Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 126: Round One
Chapter 126: Round One
The D-Rank Earth Smasher’s chest heaved, its crimson eyes burning with unbridled fury as it took in the corpses of its fallen kin. The scent of their blood hung thick in the air, mingling with the acrid stench of its own rage. Steam billowed from its flared nostrils, each exhale a guttural growl that vibrated through the forest floor.
Jayden stood before it, his smirk unwavering, his eyes alight with predatory amusement. The beast’s anger was palpable—a living, breathing thing that thickened the air between them.
Around them, the rest of the Earth Smasher horde had gathered, dozens of them, their massive forms lurking at the edges of the clearing. But they did not approach. They did not interfere.
Jayden’s gaze flickered over them, his lips curling in disdain.
"Tsk." He clicked his tongue. "Looks like I’ll have to move the party somewhere more private."
He knew fully well what would happen if he killed the leader in front of it’s horde.
The D-Rank Smasher’s patience snapped. With a roar that shook the trees, it charged, its fist hurtling toward Jayden’s skull with enough force to crater stone.
Jayden didn’t flinch. At the last possible second, he vanished.
The beast’s fist slammed into empty air, the shockwave ripping leaves from nearby branches. Before it could process the miss, Jayden reappeared behind it, his claws carving a vicious arc up its spine. Blood sprayed, painting the grass in crimson streaks.
The Smasher howled, whirling with a wild backhand... but Jayden was already gone, only to reappear again, this time slashing the beast’s side.
The beast grunted in pain and tried to land a hit, but Jayden disappeared yet again, his laughter echoing from another direction.
"Hey!" he taunted, reappearing ten feet to its left. "Come on! Don’t you want revenge for your fallen comrades?"
The beast’s rage boiled over. It lunged, its fists becoming a blur of destruction, each punch capable of leveling a small building. But Jayden danced between them, his movements a seamless blend of teleportation and raw speed. Every time the Smasher swung, he was just out of reach, his claws flicking out to leave another shallow cut.
Then, with a mocking grin, Jayden leapt a few feet backwards, towards the treeline.
"Catch me if you can." he muttered, then bolted into the forest.
The D-Rank Earth Smasher didn’t hesitate. It gave chase, its massive body crashing through underbrush, toppling saplings, its thunderous footsteps cracking the earth.
Jayden glanced back, his smirk widening as he saw the beast gaining.
Perfect.
He wove through the trees, his path erratic, his speed just barely enough to keep the Smasher hooked. Every time it lagged, he slowed. Every time it closed in, he teased.
"Come on," he called over his shoulder, leaping over a fallen log. "Is that the best you can do?"
The beast, as if understanding Jayden’s statement, roared. It’s voice shook the forest. Its muscles bulged, its speed doubling as it poured every ounce of its fury into the chase.
[Oh, oh.] Luna’s voice was dry. [You just made it more angry]
Jayden chuckled. "Good."
He poured on the speed, his enhanced legs carrying him deeper into the wilderness. But then... he heard something.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Footsteps.
But not just one set of footsteps.
Many.
Jayden’s blood ran cold as he glanced back.
The entire Earth Smasher horde was now in pursuit, their massive forms tearing through the forest in a stampede of vengeance.
"Shit." His teeth clenched. This wasn’t part of the plan. If the whole Earth Smasher troop were chasing along, then this was all for nothing. He began to think of the various strategies he could use to get him and the D-Rank Earth Smasher alone.
His eyes scanned the terrain ahead, then locked onto salvation.
A cliff.
The path ended abruptly, the ground shearing away into a sheer drop. But Jayden didn’t slow. He listened, his enhanced hearing picking up the faint rush of water below.
Not deep. But deep enough.
He skidded to a halt at the very edge, turning just as the D-Rank Smasher barreled into view.
The beast stopped, its instincts warning it of the danger. It glared at Jayden, then at the drop, its breath heaving.
Jayden’s grin turned feral. "Come on, then. I’m right here."
The Earth Smasher hesitated. It was smart enough to know that cliffs weren’t something you mess around with.
Jayden sighed. "Fine. Guess I’ll have to stimulate your aggression."
His Telekinesis flared... a broken branch ripped from a nearby tree and speared into the beast’s back.
The Smasher shrieked, its arms flailing as it tried to dislodge the projectile. Blood seeped from the wound, its rage boiling over into madness.
It roared in frustration, rage and pain, it’s eyes blazing with anger, hot steam escaping it’s nostrils as it fumed. It wanted nothing more than to tear Jayden into pieces. And then without caring much about a cliff, it charged, with it’s fist raised.
