SSS Frost Sovereign: Rewinding The Apocalypse!-Chapter 41: The battle begins

The sudden appearance of the two spawns twisted everyone’s expressions.

But then, Reya and the rest could not afford to be distracted. Their attackers only paused for a brief moment when the spawns surfaced, then pressed their assault again.

The spawns, however, did not care about sides.

One of the Moundrats lunged straight toward Alia and her opponent.

Seeing it coming, the man leaped away instantly, abandoning Alia without hesitation.

She barely had time to react before the spawn barreled toward her, its claws slashing downward.

Alia screamed, tears spilling from her eyes as panic froze her movements. Her power would not answer her in time.

But just before the claws could tear into her, a figure crashed down onto the beast’s head with thunderous force, smashing it into the ground.

It was the green haired punk from the group of three.

The impact shook the earth violently. Cracks spread outward as the ground caved beneath the blow.

She thought it was Reya for a moment.

The spawn roared in fury, but the boy clasped his hands together and slammed them down again, driving its head deeper into the shattered earth.

But even that was not enough.

The Moundrat surged back up almost immediately, abandoning Alia and switching its focus to its attacker. The green haired boy sprang backward just in time.

Then suddenly,

"Alia! Watch out!" Reya shouted as Alia’s former opponent rushed in from behind.

***

At the same time, Icard had already overpowered his own enemy. Snow vine had spread across the man’s body, binding and slowing him completely.

Icard then seized his opponent’s face with his right hand and drove his head straight into the ground, shattering it on impact and killing him at once.

’These guys are buffed to D levels. They are really strong,’ he thought without shaking from this.

He straightened and took in the battlefield.

The group of six was struggling against another Moundrat. Most of them were barely holding together as the beast slashed wildly with claws nearly seven inches long.

The spawn clamped its jaws around one of them and shook its head violently, tearing at its prey like a wild animal.

"Salena!" someone screamed in terror.

However, next, a heavy blast slammed into the Moundrat from behind, forcing it to release its bloodied victim.

The blue haired punk had joined the fight.

The spawn turned instantly, locking onto its new attacker.

Icard had barely watched for a few seconds when another of Wester’s men rushed him.

Reya’s former opponent had blasted her away and was already charging toward him.

[Second Floor Access Confirmed]

[Skill Activation: Blue Icicle]

A long icicle formed in Icard’s hand.

The man fired an attack, which Icard dodged with agile footwork. Then, he closed the distance as his opponent began condensing energy again.

Icard swung in that instant.

The icicle shattered against the man’s head, bursting into fine frost that instantly froze his skull. The man staggered, still alive and reaching up to break the ice.

But he never got the chance.

Reya reached him from behind.

With a raw cry of fury, she grabbed his legs, hoisted him up like a log, and slammed him into the ground. The impact cratered the earth, shattering the ice as blood spilled from his mouth and nose.

Reya was not done.

She lifted him again, smashed his head into a chunk of rubble, slammed him back into the ground, then cracked him against the rubble once more before flinging him aside.

And after that, he did not move again.

Reya panted heavily, drained but still standing.

One thing was clear. Over the past week, Katar had trained them to be prepared for cases with fights against other incarnations.

Unlike the low grade spawns they had faced before, incarnations fought with strange and dangerous abilities.

They had learned how to counter, adapt, and survive battles like this.

It was still overwhelming, especially against opponents above their level, but they endured.

"Alia! Are you alright?!" Reya called out.

"Yes," Alia replied shakily, her voice trembling like someone who had just escaped death. "Thank you."

"I didn’t do it for you."

The red haired one had joined in as well, closing the distance and driving a hard kick into Alia’s ambusher just before he could reach her.

Then, a blast thundered nearby.

One of Wester’s goons came flying from a distance, skidding across the ground before crashing into a pile of rubble.

At the other end stood Eric and Matt, having just sent him flying together. Both of them were roughed up, but Eric panted more.

He had fought alone at first. But his opponent had been skilled, blocking his strikes and overwhelming him with heavier attacks.

Matt then stepped in afterward, but even then, they had barely managed. In the end, Eric had landed the blow that sent the man flying.

"Good job, everyone!" Reya said, still catching her breath.

But then, there was no time to rest.

Three of Wester’s goons were slowly stood up again. Along with two active spawns.

For now, the green haired and blue haired boys were holding their own, moving with a level of ability clearly above average, with their coordination sharp and practiced.

Even after what Reya had done to him, one of the goons was still standing, though barely. His body trembled from the damage she had inflicted.

Analysing it, the situation had shifted to three against six now.

Earlier, the wounded man had already been dragged to safety by his companion, who stayed behind to watch over him. The Erwald that had once hovered over the red haired boy had vanished as well.

The remaining three goons saw only one option.

They drew out more power.

Dark energy seeped from their bodies more violently now, thick and visible. The shadows clung to their skin like smoke and their forms growing heavier and more distorted as their presence surged.

"Who the hell are those guys?" the red haired one muttered, his expression sharpening.

Icard watched carefully.

’Wester’s power manipulates an incarnation’s abilities to go beyond their natural limits. It can push them up a grade or two,’ he thought. ’He has poured more into them, forcing them to D grade. He probably hoped it would be enough.’

The three men trembled as the energy continued to rise.

’And if they push it further, they will die.’

The group braced themselves for the next clash.

Then the ground shook...and the earth split open behind Wester’s goons.

Another Moundrat burst forth.

Before anyone could react or reposition, the spawn lunged straight at one of the goons. Caught completely off guard, the man barely managed to turn before the beast crashed into him, claws tearing through his defenses.

The others scattered instantly.

They could only watch as the Moundrat ripped him apart.

That was one more spawn added to the battlefield.

---

Albert and the group with him had already moved on, well outside the vicinity.

The area ahead was really quiet. Broken roads stretched into open ground, littered with rubble and collapsed buildings, the ruins of the city thinning into a wide, desolate expanse.

The sky felt vast here, the chaos behind them momentarily distant.

Obviously, they were oblivious to what was unfolding not far away.

"We should be far enough from the vicinity," Gremit said.

"We still haven’t gotten any signals from the group ahead," Luna replied from her truck as someone else drove. Her vehicle moved between Albert’s and Marcus’s.

"It shouldn’t take long," someone answered. "We should see a flare soon."

"Not even from those behind us," Luna murmured. "They should be out by now too."

She looked northeast, toward Wester’s direction.

Something tugged at her attention.

A sound, faint but growing and dust drifting through the air as the settlement gave way to broken houses and scattered rubble.

The noise of movement grew clearer and Luna’s expression sharpened.

"Something is coming," she muttered.

"Huh?"

The truck in front of them slammed to a stop.

They barely avoided colliding as brakes screeched, and the vehicles jolted to a halt.

Albert had already noticed.

Or rather, their ambushers had already arrived.

Shapes moved between the rubble, fast and erratic, slipping through broken structures.

Then they emerged with piercing shrieks, charging straight toward Albert’s group.