All the beasts were staring at him like they already saw him as prey. Kaizen rolled his neck once and clenched his fists. This was his first attempt of going one on one with these many beasts, before now, he struggled to fight a single D-rank beast, but at the moment, he felt like he could defeat a dozen without much effort. It wasn’t overconfidence, it was like...his power could sense weaker preys and knew exactly what it could handle.
The beasts didn’t charge immediately. They circled him, Waiting for a weak point, or maybe testing to see if he’d panic.
He took a step forward, tossing his dagger to the floor and creating an elemental one from fire, longer, shaper and swift.
One of them snarled and lunged first, and damn it was fast. It dashed low, fangs wide open, but Kaizen didn’t move until the last second. He sidestepped, grabbed the beast by its neck and slammed it into the ground with enough force to split the earth.
The others rushed in instantly.
Kaizen raised one hand and ice shot out from the ground like a spear, stabbing into one of the charging beasts mid-air and sending it crashing backwards. He noticed that he could use the other elements the same way he used fire. He just needed to think of whatever element he wanted to manifest, and that was it.
The second one came in from the side, swinging its claws. He blocked with his arm, took the hit, then buried a flame-coated fist straight into its chest. The beast screamed and staggered back, smoke pouring out of the hole in its body before it dropped.
Another tried to leap on his back, but Kaizen spun around and dragged a wall of fire across the space behind him. The beast got caught mid-leap, set ablaze instantly. It didn’t even get the chance to hit the ground before its body crumbled.
Kaizen didn’t stop moving, he dashed into the next two, closing the gap so fast they barely reacted. He struck the first one in the jaw, dislocating it clean, then ducked under the second one’s swing and swept its legs with a blast of pressurized water.
He ended it quickly, driving a short burst of fire into its mouth before it could scream.
He turned again, breathing steady. Seemed like his extra points on stamina and agility made a great difference, because he barely felt tired at the moment.
The other four had slowed down. They weren’t rushing anymore. Just watching him. Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
"You’re not afraid are you?"
A low snarl came from the beast on the far right, like it was trying to hide it’s fear. It stepped forward, dragging its claws across the bark of a tree as it moved. Its body was thicker than the others, more muscular. Its eyes didn’t glow red like the rest. They were gold.
Kaizen didn’t wait for it to attack first, he launched himself forward, the ground cracking under his feet from the speed. The beast reacted fast, claws up, ready to strike, but Kaizen didn’t go straight. At the last second, he vanished, reappeared to its right, and slammed his fist into its ribs, followed by a sharp blast of wind that sent the beast flying into a tree.
The impact cracked the trunk and dropped leaves everywhere.
Kaizen paused when he noticed he’d just manipulated a different element.
Wind? Did I just manipulate wind?
He recalled what Elf had told him. Two elements joined in one body will automatically create a third. Was this the third for him, a new element. Wind.
Suddenly, an idea struck Kaizen. With how powerful the force of wind could be, if he could really manipulate it, then—
Something growled behind him.
He turned sharply, but it was too late. The gold-eyed beast had recovered quicker than expected and was already in front of him, swinging both claws down. Kaizen raised his arms in time, blocking the strike, but the force behind it sent a jolt down his spine.
It was stronger than the others. No doubt. Maybe C-rank.
He slid back a few feet, boots dragging lines in the dirt. Before the beast could follow up, Kaizen clenched his fists again. He didn’t need to think about what element to use anymore. His body reacted before his thoughts did.
A violent gust of wind exploded out from under him, launching him forward like a bullet. He twisted mid-air and kicked the beast in the side of the head, sending it crashing through the underbrush.
But he didn’t stop there.
He spun again mid-air, redirected the wind beneath his feet and shot after the beast before it could hit the ground. The second his feet touched down, he slammed both fists into its back, amplified by a pressure blast of wind and fire.
The ground split open from the impact, and trees shook violently.
But the damn thing didn’t die.
It rolled, recovered, and lunged again, faster this time. Kaizen ducked, but one claw scraped across his arm, cutting him deeply.
"Tch," he grunted and darted back, putting distance. Black shadow sipped out of the wound, healing almost it instantly. This has happened since his awakening, his wounds always healed no matter how severe they were.
The beast came at him again. He needed to end it quickly.
Kaizen planted both feet, pushed one hand forward, and wind gathered. Not a soft breeze, it was something sharp. Like razors cutting through air. A violent current formed a spiral, slicing up the ground as it spun.
The beast didn’t stop. It charged straight into it. Kaizen stepped aside at the last second, letting the wind do the work. The spiral ripped into the beast’s skin, tearing chunks off as it passed through. It stumbled, howled, but didn’t drop.
Kaizen rushed again. This time, earth and fire swirled around both his fists. He jumped, twisted mid-air and drove one burning fist straight into the top of its skull, snapping its head down with a loud, ugly crack.
The beast’s body wobbled, and finally it dropped flat.
Kaizen landed, wiped sweat off his face with his sleeve and turned immediately, eyes scanning the rest.
There were three more Left.
The last three didn’t rush. They were twitching, uncertain. One of them was backing up already.
Kaizen didn’t give them time to think.