Lord Of Beasts

It was surprising that the grotesque monsters seemed to possess something close to feelings. They had been fighting like mindless brutes before, relying mostly on their overwhelming physiques and numbers. But the moment one of their kind was killed, something changed.

The remaining trolls became enraged.

Their roars grew louder, their movements more violent, and their attacks more deliberate. They stopped simply charging forward and began unleashing their skills with far less restraint, as though the death of their companion had stripped away whatever hesitation they had possessed.

’No wonder Elara felt guilty facing these things.’

Unlike Ethan and Kaela, Elara seemed more like a genuinely good person trying to do good. The problem was that, in order to accomplish that goal, she had to become something bad.

’I guess there are benefits to being a soulless bastard.’

Ethan almost smiled at the thought.

But the amusement disappeared quickly.

The enraged trolls had adapted.

They had recognised the difference between their two opponents, and they were no longer attacking randomly.

Wolfy was clearly the larger target. The Fenrir possessed far greater physical strength, but it was also slightly slower and far less capable of changing directions as suddenly as Ethan could while using Storm’s abilities.

The trolls began exploiting that difference.

They were also coordinating, and were doing it surprisingly well.

’They’re actually learning.’

Following up on the attack of one of its brethren, the enormous monster raised its mana-enhanced stone club. Dark-green energy crawled across the weapon, and the surrounding air seemed to distort beneath the pressure.

Then the club descended.

"Shit!"

Ethan immediately recognised the danger.

Even Wolfy’s monstrous durability wouldn’t allow it to simply tank that attack without suffering serious injuries. And Ethan wasn’t going to sit around and let his beast get crushed while he focused on building Kinetic Charge.

’Thunder Dash!’

Lightning exploded from Ethan’s body.

Rather than launching sideways, he directed the explosive force forward. His body shot into the air, accelerating directly toward the enormous troll.

The monster’s tiny eyes widened.

Ethan raised one knee.

Boom!

His knee slammed directly into the troll’s nose.

Crunch!

The impact snapped the monster’s head backwards.

Ethan almost laughed.

The troll’s nose was fucking enormous and was almost as big as his entire body.

’It’s insane.’

The troll staggered backwards, clutching its face.

Ethan twisted through the air and landed several metres away, but the humour disappeared from his expression almost immediately.

The trolls had become more serious.

So had he.

And so had Wolfy.

The Fenrir’s crimson eyes were locked onto the surrounding monsters. Its body remained low, its muscles tense, and its claws dug into the earth as it prepared for the next attack.

There was no more casually testing their opponents or letting the trolls dictate the pace.

Ethan had learned enough.

"Let’s go."

Wolfy charged.

One of the trolls swung a massive fist.

The Fenrir slipped beneath it and drove its shoulder into the monster’s legs.

The impact barely moved the troll.

Instead, the monster planted its feet and swung downward with its other arm.

Wolfy twisted away.

The fist smashed into the ground hard enough to crater the earth.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened.

’They’re tougher than I thought.’

Wolfy was already attacking again.

Its claws tore across the troll’s abdomen, but instead of collapsing, the monster grunted and grabbed at the Fenrir. Wolfy ripped itself away before the troll could secure its grip.

At the same time, Ethan accelerated.

’Thunder Dash!’

Lightning erupted beneath his feet.

He vanished.

The acceleration was violent enough to crack the air around him.

Ethan shot past the troll’s shoulder and appeared beside another monster’s head.

His fist drove into its jaw.

Boom!

Electricity exploded through the troll as its head snapped sideways.

But the monster didn’t fall.

It merely staggered, smiling with its rugged, uneven teeth as if to say that the attack was weak.

Ethan grinned in response.

’These things can take a punch.’

He twisted in midair.

’But everything can be killed.’

He knew that firsthand, as he held out his arm.

’Electric Blast!’

Lightning erupted from his palm at point-blank range.

Zap!

The compressed attack slammed into the troll’s chest, jerking the monster’s entire body as electricity surged through its muscles.

But even then, it remained standing.

It planted one foot behind itself and absorbed the force.

’It tanked that too?’

The troll roared, returning with a wild swing of its giant arms.

Ethan ducked beneath it.

The fist passed over his head with enough force to send a gust of air across his face and hair that was standing on end.

"Now that’s more like it."

