Chapter 545: Might not be able to pass the assessment!
Chapter 545
"Uhm, and we are to hunt ten of these? Alright, rest in peace to me." Liam gulped loudly, his grip tightening on his sword as sweat slid down his temple.
"I’m afraid so." Ray sighed, his tone grim, and without wasting a moment, the beast dashed towards the group.
"It’s three V one, get yourselves together!" Finral shouted as he dashed forward with sword in hand, his expression fierce.
The beast swung its claws towards him at immense speed, far too great for a stage two warrior like him.
He brought his sword in front of his face, blocking the claw strike by the skin of his teeth, though the sheer strength of the attack sent him skidding a few inches backward.
His heels carved trenches into the ground as sparks flew, his body trembling from the pressure. He swirled Ki into his arms to brace against the force, grit his teeth, and finally managed to parry the strike away.
Liam, deciding he couldn’t cower, bolted forward with all the speed he could muster as a stage two warrior. He leaped toward the beast’s face and swung his sword down in desperation, but the creature quickly leaned its head back, allowing the blade to slam against its tusk without leaving so much as a scratch.
"Damn it! It’s too dark in here." Liam cursed angrily, panic flashing in his eyes, as the beast’s second claw shot toward his face at blistering speed.
Dashing forward like a blur, Ray appeared directly in front of Liam with his arms crossed just in time. The beast’s claw smashed into his forearms, but the gauntlets shimmered faintly with energy, protecting him from being torn apart.
A sharp bang rang out as Ray was pushed back, his boots scraping harshly against the ground. His teeth clenched tightly, but he didn’t falter.
Twisting his body with raw force, he parried the claw away and then launched himself forward, smashing a punch directly into the beast’s chest with every ounce of strength and Ki he could muster.
The impact shook the night. The beast was shoved a meter back, its massive frame stumbling. And right in that moment, while it was still reeling, Finral appeared above it, his body spinning with momentum.
With a sharp roar that carried his will, he swung his leg in a fluid, devastating arc.
"Cyclone Fang Kick!"
BAM!
The beast was lifted off its feet and hurled a few meters away, bouncing and tumbling across the broken ground.
"Guess Yami sir taught you well." Ray chuckled under his breath, impressed, though Finral paid him no attention. The young warrior dashed straight after the beast before it could recover, determination burning in his eyes.
The monster rolled once more before planting its limbs into the ground, its crimson eyes snapping open. It shot up just in time to see Finral’s sword gleaming toward it.
Masking itself with the shadows of the night, the beast pivoted with uncanny speed, narrowly avoiding the strike. The blade sliced through empty air, the sound sharp and clean.
It appeared at Finral’s open side, ready to rip him apart with its claws, but Liam had already moved.
Sucking up every last trace of fear, he thrust his sword into the path of the claw, intercepting it. His arms quivered violently from the impact, yet he held firm. With Ki surging to his legs, he planted his feet like roots, unmoving, a defiant wall between the beast and his comrade.
"Come on!" Finral shouted, spinning around with blazing eyes. He kicked off the ground with a thunderous bang, his knee smashing directly into the beast’s face. The creature’s head snapped backward with a sickening crack.
Ray, swirling Ki into his shoulders, bolted forward like a battering ram. He crashed into the beast’s midsection with explosive force, sending its hulking body tumbling forward. The impact rattled the earth as the monster crashed into the ground, a deep crater splitting open beneath it.
Not wasting even a heartbeat, Liam leaped into the air, his sword raised high above his head, his heart pounding in his ears. He came crashing down with everything he had, determined to at least wound the monster if not end it.
But before his blade could land, the beast suddenly rolled on its back with terrifying speed. Its massive foot shot out like a battering ram, slamming into Liam’s abdomen with bone-crushing force.
"Ack!" He coughed out a mouthful of blood, his body hurling out of the air and crashing into the ground a few metres away, the earth splitting slightly on impact. Dust rose around him as he groaned faintly.
"Liam! Are you okay?!" Ray called out as he glanced behind him, his eyes widening, but he was unable to see his comrade’s full body. Shadows and dust concealed him, making it impossible to tell how bad the injuries truly were.
"Focus!" Finral’s sharp voice snapped him back to reality as the warrior appeared behind him, sword raised in a fierce guard. The blade clashed against the beast’s claws that were streaking toward Ray.
CLANG!
Claw met steel in a furious burst of sparks, the young warrior gritting his teeth as the force pressed him back. His arms shook violently, but he held on with every shred of strength.
Spinning around, Ray’s foot lashed forward, smashing into the beast’s arm with bone-cracking force.
The strike forced it to skid a few inches back, letting out a roar of pain. Without hesitation, Finral swung his sword upward in a gleaming arc, buying himself a fraction of space.
His arms spread wide deliberately, palms open, Ki swirling rapidly as if a storm were condensing inward. The energy made the air vibrate, pressure mounting. In the next second, as the beast charged forward with relentless ferocity, Finral snapped his arms together in a loud, resounding clap.
BANG!
A shockwave burst outward violently, smashing into the beast with raw power. Its entire frame lifted off the ground and went hurling backwards like a ragdoll. But just in time, someone was already waiting.
Ray’s gauntlets gleamed dangerously as he concentrated every drop of Ki into his fists, compressing it until his knuckles burned with radiant light. Without hesitation, he drove his fists forward.
BOOM!
The deafening impact echoed across the battlefield, a blast so fierce that a small hole tore open in the beast’s back. Its body shot forward again from the sheer force, crashing through dirt and rocks.
Then, someone suddenly shot out of the ground, spinning around with practiced precision. He twisted midair, eyes locked on Finral’s sword which was airborne and free falling.
His foot slammed into the hilt. The next second, the blade went whooshing forward with incredible speed. In a split second, it connected with the beast’s skull in a brutal strike, driving deep inside with a wet crack. The beast staggered and finally collapsed with a thunderous thud.
The figure landed heavily, panting in exhaustion, staggering forward with one arm gripping his abdomen for support.
"That was hard." The figure—Liam
commented with a nervous chuckle despite the blood at the corner of his lips.
"At this rate, we might not be able to pass this assessment. It took the three of us to take down a single beast. How do we plan on taking down thirty? Ten for each of us in an hour time frame. This is bad." Ray grumbled, frustration lacing his voice as he clenched his fists and looked down at his trembling hands.
"Then we look for more beasts and try ha..." Finral’s words were cut short by deep, guttural growls that rumbled across the darkened field.
The three of them froze.
Not one. Not two. Not three. But ten beasts emerged from the shadows, glowing eyes piercing the night as they surrounded the group with murderous intent.
Liam let out a weak sigh, his lips twitching. "Or the beasts come looking for us." He muttered under his breath with a hollow chuckle. "We are dead."