CHAPTER 469: GOLETER

"I never knew that Mrs. Hughes could hunt down this intensely.." Neo commented, watching as Coco climbed a tree with the two of them hiding from plain sight.

"She can do much more than that." Sinclair chuckled, but he stopped when he saw the small creature flying away from Coco. "It also seems like she has a companion and we.. Aren’t aware of it."

"Pardon?" Neo asked, blinking in confusion.

However, before Sinclair could speak about what he had in mind, a loud roar echoed in the forest, sensing the birds away from the area.

They whipped their attention back to Coco to see if she heard it as well, but the two of them froze when she was nowhere from their sight— only falling leaves due to the roar that shook the earth beneath their feet.

Coco moved through the forest quickly, her agile movements carrying her gracefully from branch to branch.

Her keen ears had picked up the sound of the roar so she was now making her way across the treetops, determined to reach the source of the noise.

Her feet landed lightly on each branch, her body propelled forward with a series of calculated leaps, each landing was slightly clumsy, but she still had the experience to continue what she was doing.

Coco’s breathing was steady and controlled, each inhale and exhale timed seamlessly to her leaps through the treetops, her eyes scanned the forest grounds, sharp and focused as she searched for any sign of the creature that had roared.

The rustle of leaves and the gentle creaks of the branches beneath her feet were the only sounds that accompanied her as she moved through the trees.

Lala flew frantically beside Coco’s head, her tiny form trembling with panicked agitation.

"The monster spoke again!" She exclaimed, her voice tinged with fear. "Is this the quest’s objective that makes you want to stop that monster?"

Coco nodded, trying to maintain a calm facade despite the tension in the air.

"Yeah, it’s most likely the monster that I’m supposed to deal with." She replied, her voice steady despite the growing unease in her chest.

Lala let out a small squeak of worry, her tiny form shaking even more frantically, as if the thought of Coco confronting the unknown monster was more than she could bear, but she pushed through.

Coco steadied herself and leaped from one branch to another when she suddenly froze as a massive stone-like monster— the goleter— appeared from below, its large form catching her off guard.

The goleter lunged forward, its large hand seizing the branch she was about to land on, causing it to snap in half.

Horror flashed across Coco’s face as she realized the dangerous position she was in— she was suspended in mid-air, with the ground seemingly miles away with the monstrous creature looming below.

Coco plummeted through the air, her heart pounding with terror.

However, she quickly summoned her trusty unbreakable hoe and with a desperate swing, she managed to connect with the goleter’s rocky body as she neared its form, the impact causing it to stagger slightly from the blow.

Coco’s landing was far from graceful, but she managed to land safely, the impact softened slightly by the goleter’s momentary stumble.

Coco hit the ground with a gasp, her body shaking from the impact with her lungs desperate for air and her hands trembling visibly as she struggled to catch her breath.

The adrenaline from the sudden encounter was coursing through her veins, leaving her feeling both exhilarated and shaken.

Lifting her head slowly, she cast a wary glance in the direction of the goleter, her eyes narrowing and her hold on the unbreakable hoe tightening, but Coco carefully put away her hoe, her hands closing into tight fists as she stood before the goleter.

The monstrous creature, having recovered from the initial blow, let out a guttural growl, its massive form tense and poised for a counterattack.

The goleter stopped, its laughter resounding through the air. "Hahaha! Look at you standing there, acting as if you could ever defeat me, you pathetic outlander!"

The creature was arrogant, the words dripping with condescension as it looked down at her like a mouse cornered by a lion, its confidence was evident and it seemed almost amused by Coco’s audacity to stand against it.

Despite the goeler’s taunting words, Coco refused to let her composure falter.

She gritted her teeth, determined not to let the creature’s mockery get to her and with a steely resolve, she forced her breathing to remain slow and even, her face betraying no hint of the irritation.

"You disrupted this world’s peace by taking over your predecessor’s body! Who’s the one that brought you here? The awakened beast doesn’t have the power to summon anyone from another world! Just who—"

Coco didn’t give him a chance to finish so without hesitation, she surged forward, her legs propelling her at top speed towards the monstrous creature.

The goleter’s sentence was cut off abruptly, his words left unfinished as he found himself staring at Coco hurtling towards him with unexpected speed, then before it knew it, Coco’s kick connected with the goleter’s bulky form.

The impact sent the creature reeling backward through the air, crashing into the surrounding trees with a loud crash.

The trees creaked and groaned under the weight of the impact, their trunks cracking and splintering as the monster plowed through them like a battering ram.

The sound of splintering wood echoed through the forest, the sheer force of Coco’s kick having created a path of destruction in its wake.

The goleter let out a deep, thunderous growl as it crashed through the shattered trees, its large form landing heavily on the ground, its glowing red eyes flared with a primal fury as it fixed its gaze on Coco, who stood a few feet away, her stance confident and unperturbed by the monster’s glare.

The goleter’s massive body trembled with anger.

The muscles beneath its rocky exterior rippled menacingly as it prepared to unleash its wrath upon the woman who had dared to challenge it.