Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

Moments earlier,

Jayden had just finished setting his trap. Five deadly stakes, buried at a precise angle in the muddy shore, discreetly made unseen. Invisible.

He sighed in satisfaction and was about to leap into the trees to find a suitable spot to hide and wait for the magic to happen.

But a thought suddenly dawned on him. A question that was the crucial determinant of his plan working out... or failing.

What If?

What if the beast doesn't pass through this area? What if it approached from behind, avoiding the shore entirely? What if it found another way to get to the tremor gators?

What then?

His entire plan would crumble before it even began.

Jayden was willing to take that risk. He needed to make a contingency plan. He needed insurance. Something guaranteed, and inevitable.

Something that would ensure the creature coming in contact with the venom.

But what?

His mind raced as he pondered all the possibilities and scenarios he could manipulate to his advantage. And then it hit him.

Crystals.

The creature was after beast crystals.

Jayden's eyes flicked toward the Tremor Gators', their hulking forms motionless in the swamp. Resting, and probably asleep.

A smirk tugged at his lips as a plan began to fall in place.

Jayden knew the light creature would kill the tremor gators. And that meant It would inevitably make contact with their bodies.

And if he couldn't guarantee that the creature would step into his poison stakes, then he would put the poison directly inside its prey.

Jayden didn't waste a single second. He cloaked himself in invisibility, slipping into the swamp unseen. His steps silent, his body a shadow as he waded through muck and reeds.

The gators didn't sense a thing as Jayden invaded their midst. He crept toward the one nearest to the shore, its reptilian eyes half-shut in drowsy vigilance. And with a clean, surgical motion, he slit the beast's throat, claws carving through scale and flesh in one merciless slice. The gator barely made a sound before going limp. Lifeless.

Jayden didn't waste a moment. His hand trailed down its massive underbelly, fingers pressing against armored skin until he found the familiar ridge... the site of the beast's crystal core.

Then he plunge his claws in deep, cutting into the thick flesh. Poison flowed from the claws like liquid death, seeping into the beast's veins, lacing its tissues, saturating the core chamber itself. Jayden spread it deliberately, contaminating the very heart of the Tremor Gator.

If the light-creature touched it, even just a graze... it would be poisoned.

That was the real trap. The inescapable one.

And it was going to work. No matter the odds.

Now, standing over the fallen light, Jayden grinned down at his prey. The blue sparks still danced weakly across its body, but its strength had bled away.

Jayden's plan worked. He had caught his prey. A prey that wasn't even aware it was being hunted.

....

Jayden crept forward, every step calculated, the night pressing in around him like a living cloak. His claws flexed at his side, still faintly dripping with venom from earlier. The air tasted sharp, metallic, laced with the remnants of the Sapphire blur's high-speed charge.

A faint rustle made him pause.

The creature wasn't still.

Its body twitched, tremors of blue energy sparking across its frame, sending little crackles into the dirt. Jayden narrowed his eyes. He had poisoned the creature, yes.. but the way it moved told him all he needed to know. The fight wasn't finished. Not even close.

"Alright then..." he whispered under his breath, chest rising and falling faster now. "...Bring it on."

Then, slowly, the creature pushed itself upright.

Jayden froze instantly.

What emerged in front of him was unlike anything he had ever seen in his hunts before. It wasn't grotesque or monstrous like Serpenthis, or brutally imposing like the Winter Wolf. No... this was different.

It was beautiful.

The moonlight painted its fur in a ghostly glow: a tall cheetah-like form, towering at least eight feet high. But its pelt was not the yellow-gold of the savannah predator... this one was white, pure as snow, streaked with radiant sapphire-blue lines and spots that glowed faintly like rivers of lightning running through its veins.

The air trembled around it. Not from weight, not from aggression... but from sheer presence. Even weakened, its aura rolled out like a storm front, crashing against Jayden's skin, seeping into his lungs.

Jayden found himself... staring. His instincts screamed danger, yet another part of him was captivated, drawn to the elegance of it. This wasn't a beast, it was living majesty, a legend breathing in front of him.

Blue arcs flared across its frame as it lifted its head fully. Those eyes.. luminescent, crystalline, impossibly deep, locked onto Jayden. Sapphire-blue, bright and alive, blinking slowly as though assessing, measuring.

Jayden's throat tightened.

Even compared to the Winter Wolf's icy dominance, even compared to the Saber-Tooth Flare's fiery presence, this aura was something else. It wasn't just dominance.. it was intoxicating, overwhelming, like standing too close to a god.

He swallowed, forcing himself to break the trance. His instincts roared for him to know more.

Quickly activating dragon eye. His vision burned golden as he pierced into the creature's essence.

The world seemed to slow. For a moment, there was nothing. No text. No system prompt. Just silence.

Then Luna's voice cut through his head, sharp, urgent.

[Jayden, you need to leave this place before it sees you as a threat] she warned.

Jayden's brow furrowed, sweat beading on his temple. "Why..?" he whispered back.

And then, as if responding to his question, the system unfurled across his vision, displaying the creature's info.

⸻

Name: Sapphire Sonic (Legendary)

Rank: A

Ability: Super Speed (Speed Force)

HP: 1,000,000 / 1,000,000

⸻

Jayden's breath hitched, his eyes widening. "Oh... crap."

This wasn't a D-Rank pest. Not a C-Rank predator. Not even the rare, terrifying B-Ranks whispered about in hunting circles.

This was an A-Rank.

And A-Ranks weren't beasts. They were disasters.

Everyone knew the stories... A-Rank beasts were created capable of erasing cities in seconds. Some were titans, larger than buildings, their sheer mass enough to crush armies. But not all A-Ranks were giants. Some... like the one in front of him were leaner, smaller... but no less lethal.

Jayden's mind reeled. He hadn't thought A-Rank beasts existed on Alpha anymore. The EVA had purged them, ensuring the planet was safely from extinction-level threats. But here he was. Standing in the forest. Face-to-face with one.

And worse... the system showed its HP full. A million points. His poison... had already burned away. It was whole again.

And according to the system, it was a legendary beast... whatever that means.

His claws trembled at his side. His throat tightened. This wasn't a fight. This was suicide.