As soon as Renly blocked the Goblin General's strike, a look of surprise flickered across the creature's face. It was an expression of genuine disbelief, as if it hadn't expected its own attack to be blocked. For a prey that had seemed on the verge of defeat just moments ago, this was a startling turn of events.

However, the Goblin General quickly shrugged off its shock, responding with a swift kick and a horizontal slash, followed by a vicious swing of its halberd aimed directly at Renly’s torso.

But Renly was ready. Once again, he anticipated the attack, shifting his body with quick precision to narrowly avoid the slash.

Things had changed. The battle no longer felt like it had before. Even Renly himself was surprised by his own reaction. His body moved instinctively, effortlessly dodging the goblin’s powerful strike. The attack came from a strong creature, one of the dreaded second-stage Goblin Generals, known for their astonishing speed.

This was no ordinary attack, and Renly knew it should have been nearly impossible to avoid. Yet, against all odds, he had managed to evade it with ease. There was no mistaking the fact that his movements had become faster, more fluid, as though the very air had slowed down around him.

‘Is this Absolute Perception?’ he wondered.

If it wasn’t, then what else could it be?

Just like the Supreme Dragon God of Annihilation had once mirrored the power of the Sun’s Flame High God, Renly now found himself wielding a similar ability as the monster he was facing. It was a power he recognized, the ability to perceive the trajectory of an attack before it even reached him.

The colorful, almost ethereal line that marked the path of the Goblin General's halberd was unmistakable. Not only could he see it, but his reflexes had also sharpened, his movements more precise. The general's strikes, once lightning-fast, now seemed to slow down in comparison, as if time itself had bent to his will.

It was as if Renly had gained the very ability that made Goblin Generals so deadly, an ability called intuition. This innate battle sense allowed them to predict the path of incoming attacks, giving them an extraordinary advantage in combat. Combined with their remarkable speed, it made them nearly impossible to defeat by opponents of the same stage. But now, it seemed that Renly had somehow gained this very power.

The combination of these two abilities was nothing short of terrifying. Renly had seen the Goblin Generals use them against participants who dared to attack. Even the second-stage participants earlier found themselves outmatched, as the Goblin Generals effortlessly anticipated their moves, dodging attacks while countering with lightning speed.

Now, it seemed, Renly had gained this very ability. The realization sent a thrill through him. He couldn't help but feel a surge of elation. Could it be that the words he had written in that book had truly worked? At first, he’d been skeptical, dismissing the book as something useless. But now, it was clear: those words he wrote in them were far from meaningless. They had granted him this extraordinary gift. The book wasn’t just useful, it was priceless.

However, even with this newfound power, Renly knew he couldn’t afford to become complacent. A Goblin General was still a formidable opponent, especially in the second stage. And Renly? He was still in the first stage. If he wasn’t careful, he could still lose his life. Shaking off the momentary rush of triumph, he steeled his resolve and refocused his mind entirely on the battle.

It was then that a massive paw, tipped with razor-sharp claws, swiped toward him in a blur of motion. The claws were mere inches from his torso, but Renly twisted his body sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike of the Bloodhound.

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He remembered all too well the danger this beast posed. It wasn’t just the sheer power of its strikes that made it deadly, it was the dark energy that surrounded its claws. The last time Renly had been caught in one of its attacks, the wound had bled profusely. This bleeding wasn’t normal, the dark energy seemed to amplify it, sapping his strength and draining his energy with alarming speed.

He could still recall how his vitality had ebbed away after that strike, leaving him weak and vulnerable.

‘This Goblin General is already powerful enough,’ he thought grimly. ‘And now I have to contend with this Bloodhound too. I can’t afford to split my attention between them, not in a fight like this.’

His mind raced, calculating his next move. He needed a plan.

But before he could act, the Goblin General was already on the offensive. The creature had launched a powerful attack, its halberd arcing in a deadly curve. Renly’s enhanced Battle Sense flared to life, showing him the path of the strike. At first, the line appeared to curve, but then it suddenly shifted, straightening and aiming directly at him. The trajectory wasn’t fixed. The Goblin General had feinted, disguising its true intent with masterful precision.

