Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 443: The vanishing beast.

Meanwhile, at the stone village, Major Grayson wiped blood from his brow with the back of his glove and tried to steady his breathing, the ruined village square around him echoing with shouted commands and gunfire.

They had arrived confident, almost relaxed, weapons ready but minds already halfway to the main base and movie night. It was supposed to be easy, the mission brief replayed in his head, one hostile animal reported, likely oversized, possibly mutated, clear it and secure the area.

The moment they crossed the broken archway at the village entrance, something had felt off, the forest too quiet, birds gone, even the wind seeming to hold its breath.

"Spread out," Grayson had ordered, hand raised, eyes scanning the stone buildings. "Check corners, don’t rush it. And no showing off or competition on who kills the target first."

The soldiers had spread out, professional but laughing.

The first sign of danger had arrived after thirty minutes of fruitless searching. It was an odd sound, heavy snorting followed by hooves scraping stone. Radios had stopped working.

Everyone had gone on alert.

And then it appeared in the center of the square, a massive wild boar, muscles bulging unnaturally under bristled hide, tusks curved and stained dark. It was both fat and muscular, which was oddly confusing.

"There," Greg had shouted, relief and excitement flaring at once.

"Target acquired!" Norbert, a pyrokinetic had lifted his hands, flames gathering. Siegfried had braced his stance, and Grayson had opened his mouth to give the order to attack when the boar vanished.

Not ran, not dodged, vanished.

One second it was there, the next the space was empty, heat and sound cutting off abruptly.

"What the hell?" Someone had gasped.

"Did it just become invisible?" Another had asked.

And before anyone could answer, a scream had ripped through the air as the boar reappeared behind them, slamming into one of the soldiers and sending him crashing through a stone wall, rubble exploding outward.

And again, it disappeared.

"It’s invisible!" Grayson had shouted. "Scatter! Don’t bunch up!"

Gunfire had erupted blindly, bullets chewing into stone as the creature flickered in and out of sight, appearing just long enough to strike, then disappearing again, each reappearance closer, more deliberate, almost playful.

Greg had lunged when it materialized near a well, grappling empty air as it vanished mid-charge, momentum carrying him face-first into the ground.

"It’s taunting us," someone had yelled, panic creeping into his voice. "It knows what it’s doing!"

"Track thermal heat." Someone had suggested.

So, they tracked it using its heat signature. Grayson fired where he thought it would reappear only for his heart to skip a beat when it emerged inches from his line of sight, red eyes locking onto his for a heartbeat before it blinked out again, a cruel snort echoing behind him.

It knocked into a geokinetic after, sending her face first into the very rock she had been lifting to hurl at it.

The boar reappeared on a rooftop impossibly fast, stone cracking under its weight, then vanished as a kinetic blast shattered the roof moments too late.

The game had gone on for far too long, deliberately meant to tire them out. Grayson had noticed this and chosen to retreat.

"Fall back to the square!" He had ordered, but even as he spoke, the boar had slammed into him from the side, tusks grazing his iron shirt, throwing him hard against the ground.

Pain had exploded through his ribs and the back of his head clashed against the helmet, causing his vision to swim. He had bitten his tongue.

Luckily, communication was restored and he sent out word about the beast. If they failed to kill it, it would either kill them or escape and make its way into the base. Sunshine needed to know.

He had barely got a few words in when the boar reappeared and stomped hard on his arm and crushed the radio before going off to attack others.

As he struggled to stand, the sound of heavy breathing had filled the air. The creature had materialized directly in front of him, close enough that he could smell it, wild and metallic, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.

"You ugly bastard," Grayson muttered, raising his Dragonoid with shaking hands. Just as the weapon released a strong burst of fire, it vanished and kicked a soldier directly into the line of fire.

If not for the iron shirt and Greg jumping on the woman, she would have been burned to death.

"I can’t take this anymore." A frustrated man cried out, and he started spraying the air with bullets, shooting at shadows and anything that moved.

While some tried to stop him, others rushed to check on Greg and the woman. She had not been burned but her leg and helmet were broken.

The boar turned its attention to Grayson once again. It lowered its head, ready to charge. Its tusks doubled in sized; its eyes glowed a deep red. It was planning murder.

It vanished. Not even a heat signature could be detected. Everyone became tense.

A sharp crack split the air suddenly and a bullet tore through its shoulder, forcing it fully visible as it roared in fury.

"Back away from him!" Hunter’s voice rang out as she stepped into the square, guns steady where her ears once stood. The dog’s eyes were cold and focused. She fired again, forcing the creature to retreat a step, visibility flickering but failing for a short time before it disappeared again.

Grayson exhaled shakily and laughed despite the pain. "You must be Hunter. You couldn’t have come at a better time," he said hoarsely.

Hunter didn’t smile. "Gather everyone and get behind me." The dog snapped her head up as she marked the location of the boar using her radar.

Panels along her spine slid open with a mechanical hiss as missile ports unlocked, shoulder cannons rotating forward while rapid-fire turrets unfolded from her flanks. She fired in controlled bursts, not wasting a single round, forcing the creature fully visible long enough for the superhumans to react.

Greg staggered forward with one arm half-fused into warped metal, blood streaking down his temple but his jaw set hard. "I am going to rip this bitch apart," He growled when someone tried to pull him back, his skin rippling as steel crawled over it unevenly, damage making the transformation unstable.

The boar vanished again. But Hunter could still see it. It was hiding behind one of the soldiers. To fire at it meant to fire at her.

"You, move." Hunter commanded.

As the soldier moved, the boar reappeared to Hunter’s left, charging low, Hunter rolling just in time as tusks tore through the space where her head had been, she came up on one leg and fired three controlled shots, two grazing, one drawing a burst of dark blood before the boar screamed and vanished again.

"How is it not dead yet?" A man shouted.

"Focus!" Grayson barked, clutching his ribs but forcing himself upright. "Track appearances, don’t chase shadows!"

Greg slammed his metal fist into the ground when the boar reappeared briefly near him, shards of stone and steel erupting upward, catching the creature’s flank just before it disappeared again. "I injured it," Greg snarled at empty air, teeth bared.

And then gunfire erupted blindly, bullets flying everywhere. More soldiers in familiar uniforms poured into the square. Their boots were pounding, weapons raised.

Before they could be warned, the boar reappeared atop a collapsed wall and leapt, disappearing mid-air and reappearing behind a new squad, sending two people flying.

Hunter spun, firing rapidly, but carefully. She was infuriated because there were too many people now. Too many covers for the boar to hide behind.

And then more chaos erupted, gun fire that was aimed at fellow soldiers.

"Get down, all of you!" Hunter roared.

Major Grayson watched in terror, his brain trying to interpret what was happening. Confusion was ripping through the ranks as one soldier raised his Dragonoid with a blank expression and fired on another.

"Stop him." Grayson bellowed.

Greg grabbiled him just in time, metal arms locking around the man’s torso. "Snap out of it!" He roared. He ripped off the man’s helmet and mask.

Then he noticed that the soldier seemed off. Like he wasn’t there at all mentally. His eyes were glassy, lips twitching into a smile that wasn’t his.