Falling toward the ground at alarming speed, the only thing Alex could think about was how such a massive creature could be this fast and agile, even in midair. It didn't make sense!
Sadly, he didn't have time to figure that out because, a second later, he hit the ground with bone-crushing force.
Alex felt the air burst out of his lungs as he crashed into the hard concrete of the city roads, his impact sending a cloud of snow and debris flying in every direction.
Despite the pain, he immediately rolled away from his landing spot before swiftly retreating — just in time to dodge the heel of his opponent crashing down where he had just been.
Boom!
A deafening explosion followed, shaking the streets and leaving a spiderweb of cracks across the ground.
Seeing that, Alex felt genuinely relieved he hadn't been on the receiving end of that strike.
'This bastard still managed to injure me with those last two hits though,' Alex thought, checking his condition.
Fortunately, his wounds weren't too serious — nothing his healing smoke couldn't handle.
"You're quite slippery," a deep voice rumbled from within the cloud of dust. Moments later, the hulking silhouette of the rhino-man emerged, striding toward him. "And fast, too," it added, scratching its chest.
Where it scratched, a deep, visible slash mark stood out against its thick, gray skin.
Seeing that mark, Alex's eyes narrowed. 'It only did this much?' he thought in disbelief.
The rhino was fast, but Alex was sharper — before being sent flying, he'd managed to counterattack at the very last moment. He just hadn't expected his strike to do so little damage.
'It seems his skin is as hard as it looks,' Alex thought grimly, his expression darkening.
"You don't look that scared, do you?" the rhino-man said, its deep, distorted voice rumbling like gravel being crushed beneath steel. "Good. That means you won't break too easily. I need you alive long enough to pay for what you did to me."
Alex raised a brow, puzzled by the phrasing — get back at him? Did they know each other?
His eyes widened in realization a heartbeat later.
"So it's you," Alex said, his tone remarkably calm given the situation.
He realized at that moment that the creature before him — half man, half monster — was none other than the leader of the masked men he had punched during the assault on the auction house.
'That explains the sudden hardness I felt when I hit him,' he realized. 'He had already begun transforming back then.'
This revelation also confirmed something that Alex already suspected: the masked men were indeed members of Night.
Back at their base, he had fought two of their higher-ranking members, both capable of transforming into a hybrid form between human and beast.
Neither of them came even close in terms of power compared to his current opponent though.
'I doubt Marnak will be of much use against him,' Alex thought, his brows furrowing.
Marnak was unquestionably the sharpest blade he'd ever wielded, yet the rhino's armor-like hide looked nearly impervious to slashing attacks.
Coming to that conclusion, Alex unsummoned Marnak, deciding to continue the fight bare-handed.
Using Marnak's skills, he could inflict some serious damage — but each skill burned through mana at an absurd rate, and wasting his reserves on a single opponent wasn't wise. He'd rather take the traditional route. Besides, he was still far more comfortable fighting with his fists than with a scythe.
"Wise decision," the rhino said, a twisted grin curling across its face. "Not that it'll change the outcome."
The next instant, it lunged at Alex — its massive body moving with such explosive speed and force that the air itself seemed to tear apart, shockwaves rippling outward like invisible blades.
The enormous fist of his opponent barreled toward him with such insane speed and power that the air itself seemed to twist and ripple, forming visible shockwaves as if space was being torn apart by sheer force.
Despite the blinding speed and crushing pressure of the incoming blow — mere inches away from his face — Alex remained unnervingly calm, his eyes betraying not a single hint of panic or fear.
The first and second attacks had caught him off guard, but now that he knew what to expect...
Alex fluidly sidestepped the punch, his body swaying just enough to evade it. Instead of backing away, he surged forward, closing the distance in a flash. His fist slammed into the rhino's chest like a sledgehammer, the impact resounding like thunder.
To Alex's shock, his opponent barely flinched — while he himself felt as if his power had vanished, reduced to that of an ordinary man. Worse, the sensation that followed was like striking solid steel with bare flesh.
Alex narrowly avoided the rhino's counterattack and retreated swiftly, his expression darkening as he reassessed his approach.
'It seems I'll have to go all out against this one,' he thought, his expression shifting from focus to interest. 'Let's see if you're still standing after that.'
"Hey, hey, hey! You don't look desperate, terrified, panicked—or even a little anxious! That won't do!" the rhino-man bellowed, voice booming with unhinged energy. "I need you on your knees, begging me!"
Alex froze for a brief second. Somehow, hearing this hulking, muscle-bound monstrosity shout like a spoiled child demanding attention completely shattered any trace of fear or apprehension he might've felt. Ironically, by insisting on being feared, the rhino had made itself less intimidating—and judging by its sudden scowl, it seemed to realize that too.
"Since you're still not panicking, let me fix that," the rhino growled, a crazed glint flashing in its eyes.
Alex immediately felt a cold premonition creep up his spine—and he was right to feel this way.
The creature dropped to all fours, inhaling deeply until its chest expanded like an overinflated bellows, veins bulging across its thick neck. Then, it unleashed hell.
ROOOAAARRR!
A roar several times stronger than the first tore through the air. The mere shockwave from it blasted the surrounding snow outward in a massive circular wave, clearing the entire area in seconds. Even the snow still falling from the sky was blown away for hundreds of meters, leaving a gaping ring of exposed, frozen ground.
'What the hell is it doing making so much noise?' Alex thought, wincing in irritation. Being that close to the epicenter of the roar, his ears rang violently, and for a moment he genuinely thought his eardrums might burst.
After a few seconds — though for anyone nearby it felt more like an eternity — the roar finally subsided, its last echoes fading into the frozen horizon like thunder retreating into the distance.
The rhino straightened up, exhaling heavily to steady its breathing, then glanced at Alex with a proud, self-satisfied smirk.
The latter didn't know why, but he felt like he really, really, shouldn't have let it make that roar.
He was thinking this when he sensed the ground trembling ever so slightly beneath his feet. After a few seconds, he was certain he wasn't imagining it — the ground was shaking.
A shiver crawled down Alex's spine. 'The only times I've heard shaking like this were—'
He didn't finish the thought before a chorus of cries, roars, and guttural howls burst into his ears.
'Shit!' Alex cursed, extending his senses past the city walls — only to see exactly what he had feared.
Another beast tide was coming… and this one was far larger than the last two combined.