Driven into a corner, the beast thrashed in a frenzied, desperate struggle. But the hunter's threads had already coiled silently around its limbs. As its balance faltered and panic set in, the butcher's blade came crashing down.

Miracle, Aqua Line! 

Miracle, Darklight Slash!

Precise and elegant, brutal yet efficient. The first overlord creature Ashe and the others had encountered, the Great Feral Wolf Dragon, fell just like that. Its skull split open like a perfectly ripened watermelon. Glossy, jet-black hair shimmered as if styled in a salon, and its massive body resembled a heavy truck. Now it broke apart into motes of light, crossing paths with the Ascending Golden Rain before sinking into the soil as nourishment.

Several spirits attempted to flee, only to be casually snatched back by the trio.

Sonya sheathed her sword and stretched her fingers forward, loosening her joints. "Not much different from a regular pack of monsters," she remarked.

Like a gourmet critic, she continued, "That last Great Feral Wolf Dragon had some merit. Scales, two points. Movement, three. Meat quality, four. But the skull? Five. Crisp, like potato chips."

Ashe groaned...