Chapter 7: First Encounter!

'Is there any difference?' Lian asked, slightly confused.

-There is. Without you, I wouldn't be able to gather the energy. If you want, you can use it yourself while I make the connection between you and the energy. In fact, the result would be much better than when I did it. However...-

'However, what?' Lian asked back.

-The amount of energy we can use is extremely limited. If we force it, chances are that your body will explode.- Lugg continued.

Lian felt a chill on his back after imagining what could have happened. 'I guess... it's better not to push our luck...'

-I agree with you. We need to understand more of this world. One thing is sure, that... flying whale... was able to use it without a problem. The black hole that appeared in its mouth was full of this energy.-

'So you finally agreed that was a flying whale, huh?' Lian couldn't help but point out.

-Hmph! That's because I lack a better name for that thing. Perhaps we'll know what that creature's name is once we reach our destination.-

Duran, Lian, and Carol kept going the way Lian pointed out, not really sure if they would find something. At some point, Duran began to complain. "I'm hungry..."

Carol and Lian sighed as they nodded in agreement. First of all, they didn't have the chance to finish their lunch back at school. "Indeed."

"You mentioned that only living things got past the vortex, right? Doesn't that mean food like fruits and similar things have also fallen here? We did pass by several fallen trees and all that," Carol remembered Lian's words. "Perhaps it wasn't exactly living things that passed through, but organic things."

Sure enough, Carol was right. They eventually found a few fruits on the ground, like apples, oranges, and so on. It's just that they were quite mangled due to the fall. "Well, I guess we can't complain."

Although not very happy, they did take those fruits and carried a few extra more for later. If they found anything better, they could exchange it later.

At least water wasn't a problem. The fruits themselves had plenty of it, so they could get hydrated during the journey.

There was only one thing that Lian noticed, but he didn't mention. They had been traveling for over five hours, but they hadn't found a single extra person. Considering the number of people who fell from the skies, there were bound to be some lucky ones that survived somehow. 'Could it be that more of those flying whale monsters eat them as well?' Lian wondered.

*Roar!*

Suddenly, their group heard a roar coming from their left side. Immediately, Duran and Lian covered Carol as they looked nervously in the sound's direction. The almost naked heroes were doing quite a good job, it seemed. Unfortunately, both of them were also doing their best not to tremble in fear.

*Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum...*

The ground began to tremble as whatever was coming their way got closer. None of them wanted to fight something that could cause the ground to move so much, so they tried to run in the opposite direction.

'Lugg, why didn't you tell me that something was close by? Didn't you warn me about the whale?'

-Don't blame me! I only detected that whale because of the bad feeling I felt from it. Whatever's coming our way doesn't make me feel anything!-

Running didn't help much, though. The ground trembled more and more, showing that the creature was rapidly approaching.

*Bang!*

It was then that the three of them heard the huge sound of something hitting the ground with extreme force. Soon after, a shadow surrounded them as a big creature fell from the skies in their direction.

"A dinosaur?!!!" Lian's group almost went crazy. First, a flying whale, now a prehistoric creature from millions of years ago. It looked like a T-Rex or something like that. It's just that its legs were all muscles, forming a huge contrast with the rest of the body.

-There's no other way around this. We'll have to use this energy again!- Lugg mentioned.

'Fuck! Just make sure to tell me if I'm going to explode!'

Lian's transparent crown began to shine with white light once again. However, before it could gather any energy, Lian's group heard another huge sound. Well, to be more specific, it was an excited voice.

"Moneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Following that, a man wearing leather clothes jumped from behind the trees as another four followed him. The impressive thing was that their jump wasn't something a human should be able to do. In a single move, all those people launched themselves eight or so meters in the air.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!*

Their weapons clashed against the T-Rex. A single person wouldn't be able to hold the T-Rex's attack as its legs seemed very powerful. However, when they attacked together, their force was multiplied.

Lian could see much more than that, though. He was able to see how each of those people's crowns shone as they helped their owners gather and use the mysterious energy of the surroundings. Of course, that wasn't all. Their energies seemed to be in sync, making them one cohesive unit.

*Roar!*

The T-Rex roared in pain as several injuries appeared on its legs. From the looks of it, this new group knew that stopping the T-Rex from using its legs was the main priority.

*Bam, bam, bam...*

Everyone then fell to the ground.

"Surround and attack! Don't let it escape! Use the Five Stars Formation!" The man who first appeared ordered, seeming to be the leader of this group.

It was at that moment that Lian's group saw something weird. It looked as if each of those people were surrounded by fire and began to burn alive.

"Not good! They're burning!" Carol and Duran cried out. Those people helped them, so they had to do something.

However, Lian stopped them, telling them, "Don't! They aren't burning. Look!"

Sure enough, Lian was right. The fire around their bodies seemed to now gather around their weapons instead as prepared to launch an attack against the cornered dinosaur.

However, before they could attack the T-Rex, Lian noticed something else.

"Not good! Hey, the monster is preparing an attack!"

Those five people were taken aback by Lian's words. The T-Rex didn't seem to be doing anything. However, that warning came right at the perfect time. The leader of their group noticed that one of the legs of the dinosaur bulged as he understood what was coming. "Shit! He can still use it with his injuries?! Everyone, get down!"