Just as Elysian had predicted, he was now reduced to killing night tooths one at a time instead of in droves as before. He wanted to flicker some stones to kill them, but the way they only showed themselves when they were so close, it would be quite hard to hit them. He quickly realized that continuing to fight these creatures was merely wasting his energy. Fortunately, the Shroud of Tenebris working in tandem with the Uroko Kōshin provided excellent protection, allowing him to shrug off most of the night tooths' attacks. Yet he knew this was no solution—merely a momentary reprieve from his desperate predicament.

"Hebi no Hayasa," Elysian whispered as he sprinted away from the night howler, testing whether the beast had finally had enough of him and would let him go.

Sadly, it wasn't the case. Before he could even go far, another mental attack assaulted his consciousness, momentarily freezing him in his tracks.

'This annoying mutt just won't let me go. Hebi no Suikyō.'

Gritting his teeth, Elysian began dodging in a random direction, anticipating the inevitable attack. And just as he expected, the night howler's enraged maw materialized from the fog, nearly taking his head off. Only his feet being firmly planted on the ground allowed him to change direction at the last possible moment.

Rather than confront the beast directly, Elysian chose to flee. Their situations were now reversed—he could let time do its work while focusing on staying alive. The night howler seemed to finally realize this, noticing its wounds weren't healing but instead bleeding more severely. Yet instead of retreating, the beast only intensified its pursuit.

'Damn it, it's not kidding around. I really must have pissed off this b*stard.'

Elysian ran for his life, channeling most of his aura into his legs to boost his speed. But before he could gain significant distance, another mental attack struck him. Unlike before, the night tooths materialized around him, using their jaws to slow his movements while their master rapidly closed the gap.

With the night tooths holding him down, Elysian could not use Shadowstep to escape. As the night howler's massive maw descended upon him, he stared death in the face. In desperation, he quickly used Nightmare Weave, materializing a larger night howler from thin air.

The night tooths immediately released him and backed away, afraid of the illusion. Even their master retreated back, maintaining an aggressive stance while growling cautiously.

Elysian observed the effect of his ability and was greatly disappointed by it.

'Just as I expected. It did not work'

While Night Weave had succeeded in terrifying the night tooths, who trembled before the illusion, its effect on their master was limited. This came as no surprise—the difference in their cultivation levels was simply too great to summon something truly frightening to the night howler. Instead, his ability had only managed to conjure something that rivaled it.

Though it was not perfect, the illusion had saved him from certain death—something he was grateful for and wouldn't take lightly.

The night howler circled the illusionary beast warily, crimson droplets painting the ground from its wounds. Elysian seized the moment to escape, using Shadowstep again, propelling himself in the opposite direction. His chest burned with each ragged breath, desperation clawing at his insides. The earlier clash had shattered his confidence—facing the night howler wasn't merely suicide, it was a brutal reminder of the huge gulf between them.

Time worked against them both. The night howler's blood drew a macabre trail behind it, while Elysian's repeated use of aura left him teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Each heartbeat brought them closer to their limits—either the beast would succumb to its wounds, or Elysian's aura would fade, leaving him defenseless.

‘I hope this b*stard had enough and won’t go after me anymore. I’m not some easy prey that it could just carelessly hunt. I’m more trouble than I’m worth.’

With the night tooths cowering in terror and his enemies distracted, Elysian pushed himself further than before. Hope, fragile as morning frost, began to bloom in his chest. The darkness ahead seemed to thin, promising escape, salvation—until reality crashed down with the force of an avalanche.

The night howler's maw materialized from the shadows, a cavern of gleaming fangs and dark void. Elysian's body twisted on instinct, but not fast enough. Time slowed to a crawl as razor-sharp teeth cleaved through flesh and bone. A sound like wet branches snapping filled his ears, followed by a spray of warmth across his face. His right arm vanished into the beast's stomach, leaving only a ragged stump below his shoulder. Neither his Shroud of Tenebris nor Uroko Kōshin had offered any resistance against those terrible jaws.

The world tilted sideways. White-hot agony exploded through his shoulder, stealing his breath before his voice could form a scream. His remaining hand clutched at the stump, fingers slipping in the torrent of blood. The sight of his own severed flesh sent waves of nausea crashing through him, his mind struggling to accept the sudden asymmetry of his body.

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But the night tooths granted him no reprieve to process his mutilation. They descended from all directions, forcing him to move despite the shock threatening to paralyze him. Each dodge sent fresh waves of agony through his shoulder, blood flowing freely with every movement.

The night howler lunged again, jaws snapping for his remaining arm. Elysian's legs betrayed him, buckling beneath the weight of blood loss and exhaustion. The stumble saved him, sending him sprawling beneath the creature's deadly bite. Pressed against the cold ground, terror and defiance warred within him. His vision swam, darkness creeping at the edges, but his spirit remained unbroken. Even cornered, even maimed, he would not surrender to death without a fight.

Through gritted teeth and iron will, he forced his trembling body to rise. If this was to be his last stand, he would face it on his feet.

"Come, you fucking mutt!" Elysian's voice cracked, blood dripping from his remaining arm as he raised BloodShade. His legs trembled, but he forced them still. "If I'm going to die here, I'll surely take you with me!"