With this discovery, Renly positioned his shield to block the Goblin General’s incoming strike while simultaneously aiming his spear—not at the general, but at the Bloodhound.

“Thrust of the Viper,” he muttered under his breath.

The move was calculated. Renly knew he couldn’t face the Goblin General while fending off the relentless attacks of the Bloodhound. His strategy was clear: he would eliminate the Bloodhound first, then focus entirely on the Goblin General. With the beast out of the way, he would have the leverage he needed to stand a chance against his formidable opponent.

The clash was immediate. The Goblin General’s halberd struck his battered shield with a sickening clang, the force reverberating through Renly’s arm. At the same moment, his spear found its target, piercing the Bloodhound’s neck with a sound like a hot knife slicing through butter.

The Goblin General’s strike was deflected, while Renly’s spear impaled the beast.

A deafening, guttural scream echoed across the battlefield as the Bloodhound bellowed in anguish. Without hesitation, Renly withdrew his spear, crimson blood gushing from the beast’s massive wound. But what he saw next froze him in place.

Dark energy, like pulsating grey smoke, coiled around the blade of his spear.

Renly’s eyes narrowed. He had seen this sinister energy before, emanating from the Bloodhound’s claws. Even before his spear struck, he had faintly noticed the same dark aura engulfing it as he executed the Thrust of the Viper. It seemed somehow the dark energy had also become a part of him, transferring to his weapon as though he had absorbed the creature's power.

Meanwhile, the Bloodhound staggered. Its cries turned into pitiful roars, blood streaming from its neck in a torrential flow. The once-mighty beast wobbled unsteadily, its strength draining rapidly. Its large body swayed, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Seeing this, the Goblin General kicked off the Bloodhound’s back with a powerful thrust of its feet, propelling itself into the air with an acrobatic twirl before landing gracefully a few steps away. The beast’s massive body crashed into the lush forest floor behind it, shaking the ground as it came to rest in a pool of its own blood.

The Goblin General cast a brief glance at the Bloodhound’s twitching, blood-soaked form before turning its furious gaze back to Renly. Its features tightened into a mask of rage and seriousness, and then it opened its mouth, letting out a guttural cry. To Renly, the sounds resembled a hedious, low-pitched cry, incomprehensible yet filled with menace.

An instant later, the Goblin General’s aura erupted in a surge of raw power. Without hesitation, it charged at Renly, its halberd gleaming ominously in the fading light.

Renly stood his ground, calm and composed. The battle had shifted dramatically in his favor. The Bloodhound was no longer a threat, and now he could focus entirely on the Goblin General. Although it was a stage higher than him in strength, he believed he had a chance.

With the combined abilities of both the Goblin General and the Bloodhound now coursing through him, Renly knew that this fight would hinge on his ability to outthink and outmaneuver his opponent.

The Goblin General closed the distance with frightening speed, swinging its halberd in a series of precise, intricate arcs. Each strike was relentless and calculated, leaving little room for error. Renly moved with precision, evading and blocking each blow with his battered shield, biding his time and waiting for the perfect moment to counter.

Every clash felt like being struck by a massive boulder. Each time he raised his shield to block, the sheer force of the halberd sent shockwaves through his body. His muscles burned, his bones ached, and his shield was now little more than a dented husk. But Renly held firm, his determination unshaken.

The Goblin General’s frustration began to show. Its movements became wilder, less measured, as it slipped into a state of frenzy, desperate to land a hit. Renly’s ability to read the trajectory of its attacks, coupled with his sharpened reflexes, allowed him to evade and block every strike thus far. Then, in one swift motion, the Goblin General launched a curved slash at him.

This time, Renly didn’t evade. Instead, he braced himself and blocked the strike head-on, enduring the bone-jarring impact. At the same moment, he saw his opportunity.

‘Now!’

With the Goblin General momentarily thrown off balance by the force of its own attack, Renly countered.

“Thrust of the Viper!”

His spear shot forward, shrouded in both spiritual energy and the dark, pulsating aura of the Bloodhound. It moved at blinding speed, aimed directly at the Goblin General’s head with lethal precision.