At the same time, Zayen stepped forward, his voice calm and almost indifferent.
"Let's see if your defense can stop this."
He made a graceful arc through the air with his long blade, the motion smooth and fluid—like a fiery crimson rainbow tearing across the battlefield.
Swish!
A faint yet chilling sound echoed.
It was the unmistakable sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh, followed by the pungent scent of searing meat.
Blood burst forth.
The blade had finally broken through the Titanmaw Behemoth's terrifying defense, carving a wound several tens of centimeters deep into its arm. The edges of the gash were scorched black, golden flames still clinging to the torn flesh.
Finally—he had pierced its defense!
Roar!
The Titanmaw Behemoth roared in agony, pain and fury exploding at once. It hastily retracted its injured arm, while its other massive paw came crashing down like a falling mountain.
Zayen's eyes narrowed.
He raised his blade instantly.
Boom!
The impact shook the ground, a violent shockwave blasting outward. Trees snapped, stones shattered, and dust surged into the air like a storm.
At that moment, two identical Zayens and the Titanmaw Behemoth were locked in a brutal close-range battle.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Blade light flashed repeatedly.
The shadow clone struck without fear, attacking from blind angles, while Zayen himself pressed forward relentlessly, his movements sharp and precise.
In just a few exchanges, seven deep wounds appeared across the Titanmaw Behemoth's body—each one several tens of centimeters long. Blood flowed freely, staining its crimson fur and soaking into the ground below.
Roar!
The Titanmaw Behemoth staggered back a step, its breathing growing heavy. Its blood-red eyes burned with madness.
At this moment, the Titanmaw Behemoth was truly in unbearable pain.
The wounds inflicted by Zayen and his clone were not ordinary cuts. They carried lingering energy that hindered regeneration, and with every drop of blood that fell, the Titanmaw Behemoth's life force slowly drained away.
Roar!
Furious yet helpless, the Titanmaw Behemoth fought desperately against the two Zayens. For a time, the battle sent dust and shattered rocks flying in all directions, creating a thunderous commotion that echoed across the mountains. Ferocious beasts within several miles were alarmed; one after another, they fled the area, instinctively avoiding the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty minutes passed.
By then, Zayen had carved almost a hundred wounds into the Titanmaw Behemoth's massive body.
The Titanmaw Behemoth's momentum had greatly diminished. Its movements grew sluggish, its aura unstable, and its agitation became increasingly obvious.
Roar!
Suddenly, it let out a long, mournful roar—one filled with endless unwillingness.
The next moment, its enormous body began to rapidly shrink. The blood-red hue of its fur faded away, and its overwhelming strength plummeted sharply.
Its rampage… had reached its limit.
Seeing this, Zayen finally felt a sense of relief.
Just then, the Titanmaw Behemoth fully reverted to its pre-rampage form, and its stats began to drop rapidly.
Without hesitation, it turned and attempted to flee.
"Trying to escape?" Zayen's eyes turned cold. "How can I let you escape?!"
"Attack!"
At his command, the shadow clone moved at once. At the same time, a golden short dagger appeared in Zayen's hand, and he hurled it toward the fleeing Titanmaw Behemoth.
Whoosh!
In a flash, the shadow clone caught up to the beast.
Roar!
The cunning Titanmaw Behemoth suddenly turned around, unleashing a ferocious pounce toward the clone.
The clone had no time to evade and could only raise its blade defensively.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
With only fifty percent of the main body's strength, the clone was sent flying, smashing into a distant tree and shattering its trunk.
At the same moment, the golden dagger streaked toward the Titanmaw Behemoth's massive head.
Sensing the danger, the beast twisted its neck, trying to dodge—
But the next second, space itself warped.
Zayen appeared directly in front of it.
The Titanmaw Behemoth's expression changed in shock.
Before it could even react—
Swish!
A golden-crimson blade flashed.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The Titanmaw Behemoth's massive head was severed cleanly from its body, rolling across the ground as its enormous corpse crashed down with a thunderous thud.
[System Notification: Special Magic Beast—Titanmaw Behemoth—has been killed by Zayen.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have killed a level 6 special magic beast: Titanmaw Behemoth.
Experience +900 EXP]
[ Congratulations, Player! You have leveled up to Level 7!
Attack +10 | Speed +10 | Defense +10 ]
After killing the special magic beast, Zayen's body trembled slightly as a surge of energy flooded through him.
In an instant, his aura rose sharply.
Level up!
Zayen had directly broken through to Level 7, and his overall strength increased once again, and his senses became even more sharpened, as if the world itself had become clearer.
However, this was not the end.
A familiar voice of the system echoed in his mind once more.
[System Notification: Congratulations to the host for defeating the Level 6 Special Magic Beast, Titanmaw Behemoth!]
[Rewards Obtained:] [1 × Gold-Grade Treasure Chest]
As the notification faded, a dazzling golden light appeared before Zayen. The light condensed rapidly, and in the next second, a golden treasure chest materialized out of thin air, hovering silently in front of him.
Gold-grade treasure chest!
Zayen reached out and opened the chest.
A burst of golden light spilled forth, momentarily drowning the forest in brilliance.
Inside the treasure chest lay a long, black katana, lying quietly inside the treasure chest. Which Zayen took out.
The blade was pitch-black from hilt to tip, as if it had swallowed all surrounding light. Faint crimson patterns ran along the surface of the sword. The air around it felt heavy, oppressive—carrying a chilling killing intent that made one's heart unconsciously tighten.
A wave of cold energy surged up his arm, sending a sharp thrill through his spine.
Zayen held the item carefully, feeling its weight and subtle pressure in his hand. A system notification appeared almost immediately.
[System Identification – Weapon]
[Name]: Blacksteel Katana
[Grade]: Gold-Grade
[Type]: Long Blade / Katana
[Attack Power]: +50
[Special Traits]:
[Blacksteel Edge (Passive)]:
The blade is forged from compressed black steel alloy. Increases armor penetration by 30% against physical defenses.
[Stability Frame (Passive)]:
Reduces recoil and backlash when clashing with high-defense targets.
[Silent Cut (Passive)]:
Attacks made with the Blacksteel Katana produce minimal sound, increasing stealth and assassination efficiency.
Zayen's eyes flicked over the panel.
He remembered the Crimson Eclipse Sword—its simplicity had increased only his attack, speed, and defense.
But this was different; not only was the Blacksteel Katana a tier above the Crimson Eclipse, but its special traits meant it could actively change the flow of battle—piercing defenses, staying stable under massive impact, and even hiding its attacks from the senses of enemies.
Zayen was quite satisfied with the newly acquired Blacksteel Katana.
Zayen directly stored the Blacksteel Katana in the story ring.
Then, Zayen opened the system map, his gaze sweeping across the glowing terrain projected before his eyes.
Several markers flickered within the mountain region, but only a few pulsed with a deep crimson light—Special Magic Beasts.
His eyes locked onto the nearest one.
"There's still time. …"
The two-hour deadline had not yet arrived. If he rested now, it would be nothing but wasted opportunity.
Zayen clenched his fist slightly.
He couldn't afford to ease up.
Without hesitation, he marked the closest special magic beast on the map and closed the interface.
Then, a golden dagger appeared in Zayen's hand.
He flicked his wrist and hurled the golden dagger toward the distance with tremendous force.
Whoosh—
The dagger tore through the air like a streak of golden lightning, vanishing deep into the forest in the direction of the marked location.
The next second the space around him began to ripple strangely.
In the next instant, Zayen's figure blurred—
And suddenly he he vanished from his position, disappearing into thin air as if he had never existed there at all.
Five minutes later, Zayen arrived at the marked location.