Think there will be a boss somewhere? Or maybe the System has something else in store for us? Leo sent to Hunter as he stepped on the narrow path leading to the larger island. The vast Void loomed below him, waiting to consume anything unfortunate to fall.

'Hiding. Waiting,' Hunter hissed back, their mind now fully connected.

I guess you're right. Leo hummed, scanning the shadow forest not that far away. They just wouldn't run away and then hide if there wasn't anything here to protect them. The question is, what?

'Soon.'

Yeah, I know. Leo sighed and sped up a bit. It wasn't long before the dark, misty grass of the large island consumed his feet. He could feel the artificial plants touching them, yet it was nothing like the real thing.

Weird but not discomforting. Doubt it would be the same for anyone else though.

Slowly, Leo steeped into the shadow forest, his eyes and head always moving to take in the sights. Up close, no detail could hide from him, be it the uneven lines in the trees' bark or soft patterns burned into the leaves. Everything here truly resembled the real thing and, in some cases, seemed even more beautiful.

I am probably a bit biased. Not everyone can feel the shadows flowing through the entire island like me after all...

Hunter's snort echoed through his mind, yet the beast didn't elaborate on the cause of its amusement. Leo shrugged and kept walking forward, weaving through the shadowy overgrowth.

He thought about using Hunter's Pulse to scan the area, but going by what happened in the Earth's part of the Nest, it wouldn't achieve much. Shadows provided the Voidlings here with the perfect cover, and despite his ability being at Epic quality, it was either still too weak, or he had no idea how to use it correctly.

Probably the latter and my Vision attribute being quite shit. Not that I have any more points to spare for it...

'Careful,' Hunter growled suddenly. 'They close. See?'

Leo nodded, knowing well what the beast meant. Ever since he entered the forest, he noticed tiny figures moving among the trees, observing him. Not once did the small creatures try to attack or even come closer, but the fact remained that they refused to leave him alone.

Shadow Tails. What an interesting species. From what little we saw, they are probably the best-organized Voidlings I have met till now... Well, not counting the Ameists, but those are ants. Apparently, not even the Void can kill off their original purposes.

'Focus.'

Leo rolled his eyes. I am, but sure, whatever. I probably let my mind drift a bit too much. You can't blame me, though. There is just too much to think about...

'Still. Focus.'

Yeah, yeah. Leo let out a long sigh, his gaze jumping from one Shadow tail that decided to peek out from behind the tree to another. More are coming out. We are close to something important, or they are preparing an attack. Ready, Hunter?

The beast answered with a roar, and Leo smirked just a bit. The blades upon his arms extended, already covered in shadows and Kiss of Death. Essence also surged out of his soul, ready to assist his body with fresh Reinforcement.

Then let's see what they are hiding. Leo chuckled and broke into a sprint.

It barely took half a minute, if even that, before he pushed past the last of the inorganic plants and jumped into a vast circular clearing. Nothing seemed really out of place there except for one huge pile of shadows resting in the middle.

Before Leo could even take the first step toward it, the pile stirred, slowly expanding. A Voidling grew in front of his eyes, starting with a familiar, if much more powerful, feline torso and head. Three pairs of legs followed, along with the same number of overly long tails tipped with a sharp, dark blade.

Finished with the formation of its body, the monster howled, the wave of sound sending a tremble through the entire island. However, Leo didn't answer or even move, his eyes still glued to the beast that could easily reach his shoulders.

An overgrown panther with way too many tails. Leo summed up as the beast's four hind legs tensed, ready to jump into action. And its coat... It's like the thing is just another shadow construct. Only it isn't.

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Apex Shadow Claw (Voidling) | Rank: E- | LVL: 16 | Type: Shadow, Grace, Surface

Well, Hunter, you wanted a good fight. I think you just got your wish. Leo grimaced. Apex Voidling. I don't think this will be anything like our fight against the Ameist Queen. But hey, it at least isn't listed as a Special type; that has to count for something.

However, despite the Apex Shadow Claw most likely taking the top spot of the monsters Leo faced, he didn't worry. Bloodlust and buddling excitement seeped into his veins, screaming at him to take action. Those feelings might not have been entirely his, but he embraced them nonetheless, Hunter howling in glee in his mind.

Bestiary.

Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Shadow Claw

Expected Potential: E- to E+

Weapon of choice: Shadows, Tails, Claws, Jaws

Known weaknesses: Essence reserves

An evolution in the Shadow Tail line. Just like their lesser kin, they hunt alone yet do not fear head-on confrontations. Almost every part of their bodies evolved to become a weapon, and each Shadow Claw knows well how to utilize them in a fight. Additionally, their control over shadows is superior to any other species of the same ranking. Unfortunately, they are often incapable of using any major techniques due to using most of their Essence to sustain their unique bodies.

Apex variant: Only encountered inside nests. Thanks to the nature of the nests, Apex Shadow Claws often form a deeper connection with them, thus eliminating their worst weakness.

