Chapter 104: Gravity Star (1)
Reinhard instantly summoned Mimir, the crow materializing on his shoulder in a streak of black energy. The bird tilted his head and began studying the creature with those unnaturally intelligent eyes.
"It’s called the Gravity Star, a Tier E Beast." Mimir said. "Be careful of its gravity power, or you will be captured and destroyed."
Before Reinhard could respond, Mimir flapped its wings and launched itself away, disappearing into the shadows between cages.
The battle commenced immediately.
The Gravity Star’s single red eye shined with sudden intensity, and its right hand rose. Purple-black energy gathered around its clawed fingers before forming shapes that solidified into arrows.
Instantly, three arrows roughly two feet long and trembling with power.
Reinhard moved instantly as Zenuken materialized in his grip, the black-blue blade catching the crimson light from the creature’s eye. He rushed to the side just as the Gravity Star released the arrows.
The arrows flew with unnatural motion, not a straight path but a curved one that bent mid-flight, rushing toward him.
The first arrow struck where he’d been standing a second before and impacted the floor.
The explosion warped reality itself as space twisted around the impact point, creating a sphere of distorted air that consumed everything within ten feet.
Cobblestone crumbled to powder while metal fragments from nearby equipment compressed into marble-sized spheres before disintegrating entirely.
Reinhard rushed behind a support pillar as the second and third arrows curved around obstacles to find him. They struck the pillar’s opposite side, and he felt the structure shudder as warped space ate through reinforced cobblestone like fire through paper.
Reinhard burst from cover, Zenuken already moving in a wide arc as it cut through the cloud of dust. Then Reinhard rushed towards the Phantasm Beasts, who were just watching him approach without any concern.
When Reinhard closed within twenty feet, it lifted one clawed foot, and purple-black energy surged around the limb.
Reinhard felt the pull immediately before he stabbed Zenuken into the ground. But the invisible force still dragged him forward despite his attempts to stop the pull. His boots scraped across cobblestone as gravity itself betrayed him, yanking him toward the creature’s raised foot.
Drasil Step.
Time slowed, yet the pulling force continued, but at extremely reduced intensity, giving him time to analyze and react.
Reinhard could see the gravity energy concentrated around the Gravity Star’s foot, and could trace the vectors of force pulling everything within range toward a single point.
He stabbed Zenuken into the ground and used it as an anchor, changing his trajectory. Instead of being pulled directly into the gravity well, he swung around it in an arc, using the sword as a pivot point.
He then released Drasil Step, and time returned to normal.
Reinhard’s momentum carried him past the Gravity Star’s side just as he stepped backward with explosive force, and everything caught in the gravity well.
The loose debris, fragments of broken equipment, and the body of the dead worker were hurled outward with devastating force.
Debris whistled past Reinhard’s head, missing him by inches. While a chunk of concrete the size of his fist rushed past his head and alongside metal poles and stones.
He landed in a roll, coming up with Zenuken already sweeping horizontally. The blade carved through the air towards the Gravity Star, but the creature was faster than its lanky form suggested.
It had already moved, its crimson gaze shined brighter. Its left hand rose, claws spreading wide as purple-black energy gathered around the digits, forming a glowing gauntlet of compressed gravity.
The Gravity Star lunged forward with shocking speed, that glowing hand reaching for Reinhard’s throat.
Reinhard twisted his body with his instincts screaming at him, and the grab missed him by inches. The claws passed through empty air where his neck had been. He could feel the gravity energy pulling at his skin and trying to drag him into the creature’s grip.
Reinhard hacked out immediately, and Zenuken slashed towards the Gravity Star’s extended arm. The blade connected, biting into the darkness of its form, and black blood sprayed out.
But to his surprise, the wound sealed almost instantly as darkness flowed like liquid to repair the damage.
The Gravity Star’s eye pulsed brighter, and its other hand swept outward in a wide arc while Reinhard leapt backwards.
A purple began to spread from the gesture, rippling through the air like heat waves. Multiple points in the space around Reinhard began to distort, darkness gathering into six spheres that were each the size of a human head.
All of them were hovering at different heights and positions.
"Collapsing Stars." Mimir’s voice rang out from somewhere while Reinhard frowned.
The spheres rushed toward him simultaneously. Reinhard dashed to the right, but then they all turned and rushed towards him. All of them began spreading out in coordination and forming around him to cut off escape routes. As they moved, they began expanding, growing from head-sized to body-sized in seconds.
Reinhard’s eyes tracked them all, his mind calculating trajectories with desperate speed. He couldn’t dodge them all, and their positioning was pretty amazing. He then quickly tapped into the Herald Marker and used Wind Drift, altering his trajectory mid-motion. He dove between two expanding spheres, the wind pushing him through a gap that shouldn’t have been navigable.
The spheres passed within inches of his body. He felt their pull vacuum pressure trying to drag him into their centers, where everything was reduced to dust and nothingness. The edges of his black suit got ripped and disintegrated as Reinhard hit the ground in a roll before pushing himself up.
The spheres continued their hunt, curving through the air to chase him. But they were slower now, their expansion making them less maneuverable.
Reinhard led them toward the cages deliberately, using the structures as obstacles. The spheres couldn’t navigate tight spaces effectively. Two collided with cage bars and detonated, creating localized implosions that twisted metal but didn’t breach the reinforced structures. The sleeping beasts inside stirred but didn’t wake—whatever sedation they were under was powerful.
The remaining four spheres dissipated as their energy was exhausted.
The Gravity Star stood in the center of the space.
Its eyes burning with what might have been frustration or respect, it was impossible to tell from its features.
Reinhard didn’t give it time to prepare another attack. He rushed forward, Zenuken glowing brighter with each movement.
The Phantasm Beast responded by creating more gravity arrows, firing them in rapid succession rather than waiting for multiple charges.
Reinhard wove between them, his sword deflecting one that came too close. The arrow exploded against Zenuken’s blade, the warped space creating a shockwave that threw Reinhard off-balance.
But he pushed himself forward towards the Gravity Store before then twisting his body into a spin. Reinhard spun around with his blade, slashing up and straight into the torso of the Gravity Star.
As black blood splashed out, Reinhard continued attacking as he hacked, chopped, and slashed into the beasts.
Drasil Step.
Time slowed down extremely as Reinhard continued hacking, slashing, chopping, sweeping, and cutting into the Gravity Star.
And then instantly over twenty cuts appeared on the Gravity Star Beast’s body.
Before time returned to normal.
The Gravity Star roared with a sound that combined gravity distortion with vocalization, creating a pain that made Reinhard’s teeth ache. Its claws then lashed out, catching his shoulder and making pain explode through his arm.
The claws didn’t just cut, but they also felt like his flesh and muscle were being pulled.
Then a silver fist came rushing, forcing Reinhard to raise Zenuken to block. And then an ear-splitting sound rang out as Reinhard felt pain through his arms, and he was sent flying straight into the wall.
Another thunderous noise rang out as Reinhard’s body was forced into the wall, with rocks scattering out.
The Gravity Star began walking towards Reinhard with its eyes glowing.