"Haha! Another powerful core for daddy's collection!"
With a quick and efficient motion, Long Chen ripped the brown demon core from the crushed skull of the Four-Armed Ape, feeling the raw and chaotic energy emanating from within. He stored it in his interspatial ring, a satisfied smile on his face despite the pain in his chest.
But his celebration was short-lived.
– ROOOOAR! –
– SKREEEEE! –
– HISSSSSSS! –
Roars and screeches from three different directions tore through the air, converging on his location like a beacon of death. He looked up, and his heart, which had barely calmed, began to race again. His face turned pale instantly.
From the east, slithering across the ground with terrifying speed, came a Lightning Serpent. Its body was long and dark blue, covered in scales crackling with arcs of electricity. With every movement, it left a trail of ozone in the air.
From the west, approaching with heavy steps that made the ground tremble, was a Blazing Earth Dragon. It looked like a colossal armored lizard, with rocky plates on its back and a mouth glowing with the heat of a furnace, expelling puffs of smoke.
And from the skies, descending in a deadly dive, a Golden Falcon, its metallic feathers gleaming under the sun, its wings creating razor-sharp gusts of wind with every beat.
Long Chen's expression turned deadly serious. His instincts screamed for him to use [Shadow Steps] and escape. He could die and simply wake up in his room, unharmed. But a glance at the cave entrance behind him made him plant his feet. Inside, the fox and her cubs were completely vulnerable. If he fled now, they would become a feast for those three demon beasts.
"Shit!" he spat. "Don't tell me they're here for the same reason. If it were just one, I could kill it. Two, I could fight and maybe survive. But three... this is going to be hell."
He glanced toward the cave.
The cave remained silent. The fox mother showed no signs of waking anytime soon.
But Long Chen had already made his decision. He wouldn't back down. If he protected her once, he could protect her again. At most, he'd count this as another unfavorable combat experience.
A defiant smile appeared in his eyes.
"Alright, you bastards," he muttered, the Glory Staff materializing in his hand. "If I'm going to die, I'm 80% sure... but I'm definitely taking at least one of you with me."
He quickly activated his eyes and began analyzing the three fast-approaching demon beasts.
He needed to eliminate a threat quickly. The Earth Dragon was slow, a tank. The Lightning Serpent was fast, but its reach was limited. The Falcon, however... was the biggest threat. With aerial advantage and long-range wind attacks, it could harass him endlessly while he fought the other two.
"You'll be the first, birdy!"
SKREEEEE!
As if it heard the challenge in Long Chen's voice, the Golden Falcon dove, its talons outstretched and wings unleashing a barrage of wind blades.
Woosh! Woosh!
Long Chen moved, his body turning into a shadow. [Shadow Steps] carried him to the side in calculated leaps, the wind blades slicing the air where he had been, leaving deep marks in the ground. At the same time, from a distance, the Earth Dragon opened its mouth.
FWOOOSH!
A jet of orange fire swept through the clearing. Long Chen leapt backward again, feeling the scorching heat graze his skin. In that moment, the Lightning Serpent seized the distraction, shooting forward like a blue bolt, its fangs dripping with blue venom.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Long Chen spun, the staff whistling through the air, and deflected the serpent's strike, feeling the static electricity raise the hairs on his arms. He was being pressed from three sides, a deadly dance of dodges and counters.
But he was waiting.
The Falcon, frustrated that its ranged attacks had failed, dove again—this time lower, faster, intending to tear him to pieces with its talons.
"Now!"
The moment the falcon was just meters away, Long Chen's eyes shone with a blinding purple light. [Soul-Paralyzing Eye]!
The falcon's screech was cut off mid-sound. Its body froze in the air, golden eyes wide in shock and confusion. It was completely vulnerable, falling from the sky in freefall.
"Take this!" Long Chen roared.
SWOOSH!
He spun, using all his momentum to hurl the Glory Staff like a spear. The staff, wrapped in his Soul Force, flew through the air with deadly precision.
SQUELCH!
It pierced the Golden Falcon's chest, cutting through feathers and muscle, blood falling like rain from the sky. The majestic bird let out a final, bubbling gurgle and crashed into the ground with a dull, fatal thud.
"Perfect! One down!" Long Chen shouted, a wave of wild excitement rising in him. But now he was unarmed.
ROOOOAR!
HISSSSSSS!
The Dragon and the Serpent, seeing their ally fall, roared in fury. The serpent struck first, its body a blue blur zigzagging through the air. Long Chen dodged to the side but wasn't fast enough.
TSSSS!
