Child of Destiny

Chapter 2338: The Next Phase

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As the clouds of dust gradually receded, the appearances of the four gigantic silhouettes were finally revealed to everyone.

The largest among them immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Although it was considerably smaller than the Heavenly Dominator’s original form, its appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Semi-World Boss they had been fighting moments earlier.

From its hulking frame and massive limbs to the rugged stone armor covering its body, there was little doubt that this creature was a smaller version of the Heavenly Dominator itself.

However, it wasn’t the only one to emerge from the dust.

The other three were also monkey-type monsters, each possessing distinct physical features that seemed to embody a different aspect of the original Heavenly Dominator.

The first was a massive gorilla with an exceptionally muscular body. Its broad shoulders and bulging arms were covered in layers of rough, earth-colored armor, giving it the appearance of a walking fortress.

Thick plates of stone overlapped across its back, forming a natural defense that extended from its shoulders down to its lower body. Even without moving, the sheer density of its muscular frame conveyed an overwhelming sense of strength, as though it could crush anything caught between its enormous fists.

The second creature was an imposing ape whose most striking feature was its pair of enormous fists. Their surfaces resembled iron gauntlets, with dark, metallic-looking layers encasing its knuckles and forearms.

Each fist was disproportionately large compared to its body, making the ape appear as though it had been born to wield a pair of living siege weapons. Fine cracks ran across the hardened surfaces of its fists, revealing the immense pressure contained within. Even the slightest movement of its arms seemed capable of unleashing devastating force.

The third monster was a gigantic chimpanzee with a noticeably larger head and a broad, sturdy body. Its thick neck supported a massive skull, while layers of dense stone armor covered its torso and limbs.

Unlike the first creature, whose physique emphasized raw muscular strength, this chimpanzee possessed a more compact and solid build, with its unusually large head serving as its most distinctive feature. Its heavy brow and deeply set eyes gave it an intimidating appearance, while the rugged stone plating across its body made it resemble a walking boulder shaped into the form of a primate.

Upon seeing these three monsters, Shin instinctively recalled the names he had once associated with their respective appearances.

’Stoneback Gorilla, Steelfist Ape, and Ironhead Chimpanzee.’

These were the names of the three monster bosses he had hunted during his expedition into the Starry Spears Mountain Forest. According to the information he had obtained from Saint Blacksmith Berlin, they were collectively known as the Trinity Apes.

Yet, despite their familiar appearances, the three creatures standing before him were clearly different from the ones he had encountered before.

Their bodies were far more imposing, their stone armor considerably denser, and their overall presence vastly more intimidating. Even without seeing them fight, Shin could tell that these weren’t ordinary copies of the monster bosses he had previously hunted.

They were considerably stronger—and judging from the immense pressure radiating from their enormous frames, the difference in power was likely far greater than their appearances alone suggested.

The smaller version of the Heavenly Dominator remained a Semi-World Boss. Its reduced size had done nothing to diminish its power

On the other hand, the Trinity Apes were only slightly weaker than it, being an upper Emperor-Rank Monster.

Regardless, given their extremely high level, the pressure radiating from them was still enough to overwhelm most of the players.

ROOOOOAR!

While everyone was still observing the newly emerged monsters and attempting to determine their identities, the smaller version of the Heavenly Dominator suddenly unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the battlefield.

The roar was so powerful that even the dust lingering in the air seemed to tremble.

Yet, rather than launching another attack itself, the colossal monster turned its gaze toward the three creatures that had emerged from its collapsed body, seemingly issuing a command.

BANG! BANG!

The Stoneback Gorilla and the Steelfist Ape immediately sprang into action.

Bending their enormous legs, the two monsters crouched momentarily before launching themselves off the ground with explosive force.

BOOOOM!

The desert floor beneath their feet shattered, sending an enormous cloud of sand flying in every direction as their colossal bodies shot into the air.

For creatures of their size, their speed was nothing short of absurd.

In the blink of an eye, the two giant monsters crossed the battlefield, their enormous shadows sweeping over the players below.

BOOM! BOOM!

They landed directly in the middle of the players’ ranks.