Wolfy suddenly slammed into the troll from the side.

The Fenrir’s impact finally disrupted its balance, causing the giant monster to stumble.

Wolfy followed with a vicious swipe across its thigh.

The monster dropped to one knee.

Ethan jumped onto his Fenrir’s back, who launched him up in the air, and in an instant he was above the grotesque creature.

’Electric Blast.’

Boom!

Lightning exploded against the side of its head.

This time, the troll finally collapsed.

Ethan landed.

Wolfy turned towards him.

Neither celebrated, already ready to take on the remaining four trolls that were closing in.

"Back!"

Wolfy immediately retreated.

A massive axe struck the ground where it had been standing.

BOOM!

The impact shattered the earth.

Chunks of stone flew through the air.

Another troll suddenly slammed both fists into the ground.

BOOM!

A wave of dark-green energy raced beneath the earth.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"Move!"

Wolfy leapt.

The ground erupted beneath it.

Jagged stone pillars burst upward in a line, forcing the Fenrir to twist through the air.

Another pillar erupted directly where it was going to land.

Wolfy twisted again.

It landed hard, skidding several metres.

Ethan watched the trolls carefully, thoroughly impressed by the monsters.

’Strong, durable, and pretty smart.’

And, more importantly, they were working together.

These weren’t six mindless monsters anymore; they were four enraged trolls fighting with everything they had.

Ethan raised both hands.

"Chain Lightning!"

Lightning erupted from both his hands, zapping the nearest troll.

Crack!

The electricity jumped to the second.

Then the third.

And the fourth.

All four monsters were caught in the attack as the clearing erupted with blue light. The trolls roared as lightning tore through their bodies, but they still didn’t collapse.

One of them actually forced itself through the electrical current and charged.

The troll swung.

Ethan ducked beneath the attack before immediately retreating.

"Thunder Dash!"

Lightning exploded beneath his feet.

He shot backwards, creating distance before the troll could grab him.

The monster roared and charged again.

Ethan grinned.

’They’re forcing me to move.’

Electricity crawled across his body.

He accelerated.

Again.

And again.

Each movement fed into Kinetic Charge.

Ethan changed directions rapidly, cutting across the battlefield while the troll desperately tried to track him. The monster’s eyes attempted to follow, but he was already somewhere else.

"Too slow, you ugly fucks!"

He suddenly stopped, the stored energy surging through his body.

’Electric Blast!’

Boom!

Lightning slammed into the troll’s back.

The monster staggered.

Wolfy was already moving, capitalising on the opportunity. The fenrir, which had also focused on evasion against the monsters that made it feel small for once, sprinted forward and tore into its leg.

The troll stumbled.

Cross Slash!

Two condensed arcs of force ripped across the monster’s back.

The troll roared and spun around, but Wolfy was already underneath its arm.

"Crescent Fang!"

The Fenrir snapped its jaws shut.

A crescent-shaped shockwave tore through the troll’s side, blood spraying across the grass.

The troll staggered but remained standing.

Ethan landed beside Wolfy.

For a moment, the two stood shoulder to shoulder.

Ethan glanced at the Fenrir.

Wolfy looked back.

Neither needed to speak; both were in complete understanding even without using Beast Communication.

The next troll charged.

Wolfy moved first.

The Fenrir sprinted directly toward it, drawing its attention.

Ethan immediately broke away.

He didn’t need to tell Wolfy what he was doing.

The Fenrir slammed into the troll’s legs before avoiding the monster’s downward swing.

Ethan flashed around its flank.

"Electric Blast!"

Zap!

Lightning struck the troll’s ribs.

The monster staggered sideways, and Wolfy immediately attacked from the opposite direction.

Cross Slash!

The troll staggered again, turning towards Wolfy.

That’s when Ethan vanished.

’Thunder Dash.’

Lightning exploded as he flashed behind the monster.

The stored energy surged through his transformed body as he unleashed it all at once.

Electric Blast!

The attack struck the troll’s back.

This time, the monster finally dropped to one knee.

Wolfy lunged.

Crescent Fang!

The crescent shockwave tore through its throat, ending its life instantly. Ethan landed beside Wolfy on the collapsed troll, as they looked across the battlefield.

Three monsters remained.

They were breathing heavily, overcome with rage but also naturally frightened by the beast and beast-man duo.

Ethan smiled.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."