Crimson blood traced patterns down his torn sleeve where his right arm used to be. Each heartbeat sent fresh waves of agony through the mangled stump, each pulse carrying more of his life away. The night howler's yellow eyes tracked every drop, its massive form casting long shadows in the moonlight. Around them, countless night tooths circled, their teeth gleaming like needles in the dark.

Earlier, he had clung to hope that if he could just buy enough time and focus on survival, he might escape this situation relatively unscathed. But the moment he lost his arm, that hope vanished like mist. He was now bleeding as badly as the night howler, his aura nearly exhausted. Worse still, endless night tooths waited in the shadows, ready to tear him apart. Driven into a corner, he could no longer see any path to survival. The fight had escalated far beyond what he had anticipated. His previous confidence—the certainty that he could escape any situation unharmed—now seemed like a child's naive dream. Reality had humbled him, and he could only bite his lip in bitter resignation.

'Hey Eye, can you offer me some f*cking help? If I die here, you might die as well.'

Elysian heaved breathlessly, waiting for the Eye of Sacraeon's response. Like before, he was met with only silence. He had expected as much. Apart from its earlier warning, the artifact had remained quiet throughout the battle, even when he lost his arm. This silence was peculiar, especially considering the artifact's usual tendency for insult-driven rants. He had his suspicions. Perhaps it had already foreseen his doom. Though powerful, he suspected the Eye's abilities were limited to affecting his mind and consciousness, likely because he hadn't taken full ownership of it. This theory was based on his experience with fully owning BloodShade and the scattered information she had provided him.

'Damn it, I never expected my life to end this way. I've barely begun. Why did I make the foolish decision to play the hero?

Sigh.

Yet I could never leave those soldiers to their doom when I had the power to prevent it, even though I've been proven terribly wrong. I don't regret it – I couldn't live with myself if I had walked away.

But that doesn't make this suck any less.'

The night howler tensed, muscles rippling beneath its scarred hide. Elysian tightened his grip on BloodShade, ignoring how the hilt slipped in his blood-slicked palm. His heart thundered in his chest—not with fear, but with a burning defiance that coursed through his veins like liquid fire.

If death wanted him, it would have to work for its meal.

With a roar that tore at his throat, Elysian charged forward. BloodShade's edge caught the moonlight as he hurtled toward the beast, his final prayer not for survival, but for the strength to carve his vengeance into the monster's flesh.

"Oshiyoseru!" Elysian's scream ripped from his lungs as his aura surged through his legs like lightning. The world blurred around him as he launched himself straight toward the night howler's gaping maw. Yellowed fangs larger than daggers filled his vision, hot breath reeking of death washing over him. But before those jaws could tear him apart, Elysian's remaining arm stabbed upward, striking true. The blade sank deep into the beast's snout with a satisfying crunch.

‘That’s what you get, you f*kcing mutt!’

The Night Howler's agonized howl shattered the night air. Its massive head whipped back, sending droplets of dark blood arcing through the moonlight. Massive claws slashed through the space where Elysian had been a heartbeat before, but he was already moving. Using the embedded blade as an anchor, he swung himself upward, the wind whistling past his ears as he vaulted over the beast's thrashing head.

He soared toward the night howler's eyes, BloodShade poised to blind the damnable creature. But before his blade could exact its vengeance, the beast dissolved into mist, leaving Elysian to roll across the hard ground.

'Damn it!

Hebi no Suikyō.'

The words barely left his mind before instinct took over. Elysian's body moved in a random direction, each step unpredictable. The air behind him shifted–a telltale sign. The Night Howler materialized from the mist, its rage-filled eyes blazing like hellfire, jaws snapping at empty air where he had been just moments before.

"Raijin no Ikari," he whispered, lunging forward with Crimson Sacrifice. The knife sang through the air, finding its mark in the beast's unprotected flank, releasing dark blood that painted abstract patterns across the ground.

The Night Howler's retaliatory strike cut through empty air again as Elysian slipped between its legs. BloodShade left a burning trail along the beast's belly, drawing another pained shriek from the monster. The young noble rolled across the ground, the impact jarring his wounded body, but he didn't stop moving. He couldn't.

The night howler dissolved once more into mist, materializing behind him with fangs poised to tear him apart. But Elysian was ready. He melted into shadow, using Shadowstep to appear above the creature's head. Channeling every ounce of his remaining aura into BloodShade, he descended, aiming for the beast's hateful eye. The night howler's sudden movement caused his strike to miss its target, but the blade found purchase nonetheless, severing one of its ears in a spray of blood.

The beast vanished again, only to materialize above him, faster than before, its massive jaws clamping down on Elysian's left leg. Bone splintered with a sickening crack, tearing his leg away. As blood erupted from Elysian's mouth, it only fueled his fury. Elysian laughed–a wild, manic sound. His remaining leg shot up, boots connecting with teeth as he used the beast's own bite to propel himself forward. A maniacal grin split his face as he drove his blade fueled by Crimson Sacrifice deep into the night howler's eye.

"Let's die together, you fucking bastard!" Blood sprayed from his lips as he screamed, his face split in a feral grin as he stared into the ruined eye of his enemy. Battle lust consumed him, turning his world red and his thoughts to fire. "True Emergence - Medea."

The air itself seemed to bleed, as the dark night suddenly became crimson, transforming darkness into a hellish dawn.