Lord: Sequence Master

"Is this a Sequence 8 Gray Rat imbued with divinity?" Rosen thought as he observed the battle through his Hunter's Magic Eye.

Despite the presence of sixteen human Sequence 7 superhumans, they were being utterly dominated by a Sequence 8 Gray Rat and its physical clones.

All of the humans were now injured, and some looked like they had been drained of their life force, reduced to shrivelled husks. If the battle continued at this pace, it was likely that all of them would meet their demise.

For a moment, Rosen considered the possibility of stepping in as a fisherman who reaps the spoils. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Even though the Gray Rat Ancestor could possibly be weakened by killing the humans, it was still far too dangerous for someone like Rosen, who was only Sequence 9.

Instead, he decided it was safer to remain hidden and wait for a better opportunity.

The power being displayed by the Gray Rat Ancestor far exceeded the expectations of the Sequence 7 superhumans. Some of them, realizing the battle was lost, began to flee.

Surprisingly, the Ancestor did not chase them. It recognized that cornering all the humans could trigger a desperate fight, leading to potentially catastrophic consequences for itself. The Ancestor was only concerned with recovering its rat tooth, so it was willing to let some humans escape.

Once one superhuman fled, others followed. Eventually, only Karman and two of his closest allies remained, continuing the fight.

But now, the Gray Rat Ancestor slowed its assault.

The Ancestor realized that Karman, the leader of the human group, was deliberately letting the others leave. It suspected that Karman was aiming to monopolize the Ancestor's divinity for himself. The Ancestor didn't mind. Facing three opponents instead of dozens was far more manageable.

Both sides began to slow down, each keeping a careful watch on the other. They were suspicious of any remaining hidden enemies, knowing that an ambush could easily tip the balance of power.

Rosen, sensing the heightened tension, withdrew his Godslayer Crossbow and retreated further into the shadows. He enhanced his hearing to continue eavesdropping from a safe distance.

Once both sides confirmed the other human superhumans had retreated, they would resume their deadly battle.

Karman, now confident that the situation was stabilizing, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small iron cage. This wasn't just any ordinary item—it was a one-time-use supernatural tool known as a Beast Cage, modeled after the King's Beast Cage, a powerful Sequence 3 artifact. The replica Karman held was still worth a small fortune, and he had been saving it for this very moment.

When Karman activated the Beast Cage, the Gray Rat Ancestor immediately felt a wave of fear. The Ancestor recognized the divine aura surrounding the item, albeit faint. It realized that in its weakened Sequence 8 state, it was no match for this semi-divine artifact replica.

The Beast Cage expanded rapidly, enclosing the area within a ten-meter radius. Karman and the Ancestor were now trapped inside. The rules were clear: only the victor would be able to exit the cage, taking the most valuable possession of the loser.

Inside the cage, Karman's Dimensional Cat form was enhanced. Normally, he could only maintain this form for a limited time, but within the confines of the cage, he could stay transformed indefinitely. The drawback, however, was that he wouldn't be able to switch into any other beast forms.

The Gray Rat Ancestor, now trapped, knew that dodging and running would be useless against the Dimensional Cat's abilities. It had to rely on its clones and its bloodthirst to drain Karman's energy before launching a counterattack.

The Ancestor quickly produced dozens of illusory clones, which scattered around the cage, darting and weaving to confuse Karman. These clones didn't attack but instead focused on confusing the Dimensional Cat.

Meanwhile, Karman's true form remained safely hidden within the dimensional rift, making him untouchable by the Ancestor's attacks. However, he couldn't stay hidden forever—eventually, he would have to attack, and his true form would be exposed the moment he struck.

Both sides waited, assessing and probing for an opening. Karman watched the clones carefully, looking for the true body of the Ancestor, while the Ancestor waited for Karman to emerge from his hiding spot.

Finally, Karman saw his opportunity. His claws ripped through space, targeting the Ancestor's true body. The attack was swift, and although the Ancestor tried to evade, Karman managed to tear off one of its hind legs.

The Dimensional Cat's claws, imbued with the power to tear through space, shredded the Ancestor's defenses.

But the Ancestor's clones retaliated. One of the clones managed to sink its teeth into Karman's tail, infecting him with a Supernatural Rat Plague, a deadly dark green virus.

Both combatants were severely wounded.

Without hesitation, Karman severed his infected tail, while the Gray Rat Ancestor, now slowed with only three legs, struggled to move as quickly as before.

Karman changed tactics. Realizing the Ancestor's clones had high attack power but weak defenses, he positioned himself against the wall of the Beast Cage and began rapidly slashing the space in front of him, creating a series of spatial rifts that destroyed the clones.

In just a few moments, all of the Ancestor's clones had been wiped out.

With no distractions left, Karman charged at the Ancestor's true form.

The battle devolved into a brutal melee, with both sides clawing and biting at each other. Each was specialized in attack but had weak defenses, and soon both were covered in deep, bleeding wounds.

However, the Ancestor's divine power made its body more resilient, and its injuries were less severe compared to Karman's.

Just when it seemed Karman might lose, his Dimensional Cat form began to grow.

In a flash, Karman's small cat body transformed into a fully matured Dimensional Cat, with his tail regenerating.

Around him, the space distorted, blocking all of the Ancestor's attacks. Meanwhile, Karman's claws now dealt devastating damage, each strike cutting deeply into the Ancestor.

Within seconds, the Gray Rat Ancestor's body was ripped to shreds, leaving only its head, which glared at Karman with defiance, before crumbling into dust.

(End of Chapter)