Chapter 77: Different Forms of Terror


    For two grueling months, Nando’s expedition team had been locked in a brutal struggle with the Gargoyle terror. The creature was relentless, reforming from its shattered remains after every encounter, shrinking in size but growing in sheer intensity and danger. What had begun as a towering stone monstrosity now loomed smaller, but each time it reformed, its speed and power became sharper, more concentrated, as if its very essence had been distilled into a purer, deadlier form.


    They now faced the Gargoyle on a battlefield of broken stone and scattered rubble, remnants of the countless battles that had taken place here. The body of a non-gifted recruit, crushed beneath a boulder, was a grim reminder of how lethal this enemy had become. Tension hung in the air as the surviving recruits stood ready. The apostles, Nando, Gato, Edmund, and a few other recruits, stood on edge, battle-weary but determined.


    The Gargoyle was still intimidating, even in its shrunken form. Its stone body gleamed, no longer cracked and crumbling, but sleek, reinforced with glowing veins of energy that pulsed through its core. Its wings, once massive, had shrunk but were more agile, allowing it to glide swiftly across the field. Its eyes, glowing red with malice, watched them, calculating.


    Greenthumb was the first to strike. His hands glowed with a green aura as he called forth vines from the earth, wrapping them tightly around the Gargoyle. The thick vines coiled around its limbs, straining as they attempted to bind it. For a moment, it seemed as if they would succeed.


    But the Gargoyle screeched—a deafening, unnatural sound that reverberated across the battlefield. The power of its roar shattered the vines with ease, the energy pulsing from its core in a shockwave that sent debris flying. Greenthumb cursed under his breath, his hands glowing brighter as he summoned more plants to ensnare the beast.


    Nando, his veins pulsing with dark energy, readied himself. His skin rippled as black tendrils emerged, twisting and forming into four muscular, shadowy arms behind him. He looked almost monstrous, his six black fists glowing with dark power. The Gargoyle, undeterred by Greenthumb’s attempts, charged at him with terrifying speed.


    "Alright," Nando muttered, lowering his stance. "Let’s see what you’ve got."


    The clash was ferocious. The Gargoyle’s stone fists collided with Nando’s dark tendrils, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Nando held his ground, but the sheer force of the Gargoyle’s blows sent tremors through his body. Each strike was devastating, and though smaller, the Gargoyle’s power was frighteningly focused. Nando gritted his teeth, pushing back with all his might, but the creature was relentless, its movements almost impossibly fast.


    Edmund lashed out with his flame whip, its fiery crack slicing through the air with precision as the Terror was distracted by Nando. Each strike landed on the Terror’s stone form, leaving scorched marks in its wake, but the blows only seemed to sear its surface without penetrating deeper. The Gargoyle hissed, barely flinching under the burning lashes. Edmund’s frustration mounted as he swung harder, the crackling flames intensifying, yet still not enough to slow the creature down as it ent powerful trikes toward Nando. His whip danced through the air with deadly grace, but the Terror seemed almost impervious to its fiery strikes.


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    On the other side of the field, Salamance’s patience snapped. His red-scaled arms gleamed under the sunlight, his draconic nature fully awakened as he let out a furious roar. His muscles bulged, and his claws, sharp and deadly, glinted in the light as he rushed forward to join the fray.


    "I’ve had enough of this thing!" Salamance bellowed, his voice echoing with draconic fury.


    He launched himself at the Gargoyle, his claws tearing through the stone with raw, brutal force. Chunks of the Gargoyle’s body flew off with each slash, but it didn’t go down easily. The beast screeched again, its stone body crumbling more violently this time as Salamance’s claws carved deeper. But even as it began to fall apart, the Gargoyle’s eyes blazed with even fiercer intensity.


    Greenthumb saw his chance. Vines surged from the ground once more, wrapping around the disintegrating remains of the terror. He poured everything he had into containing it, tightening the vines until the Gargoyle was nearly immobilized. For a moment, it seemed like they had won.


    But then, from the rubble, a single fragment—a chunk of stone no larger than a fist—broke free. It pulsed with energy as it shot into the air like a bullet, propelled by some unseen force. Gato, quick as always, fired a flurry of razor-sharp feathers, but the fragment was too fast, disappearing into the sky before anyone could stop it.


    "Again!" Salamance roared in frustration, slamming his fist into the ground, leaving a deep crater beneath his claws. "How many more times is this thing going to escape?"


    Nando wiped the sweat from his brow, his tendrils slowly retracting into his skin. The fight had taken its toll, and his arms trembled from the strain. "Looks like it’s getting smaller, but stronger," he said, his voice thick with exhaustion. "Next time, it’s going to be even worse."


    Greenthumb, still holding onto the remnants of his vines, let out a heavy sigh. "We’ll keep chasing it down until there’s nothing left. It has to wear down eventually… right?"


    But no one was convinced. The Gargoyle had become more dangerous with every encounter, and the toll it had taken on their team was beginning to show. Two non-gifted recruits had already been lost, their bodies buried beneath the debris of past battles, and the rest of the team was nearing their breaking point.


    Standing off to the side, Edmund flicked his flame whip into the air, the weapon crackling with fire. His face was grim, his eyes locked on the sky where the Gargoyle fragment had vanished. "Next time, we don’t let it get away," he said, his voice low and dangerous. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the whip ignited fully, burning with a fierce intensity. "I’ll burn it until there’s nothing left to reform."


    Nando exchanged a glance with Gato, both of them worn out from the relentless pursuit but still resolute. "We’re ending this," Nando said, his voice calm but determined. "Next time, we finish the job."


    With that, the team gathered what little strength they had left, preparing themselves for what would likely be their final confrontation with the ever-evolving Gargoyle terror. It had become more than just a battle for survival—it was now a fight to end a terror that had haunted them for months, once and for all.