Monsoon barely had time to react before the massive, grotesque beast lunged at him with terrifying speed.

The abomination was an affront to nature itself, a wretched fusion of flesh and bone that barely held together. The bodies of the three undead hounds had been melded into a single monstrous form, its shape uneven and grotesquely stretched as if the bodies had been melted into one another. The process of their fusion had left behind a nightmarish patchwork of overlapping limbs and protruding bones, too many powerful legs clawing at the earth with unnatural vigor.

Three heads snapped and snarled at once, each of them retaining a cruel semblance of independence. The center head had a hollowed-out nose, its exposed skull gleaming beneath patches of necrotic tissue. The leftmost head was missing one eye, its empty socket oozing black ichor, while the rightmost head bore a jagged, torn jaw, its teeth jutting outward in grotesque disarray. Their combined snarls created an eerie, discordant growl that sent a chill through the air.

Monsoon barely managed to avoid the first strike, shifting his weight and rolling to the side as the center head lunged with fangs bared. He landed on his feet and immediately leaped again, water rippling around his body as he dodged a powerful swipe from one of the creature’s massive, skeletal claws. It moved far too fast for something so large, its malformed body twisting with unnatural agility.

He darted around to the side, seeking an opening, but before he could strike, one of the heads lunged and snapped at his hind leg. He twisted, barely avoiding the bite, but the leftmost head struck from the opposite side.

Fangs clamped down on his flank, and pain exploded through his ribs. The stench of rot was overwhelming, the creature’s breath reeking of death and decay. Monsoon snarled, thrashing as he tried to shake it off, but the abomination held firm, its grip crushing down with enough force to tear flesh from bone.

With a surge of desperation, Monsoon gathered his remaining strength and activated one of his Skills. He had never before used Riptide Charge while being held in place, but considering the circumstances, he didn’t have better options. The liquid shockwave blasted outward, forcing the creature to release him as it staggered back for a brief moment. He landed hard on the ground, panting, his bloody wounds staining his blue fur a deep crimson. His limbs ached, his breathing was ragged, and he knew that he was running out of time.

The elf stood several feet away, watching with amusement, his lips curled in a smirk. He made no move to intervene, no indication that he was concerned about the outcome of the fight. He merely observed, his pale fingers tapping idly against his robe, as though he were watching a game rather than a battle to the death.

"You put up a good fight," the elven mage mused, tilting his head. "But in the end, you are still only a beast."

Monsoon growled low in his throat but didn't respond. His focus was entirely on the abomination before him.

It was already recovering from his attack, its three heads snapping back into position, their empty eyes locked onto him with renewed hunger.

Then, all at once, it lunged again.

Monsoon tried to dodge, but his injuries slowed him. The abomination struck him with the full weight of its body, sending him tumbling backward. The rightmost head lunged for his throat, its rotten teeth closing the distance with terrifying speed.

Before it could land the killing blow, a sudden burst of flame erupted from behind Monsoon.

The abomination let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting shriek as a spear plunged through the skull of the rightmost head, impaling it clean through.

Fire ignited from the wound, spreading like wildfire. The decayed flesh blackened and withered almost instantly, the bone beneath it cracking and splintering as the flames consumed it from the inside out. The rightmost head thrashed wildly, jaws snapping in futile agony before its flesh crumbled to ash, leaving behind only a charred, skeletal ruin.

Jack stood behind Monsoon, his grip firm on the spear still lodged in the creature’s burning skull. His eyes were narrowed in concentration, sweat beading on his brow as he channeled more fire through the weapon. The flames intensified, spreading down the abomination’s shoulder and into its twisted torso, leaving a trail of scorched muscle and bone in their wake. His Mana had recovered enough for him to put what he had been practicing to good use, although the use of Fire magic immediately depleted the new reserve. Still, he considered it a worthy sacrifice.

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The abomination staggered, its three-headed unity now shattered, its balance thrown off as one of its limbs crumbled beneath it.

Monsoon did not hesitate.

Ignoring the pain coursing through his battered body, he lunged forward with the last reserves of his strength. His powerful limbs coiled beneath him, muscles tensing like the ocean before a violent storm, and with a surge of energy, he sprang onto the abomination’s back. His claws scraped against the grotesque fusion of rotten flesh and jagged bone. The surface was slick with decay, a shifting mass of putrid muscle and exposed sinew, making it nearly impossible to find proper footing.

