The beast had closed the distance on Hana in a heartbeat, its muscular limbs propelling it forward with unnatural speed. I could sense the imminent danger, my heart pounding in my chest as I barely made it in time to intercept the creature.

With every ounce of my strength, I slammed an enchanted fist into the side of its grotesque head.

Or at least, that's what I thought I did.

In a display of unexpected agility, the beast raised its elbow to block the blow, fully absorbing the impact and only being pushed a few feet back in the snow. It showed no signs of injury or pain, instead countering with a lightning-fast horizontal slash that seemed to come from nowhere.

Reflexively, I raised my elbow to protect my neck from the strike. The creature's razor-sharp claws connected with my iron-like skin, producing an incredible amount of force but failing to cut through. The impact sent me flying through the air, my body hurtling past the twisted branches and gnarled roots of the dark, snow covered forest.

I managed to right myself in midair, using the momentum to kick off a nearby tree and launch myself back towards the monster, determined to keep it away from Hana.

The young hero had constructed a makeshift barrier in the meantime; a thick shield composed of countless swords, all imbued with an eerie purple mana. Through a small peephole in the center, she kept a watchful eye on the battle. Her segmented blade swayed like a scorpion's tail, ready to strike at any moment.

The beast whipped another forelimb in Hana's direction. Her vorpal sword moved immediately to block its claws in response.

'Clang.'

The segments creaked under the weight of the strike, but did not give way. The ringing of iron had frightened the hero, but her body was still intact. She had defended, and now it was my turn to counterattack.

As I hurtled towards the beast, its attention shifted to me once more. Its pupils dilated, as if surprised I still existed.

It growled in a low, gravelly voice, "You are... alive?"

I charged headlong into the beast, sending us both tumbling through a tangled maze of trees.

It retaliated with a relentless barrage of attacks as we flew through the air, its claws raining down on my back like a merciless storm. The sheer force of the blows slammed me into the ground, tearing my wolven coats to shreds.

As soon as I hit the ground, the beast delivered a powerful kick that sent me crashing through several more trees. Gritting my teeth, I managed to right myself once more, shoving my feet into the ground to stop my flight. Roots were pulled from their resting places by my legs, sprouting from the ground in splitting fibers.

At the sight of my resilience, the creature bared its teeth in an almost grin-like expression. But even despite that fact, its eyes still showed no emotion.

Instead, it started to channel a truly monstrous amount of mana into the base of its wicked claws.

The very air around us grew heavy with the creature’s dark and malevolent energy, the aura permeating the atmosphere. It was as if a thick fog of dread had descended, suffocating us with the sheer intensity of the monster's murderous intent. Though it was already bitterly cold, it felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees, causing an involuntary shiver to race down my spine.

Its claws began to glow an ashen gray, casting an ominous light against the backdrop of the dark forest.

Up until this point, I had been somewhat complacent, confident in my ability to withstand the creature's attacks without sustaining any real damage. But now, that sense of security was gone, replaced by the cold grip of fear that threatened to paralyze me. I took a step back, my instincts screaming at me to avoid the unknown danger that the creature's claws threatened.

But that was the only moment that I allowed fear to take hold.

During that brief step backward, I noticed something crucial: the monster had, indeed, been slightly damaged by the fist I had thrown at its arm. Its thick fur was pushed back, revealing a dark bruise beneath the tangled layer of hair. That was all it took for me to shake off my nerves.

I hadn't drawn blood, but a bruise was enough.

A bruise meant I could kill it.

Immediately, I devised a very makeshift plan. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it’s all I could come up with.

(Hana, I need you to target that thing's claws. If you can slow it down in any sort of capacity, that'll make it much easier for me to keep landing hits without taking any myself. Can you do that?)

Hana responded promptly, determination ringing through her thoughts.

(Yeah, I can do that.)

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In an instant, two of the fallen Werewolves' swords broke away from her protective barrier, the serpentine blade following suit. They were aimed directly at the glowing claws of the beast, intent on making contact and hindering its lethal weapons.

Simultaneously, I closed the distance between myself and the creature, opting to advance on foot where I could more accurately gauge the distance and the best moment to strike. My every muscle tensed, ready to react at a moment's notice.

The moment the ashen gray mana extended to the monster's feet, however, I sensed a sudden and dramatic increase in its capabilities.

The realization dawned on me too late, however, as the creature had already closed the distance between us with such speed that it seemed to have teleported. Hana's enchanted blades couldn't keep up at all, allowing the monster to swipe at me with a vengeance.

But this time, I was prepared.

Having already witnessed this same exact horizontal attack, I had anticipated it and planned my counterattack accordingly, like any martial artist worth their salt.

