[CH399+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

Chapter 561

The higher we float upward, the fewer birds there are circling here.

Once we make it to a certain point, they stop soaring higher.

We approach the slowly swaying chains, and I watch one of the highest-flying awakened birds glide peacefully through the sky between two of the massive metal links.

As it flaps its long graceful wings glowing red with ethereal threads, another creature comes rocketing toward it, jumping with strong dark green armored insect legs.

It's almost a blur in the sky how fast it moves.

Two sets of transparent wings unfold from its exoskeleton as its powerful jump pushes it forward, and it cuts through the air with a bright orange aura trailing behind it.

Its long antennae and beady black eyes sense the air around it while a sharp outstretched limb cuts the scavenger bird's head clean off before it even knows what hit it.

The insect, with the body of what seems to be a cricket mixed with a praying mantis, rockets through the air, perfectly landing on the chain across from it.

The creature's body is far smaller than the bird it just killed. Possibly 3 to 4 meters from its antennae tips down to its feet, but the strength and speed it just showed outclassed anything I've seen inside this construct.

It turns to jump back, pointed straight at the falling bird while it dissolves and crunches through its red core with powerful fangs, absorbing its essence in seconds and climbing higher up the vine-covered chains.

Its green outer shell blends in with the lush plant life on the rusted metal chains, but its bright orange aura stands out to me as bright as day.

It looks back my way while hopping up higher and further away, chain to chain, as I approach.

More and more of the mutant locust creatures come into my view as Ember and I start to soar up through the twisting chains.

The further in we travel, the more chains become visible to me, deeper into the endless sky and sea.

Once deep enough in, I sense the fast-moving orange masses jumping around me on all sides, picking off the remaining scavenger birds that dare to fly this high.

Eventually, one jumps close enough and attempts the same maneuver on me.

"Finally," I whisper while preparing for a new monster type to battle.

To my surprise, out of the corner of my eye, I watch Ember transform into his hybrid human-dragon form, growing in size and giving himself scaled armor, a long spiked tail, and clawed hands and feet.

In reaction, I take out my flame emperor's sword and activate my greater form.

If Ember is showing this much strength right now, it's better not to hold back. His words right after my transformation confirm my thoughts.

"Don't take our orange-cored guests so lightly. Their strength may surprise you."

The blur of orange comes my way while the red strands of energy intertwine themselves with my dark greater form.

I take a moment to concentrate and focus, channeling mana into my blade, creating an attack powerful enough to subjugate many double-ranked-up opponents over level 2000 I've faced in the past. The divine energy coursing through me increases this power's attacking force drastically, but the closer my opponent gets, the more its power becomes clear to me.

My greater form's blade collides with the insect's front leg, and the resulting clash sends ripples of red and orange thread-like energy waves to scatter from our point of contact.