BANG!
There was an explosion between the huge ruins and rubble. Smoke rose high into the sky. A huge, ugly-looking humanoid creature was seen chasing a human.
Ethan was in a dire position — he had injuries all over his body, especially his insides.
The Night Stalker didn't give Ethan room to recover. Its speed was equal to — or even more than — Ethan's, while its strength easily surpassed his. Ethan had evaded numerous fatal blows, and the ones that landed had left serious damage.
Right now, his armor withstood about 50% of the attacks. If it were any other awakened wearing that armor, they would already be dead. The Night Stalker's fighting style wasn't bestial — it fought like a seasoned killer. Its blade-like hands danced mid-air, every strike aiming to harvest Ethan's head.
BANG!
The Night Stalker hit Ethan's back with its long arm. He flew like an arrow and smashed into a building.
For some reason, the wall didn't break like the others.
"Blueeergh—!" Ethan vomited blood as his HP bar dropped to 50.
He didn't dare rest. The beast's blade arm was already aiming for his skull.
Ethan quickly performed [space teleportation], vanishing and reappearing behind the Night Stalker.
He slashed twice, shattering the beast's legs.
BOOM! BOOM!
Not hesitating, he used [space teleportation] again, this time severing both of its arms.
The beast crashed to the ground — stunned. This tiny human was playing it all along.
Ethan leapt high into the air and slashed downward.
"DIE!" he roared.
ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!
The beast howled. The shockwave from its voice pushed Ethan ten meters away.
BANG.
He barely stabilized himself. His limbs were aching like hell, but he couldn't afford a single mistake — this was life or death.
If he failed, he'd end up in the belly of this monster.
By now, the Night Stalker had regrown its limbs, but Ethan noticed something:
It looked weaker than before.
"Seems you won't last much longer, fucker," Ethan muttered, spitting blood.
He cleared his head and drank a mana potion, restoring his mana bar to full.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The beast charged again, rumbling the ground. Its blade arm extended with deadly precision, aiming straight for Ethan's head.
Ethan ducked, but it still scraped his chin.
That was the opening he needed.
He slipped under the beast's massive belly and shouted:
"SPACE COMPRESS!"
BANG!
The shockwave was terrifying. The scene was gruesome — the beast's middle, including its head, compressed into a round ball. Its limbs flew sideways, detached.
Black blood and goo sprayed everywhere, most of it splashing onto Ethan.
The stench filled the air.
[Congratulations. You have killed the Sacred Beast: Night Stalker, Level 10.]
[You have ranked up to Level 9.]
[You have gained: Health Potion x5.]
[You have obtained: Key to the Watch Tower.]
Ethan collapsed, panting heavily.
This battle had taken everything from him.
A half-awakened killed a sacred beast. Unheard of.
If he told anyone, they'd think he was crazy.
Sacred Soul Beasts were comparable to Ascended. Even the weakest of them could crush awakened fighters with ease.
After resting who knows how long, Ethan finally stood up. He could still feel pain screaming through his body.
"Goddamn it… I'm just a half-awakened. Who the hell put the idea in my head that I could kill a sacred beast?" he chuckled to himself.
He was lucky the Night Stalker didn't have any powerful skills. If it had, his body would've been turned to bloody mush by now.
Ethan shook the thought away and drank one of the health potions. His body instantly felt refreshed.
Looking around, he realized how far he had traveled — space teleporting recklessly just to escape.
Now, he was in the innermost part of the ruins. The buildings here hadn't crumbled like the rest — they stood proud, untouched by time.
They looked like quarters used by ancient generals.
The surroundings were littered with rubble — probably signs that beasts had tried to enter but failed.
"Seems I'll have to camp here before heading to the tower," Ethan sighed.
Even though the main building was tough to open, there should be a mechanism somewhere. He began searching.
Meanwhile, he summoned his Ork Chief to patrol the area.
The beast soul had now broken into Level 3, and its stats had improved greatly.
[Beast Soul: Ork Chief – Level 3, EXP: 0/1500]
[Attributes: Strength 40, Agility 40, Stamina 40, Speed 40]
It was now nearly on par with Ethan — a powerful trump card in his arsenal.