At this moment, it was impossible to tell whether Roya had rushed forward first or if the giant blue wolf had launched its attack first—but one thing was clear… Roya was faster!
The crimson Engetsu slashed through the air in a blood-red arc, like the final glow of a setting sun—beautiful yet carrying a terrifying killing intent.
Roar!
The giant blue wolf, being a level 2 ferocious beast, reacted at the last moment. It sensed that if it didn't bite Hina immediately, it would be struck by Roya's sword.
An ordinary wolf would never have avoided such an attack, but this was a level 2 beast. Naturally, it was slightly more agile and managed to narrowly avoid Roya's strike.
However, even though it dodged, the sword still grazed an inch of its skin, instantly causing blood to scatter through the air.
Crimson droplets fell to the ground, staining the earth with vivid blood splashes.
It was a chilling sight.
Roya's eyes gleamed with a predator's focus as he stared at the giant blue wolf. He did not pause for a moment and immediately swung his sword again toward the beast.
Roar!
The wounded wolf, furious, opened its mouth and tried to bite Roya's sword, attempting to wrest it away.
But Roya suddenly laughed.
There was a trace of helplessness in his smile, almost pity, as he shook his head slightly at the wolf.
"Why… of all things, do you have to bite my sword?"
Whoosh!
In the next instant, before the wolf could struggle with Roya, the part of the sword trapped in its jaws suddenly erupted with flames, shooting directly into its abdomen.
The giant blue wolf convulsed as if electrocuted, letting go of the sword without even a scream.
Its body shook twice and then collapsed to the ground with a thud, a small, weak flame sputtering from its mouth, and its eyes rolled back.
Hina, who had been frozen since Roya acted, could hardly believe what she was seeing.
"Dead… dead?!"
From the moment Roya struck to the wolf collapsing, it all happened in an instant—he had only swung his sword twice!
Hina couldn't even understand how the giant blue wolf had died.
Although she could kill a level 2 beast one-on-one, she could never have done it this fast.
It was… a one-hit kill!
"You… you…"
Hina stared at Roya in disbelief. Wasn't he the same Roya she knew—the one who no one could beat, physically weak, barely able to finish endurance runs?
It was like he had become a completely different person.
"Not sure if this counts as a solo kill, or a joint effort," Roya said with a faint, almost mischievous smile. His eyes burned with a hint of fiery bloodlust.
Hina remained stunned, her crystal-clear eyes filled with disbelief. Even now, she couldn't believe that Roya had instantly killed a level 2 beast—the giant blue wolf.
At that moment, countless terrifying auras surged from all directions, finally snapping Hina out of her shock.
Black shadows emerged from the surrounding jungle, revealing blood-red eyes and terrifying auras that made Hina feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
"This is bad!!"
Roya's killing of the giant blue wolf had sent its blood spraying, releasing a scent that acted as a catalyst for the beasts' frenzy.
If the roasted meat had lured the beasts, the blood would now make them go berserk.
Even though the beasts couldn't coordinate, they would inevitably start killing each other. There was no doubt that this area would soon run red with blood.
Roya was strong, and Hina already believed in his previous feat of killing the brown-backed giant ape. But facing this many beasts, their odds were grim.
As Hina wondered how she could team up with Roya to carve a path out, the beasts finally went completely berserk.
Roar!
At least dozens of ferocious creatures roared simultaneously, their cries echoing through the forest and striking terror into the heart.
Even some of the distant recruits heard the roars and looked toward the scene in shock. Though the beasts on the island were meant to be hunted, dozens of them gathered together, and no one dared approach.
So many beasts together meant that approaching wasn't hunting—it was suicide.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the jungle erupted into chaos. Some beasts began fighting each other, others lunged toward the roasted meat, and over ten beasts targeted Roya and Hina as prey.
Among these ten-plus beasts, at least half were level 3 or higher, and it was hard to distinguish the others' levels.
They had blocked all directions, leaving Hina pale with fear.
"This is it… we're done for!"
That thought flashed through Hina's mind.
Yet almost immediately, Roya, standing to the side with his sword, showed no hint of panic. Instead, a slightly sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
He swung his sword from left to right. Though the technique seemed simple, the blade ignited with fire the moment it cut through the air.
"Taimatsu!"
Hum!
Roya's Engetsu transformed into a crimson sword wreathed in fire. The horizontal swing formed a semicircle, connecting to form a circle that enclosed Roya and Hina at the center.
The flames started faint but exploded into a raging inferno the moment the circle closed, spreading several meters outward.
The rushing beasts couldn't stop in time. They crashed into the fiery wall, howling in pain.
Most beasts instinctively froze, rolling on the ground in agony when the flames touched them.
Any that tried to push through were met by Roya's merciless sword strikes. Among the dozen beasts, none were level 1. Those who charged through the flames were instantly cut down!
Whoosh!
The circle of fire expanded into a domain covering over ten meters, flames constantly surging.
Beasts fighting on the outskirts stopped and stared with wide eyes, bewildered and terrified.
Even more were simply afraid of the flames.