The resulting impacts sent violent shockwaves surging across the desert, tossing nearby players off their feet while kicking up towering clouds of sand. Several stone pillars in the vicinity cracked under the pressure, their already battered surfaces crumbling as the two monsters began their assault.

However, while the Stoneback Gorilla immediately turned toward the nearest cluster of players, the Steelfist Ape showed no interest in identifying individual opponents.

Instead, it raised both of its enormous fists.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The giant ape unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, swinging its iron-like fists in every direction.

Each strike produced a thunderous explosion.

The air compressed beneath the sheer force of its movements before bursting outward in powerful shockwaves, sweeping across the battlefield like invisible battering rams. Sand and loose stones were blasted into the air, while nearby players were forced to retreat as the successive waves of destruction tore through their surroundings.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground itself began to buckle beneath the relentless assault.

Cracks raced across the desert floor, branching outward from the points where the Steelfist Ape’s fists struck the earth. Every impact sent another violent tremor through the battlefield, making it increasingly difficult for anyone nearby to maintain their balance.

The surrounding experts immediately reacted.

Some activated movement skills, darting between the expanding shockwaves in an attempt to escape the ape’s attack range. Others raised defensive barriers or reinforced their weapons with mana, bracing themselves against the incoming waves of force.

A few of the more confident experts even seized the opportunity to counterattack.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Brilliant flashes of sword light and weapon skills streaked across the battlefield as the experts launched their attacks at the Steelfist Ape from multiple directions.

Some aimed for its head, hoping to exploit the creature’s relatively exposed features, while others targeted its torso and limbs, attempting to break through the layers of hardened stone covering its body.

For a brief moment, the battlefield was filled with intersecting beams of light, mana-infused projectiles, and devastating weapon strikes.

Yet, the Steelfist Ape didn’t even bother to dodge.

It simply clenched its enormous fists and swung them outward.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The air exploded.

Rather than merely producing shockwaves, the Steelfist Ape unleashed successive bursts of compressed force that collided with the incoming attacks head-on.

The results were immediate.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Sword waves shattered into fragments of light, mana projectiles burst apart before reaching their target, while several powerful weapon skills were forcibly dispersed by the overwhelming pressure of the ape’s punches.

Even attacks that had already reached its vicinity were swept aside, their trajectories violently disrupted by the turbulent air currents surrounding its fists.

The Steelfist Ape’s counterattacks didn’t stop there.

Its enormous fists continued forward, releasing successive shockwaves that collided with the surrounding players before they could fully recover from their surprise.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Several experts were struck by the residual force, their defensive skills flashing desperately as they were hurled backward. Some managed to stabilize themselves after being thrown several meters through the air, while others crashed into the desert floor, leaving deep furrows in the sand as they slid across the ground.

The battlefield erupted into chaos.

Nobody had expected the Steelfist Ape to possess such overwhelming striking power.

After all, the experts gathered here weren’t ordinary players. Many had survived countless dangerous encounters and possessed powerful skills of their own. Even if they couldn’t defeat a monster of this caliber alone, they had expected their combined attacks to at least slow it down.

Instead, the Steelfist Ape had casually shattered their offensive with nothing more than a series of punches.

And judging from the ease with which it had done so, it hadn’t even begun to show the full extent of its strength.

However, before the surrounding experts could recover from the Steelfist Ape’s relentless assault, another deafening roar erupted nearby.

ROOOOOAR!

The Stoneback Gorilla was originally withstanding all the attacks from the nearby experts by relying on its powerful defense.

But it suddenly moved to coordinate its attack with the Steelfist Ape.

It raised its enormous arms and slammed its fists against its heavily armored chest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each strike produced a thunderous impact, the sound reverberating across the battlefield like a series of war drums.

The thick plates of earth armor covering its back began to glow with a dull, ochre-colored light. At the same time, the ground beneath its feet trembled violently, sending countless cracks racing across the desert floor.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Before anyone could determine what the monster was doing, the Stoneback Gorilla abruptly crouched and drove both fists into the ground.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire desert seemed to erupt.

An enormous wave of earth surged outward from the point of impact, lifting the ground as though an invisible giant had thrust its hands beneath the battlefield and overturned it.

