Chapter 168 - 168: Race against time

Words : 1336 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

While Grey was toying with the assassin, Noir was also engaged in a fierce dance with the gorilla beast. After unleashing a scorching laser beam, Noir soared above the beast and hurled two blazing fireballs, but the beast was nimble—swiftly evading the attack as the fireballs slammed into the ground, searing a deep hole into the earth. 'I wonder if Grey's idiotic friends have left the planet yet. I can't eliminate this beast until they do,' Noir thought, sidestepping just in time to dodge a long, jagged earth spear fired in retaliation. Dashing forward again, Noir blurred with speed toward the beast that now unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp ice shards in a blind fury. Yet, Noir danced around every shard—twisting, leaping, and weaving with fluid precision—never once taking a hit. With a powerful launch from the ground, Noir lunged with jaws agape, aiming to sink its fangs into the beast. But the gorilla twisted away at the last second, its massive hand colliding with Noir and slamming it into the ground, creating a crater beneath its body. 'Damn! That hit shook the whole planet!' Noir winced as pain radiated through its frame. Raising one hand, the beast conjured a brutal club of solid earth and brought it down like a hammer. Noir twisted around, a flash of crimson energy erupting from its horn as it burned through the club with a precise laser shot. Then, in a heartbeat, it morphed into its smaller puppy form, its speed doubling. In a blur, Noir reappeared behind the beast. Reverting back to the size of a house, it conjured several fireballs and flung them at the beast. But the gorilla responded instantly—an earth wall erupted, followed by an ice barrier. The fireballs smashed against them, scorching but unable to penetrate. "Damn it! When will Grey's dumbass friends leave?! This beast is really starting to tick me off!" Noir roared in frustration, leaping high and firing two searing laser beams at the beast's legs. The beams hit true, burning through fur and flesh—just as a luminous butterfly fluttered into the battlefield. Noir ignored it. Launching forward, it aimed for a decisive strike, but the beast pounded the ground, sending up sharp earth spikes. Noir dodged most, but one impaled its paw—black blood dripping. "Shit!" Noir snarled just before the beast appeared directly before it, slamming an ice club into its face and sending it hurtling into a tree, uprooting it entirely. "Enough is enough!" Noir roared, summoning a massive fireball, the size of a carriage, above its head. With a flash, it hurled the blazing orb at the beast. The gorilla tried to defend, raising an earth wall, but it shattered under impact. The fireball slammed into the creature, sending it crashing into the ground, charred fur turning pitch black. 'I still can't kill you... yet.' Noir glared as the luminous butterfly hovered directly in front of its snout. "Get out of my face!" it growled, swinging its paw to swat the butterfly, which danced away effortlessly. "Get awa—shit!" Noir cursed as an ice fist smashed into its side, sending it tumbling once more. "Curse Grey's teammates—and curse this damn butterfly!" Noir roared. Its horn lit up crimson again and fired a laser at the insect, narrowly missing. The beast surged toward it, brandishing an earth club. Noir narrowly evaded the swing and retaliated with a fierce paw strike, sending the gorilla staggering backward. Glancing around, Noir noticed the butterfly was gone. "Good riddance," it muttered, launching another fireball, which was blocked again by an earth wall. Searᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. From behind the wall, a barrage of sharp earth spikes erupted toward Noir, who nimbly ducked, weaved, and dashed through them. Each spike struck the ground with thunderous impacts, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. Noir was preparing to dash again when— "Noir! Send the beast my way now!" a voice shouted. "I don't take orders from you—and I know what you're thinking," Noir snapped, continuing to dodge a volley of ice shards. "You want to kill the beast now. But what about your friends?" "They're safe. Now hurry!" Grey called from the forest's edge. A massive mound of earth exploded from the ground, shaping rapidly into an arrow. "How can you be sure?" Noir asked, rushing toward the beast. It raised yet another earth wall, but Noir barreled straight through it, smashing the gorilla backward and then dashing forward again. "Because they sent a signal—one you almost destroyed!" Grey barked. 'Signal? Destroy? Oh... that annoying butterfly was the signal.' Noir realized just as the beast came at it with both an ice and an earth club in each hand. The ice club swung sideways. Noir sprang up and slammed its paw into the beast's skull mid-air. "Will you hurry up?! I'm running out of mana, damn it!" Grey yelled as flames and lightning coiled around the earthen arrow. "Fine! Here it comes!" Noir said, dodging another swing. It darted behind the beast and unleashed all its might in a crushing blow to the head, launching the beast toward Grey. "Here goes nothing! Wind Magic—Aerius Ultra!" Grey chanted. The arrow surged forward, fire and lightning trailing it like a comet. The beast conjured another earth wall, but the arrow shattered it on contact and drove straight into the gorilla, sending it crashing into the ground. Dust and debris erupted skyward. "It's not dead yet," Noir muttered, shrinking in size and dashing toward the injured beast, now pinned with the arrow lodged in its abdomen, black blood pooling. "I know. Finish it off in thirty seconds. I need to get to the portal—so it's all on you," Grey said, jumping so hard that the ground beneath him cracked. His lightning boots and gauntlets began flickering out. "Wind Creation Magic—Kaiser!" Grey summoned a colossal bird of wind beneath him. In an instant, it soared away, carrying him toward the portal. 'I hope the thirty-second window I gave Noir is enough,' Grey thought, racing above tall grass fields. Meanwhile, Noir watched the gorilla stir. "Screw your time limit! You need to learn not to boss me around!" Noir growled, its horn glowing crimson once again. A concentrated laser blast shot out and pierced the gorilla's chest, finally ending its life. From the same spot, a gleaming magical core shimmered. "I'll be taking this," Noir said as it extracted the core and began dissipating into black mist. The ground trembled beneath it. The planet was beginning to collapse. "Now it's a race against time for you," Noir smirked, vanishing completely into mist. Elsewhere, Grey shot past the swaying fields. 'Twenty more seconds to the portal... which means Noir's time window is almo—' He paused mid-thought as the entire planet began to quake violently. "What the... damn it! Curse you, Noir!" Grey shouted, instantly realizing what had happened. "You're welcome. Now push yourself to your absolute limit," Noir said in his mind, laughing. "I swear I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you cursed familiar!" Grey shouted. The ground was splitting apart. The sky was darkening. A swirling wormhole tore into the sky above. "Five seconds left," Noir said mockingly. Sweat poured from Grey's brow. His mana flickered—barely holding on. The wind bird faded in and out of existence. The portal, once wide, was shrinking fast. "Three seconds," Noir murmured. The portal swirled tighter. Its glow dimmed. "Shit!" Grey yelled. His mana was down to a flicker. The bird's beak vanished. The gap was closing. "One second left," Noir whispered. "Here goes nothing!" Grey yelled, launching himself from the bird. He summoned a final burst of wind with the last of his mana, flinging himself forward. In a blur, Grey shot through the portal just as it snapped shut behind him. The wind bird vanished.

Chapter 168 - 168: Race against time

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