The Bloodfiend Lizard lowered its monstrous head, its molten eyes sweeping through the fog, narrowing toward the tree where Kaisel had pressed himself moments ago. Its breath steamed in the crimson haze, tongue flickering like a blade tasting the air. For a long, tense moment, it lingered there.
But when its massive jaw snapped open and crushed bark in its teeth, there was nothing behind the tree.
Kaisel had already slipped away, shrouded in darkness.
His body melded with the shadows like smoke, a faint ripple of magic flickering across his skin as he crouched low behind another trunk, thirty paces away. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, but his face remained cold, focused. The art of shadow-cloaking was not yet perfected in him, but tonight, under the Blood Moon, the darkness seemed alive, stronger—almost eager to embrace him.
Still, he did not relax. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword, knuckles pale against the leather wrap.
From his new vantage point, he peeked out. The lizard was still prowling, its massive claws digging into the soil, its frame glowing faintly red beneath the moonlight as if the beast itself had been carved from living blood.
Step by step, Kaisel circled to keep distance, every muscle taut.
Then he made his mistake.
Shifting from one side of the tree to the other for a clearer view, he leaned out—and froze.
The lizard was already staring at him.
Its burning eyes locked directly onto his.
Kaisel's breath hitched. Cold terror raced up his spine. Impossible. I cloaked myself… it shouldn't be able to see me.
The lizard's maw spread wide, a guttural, bone-rattling roar tearing through the night. The sound rippled through the fog, shaking the trees themselves. Then, with a sudden surge, it lunged.
Kaisel's pupils shrank. It can see me!
The forest exploded into chaos.
The Bloodfiend Lizard's colossal frame smashed through the trees as it charged, its bulk moving with terrifying speed. Kaisel darted back, shadows trailing him, leaping over roots and twisting between splintering trunks as the beast pursued. Each thunderous step shattered earth, claws raking trenches into the soil.
A trunk crashed down where he had stood a moment before. Splinters rained across his face, slicing skin. He ignored the sting, rolling aside as the lizard's tail whipped through the air like a spiked whip, carving a gouge into the ground.
His breath came sharp and ragged, but his eyes burned with clarity. Too big to cut down with simple strikes. Too fast to underestimate. I need distance. I need an opening.
He flung his hand back.
"Magic Bullets!"
A volley of bluish light projectiles shot from his palm—spheres of condensed mana that hissed through the mist and struck the lizard's flank. They detonated with sharp cracks of force, forcing the beast to halt mid-charge. Smoke hissed from its scales, and the stench of burned flesh wafted through the clearing.
But when the smoke cleared, the beast's body was almost unscathed.
It only seemed angrier.
With a rumble that shook the air, the lizard slammed its claws into the ground. The shockwave flung Kaisel off his feet. He hit the earth hard, rolled, and barely had time to push himself up before the monster's jaws clamped down where his torso had been a heartbeat earlier.
The teeth sank into the ground instead, crushing stone like bread.
Kaisel sprang back, cloak trailing, launching another barrage of bluish light bullets that peppered its side. The lizard swung its head violently, snapping apart two trees, showering the area with splinters. Its massive tail arced through the air again, and Kaisel dove, sliding low across wet earth as the impact shredded bark and tore the forest floor open.
It won't last forever… I need to strike it where it hurts.
Kaisel dashed sideways, sprinting between collapsing trunks, forcing the beast to chase, baiting its attacks. Every second stretched like an eternity. The ground quaked, and trees fell one after another under its rampage.
Then he saw his chance.
The Bloodfiend Lizard crouched, muscles coiling. He could feel the surge in its frame, the tightening of its haunches.
It's going to leap.
The moment it did, the forest itself seemed to break.
The monster shot forward, hurling its massive body into the air with terrifying force. It came down at him like a crimson avalanche, claws wide, maw open, eyes burning.
Kaisel didn't run.
Instead, he sprinted straight toward it.
The world slowed. Every detail seared into his mind—the dripping saliva between its teeth, the way its eyes narrowed with hunger, the glint of blood on its scales. His boots pounded against the soil. His grip tightened on his sword.
Then he dropped, sliding beneath the beast as it descended.
The air trembled with its weight as it passed overhead, and Kaisel's blade flared with shadow as he dragged it across the monster's underbelly.
Steel bit through scale and flesh. A line of blood erupted, spraying across his arm and face. The lizard's scream split the forest like thunder.
Kaisel slid free on the other side, rolling to his feet, sword dripping red.
The beast landed hard, crashing into the trees, its belly torn open in a deep, jagged wound. The ground shook, mist scattering as its roar bellowed through the night.
Kaisel staggered back, chest heaving, heart hammering. His eyes fixed on the wound. It was deep. Deadly.
Or it should have been.
He froze.
Before his eyes, the wound closed.
The torn flesh knit together, scales pushing back into place. The river of blood slowed to a trickle, then stopped. Within moments, the injury was gone, as though it had never been.
"No…" Kaisel breathed, his grip faltering on the hilt of his blade. "That's… regeneration."
His mind flashed to the books he had read in the Ravengard library. Ancient bestiaries, records of Demonic Beasts. One passage struck him now with terrible clarity:
"The Bloodfiend Lizard
Characteristics: A large, lizard-like monster distinguished by crimson scales and predatory behavior. Notable for its heightened aggression, unrestrained savagery, and resilience.
Unique Ability: Regeneration — The Bloodfiend Lizard possesses an advanced regenerative system. Lacerations, punctures, and even the loss of entire limbs are restored within minutes. Wounds that would prove fatal to ordinary Magical Beasts are rendered inconsequential.
Weakness: Termination can only be achieved through complete decapitation. All other forms of injury are temporary, as the regenerative process invariably reverses damage."
The monster turned, its burning gaze locking onto him once more, no trace of injury left on its body. Blood still dripped from its jaws, but none of it was its own.
Kaisel's jaw clenched, the weight of dread settling on his shoulders.
I can kill it only by cutting off its head...
The beast roared again, louder than before, its fury ignited by the wound he dared give it.
Kaisel wiped the blood from his eyes with the back of his arm, steadying his breath. The fight wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
To be continued.