Renji moved like lightning.
The Mantis King's bladed arm came down in a vicious arc meant to split him in two—but Renji was already gone, a shadow twisting through the storm of dust and debris. In a single fluid motion, he pivoted on his heel and struck. His claws, glowing with raw beast energy, sliced clean through the insect's fourth leg.
A horrific shriek split the battlefield. But before the sound could even fade, Renji struck again.
Crack!
The third leg snapped apart, spraying ichor.
The Mantis King staggered, its enormous frame tilting as rage burned hot within its multi-faceted eyes. It lunged forward, desperate, refusing to fall.
This time, Renji didn't retreat.
He charged straight into the monster's fury.
Clang—Clang—CLASH!
The sound of hardened claws clashing against bladed limbs echoed like steel ringing in a forge. Sparks exploded with every impact, lighting the shadows in brief flashes of orange and silver.
Renji's blood pounded. His body screamed in pain. His Beast Resonance strained against the clock. But then—he saw it.
An opening.
The Mantis King reared back for another killing strike, mandibles flaring wide. Renji feinted high, then dropped low in a blur of speed. Instead of meeting the blow, he dove beneath it, his claws slicing toward the soft chitin of the underbelly.
The strike landed.
The abdomen tore open like parchment.
Thick green ichor poured out in a torrent, spraying across the battlefield as the monster shrieked in agony.
Renji was already moving, appearing in front of the Mantis King's face, claws raised. For the first time in its long, predatory life, the King felt something alien sink into its heart—
Fear.
The shadow of Death.
It tried desperately to activate its last hidden skill, mandibles trembling with unnatural energy.
But Renji didn't give it the chance.
A flash of blinding light, a clean, final cut—
And Renji whispered, voice low and cold:
"Fall."
The Mantis King's head rolled to the ground. Its colossal frame swayed once, then collapsed with a thunderous crash that shook the earth.
Silence followed.
Renji stood atop his kill, chest heaving, claws dripping with blood and ichor. Then he threw back his head, and what burst forth was no human cry—
It was primal.
It was raw.
It was the triumphant roar of a Honey Badger who had just slain a King.