Three devilish octopuses, all at F++ level.
They had already developed some resistance to the cutting power of the silver threads.
Around them, the web of countless silver threads twisted and turned, while the mass of fleshy tentacles kept writhing nonstop.
Bertram's eyes flashed with a cold light. Since escape was impossible, the only thing left to do was fight.
Though Bertram was often seen as just an extra in the huge Doomsday Squad, that didn't mean he had no guts.
Bertram controlled the web of silver threads, and as the threads tightened, the thick tentacles were crushed under the pressure, starting to segment like sausages.
The tentacles thrashed and struggled between the silver threads.
From the mouths at the ends of the tentacles, tiny blood vessels shot out wildly.
Bertram clenched his fists, channeling the essence of the Autumn Cicada Fist into his strikes. When his fists landed on the fine blood vessels, the usually soft cicada essence exploded with insane power.
The approaching blood vessels blew apart instantly.
The Autumn Cicada Fist, a technique that mysterious girl had once turned into her signature fighting style, was clearly more than just defense.
When she sparred with Bertram before, she had totally held back, never showing the true offensive side of the Autumn Cicada Fist.
But now, every punch from Bertram shattered the blood vessels, his attacks totally unstoppable.
The dozens of scarlet tentacles around him twitched and spasmed.
They struggled and twisted hard, the silver threads cutting deep lines into them. The crazy force even bounced back through the threads.
Then, all three F++ Devil Blood Octopuses managed to break free from the Thousand Silk Array.
The strength of the silver threads in the Thousand Silk Array depended completely on Bertram's own power.
And with only an F+ cultivation level, Bertram was seriously starting to fall behind against three F++ Devil Blood Octopuses.
Even after losing some of their scarlet tentacles, the rest attacked fiercely, lunging straight at Bertram.
Bertram didn't move at all.
Just when the tentacles slammed into him, Bertram suddenly turned into a burst of colorful butterflies, their glowing wings swirling through the air.
The Devil Blood Octopuses were totally stunned.
The butterflies disappeared in a flash, and Bertram reappeared right behind one of the Devil Blood Octopuses, landing a bunch of punches straight onto its body.
The creature's mouth instantly gushed blood.
"F++ is seriously tanky," Bertram sneered.
A deep wave of sword aura followed the path of his strike, piercing through the octopus's body and leaving behind a huge hole.
Inside, you could see the tangled web of blood vessels still squirming.
The Devil Blood Octopus groaned in pain, but it wasn't dead yet.
Bertram didn't wait.
He instantly unleashed his Autumn Cicada Fist again, hammering the damaged spot with blow after blow and tearing out the thick blood vessels inside.
Finally, the Devil Blood Octopus couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground.
The other two Devil Blood Octopuses charged from both sides.
But just then, a flash of gray light flew past, and the tentacles of the octopus on the right were sliced clean off, one after another.
Dina hovered in the air, her small eyes filled with pride as she stared at the crippled Devil Blood Octopus.
It had lost all eight tentacles and couldn't fight back at all.
A pair of gray wings slashed again and again, tearing through its body.
Bertram faced off against the last Devil Blood Octopus. He shot out three silver threads, wrapping around it from different angles.
Then he gathered the deep, dark sword energy hidden in his core.
Three fast strikes landed straight on the Devil Blood Octopus, punching three massive holes into its body.
The complex network of blood vessels inside was nearly wiped out by the sword energy.
That Devil Blood Octopus was dead on the spot.
Bertram glanced to the other side, where Dina had already taken down another Devil Blood Octopus.
Three otherworldly creatures now lay dead in the alley.
Bertram let out a long breath of relief.
Dina, an F-rank, had actually managed to kill an F++ ranked otherworldly creature. She truly deserved her title as an S-rank gifted otherworldly creature.
Dina wobbled and let out a soft yawn, sending a message through their telepathic link, "So tired~."
Bertram caught her in his arms and let her rest there as he quickly left the area.
After such an intense fight, both he and Dina were drained. They needed to get out fast before more danger showed up.
The alley was now silent, with only Bertram's figure disappearing into the distance.
As he walked away, he pulled out his phone and dialed Whitney from the Doomsday Squad.
With the Devil Blood Octopus invasion spreading, the whole city was at risk. Bertram had no choice but to ask for backup.
The call connected, and Whitney's anxious voice came through. "Where are you?"
"I just got out of school!" Bertram answered quickly.
"Is everything okay at your school?" Whitney asked, confused.
"No, it's a total mess! It's full of devil-blooded octopuses. You wouldn't believe how dangerous it is..." Bertram said fast, still catching his breath.
"Are you alright?" Whitney asked, clearly worried.
"I went through hell and back, faced all kinds of dangers, and barely escaped with my life!" Bertram cried, clutching his thigh dramatically. "Luckily, I'm just super tired from running. No injuries yet!"
"Find a safe place nearby and wait. Tabitha will come get you soon," Whitney said, finally sounding a bit relieved.
Considering how Bertram's recent predictions all came true, his ability to foresee events was now fully confirmed, making him super important to the squad.
They'd been so busy dealing with all the interdimensional creatures in the city that they nearly let something happen to Bertram.
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for Sister Tabitha!" Bertram quickly agreed.
He found a nearby mall and went inside.
"This mall looks clear of devil-blooded octopuses for now," he muttered to himself.
Bertram picked a spot far from any sewer entrances, then set up a basic protective array around himself before pulling out his phone again.
Sure enough, the internet was exploding with news about the "devil-blooded octopuses."
Every major news outlet was pushing updates and theories nonstop.
"Doomsday City, peaceful for a hundred years, has fallen in just one day!"
"Why has humanity's last bastion finally crumbled before these creatures from another dimension? Is there still hope for us?"
"The city is filled with corpses. This is the biggest tragedy in the history of Doomsday City!"
Doomsday City had always been humanity's final stronghold, their one last hope.
Now, with the invasion spreading, even that stronghold had been shaken, shattering the confidence built over years of resisting otherworldly threats.
Online, countless people were sharing their grief and fear, watching their friends and families die, and flooding every platform with their sorrow.
"According to police reports, there are now 102 locations across the city being attacked by these devil-blooded octopuses!"