I ducked under the gray claws, simultaneously executing a sweeping kick to knock the monster's legs out from under it. They didn't break apart like my previous foes, but the force was enough to lift them off the ground, and the gray mana dissipated from its feet in response. I swung around into a frog-like crouching position, second leg poised to strike.

I was about to follow up with a spinning side kick, taking advantage of the momentum I had already generated, but I noticed the muscles in the creature's arms tensing for another cut. Instead, I used the momentum to roll out of the way preemptively, predicting an erratic strike as the monster fell. My instincts proved correct.

The ferocious strike cleaved through the snow and the ground beneath it as if they offered no resistance. The beast's claws cut effortlessly through the material, and in that moment, I realized that my own defenses were just as useless as anyone else’s.

If it landed a hit on me, I would surely die.

But fortunately, I didn't have to dwell on that thought for long. I held the advantage, and the creature had thrown a reckless strike, leaving it momentarily vulnerable.

It was still suspended in the air, its attack having been executed in the blink of an eye. But in that brief moment, its back was exposed to me, and I figured it was about time to tap into Hana’s bloody spoils.

"[Heaven's Might: Gravitum]!"

Mana surged through my fists like a raging river, creating an intense vibrating sensation in my arms. As the power coursed through my veins, it infused my limbs with an incredible lightness, making them feel as weightless as air.

I clasped my hands together, forming a hammer-like shape, and prepared to deliver the same attack that had killed Amhar.

With a resounding crack, my arms cut through the air at breakneck speeds, generating a whipping noise that pierced the eerie silence of the forest. I brought down the hammering blow directly into the ribcage of the beast, the impact resonating with a wicked gong-like sound that echoed throughout the dark woods. Vibrations shook the air, creating ripples in the snow.

The force of my attack propelled the creature at lightning speed into the ground, creating a small crater upon impact. It collided with the forest floor and bounced up again, momentarily disoriented. Seizing the opportunity, I threw another punch at its chest, sending it spiraling through the air once more. It tried to right itself in mid-flight, but I was relentless in my pursuit.

Applying [Gravitum] to my legs as well, I increased my speed exponentially, launching myself into the air above the beast.

I executed a powerful axe kick, driving it back into the ground with overwhelming force.

During our frantic skirmish, we had inadvertently moved closer to Hana and Claire, and now, several blades soared towards the monster as it lay in the freshly created crater.

The enchanted blades made contact with the creature, sprouting icicles all over its body, effectively pinning it down and momentarily halting its movements. Knowing that Hana's attack wouldn't actually deal any significant damage to the beast, I decided to capitalize on the situation and send a blast of mana into the cluster of ice.

"[Asura's Fist]!" I roared, channeling my power into a single, explosive attack.

The blast of mana connected with the ice, causing a mesmerizing explosion of frost and ice shards that filled the air. As the overcast sunlight filtered through the frozen water, refractions of light danced through the air like fireflies. Amidst the chaos of battle, it was a fleeting moment of beauty.

Hana, inspired by my attack, decided to utilize the Inquisitors' skill in her own offense. She drew a deep breath and shouted with conviction.

"[Gravitum]!"

A palpable vibration shook the air as her segmented blade became imbued with the powerful magic, propelling it towards the monster at an incredible speed.

However, in a surprising display of resilience, it deflected Hana's magically-enhanced blade just before it could make contact. The chain of a blade was hit hard enough to yank it from Hana’s grip, rocketing it into a bank of snow. Hana, in response, attempted to apply the enchantment to her other swords as well, but I could sense from her strained thoughts that the skill demanded too much focus to be applied to multiple targets remotely. So instead, she applied it to another of her random blades, waiting for my next attack.

We had landed quite a number of direct strikes by this point. If the tide of the fight kept going our way, this battle would soon be over.

Despite its apparent ability to continue fighting, the creature's body bore the marks of our relentless assault. It was evident that the [Gravitum] enchantment had taken a considerable toll on it.

Its previously sleek fur was now matted and disheveled, caked with dirt, snow, and blood. The once taut and powerful muscles that had allowed it to move with such unnatural speed and agility now quivered and bruised, betraying their fatigue. It had been reduced to all but a hunched and weakened form, struggling as it fought to remain standing.

And yet, even in the face of such overwhelming adversity, its eyes still did not waver.

They did not so much as blink in the face of impending death.

There was no trace of pain in those depths, nor even a glimmer of fear.

They only showed…

Hunger.

Through the agony it undoubtedly felt, the creature's vicious, toothy grin only seemed to burrow deeper into its narrow face, until it finally reached its eyes, transforming them into bottomless pools of darkness, their insatiable craving laid bare.

And with that chilling revelation, the beast opened its mouth, its voice emerging as a guttural growl that reverberated through the very air itself.

"Finally... prey worth killing."

And its body began to contort.