Strong, Leo and Hunter thought at the same time.

Unlike with the Guarding Two-tailed Shadow, the System didn't spare any details. A welcome surprise as this Voidling definitely wasn't in the same class as the Amesit Queen. They needed this info if they wanted to win or even survive.

No weaknesses though. Leo grimaced, preparing himself to jump into battle. Gonna need to test it fully first. I want to know what it can do before forming a better plan.

Yet, before Leo could even move, the Voidling acted first, its three tails stabbing into the ground.

For a moment, nothing happened. But then a rumble shook the earth beneath Leo. Reinforcement filled his body as he jumped high, just barely avoiding getting skewered by a large cluster of black spikes that erupted from the ground.

Not that it was the end of the danger. The second Leo landed, the earth shook once more, forcing him to dodge to the side. Of course, it would be too much for the Voidling to stop there, and so he had to roll away from another eruption of spikes before he could breathe again.

Three eruptions. One for each tail. Leo noted, slowly letting more and more bloodlust fill his body and mind. I wonder how often it can do this.

It was a wrong question to ask as the Apex monster took it upon itself to prove that it didn't have any cooldown, thus jumpstarting the game of cat and mouse. Only this time, Leo wasn't idle and rushed the beast.

With a roar, he took the first swing at the beast, missing by just an inch as the Voidling jumped and spun mid-air. Its tails came free from the ground and lashed out, the sharp-tipped edges hoping to skewer their enemy on the first try.

Not today. Leo growled, battling the tails away with his own blades. His own affinity also answered the call and formed a few spears that instantly flew at the Voidling that landed a few feet away.

The Apex hissed, slapping the projectiles with his paws as if they were annoying flies.

As expected. Probably nothing short of a powerful Eruption will do anything here.

With this thought in mind, Leo jumped into the fray again, Reinforcement burning through his muscles. He was faster than the beast, not by a small margin at that. Yet, despite this, the Voidling had three tails and at least two other limbs to help against his onslaught.

To make matters worse, the beast often used one of its tails to create another eruption of spikes. As a result, more than once Leo had to retreat, with blood slowly coating his body in red. There was just too much to defend against, and he had only two limbs, as his own tails, while useful, weren't as mobile or long as the Voidling's.

A thought for another day. Leo flinched, cradling his left arm. I think that's enough playing around. If it got anything else, I can't force it to act when I am like this.

Hunter screeched in agreement, and another surge of bloodlust exploded through Leo's body and mind. However, this time, it didn't stop there; he led it right into his soul, creating a full circle between the three pillars.

"Focused Bloodlust," Leo growled, the pain forgotten as his mind cleared, red hues appearing in his vision. "Come, kitty, show me what you got."

With renewed strength and Reinforcement boosted through the roof, Leo attacked, throwing swing after swing at the massive cat. The Voidling didn't back down and defended as well as it could, all of its limbs working together in a battle of dominance.

The first time Leo scored a cut across the beast's front leg, the Apex howled, shadows immediately gathering around the wound. It didn't matter, though. A familiar silvery glow finally appeared on the Voidling's body, giving Leo another push.

His speed somehow doubled for a second, and the Voidling just barely dodged, trying to follow up with a tail strike of its own. However, it was all for naught. Leo slid under the limb and brought one of his blades down, the edge igniting with crimson fire the moment it connected with the Apex's side.

Phantom Erasure.

The power of the strike alone almost knocked the beast off its feet. Regardless, not even a second passed before the deep wound exploded, filling the entire island with a pained howl.

"End of the road, beast," Leo hissed, pouncing once more.

With plenty of silver spots scattered across the Voidling's body, Leo had an easy way forward. Or at least it should have been easy...

Halfway through his dash, the Apex suddenly roared and stomped hard on the ground.

Every single warning bell rang inside Leo's head. He tried to jump, to dodge what he knew was coming, but there was no time.

Like a wave, the earth exploded all around the Apex, spikes erupting right after. No inch of the clearing was spared from the same fate.

Leo screamed as one of the spikes went right through his left shoulder. Another tried to pierce his leg, but even through the pain, his body listened and shifted to avoid the maiming. His tails also acted on their own, wrapping around the slowly disappearing spikes to stop the descent into the sea of pain.

Fucking hell, Leo hissed, jerking his shoulder off the spike. Blood splurted in waves out of the hole, but he didn't care. Only rage and never-ending hunger now flowed through his veins.

"You will die."

All the spikes finally disappeared, leaving the earth upturned yet safe again. Leo stepped forward, his tunnel vision not breaking away from the growling Voidling on the other side. With another step, the beast finally reacted, plunging two of its tails into the ground.

Only no new spikes appeared. Instead, by the Apex's sides, shadows rose, slowly shifting into two more monsters, their ruby eyes glinting.

Leo didn't stop.