Jayden smirked. "Gotcha,"
Then his muscles coiled.
He leapt upward just as the beast’s fist sailed beneath him. In midair, he twisted, his feet planting against the Smasher’s shoulders, then...
He kicked off.
The force catapulted the beast forward, its momentum carrying it over the edge. Its eyes widened as the ground vanished beneath it.
Jayden landed gracefully on the cliff’s edge, watching as the D-Rank Smasher plummeted fifty feet into the river below. The impact sent a geyser of water skyward, the current swallowing its massive form.
Jayden didn’t wait. He jumped, his body arcing through the air before landing lightly on the riverbank.
The horde arrived just in time to see their leader fall. They clustered at the cliff’s edge, their growls of frustration echoing uselessly.
The water churned.
The D-Rank Smasher emerged, its fur plastered to its body, its eyes burning with undiluted hatred. It climbed onto the shore, the branch originally lodged in it’s back removed from the impact of the fall. It rose on its feet, its muscles quivering with rage as it beat its chest in a primal challenge.
Jayden rolled his shoulders, his claws unsheathing with a wet schlick. "Ready when you are."
Then, the beast charged.
Jayden exploded into motion, his enhanced speed turning him into a golden-eyed blur. He darted left at the last second, the beast’s massive fist whistling past his face as he countered with a vicious slash across its ribs. Blood sprayed across the river rocks as the beast bellowed in pain.
"Too slow," Jayden taunted, already repositioning behind the creature.
The Smasher whirled with surprising agility, its elbow catching Jayden’s guard and sending him skidding back several feet. Jayden’s feet dug trenches in the soft earth as he halted his momentum, his grin widening.
[It’s adapting to your speed,] Luna warned.
"Yeah, but it’s still not fast enough," Jayden shot back.
For ten brutal minutes, the battle raged across the riverbank. Jayden became a whirlwind of slashing claws, targeting weak points - the backs of knees, the tendons in the wrists, the vulnerable spots beneath armor-like hide. But the Smasher learned quickly, using its massive forearms to shield vital areas while countering with earth-shaking blows.
But every single one was evaded by Jayden. The Earth Smasher couldn’t lay a finger on him.
Frustration began creeping into the beast’s movements. After another failed attack, it suddenly slammed both fists into the ground with a roar. The earth rippled violently, sending a shockwave of stone shards and debris erupting toward Jayden.
Jayden’s Dragon Eyes flared as he entered bullet-time perception. He wove through the deadly barrage - ducking beneath a spinning boulder, twisting between two jagged stone spears, backflipping over a wave of upturned earth.
But in that moment of distraction, the Earth Smasher saw it as an opportunity to strike. It moved swiftly, approaching Jayden with a raised fist.
Jayden barely registered the blur of motion before a fist the size of a boulder crashed into his ribs. The impact launched him across the clearing like a ragdoll. He tumbled violently before twisting midair and landing in a crouch, skidding to a stop at the tree line.
Blood dripped from his split lip as he rose slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The System notification flashed:
[-45 HP]
Jayden spat crimson onto the grass, his eyes gleaming with renewed intensity. "Good one," he admitted, rolling his neck until it cracked. "But you’re gonna have to hit harder than that."
The Smasher roared, its chest heaving from exertion. Fresh blood flowed from dozens of wounds, staining its fur dark crimson. Jayden could see the fatigue setting in - the way its massive shoulders slumped slightly between attacks, how its breathing came in ragged gasps.
[Jayden, I think it’s best you end the fight now,] Luna urged. [Just assume your partial lupine form and finish it]
Jayden shook his head, never breaking eye contact with the beast. "No. I can take this beast without any transformation."
[You’re being reckless!] Luna clicked. [This isn’t about pride anymore]
"It’s always about pride," Jayden retorted, just as the Smasher charged again.
The beast’s movements were slower now, more desperate. Jayden easily sidestepped its telegraphed right hook, countering with a brutal slash across its bicep that severed muscle fibers. The Smasher howled, swinging wildly with its left - but Jayden was already gone, reappearing behind it to deliver a devastating kick to the back of its knee.
The joint buckled with a sickening pop.
As the beast stumbled forward, Jayden saw his opening. He lunged, claws aimed for the vulnerable spot beneath the Smasher’s jaw... only for the beast to suddenly twist, its good arm coming around in a backhand that caught Jayden square in the chest.
The impact sent him flying backward, crashing through several saplings before rolling to a stop in the dirt.
He gritted his teeth in pain, but was still smiling. "Okay, that hurt a bit."
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