Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 43: Rank 11
Am I still shaken from that Rank 8 beast?
Is that why this cold won’t leave me?
Rory frowned, unease tightening in her chest even more now.
Just as she turned toward the rest pod, her entire body locked in place as if bound by invisible chains. She tried to call out to Jasper—to warn him, to ask for help—but her lips refused to part. Not a single sound escaped her throat. Her heart skipped a beat.
What... what kind of power is this?
Panic surged violently, threatening to overwhelm her. Rory clenched her teeth and forced herself to breathe, drawing on hard-earned instinct. She couldn’t hear anything but her heartbeat, and she needed to come to her senses quickly.
Calm down. The greater the danger, the calmer I must be. Nothing good will come out of panicking.
Even Jasper—Rank 9, with senses honed far beyond most—had noticed nothing. That could only mean one thing.
Whatever this is... it’s far stronger than him. Far beyond.
Her eyes flicked desperately across the clearing, scanning every shadow, every ripple of darkness between the trees. Still, there was nothing out of the ordinary there.
Then a memory surfaced—something Gina had once mentioned in passing during a hunt. A race that didn’t rely on brute force, but on the mind.
The Chitinid...
Whoosh!
A blast of icy air skimmed past Rory’s ear, sending a vicious chill racing down her spine. Her body stiffened painfully.
"So fragrant," an unfamiliar voice croaked beside her—wet, raspy, clogged with phlegm. Disgust oozed from every syllable, making her stomach twist. "Such a delicious little female."
From the corner of her eye, Rory caught a glimpse of it—and nearly retched.
The creature’s face was vaguely human in shape, yet grotesquely wrong. It had hair, eyes, and ears, but no nose at all. Its mouth stretched unnaturally wide, tearing almost all the way to the ears, lined with rows of sharp, glistening fangs. Worse still, its sunken cheeks were studded with dozens of mismatched eyes—yellow, red, green—blinking and twitching independently, all focused hungrily on her.
The sight alone made her stomach churn.
A withered, skeletal hand crept across her face, its nails long, pale, and sharp, before stopping between her brows.
"I have never seen mental power like this before," the creature rasped again, inhaling deeply. "You smell... exquisite. Let me eat you, little female. I’m sure you will make an extraordinary meal."
Eat your damn self, Rory cursed inwardly, fury burning through her fear.
If I could move, I’d carve you apart with my axe, you ugly bastard!
How dare this disgusting thing terrorize people so shamelessly?!
"Rory!"
Jasper’s voice finally shattered the tension, raw with fear.
She snapped her gaze toward him. At last—he’d sensed it, too. Now, everything would be over in seconds.
His powerful serpent tail lashed forward, coiling to yank her away. Beside him, Dax reacted instantly, his nine fox tails flaring outward as he lunged to help.
They never reached her, though.
Both Jasper’s tail and Dax’s fox tails slammed violently into something unseen, forcing them both to recoil in astonishment.
A shimmering, translucent barrier erupted around Rory, rippling like distorted glass. The force hurled them backward several steps.
Their expressions darkened instantly.
Rank 11.
It was a Rank 11 Chitinid.
Jasper’s heart plummeted. Rage, fear, and crushing guilt collided inside him as he saw Rory trapped, utterly helpless.
I failed her. I let this happen. I was right there, damn it!
"Rory... don’t be afraid," he said hoarsely, forcing steadiness into his voice. "I won’t let anything happen to you. You will be alright, I promise."
But the words only hurt him more––he knew the truth. He was not strong enough.
Rank 9 could not defeat Rank 11.
There was only one option left.
The Violet Obsidian of the Dragon Kind possessed a forbidden technique—one that demanded a life as payment. By offering one’s own blood and lifespan, their power could surge three ranks higher for a brief, deadly moment.
Without hesitation, Jasper sliced open his wrist with his own claws. Crimson blood spilled down his scales, glowing faintly with energy.
"Are you insane? Stop!"
Dax’s eyes widened in horror as he lunged forward, grabbing Jasper’s arm just in time.
"Let go!" Jasper roared, tail lashing wildly. "Are you trying to stop me from saving her? From saving our mate?!"
"I’m stopping you from dying, you idiot!" Dax snapped back, gritting his teeth.
He knew—better than anyone—that Rory had a soft heart. If Jasper died here, sacrificing himself for her, she would never recover. The grief would destroy her. And he sure as hell did not want that.
By all logic, by his usual cold, calculating nature, Dax shouldn’t have cared. In fact, Jasper’s death would have benefited him. Rory would live, the Rank 11 Chitinid could be claimed, and his rival for her affection would be gone.
All profit. No loss.
That was how Dax usually thought.
Yet here he was—doing something utterly foolish.
"If you die," Dax said tightly, "Rory will be heartbroken. I don’t want her to be sad."
And deeper still, a quiet certainty echoed in his chest: if he didn’t save Jasper today, there would be no future for him and Rory at all.
"Then how do you expect me to save her?" Jasper snarled, wrenching his arm free. Is this fox really willing to watch her die?
Dax shot him a sharp glare.
"You brainless snake," he snapped, "do you really think I’d stop you without a way to keep you alive?"
He inhaled slowly, eyes hardening.
"Your kind has forbidden arts. Mine does too," he said grimly. "I’ll split my lifespan with you. Not a thousand years—just five hundred. Five centuries with her... that’s a fair trade, isn’t it?"
Meanwhile, behind Rory, the Chitinid leaned closer, greedily inhaling her scent.
"You smell so good," it crooned. "I don’t even need to eat you. I can take you back instead... make you my pet."
To the Chitinids, therian were never equals.
They were either food—
—or toys.
And Rory froze at the thought of being one.