The abomination shrieked in rage, its remaining two heads writhing wildly, snapping at the air as it bucked and twisted in an attempt to throw him off. But Monsoon was no ordinary beast. He was a Wavewolf—born of the tides, shaped by the currents. He knew how to move with the chaos of battle, to flow like water and resist the crushing force of the storm. His claws dug deeper, slicing into decayed flesh as he anchored himself atop the monstrous fusion, even as his Frostbite Fangs tore and froze his opponents flesh.

The creature’s movements grew more erratic, driven by both fury and the agony of its burning and freezing wounds. It staggered, legs faltering, its grotesque form lurching unevenly beneath Monsoon’s weight. One of the heads twisted unnaturally, its neck bending at an angle no living thing should be capable of. Slavering jaws lunged for Monsoon’s hind leg, but he was ready.

With a powerful shift of his weight, he twisted midair, forcing the abomination to throw itself off balance as it overcommitted to the bite. The many-legged monstrosity stumbled, gouging deep trenches into the dirt as it struggled to regain its footing.

Monsoon did not waste the opportunity.

His claws and freezing teeth raked across the abomination’s back, carving through putrid flesh like a tidal surge washing away a crumbling shoreline. A sickening squelch echoed through the battlefield as decayed tissue gave way, splitting open like a rotted carcass beneath his relentless assault. The creature’s dark ichor spilled from the wounds, sizzling as it met the lingering embers of Jack’s fire magic.

The abomination howled—a sound of pure torment, its suffering fueling its desperate attempts to fight back. The leftmost head reared back, its jaw unhinging grotesquely before it lashed forward with terrifying speed. Monsoon had no time to dodge.

The monster’s rotten fangs clamped down on his shoulder.

Pain exploded through Monsoon’s body, a white-hot agony that shot through his muscles and bones. The creature’s jagged teeth punctured deep, sinking through flesh and fur, its rancid breath washing over him like the stench of death itself. Its jaws locked with crushing force, attempting to tear him from its back, to rip him apart piece by piece.

But Monsoon refused to be broken.

A deep growl rumbled in his throat, his sharp blue eyes burning with defiance. He would not fall to this wretched thing—not here, not now. He had fought against foes stronger than him before. He had survived when the rest of his pack had fallen.

And he would survive this too.

Something happened, then. Monsoon unlocked a new Skill without even meaning to. It was a Skill all Wavewolves got eventually but usually not before they reached full maturity.

However, desperation, instinct, and sheer force of will had propelled Monsoon beyond his normal limits.

Cutting Tide awakened within him.

Power surged through his veins like an oncoming storm, his very essence responding to his will. The air around him rippled with force as the water in his blood, in his fur, in the very mist that still clung to the battlefield, bent to his command.

Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, Monsoon unleashed a surge of water directly into the abomination’s exposed wound. The energy coalesced within him, condensing into a force as sharp as a whaler’s harpoon. Then, with a snarl, he let it loose.

The water magic struck with devastating precision.

A razor-thin blade of compressed liquid sliced through necrotic tissue, its edge honed by the pressure of the deep sea. The force was too much for the decayed sinew to withstand. The leftmost head let out a hideous, gurgling shriek as its flesh split apart, the wound unable to mend itself fast enough.

With a sickening crack, the last tendrils of decayed muscle snapped, and the severed head tumbled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

The abomination convulsed, its balance thrown completely off. Its final remaining head let out a raw, unnatural wail—its hollow sockets flickering with dimming necrotic light. The creature’s body trembled, its legs wobbling as the magic holding it together began to unravel.

Jack saw the moment of weakness.

Yanking his spear free from the charred remains of the first head, he sprinted forward. The abomination, struggling to remain standing, turned toward him sluggishly—too slow.

Jack lunged.

With a powerful thrust, he drove his spear straight into the abomination’s final, wretched skull.

The weapon pierced cleanly through the vacant eye socket, sinking deep into the rotting brain matter beneath. The creature let out one final, ear-splitting wail. Its last head twitched, its mouth opening in a silent scream as the necrotic magic flickered and died.

Then, with an ear-splitting crack, the abomination collapsed.

Its skeletal frame shuddered, fractures spreading like lightning through its cursed bones. The decayed flesh clinging to it withered in an instant, crumbling into fine, blackened dust. The corruption that had held it together unraveled, the remnants of its existence scattering like ash in the wind.

Within moments, there was nothing left—no corpse, no remains, only a swirling cloud of dust drifting away.

Monsoon had barely managed to leap clear before the creature’s corpse collapsed in on itself. He landed hard, his breath coming in ragged pants, his limbs trembling from exhaustion. His sleek blue fur was soaked with sweat and streaked with blood, his wounds throbbing, but he was still standing.

And he had won.