Seth's muscles tensed and coiled like springs as he activated his Protecting Belt, aether swirling around him to form a shimmering blue layer. His core erupted in his chest, flooding every fiber of his body with torrents of its mysterious energy—it was time to thrive.

Pushing aether into Huntbound Rush's and Dark Shocking Strike's grooves, Seth spun around, charged, and closed the gap with the Gnoll Barbarian in a heartbeat. The hulking beast cackled and swung its right ax, aiming for Seth's throat, but he ducked underneath and threw a fierce punch into the creature's gut, fist crashing into the stone-like muscles.

Dark lightning arcs surged across the Gnoll's massive body, sizzling and crackling, yet it barely winced before slashing down its axes. Stepping aside, Seth dodged the first one and had just started to prepare to block the second when Nightmare appeared behind the hyena-like beast and buried his fangs into its shoulder amid a cloud of dark, corrosive smoke.

The Gnoll howled in pain as patches of its fur fell, the spell eating slowly through its flesh. With a violent jerk it dislodged the direwolf from its shoulder and whipped its axes around in a spin, the blades flashing in the light and seeking flesh. Seth lunged forward and planted his boots firmly into the red clay before raising his gauntlet to block the attack. The reinforced protective pads creaked under the force of the blow, and he gritted his teeth. He didn't wait though and seized the opening, drove his fist upward, and slammed the beast's muzzle shut.

Roaring in anger, the Gnoll lifted its weapons to cleave him in half, but before it could, Nightmare pounced again, biting and corroding its upper back this time. Swiveling around, the beast flung the direwolf away before slashing its axes toward Seth, the blades whistling through the air before hitting his gauntlet once more.

Pain shooting up through his shoulder, Seth absorbed the strike then quickly unleashed a barrage of punches, ramming his fists into the beast's abdomen. With a growl, the Gnoll raised its weapons, and hissing aether flared around their surfaces. An instant later, the hyena-like creature swung the axes down in a deadly arc, but Seth vanished and reemerged from its shadow, using the momentum to slam his gauntlet into its flank. Simultaneously, Nightmare struck on the other side and tore through the Gnoll's flesh.

As the fight unfolded, they seemed to have the upper hand despite the massive gap in attributes. Their high Agility and coordination let them dance around the beast, striking with precision and swiftly evading its axes. Together, they were a storm of shadows and fury, pushing the large creature back and forcing it to defend rather than attack.

But then the tide shifted.

The Gnoll Barbarian's yellow eyes turned red, and aether started crackling around its body like an electric storm. The beast's strength and speed skyrocketed, its movements becoming blurs that Seth's eyes could barely follow. Strikes that had once missed him by a mile now grazed his skin and cleaved the ground underneath in half without even touching it.

Shockwaves of dust and debris shot up into the air with each of the beast's swings while Seth and Nightmare desperately kept dodging. They found themselves reacting only on instinct, pushing their body and speed to the limits of their limits. Each dodge was an escape from death, each counterattack a gamble against the Gnoll's relentless onslaught.

Teleporting into the Gnoll's shadow once more, Seth delivered a hard punch into its ribs—but the enraged beast seemed to have anticipated the attack and, in a whirl, whipped its aether-clad axes around.

Before Seth could parry, the curved blades slammed into his Protecting Belt's barrier over his shoulder like a pair of charging bulls, sending him sprawling over a dozen yards away. The rugged ground bit into his skin, and pain seared through his body; from that one attack two thirds of the defensive artifact's aether had vanished.

Nightmare let out a furious growl and pounced out of the Gnoll's shadow, engulfing the beast's back in a thick cloud of black smoke. With a deafening howl, the massive hyena-like beast immediately threw him off and slashed, axes carving his flank. The direwolf yelped, blood gushing from the two giant wounds as he tried to dash away—before he could, the Gnoll lunged forward and kicked him, crushing multiple ribs and sending him tumbling across the red clay.

"Nightmare!" Seth roared as the large beast charged at the whimpering direwolf, axes raised for a killing blow. Fucking shit!

Desperately reaching into his pouch, Seth's fingers found one of Toren's single-use wands. With a defiant cry, he snatched it out and pointed it. "Eat that!"

Aether surged through the wand, coalescing into a blazing inferno that shot toward the Gnoll. The torrent of pure, searing flames crashed into the beast, engulfing it instantly, scorching fur and flesh alike. The creature ensuing howl pierced the air, not with fury, but raw agony. The beast thrashed frantically, clawing at the conflagration clinging to its body in a desperate attempt to put it out.

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Seizing the moment, Seth charged forward. His core, pulsing like a second heart in his chest, erupted and flooded him with heightened instincts while also fueling his rage. The surge of power rushed through his veins as he activated the Swift Eagle Bracelet and poured aether into Huntbound Rush. His fists blurred, crashing into the Gnoll's hard body with thunderous force.

The beast, still wreathed in flames, roared and fought back, lashing out with wild fury. Weakened by injuries and pain, its movements were slower, but its ferocity remained.

