Leo and Ryan, both on the ground, a silent streak in the air—the beast whose speed rivaled the wind—soon regained its footing and lunged at the duo. But this time, they were ready. Ryan drew his sword; so did Leo.

The training Leo had undergone for the past four years was put to the test today. Though he didn’t have magic in his veins, his sword could easily rival that of an average knight.

Ryan, from the skirmish in the morning, had shown himself to be quite skilled too. But would it be enough to take down a beast that moved like the wind?

The beast reached them.

Leo and Ryan each blocked one of its claws and pushed back the streaking monster, but not without damage. Their blades were chipped, and they were pushed back by the recoil, standing a fair distance away from the beast.

Leo, panting, said,

“Ryan, let’s get out of this alive.”

Ryan replied,

“You got it, my friend.”

The beast, sensing its prey wasn’t an easy hunt, against its nature, slowly and patiently began closing the distance.

Though a bit afraid, the duo was determined to make it out alive.

The beast lunged again.

Ryan screamed,

“Leo, block it!”

Leo decided to trust Ryan.

He jumped into the beast’s path, blocking its claws with his sword. The beast used its other fierce claw, aiming at Leo’s torso. Leo, just in the nick of time, jumped back. The claws still left a laceration—Lady Death missed Leo by an inch.

Now ready, the beast launched its next attack.

“Dunk!” screamed Ryan.

Leo ducked. A small crystalline bead flew toward the beast. The beast moved its arm into the bead’s path. At the moment of contact—BHAMM!—a loud noise was heard as the bead exploded, freezing the beast’s left arm. The creature fell, frost spreading across both it and the ground it landed on.

Leo seized the moment, striking the downed beast with his sword—shattering its arm and the ground beneath.

The beast started to bleed and retreated. This time, it lost its patience. As they say, a cornered beast is the most lethal one. This one also knew: if it didn’t kill them, then death would be its end.

Leo retreated to Ryan. The room began to smell pungent—the underground sewage had been exposed due to Leo’s last move.

Suddenly,

“Ryan, do you trust me?” asked Leo.

Ryan gave a nod—his eyes not filled with fear, but with the will to fight. The look of a beast wanting to live.

“Lure the beast just before the crack on the floor. When I give the signal—jump back.”

Ryan didn’t hesitate. He rushed forward, his worn-out sword in hand, and threw it at the beast. It stabbed into the injured creature’s right leg.

The beast, almost numb to pain, changed its target and limped toward Ryan.

At the same time, Leo took out a magic stone, activated a fire lamp from his magic bag, and inserted the stone.

The injured abomination neared the crack ,but suddenly stoped in his track just before the crack .

Seizing the moment ,

Leo shouted,

“Now, Ryan!”

Ryan leapt far back from the beast, now standing right above the crack. Leo threw the lamp. In the air, the stone dissolved, leaving a streak like the tail of a falling star flying toward the crack. As it neared the ground, the fire ignited in the lamp.

The fumes created by the orizon weed lit up. A sudden blaze erupted at the point of impact, directly beneath the beast. The wall collapsed above and below, crushing the monster to death.

This also blocked the path to the Forest of Nightmare from the ley lines.

Ryan and Leo both closed their eyes. The flare didn’t do much damage to them, as both had ticked away just at the right moment.

Ryan sat up, looked at Leo, and laughed fanatically,

“Hahaha... Hahahahahahaaaa... We survived! We freakin’ survived! Hahahahaha!”

Leo looked at him and said seriously,

“We survived.”

He understood the implication of this incident.

“It’s not over, Ryan,” said Leo.

Ryan, gaining his composure, asked,

“What do you mean? We killed the beast.”

Leo replied,

“You said this path leads from the Forest of Nightmare. It's protected by the barrier. If the beast came in, it means the barrier is weakening.”

Ryan understood the weight behind Leo’s words but tried to reassure him,

“It’s just a few beasts. The guards can hold them back until the barrier is back on.”

Leo continued,

“If what you said is true, and the Culling is near, it won’t end with just one beast.”

Only now did Ryan completely understand that the fate of the Western Kingdom depended on what happened in the next few hours.

Leo said,

“We need to hurry. Let’s patch our wounds and get going.”

Ryan agreed. Both bandaged their wounds and hurried to the surface.

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What will happen next? What is the fate that awaits the kingdom? How will the young duo handle this?

Stay tuned to find out.

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