Chương 421: Savage Beast

Vale and the beast rushed toward one another. He still had no idea what Category it was, and there was no one nearby who could tell him. Normally, he would have relied on the others to judge a beast like this, but he was alone now. Still, a beast that relied so much on ambushes could not be stronger than a weak Category Four. At least, that was what Vale told himself. He could handle a Category Four. Vale grinned as he closed the gap.

His blade flashed through the air, but he twisted aside and slipped past the beast's snapping jaws. Its mouth slammed shut behind him, and the impact sent a strong shock through the forest. Vale was thrown back and hissed as the force tore through his hurt body. His back almost hit a tree, but he caught himself against the trunk and pushed away. Pain shot through his ribs immediately. Damn it. He could feel the bleeding inside him start again. He was meant to be healing, not fighting like this.

Every hard move could tear open wounds that had only just begun to close. But there was no time to worry about that now. He had to end the fight before his body gave out. I'm not as fast or strong as I'd like right now, but I'll manage. The beast turned toward him. Vale watched it with a focused look. It was much faster once it got moving. Its heavy body made turning slow, but once it chose a path, it could move far faster than he had guessed. Vale raised his blade and watched its feet, head, and eyes.

'That's my edge. I need to get behind it. If I can do that, I can make almost anything work.' The beast lowered its head and gave a low growl. It took one step, then another. Each step was slow and calm as it watched Vale. He stayed still and studied it.

'Is it waiting for me?' Most beasts would have rushed him without thought, but this one was different. It was watching him and waiting for him to slip. Smart? Maybe. Vale didn't have time to find out. He took a deep breath and lowered his stance. Then he shot forward using Lion's Claw. He did not use the skill to strike. Instead, he changed how he used it. Rather than putting all its force into his blade, Vale used it to throw his whole body forward.

His feet tore across the ground as his speed rose, carrying him toward the beast much faster than it expected. The creature saw him, but it was too late. Vale crossed the gap before it could react. The beast shut its eyes and raised its head, ready for a hit to the face. Instead, Vale dropped low and slid under its huge body. His blade flashed as he cut both knees, and the beast cried out as its legs gave way. Vale came out behind it with a grin.

He drove his blade into its thick hind leg and struck again and again. The blade sank deep, but when Vale tried to pull it free, it would not move. His face twitched.

"... Tricky bastard." He let go and jumped back as the beast turned, trying to reach him. Vale landed a few meters away with one blade still in his hand. The other was stuck in the beast's leg. He soon saw what had happened. The beast had tightened the muscles around the blade and trapped it inside its body. Vale had seen skilled fighters use the same trick, but he had never seen a beast do it before.

"You've fought humans before, haven't you?" The beast only hissed. Vale sighed.

"Yeah. Asking questions was useless. Figured." The beast charged again. It was slower now, but still fast enough to hurt him. Vale jumped aside as its huge body rushed past. He then ducked under one of its legs and grabbed the handle of his buried blade. With both hands, he pulled. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The beast reacted. Its leg rose above him. Vale looked up, and his grin faded.

"Oh, shit." The huge foot came down. Vale raised both hands and caught it. The impact nearly broke him. His legs bent under the weight, and every bone in his body seemed to scream. His knees almost gave out, but he forced himself to stay up. He twisted his stance and shoved the leg to the side. The beast's foot crashed into the ground beside him. Vale had barely moved when its tail swept toward him. It struck him hard from the side. Vale flew through the air and slammed into a tree hard enough to crack the trunk.

Pain burst through his body, and his wounds tore open again. One of his blades fell from his hand as he dropped, and he quickly grabbed his stomach. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He stared at the beast through blurry eyes.

"I hate you." Vale drove his last blade into the ground and used it to pull himself up. His legs shook, and each breath hurt. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at it.

"Am I really this weak now? I can't even beat a weak Category Four?" A bitter smile crossed his face. He slowly straightened and tightened his grip on the blade.

"... Well, I've got one card left." His breathing changed. He took slow, deep breaths, and his heart began to slow with them. The beast roared, shaking the trees and sending birds flying from the branches, but Vale paid it no mind. He closed his eyes.

'It's a shame I have to use it now.' His fingers tightened around the blade.

'But unless someone saves me, I can't win without it.' He knew the price. He knew what Nirvana would do to his body and how much pain would come after it ended. But he had no other choice.

'Even if I end up on death's door... that's still better than dying here.' His breathing became almost silent. Then the world began to fade. The forest vanished first. Then the beast. Then the pain and the sounds around him. Even the color seemed to drain from the world until nothing remained. There was only darkness. Then everything became clear. Every move was linked. Every breath, every step, every shift in the ground, every change in the air. Vale could feel all of it at once.

His whole body burned as Nirvana pushed his senses far past their normal limits. His muscles screamed, his wounds burned, and his hurt organs strained under the load. He ignored it all. His eyes opened. The beast was already charging. Vale smiled. He moved. The beast's jaws snapped shut where he had been a moment before. Vale twisted past the attack, found his footing, and rushed forward. His blade drove straight toward its head. It struck. The blade broke through its skull.

The beast recoiled as its huge body shook. It had always relied on its thick hide and strong body to keep it safe. Its skin could turn aside blades, and its body could take hits from beasts that would tear lesser creatures apart. Yet Vale had found the gap. There was one place where its guard was weak. A small gap it had never needed to protect because nothing had ever been able to reach it. Until now. Vale twisted the blade. The beast slowed. Its roar broke into a rough cry before its huge body fell to the ground.

The earth shook beneath it, and dust rose around its body. Vale stayed on his feet for a moment. Then Nirvana ended. His body began to shake as the pain hit him all at once. His organs twisted, blood vessels burst under his skin, and his muscles cramped as his body tried to deal with the harm. Vale gritted his teeth and tried to breathe, but even that was hard. Still, he was alive. He stepped away from the corpse, one slow step at a time. After the third step, his legs gave out.

Vale fell to one knee and drove his blade into the ground to keep himself up. His breathing grew heavy as pain spread through his body. Then his face changed. He vomited blood. Once. Then again. The bandages around his stomach soon turned dark. His body had been pushed far past what it could take, and he knew it. But he had won. The beast was dead. It was over. At least, it should have been. Vale lowered his head and tried to catch his breath. He needed to rest. He needed to get back to camp and let his body heal.

Then something moved behind him. Vale's eyes widened. He turned. The beast was moving. Barely. Its huge body shook as it forced itself back onto its feet. Vale stared in shock as it lifted its head and opened its jaws.

"No..." The beast lunged. There was no time to move. Again, Vale had made the wrong choice. Again, death stood right in front of him. And again, something stepped between them. A huge hand caught the beast by the snout. Its charge stopped. Vale stared. A giant stood between him and the beast. Korin. The huge man was shaking, but not from fear. He was holding himself back. With one hand, he held the beast's jaws apart as if it weighed nothing.

"Please..." Korin's voice was quiet.

"I don't want to hurt you." Vale could only stare. The beast did not care. It tried to close its jaws around Korin's arm, forcing him to sigh. His eyes slowly went empty, and the last bit of warmth left his face.

"I'm sorry." Korin moved. His fist punched through the back of the beast's jaw. Bone broke as his fingers tore into its skull. He grabbed hold and pulled with one hard motion, ripping the creature apart. The beast died. Red blood splashed across the grass. Silence returned to the forest. Korin stood over the corpse for a few seconds before turning toward Vale. His face was still grim. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no words came. After a moment, he closed it and looked away.

"I'll take your blade." Korin turned and began to walk.

"Let's go."