"CHIK-CHIK!"
The primate screamed during its escape, seeming to have gone frantic with fear in its movements.
Its predator tried to channel mana into its legs. At first, there was no response, but with stubborn persistence, the mana finally answered his call. The ground yielded beneath the strength of his limbs, and shimmering with a translucent glow, they exploded into speed.
"Fiiuuum" slicing through the air.
The target was now within reach and his short sword found the creature's flesh.
"scree! screech!" it grunted, bleeding from its back.
It rolled from the impact, crashing in its run.
The Evox stood frozen, paralyzed by pain, watching Seran approach with an indifferent gaze.
Finally, he had the prey in sight.
Still impressed by the speed displayed, he raised his armed arm and brought the blade down decisively, severing the creature's head…
But something was strange.
The gaze.
The grin it gave him before dying.
A mocking smile was directed at Seran.
His senses took a moment to understand the meaning of that final insult.
"If you look at a leaf, you lose the tree. If you look at a tree, you lose the forest."
These were the words of a sage he suddenly remembered:
Seven presences, all similar to the fallen one, were in the trees—and leading them was something that did not fit within this chorus of malice. A greater presence. A larger one.
A Tier 1.
Adrenaline began to pump through the boy's body. His pupils dilated. His breathing became short.
The stalemate was broken by a fruit falling from a nearby tree.
Chaos began. The silence filled with noise.
"I need to break the encirclement," he thought, pushing himself toward the most distant T0 from the pack leader.
Switching the short sword for the longer one that appeared from his ring, the first primate—confused by this sleight of hand—did not have time to respond.
1 down. 7 still standing.
He stepped back to gain space. The monsters, shocked by his reaction, hesitated for a moment.
But their rage returned.
Four of them lunged at him. Regaining his breath, he moved with rhythm, dodging their uncoordinated but ferocious attacks, waiting for the right moment.
"shkhks"
A horizontal slash took two heads at once.
"Good. Rhythm and patience," Seran thought.
With a side step, he drew mana into his free hand, and a wave of energy blasted the remaining two away.
"I did it on the first try," he shouted.
And without hesitation, he finished the stunned enemies.
Stepping back again, he felt a slight fatigue, likely caused by his crude use of mana.
Three Evox remained.
The last two T0 attempted to flee, but were grabbed by their tails by the Tier 1.
Shocked by this turn of events, they were slammed into the ground.
"BOOOM."
Broken bones and shattered bodies were all that remained.
The expression of the T1 was filled with indignation. How could members of its pack flee in the presence of such a weak being? As if to say that it would not be able to win, and that escape was the only option.
Stunned by the situation, Seran remained perplexed, unable to comprehend such behavior.
But the real question was now:
"Can I beat it?"
In front of him was no weakened T1, no injured or broken creature.
A proud predator, ready for battle.
The Evox beat its chest repeatedly.
The silence was broken by the echoing thuds, like drums announcing the start of the real fight.
Seran tightened his grip on his sword.
His feet carved into the ground, ready to spring like coiled springs.
And the battle began.
A wide right hook rushed toward his face in an instant.
Dropping under the trajectory, he dodged and thrust his blade into the exposed side.
Ferociously, the beast answered with a backhand strike that sent him flying.
"I should have put more strength into that strike," he thought as inertia carried him away.
His lungs emptied for a moment. His orientation became confused.
Recovering his stance, he called mana into his free hand.
But no energy burst followed.
"No response."
"Damn it, that was just beginner's luck!!!"
Before he could counterattack, the enemy rushed him again, using its arms as stabilizers to perform a dropkick to his chest.
His ribcage cracked.
The wind whipped his hair left and right.
Blood was spat from his mouth.
Using his sword as a brake against the ground, he stopped his flight.
"Huff… huff…" he tried to regain his breath, assessing his condition.
"One or two cracked ribs… could've been worse," he muttered ironically.
His eyes searched for the target, who roared proudly, stomping the ground as if inviting the Tower back into battle.
"You don't know what's coming…"
He charged again.
The closer he got to the creature, the more the world seemed to slow down.
The sound of his movement became distorted.
The preparation of the Evox's punch slowed.
He noticed how its left side was exposed to a future where it would be struck.
As if in a trance, his body moved before his thoughts.
Faking a slash to the creature's right, he made it react—and then changed trajectory, striking its actual right side.
"sksskk"
The blade tore through much of the enemy's flank, breaking through flesh and muscle.
Taking advantage of the opening and the enemy's agony, he struck its left arm.
But instinctively, the beast twisted its body, preventing a full sever, though suffering a severe wound to the shoulder.
Roaring in pain and driven by rage, it slammed into Seran with its shoulder, forcing distance between them.
"This happened again… that strange sensation…"
"If I could use it at will, I would have already won…"
Circling each other, the two stared down.
The end was near…
But just as everything was about to resume—
"ROOOOAR…"
A being even more terrifying and massive appeared…