Massive slabs of stone burst from the sand, while countless jagged rock formations erupted in the wake of the advancing shockwave. The earth twisted and buckled, transforming the previously flat terrain into a chaotic landscape of shattered ridges and collapsing mounds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The destruction spread in every direction.

Players who had barely regained their footing were suddenly thrown into the air as the ground beneath them rose and collapsed without warning. Some were launched upward by erupting pillars of stone, while others were swept away by the advancing wall of earth and buried beneath tumbling rocks.

Those quick enough to react immediately activated their movement skills, desperately leaping between the rising stone formations in an attempt to escape the expanding zone of destruction.

Others hastily erected defensive barriers, only to watch in horror as enormous slabs of rock crashed against them with enough force to shatter their defenses.

CRAAACK!

Several barriers broke apart in an instant.

Even the experts who managed to withstand the initial upheaval found themselves struggling to maintain their balance as the ground continued to shift beneath their feet.

Every attempt to establish a stable footing was met with another violent tremor, forcing them to abandon their attacks and concentrate on avoiding the collapsing terrain.

And the Stoneback Gorilla had yet to move from its original position.

The monster slowly straightened its massive body, its broad shoulders rising above the surrounding stone formations. The layers of earth armor covering its back remained intact despite the tremendous force it had unleashed, making the creature resemble an immovable fortress standing amid the devastation.

Then, it pulled one enormous arm backward.

A moment later, the Stoneback Gorilla swung its fist forward and struck a towering slab of stone that had risen from the ground.

BANG!

The massive rock formation shattered instantly.

Countless fragments of stone shot across the battlefield like a barrage of giant projectiles, forcing nearby players to scatter in every direction. Those unable to evade the incoming debris hurriedly raised their weapons and defensive skills, desperately attempting to deflect the fragments before they could crush them.

For a brief moment, the battlefield was consumed by flying rocks, collapsing terrain, and the panicked movements of players struggling to escape the destruction.

The Steelfist Ape’s attacks had already demonstrated the terrifying power of its fists.

But the Stoneback Gorilla was something else entirely.

It didn’t merely strike its opponents. It turned the very ground beneath their feet into a weapon.

Compared to the two combat-focused monster bosses, the Ironhead Chimpanzee adopted an entirely different approach when dealing with the experts surrounding it.

BAAAAAAANG!

The gigantic chimpanzee stomped one enormous foot into the desert floor.

In the next instant, multiple pillars of sand erupted from the ground, rising high into the air before bursting apart. From within these swirling columns emerged familiar figures—one stone monkey after another, their numbers rapidly multiplying as they poured onto the battlefield.

However, these weren’t the same stone monkeys the players had been fighting just moments earlier.

Something about them was distinctly different.

Their eyes glowed a sinister crimson, radiating an unmistakable aura of frenzy.

Each creature also carried a stone weapon, ranging from crude clubs and heavy hammers to jagged blades and spears. Their bodies were also covered in layers of metallic armor, reinforcing their already sturdy stone frames and providing them with an even more formidable defense.

Compared to the previous wave, these new stone monkeys looked far more dangerous.

Their armor was denser, their weapons more imposing, and the blood-red glow in their eyes gave them an almost berserk appearance. Even their movements seemed more aggressive, as though they were no longer content to overwhelm their opponents through sheer numbers alone.

They had been upgraded in every conceivable way.

And judging from their menacing appearances, their combat capabilities had likely increased just as dramatically.

For a brief moment, the surrounding experts could only stare at the newly summoned army.

The two powerful monster bosses, the Stoneback Gorilla and Steelfist Ape, whose individual strength was enough to disrupt the formations of even the most experienced players, were already difficult to deal with. Now, they had to contend with an enhanced army of stone monkeys on top of everything else.

The situation had taken a disastrous turn.

The Heavenly Dominator’s raid had already been far more chaotic than anyone had anticipated. But with the emergence of these upgraded monsters, it was becoming increasingly clear that the battle had entered an entirely different league.

And the worst part?

The smaller Heavenly Dominator was still standing behind the three Trinity Apes, seemingly directing the battlefield.

This was no longer a matter of simply overwhelming the boss through numbers.

The players were now facing an army of enhanced monsters led by four terrifying opponents—and unless they could find a way to turn the situation around, the entire raid could soon descend into an uncontrollable massacre.

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