, filling the world with skirmishes and flashes of energy.

Gio’s only job was to run.

He looked back at Shiro, who nodded back at him. In the next instant, the virtual blue energy at his feet shot him forward far faster than most of the monsters around him could move.

Shiro followed using a similar technique with his flames. The two of them immediately blazed past a large part of the crowd they were in, reaching the middle of the pack.

Boom!

However, before they could continue, a massive impact slammed down in front of them. The monster who was thrown tumbled a few times, almost slamming into Gio before skidding to a stop and turning to look at them.

It was bloodied as if it had just left a battle, but it wasn’t ready to stop fighting quite yet.

ROOOAR–!

Its front half was like that of a mountain lion and its back was serpentine. It stood up on its tail, slashing its claws across Gio’s chest and forcing him to jump back.

’Shit!’

Moving backwards was always the worst decision.

His body slammed into an incredibly hard surface, almost knocking the wind out of him. He didn’t need to be told what it was. The only thing he could’ve possibly hit was another monster.

Whoosh!

He rapidly ducked, barely avoiding the tusks of the mammoth that swung its head to demolish him. His feet hit the ground and immediately started moving to get him out of its range, but it wasn’t that easy.

The snow and the inclined slope made it hard to find traction on the ground. Despite the movements of his legs, Gio was stuck in the same position for several seconds before he could–

Boom!

"Khhh...!"

He gritted his teeth as the mammoth’s trunk slammed into his back, throwing him forward. He felt his bones rattling from the shock. Blood pooled in his mouth.

’Fuck!’

He gritted his teeth even harder, forcing energy into his back and creating a pair of wings that flapped powerfully to throw him forward.

Boom!

It was right behind him. The mammoth slammed its front legs into the ground, creating a huge sound and an even worse avalanche. However, Gio was too high to be affected.

He saw with his own eyes the snow that buried the monsters behind the mammoth and even got its own legs stuck. From his new vantage point, he could also see Shiro, who was still dealing with the monster that pushed him into danger.

’This is too chaotic.’

They were in the middle of the pack surrounded by the majority of monsters. They were bound to encounter combat at every step.

’We need to push forward.’

Gio slashed sideways, a sword appearing in his hand.

Shik!

In the next second, his energy was impaled in the neck of a bird that looked more like a machine than a living being. Black blood spurted out of the wound, dying his clothes.

CAW!

Still, the bird managed to open its beak and snap at him. It slashed its talons, throwing out several arcs of energy at close distance.

Boom!

Gio shot himself higher into the sky to avoid them, watching closely as it followed his trajectory.

’Only the strongest monsters on the mountain can participate in the ceremony.’

None of the beings around them could be killed in a mere one or two hits. Fighting and killing them wasn’t the right move.

Gio scanned the sky around him as he pushed away from the bird. He summoned a machine gun and filled the air with exploding bullets of virtual energy, throwing it off its chase path.

However, it wasn’t willing to give up so easily. It cut through the air, zig-zagging through the explosions to reach him. It flew high up and spread its wings, clearly planning to dive at him.

Unfortunately, it did not get the chance. Before it could swoop down, a flash of black shot through the air. The scene was almost like a disappearance. Gio didn’t even get to glimpse the monster that took the bird down, but it wasn’t his concern.

"Shiro!"

He yelled, using Aether to boost his voice. Shiro only had to look into the sky for a second to understand.

Boom!

He gathered golden flames under his feet and flew off the ground. Before he could be caught the same way the bird was, Gio grabbed hold of his arm and galvanized his energy.

"Khhhh...!"

With a strenuous breath, he pulled his arm forward and threw Shiro with all his power.

Vooooom!

Golden light filled the world. Like a rocket aiming at the moon, Shiro became a blazing comet in the sky. He propelled himself with extreme speed, moving from the middle of the crowd to the front.

Gio wasn’t far behind. The air wasn’t safer than the ground. In fact, they were more likely to be attacked by aerial monsters. He had to keep his eyes peeled in case of a sudden attack, but his speed already made him a difficult target to hit.

’We’re doing good so far.’

They were firmly out of the middle and would only go back if they encountered an extreme setback. The monsters in front of them now were much stronger than those they’d been facing, but that was also inconsequential.

Boom!

Shiro landed on the ground and Gio landed only a few seconds later.

"From now on, we’re on the offensive," he said, to which Shiro nodded.

Behind them, there were hundreds. Around them, there were barely ten. In front of them, there were five.

It was no longer a matter of crawling to the front of the crowd.

Now, it was about turning "the front of the crowd" into only "Gio and Shiro."

And if there was anything the two of them were good at, it was offense.