Grey was faced with an assassin who had come for his life, and he was holding his own against him.
After successfully disarming his cloning technique, they were both set for a one-on-one clash—until...
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
They both heard heavy thudding sounds approaching from the side, accompanied by a vile and oppressive aura that brought their movements to a sudden halt.
Both combatants turned toward the source, instincts flaring.
"What is going on?" the assassin demanded, his voice trembling slightly as he felt his heart pounding furiously, his chest tightening from the sickening aura closing in.
"Wait… I've felt that aura before," Grey muttered, thoughts racing until realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "The boss of the planet is here!"
'Wait! How strong is the boss of the planet? And why is their aura so suffocating?' he wondered frantically.
"Well, you're going to find out now," Noir chuckled in his mind.
Suddenly, the cracking of trees echoed through the air—and before they could blink, a massive beast emerged, standing barely a meter away from them.
'How fast is this thing?!' Grey screamed internally, locking eyes with the colossal creature while it examined them with equal scrutiny.
The beast resembled a monstrous gorilla—massive in stature, at least twice the size and height of a typical one.
It had only two muscular arms, but its back was encased in a layer of hardened earth armor that stretched from the crown of its skull to its lower spine.
Its piercing red eyes scanned the humans like a predator sizing up its prey.
To gauge the creature's power, Grey instantly funneled mana to his left eye, causing it to glow a bright blue. A translucent screen shimmered into view before him.
{Name: Ironback Gorrillian}
{Magic: Earth and Ice}
{Description: The Ironback Gorrillian is a gorilla-type beast with tremendous physical strength capable of shattering mountains. Its speed rivals that of swift-type beasts.}
'Am I cooked or what?' Grey gulped as he stared at the beast.
'A level 7 beast? That's only one level below the level 8 we fought in the elf world. It took Licht, Langris, Charla, Old Man Jankis, and myself to bring that thing down… Now I'm alone? And this thing has dual affinities?!'
Before Grey could react, a sharp sizzling sound erupted behind him. Trusting his instincts, he launched himself into the air using wind magic, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike.
"Don't think you can ignore me just because a beast showed up!" the assassin snarled, redirecting the lightning midair back toward Grey.
Grey backflipped several times, zipping between bolts as they exploded into the ground with violent bursts.
The beast, observing this, roared with primal fury. It pounded its armored chest rhythmically before launching a dozen earth spikes toward the assassin.
But the assassin, reacting swiftly, coated his legs in lightning and zipped around, dodging the deadly barrage.
At that moment, Grey snapped his fingers, unleashing a flurry of wind blades that surged toward the beast.
But the creature responded instantly, erecting an earth wall that absorbed the assault.
'Damn it! This is bad—really bad! Now I'm stuck in a 1v2! This fight is completely lopsided!' Grey cursed in his mind, ducking as ice shards and lightning bolts shot toward him. He zipped around swiftly and landed back on the ground.
The moment his feet hit the earth, a radiant glow enveloped his body. Lightning gauntlets formed on his fists, and a pair of lightning boots materialized on his legs. Meanwhile, the assassin bolted toward the beast and launched a spinning aerial kick.
But the beast vanished from the spot and reappeared behind the assassin in a flash, swinging its massive arm with terrifying force.
As if sensing it, the assassin unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts midair, deflecting the incoming blow and landing safely.
Just then, a thunderous bang echoed as Grey materialized in front of the assassin, his lightning-coated fist whipping forward.
The assassin was caught off-guard, and Grey's punch slammed into his face, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground.
But Grey's moment of triumph was short-lived. A sudden chill swept past him. He turned just in time to see an ice-covered fist hurtling his way.
Reacting swiftly, he stomped his foot and raised an earth wall, but to his shock, the icy punch shattered through it, flinging him backward. He skidded across the ground, barely managing to stay upright.
"Curses! Looks like my earth magic is completely outmatched," Grey gritted, summoning two dozen earth spikes. With a fierce gesture, he launched them toward the beast.
The creature casually waved its hand, conjuring an ice wall that absorbed the impact. The collision produced thunderous shockwaves.
Before Grey could breathe, the beast was already in front of him, its fist swinging forward. Thanks to his lightning boots, Grey barely zipped away in time.
But the creature's knuckles grazed his cheek, sending him crashing into a tree with brutal force. Blood dripped from his mouth as the tree bent under the impact.
"Darn it…" he groaned, coughing. Then he heard it—heavy footsteps approaching rapidly. Raising his head, he saw the beast charging toward him like a freight train.
Just as the beast was about to attack him, the assassin reappeared between them, firing a barrage of lightning bolts at the beast, forcing it to halt and conjure an earth wall for defense.
The assassin spun around and fired a lightning stream at Grey, who barely zipped away in time. The attack slammed into the tree behind him, blasting a gaping hole through it.
Moments later, Grey stood huffing and panting, sweat dripping down his face. One meter to his left stood the beast.
One meter to his right stood the assassin. All three warriors locked eyes, battle intent flaring in the air like wildfire.
"I won't be going down today—or ever!" Grey roared as a dozen fireballs ignited around him, while two dozen earth and ice spikes floated around the beast.
"We'll see about that," the assassin snarled, summoning a dozen crackling lightning bolts, poised to strike.