Blows for blows, slashes for punches, Seth traded with the Gnoll, giving in to his inner beast. The beast's axes tore through the remaining aether of Seth's belt in mere seconds, and crimson lines soon appeared on his arms, torso, and cheek, yet he pursued his relentless assault.

Wounds, blood, pain—they were nothing more than background noise in his mind. All that mattered was to kill that thing. To forge and thrive through his Path.

The Gnoll's bare chest was covered with charred patches and bruises, its once pristine dark fur now matted with blood. Half of its body was corroded, chunks of flesh peeling off and falling every time it moved. Yet despite all that, the beast snarled and whipped its axes again and again.

Seth's mind and body moved as one, eliminating any hesitation or wasted movement, and he poured almost all the aether he'd regenerated into Huntbound Rush's grooves. This was the strongest he had ever been, the absolute peak of his power—yet it still didn't seem to be enough.

The Gnoll was simply stronger, faster, and more durable.

Yet, Seth fought on regardless. Running away was not an option; surviving that way wouldn't be right. He would win, or die trying.

As Seth kept dodging and punching, his arms gradually grew heavier and his breath turned shallow, his lungs burning inside his chest. The Gnoll's heavy strikes drove him back inch by inch, each blow landing against Seth's reinforced gauntlets with brutal force that made him wince.

Just as death seemed to be closing on him, a dark blur charged from the side.

A small black wolf made of pure shadow darted toward the Gnoll and pounced, engulfing it in writhing darkness. The hyena-like beast spun and howled in pain while dark tendrils covered in thorns enveloped its limbs. The massive Gnoll immediately dropped its axes and tried to tear the tendrils off, but its clawed hands passed through the spell's black-smoke appendages as if they were nothing more than an illusion.

Seth glanced to the right and saw Nightmare struggling to stand up, blood dripping down from his wounds and eyes locked onto the Gnoll. With a raw, ear-ripping roar, Seth resumed his assault, pummeling the large beast's ribcage and face.

The Gnoll grabbed its axes and tried to block Seth's attacks, but the dark smoke clinging to its body seemed to hinder its movements. Each blow of Seth met its target, his combat gauntlets ramming into the corroded muscles and breaking the bones underneath.

The moment the black tendrils faded a few seconds later, the Gnoll recovered its regular speed—but then another shadow wolf bolted in from the right and hit it again before it could press its advantages. New smoke snaked around the beast's body, and Seth launched himself forward, ready to end the fight.

Pain.

It was the only thing the Gnoll Barbarian could feel. That human simply refused to die. How could this insect challenge him? Every swing of his axes was supposed to end the fight, to silence that defiance forever. Yet his weapons kept cutting through nothing but air. And just as he'd readied himself to finally chop that weakling's head off, those dark tendrils had latched onto him like venomous serpents, burning and binding his body in their constrictive grasp.

I'll kill it!

With a primal roar, the Gnoll abandoned his efforts to free himself from the shadowy bindings and focused his anger on the human. His axes arced with deadly intent, but the damn insect kept dodging before striking back with a barrage of powerful punches. Growling through the pain, the Gnoll swung his weapons again, but they met the human's armored guard with a frustrating thud.

Again. And again.

No matter what the Gnoll did or how he masked his strikes, that human always seemed to be one step ahead—ready to block the slashes or disappear into the shadows to evade the aether-charged axes. This was far beyond what its kin should be able to do.

But why is this insect here? And why now?

No one had come to save the humans since his people had started purchasing them during the last solstice. Was one of the current prisoners from its tribe? Was that why it kept fighting, refusing to die despite all its wounds?

Gritting his fangs, the Gnoll swept his axes in a wide arc, each blade whistling through the air. The human attempted to evade the attack, but one of the blades hit and carved a deep gash across its shoulder. Unfazed by the injury, it immediately retaliated, driving its fist into the Gnoll Barbarian's snout and sending him staggering backward.

With a low growl, the beast steadied himself and prepared for another charge—but a sudden weakness washed over him. The fiery rage that had been empowering him, filling his muscles to the brink with aether, faded away. The crimson veil covering his vision cleared, and his eyes returned to their natural yellow hue. His thick skin and hide softened, losing a large chunk of their usual Toughness, leaving him vulnerable.

Then it hit him. Pain. Intense, gut-wrenching pain. It surged through his body, reminding him of all his battered inner organs and broken bones.

Before he could react, the human's fist crashed into his side. Two ribs broke with a loud crack and forced an agonizing howl to ripple out from his throat. Fear instantly crept from Gnoll's stomach and shot up into his mind, sparking a thought he would have never considered before: retreat.

The rage spell now gone, his body was weak and frail. He could not die here. Not at the hands of a human. He had to flee.

With a final glare, the Gnoll spun around between two flailing punches and bolted away. The desert around him blurred as he ran, each of his strides propelling him farther away from an impending death. Then, just as the Gnoll was about to let out a sigh of relief, his chest tightened.

The human emerged from the shadow of a large boulder ahead, blood dripping from all its injuries. Its golden eyes burned with unyielding resolve, piercing through the Gnoll and rooting him in place with crippling dread. At that moment, a horrifying realization hit him.

This monster would never let him escape.

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