A lightning arc jumped from the serpent and hit his shoulder. A sharp, paralyzing pain surged through him. He smelled his own burning flesh—horrible, like barbecue. "You bitch!" he shouted, his arm numb.
The Earth Dragon took advantage of his hesitation. Another jet of fire came his way. He rolled aside, but the edge of the flames caught him, setting his pants on fire and burning his leg. The pain was intense, but adrenaline held it back.
He needed his weapon. He dashed toward the falcon's corpse, limping and arm tingling. He grabbed the Glory Staff, bloodied and hot, and yanked it free.
CRACK!
The wood, already damaged from countless battles, couldn't take it. The staff snapped in half, leaving him with two short, useless pieces.
"You've got to be kidding me?!" he bellowed at the sky, frustration mixing with pain.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Earth Dragon advanced, its weight making the ground quake. The Lightning Serpent circled, waiting for an opening. Long Chen was cornered, between the two, with broken weapons, wounded, and exhausted.
At that moment, the Dragon charged with a burst of speed Long Chen didn't expect. By the time he realized, it was too late.
BAM!
The Dragon struck him with its massive tail, a brutal blow that flung him like a ragdoll. The air was knocked from his lungs with a wet gasp.
He flew backward, spitting blood and saliva, crashing violently against the rocky wall near the cave entrance. Stones smashed into his back, pain exploding in a white haze in his vision.
Cough! Cough!
Sliding to the ground, he looked up at the two slowly approaching beasts, savoring the moment. He knew this was the end. There was no way to hold out much longer. One death, two deaths... it didn't matter. But then his pain-clouded gaze locked on the dark entrance behind him.
The image of the fox mother, vulnerable and dying, protecting her cubs, flashed in his mind. If he died here, the beasts would surely investigate the cave.
No... I can't let that happen.
A new determination ignited his spirit—not born from a will to survive, but from the need to protect. He leaned on the broken staff pieces and, with tremendous effort, stood up, swaying.
"Hey, you useless monsters!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and defiant, spitting a bloodied tooth. "Your dinner's escaping! Come get me if you can!"
With that taunt, he channeled what remained of his Soul Force.
Swoosh!
He activated [Shadow Steps]. But this time it wasn't smooth. His body flickered, turning into a trembling, unstable shadow. He began to run—more like stumble—away from the cave, limping and tripping, a desperate decoy luring the predators away from his adopted nest.
The beasts' fury was instant. The idea of their prey escaping was an intolerable insult. They ignored the cave—and the chase began.
Jets of fire roared beside him, burning trees and turning the ground into black glass. Arcs of lightning hissed through the air, crackling dangerously close to his head. Bloodied, with several broken bones, he zigzagged desperately, each step sending waves of agony through his wounded body.
He was fast, but he was hurt and bleeding. The Lightning Serpent, with its explosive speed, reached him first.
TSSSS-CRACK!
A bolt struck him square in the back. Electricity convulsed his muscles, and he screamed as his body locked in mid-air before crashing face-first to the ground. The smell of burned flesh filled his nostrils again.
Before he could even think of rising, the Earth Dragon was on him. A massive claw, the size of his head, came down with crushing force.
CRUNCH!
The claw struck his shoulder and chest—the same spot the ape had smashed earlier. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the clearing. A gruesome wound opened, flesh torn, ribs exposed. He was thrown aside, rolling in the dirt and leaves, leaving a bloody trail behind him.
"Gah... ahhh..." A groan of pure agony escaped his lips. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey. The pain was absolute, a dark ocean drowning him.
The Lightning Serpent hissed in triumph, raising its head for the final strike. The Blazing Earth Dragon approached, its mouth beginning to glow orange with a final, fatal blast of fire.
"So this is the end of round three?" He had bought all the time he could, and his life would end right there, even if they didn't finish him.
But then, just as the serpent was about to strike, something changed.
An aura.
It wasn't intense—but it was... powerful. An overwhelming and terrible pressure descended on the clearing, so heavy the air itself seemed to thicken. It didn't come from the skies, nor from the depths of the earth.
It came from within the cave.
GRRRRR...?
The Blazing Earth Dragon, mouth still glowing, froze. The light in its throat flickered and died. The Lightning Serpent, mid-strike, halted as if it had hit a glass wall, its body trembling uncontrollably.
The eyes of the two powerful demon beasts, once filled with predatory fury, now widened with a different emotion.
Terror.
A primordial, instinctual terror—straight from their bloodlines.
They turned slowly, like automatons, and stared at the dark cave entrance from which that unimaginable aura emanated, completely forgetting the dying prey at their feet.