The bull-headed creature continued to launch relentless attacks at Shaan. Although its movements weren’t as agile as those of the bat-like creature he’d faced earlier (far slower than the previous dark creature), its attacks were extremely powerful, and he had to keep thinking of a way to escape this situation.

’This place is too open. I don’t even have anywhere to hide. I need a place that—’ Shaan suddenly paused when he spotted a narrow alley not far from his position. ’Ah... there it is. I can use that place.’

Without wasting another second, Shaan immediately dashed into the narrow passageway he had noticed earlier. Inside, several empty metal drums stood stacked together, each nearly as tall as he was. Good. This place should work perfectly as a hiding spot. He quickly slipped behind one of the stacked drums and tried to think of a way to defeat the creature.

"Now, I have to—" Shaan instantly covered his mouth, his face turning pale when heavy footsteps echoed throughout the alley. ’Damn it... that thing followed me.’ Slowly, Shaan peeked out from behind the drum and stared at the creature’s position. ’I need to stay calm and figure out a way to take this monster down... Hopefully, it hasn’t noticed me yet.’

When the bull-headed creature entered the alley, it failed to notice Shaan’s presence. The monster immediately turned aggressive. Filled with rage, it swung its massive axe wildly, hacking apart everything around it.

’This might be my chance. As long as this thing doesn’t notice me, I can take it down.’

Keeping his movements as quiet as possible, Shaan slowly crept toward the creature. One step. Then another. The creature still hadn’t noticed him. Great, he was now close enough to the creature, and his plan was unfolding exactly as he’d envisioned. to strike.

Shaan raised his dual shorts, preparing to launch an attack. ’Now, I just need to—’

"Crack!"

Shaan froze. Slowly, he lowered his gaze toward the broken glass shard beneath his foot. "Oh... damn it."

The creature instantly noticed him and hurled its gigantic axe straight toward him. Shaan reacted quickly. He rolled to the side and immediately activated Dash, diving behind one of the nearby drums for cover.

’Holy crap... th-that was close.’

However, the creature didn’t stop there. It launched a savage barrage of attacks and smashed apart nearly every drum Shaan had used as hiding spots.

"No... I can’t just keep defending." A torrent of mana surged, enveloping the entire surface of his dual short swords. "I have to attack. I must!"

[Aspira Ignis skill successfully activated]

"It’s time for revenge."

Shaan immediately launched an attack at the creature, unleashing a rapid barrage of strikes. However, even after drawing upon the power of Aspira Ignis, the monster still managed to block every one of Shaan’s attacks. This creature wasn’t an easy opponent.

[Aspira Ignis remaining: 80%]

’Cling! Cling!’

’Damn it... this thing is stronger than I expected.’ Shaan glanced at the barrier surrounding his body and noticed the cracks spreading further. ’This is bad. The cracks are getting worse. I need to kill this thing before the barrier shatters completely.’

Shaan once again darted swiftly toward the bull-headed creature, dodging every attack it launched until he was extremely close to it. Without hesitation, he spun his body and swung both of his dual short swords directly at the creature’s legs.

’Slash!’

Shaan’s attack successfully sliced into both of the monster’s legs, causing the massive creature to collapse onto the ground. The moment Shaan saw the opening, he immediately lunged toward its neck and prepared to sever its head.

"Now, it’s time to—"

Unfortunately, the creature suddenly swung its gigantic axe toward Shaan. Without thinking twice, Shaan immediately crossed both of his dual short swords and tried to block the attack. However, the force behind the axe proved far too overwhelming. The impact launched Shaan through the air and sent him crashing violently across the ground.

’BAM!’

A brutal shock slammed into Shaan’s body, and in the very next instant, his barrier shattered into countless pieces. Blood instantly filled his mouth. Bruises spread across his entire body, leaving him sprawled helplessly on the rough ground.

"I-I have to—"

His body crashed against the ground once again.

Now, moving felt even harder. An unbearable weight pressed down on him, and his fingers slowly began to stiffen. He couldn’t move his body anymore. He could only lie there motionless like a statue. This was bad. The gas had finally started affecting his body directly, and now Shaan faced real danger.

’Damn it... h-how did everything end up like this...?’

Shaan moved his eyes—the only part of his body he was still able to control—and glanced forward to see the creature’s footsteps now right beside him. Helplessly, Shaan lowered his head when he saw the monster raise its axe once more, preparing to kill him.

"I never expected my life would—"

’Akantha Desmos’

For some reason, countless vine-like tendrils suddenly burst out from the ground and instantly wrapped around the creature’s entire body. Sharp thorns lining the vines pierced deep into the monster’s flesh, forcing it to roar in pain.

The creature struggled violently to free itself from the vines, but its actions only tightened the vines’ grip. Its grip grew tighter and tighter, and in an instant, it crushed the creature’s body.

"W-what’s happening?"

Blood splattered across Shaan’s face. His heart skipped a beat as he witnessed the horrific scene. He never expected there to be a power capable of defeating the creature so easily. Damn. Damn it... Whoever controlled this power definitely wasn’t ordinary and was not far away.

’Tap...tap...tap....’

The sound of footsteps could be heard not far from Shaan’s position. With all his strength, Shaan craned his neck forward, trying to see who the figure actually was. Deep down, he just hoped the figure wasn’t a member of the Resistance.

’W-Who exactly is this person...?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

However, the gas continued affecting Shaan’s body and vision. A sharp dizziness spread through his head, and his eyesight grew blurrier by the second. He could no longer see clearly. Everything around him faded into a hazy blur.

With every last ounce of consciousness he had left, he strained to make out who had actually saved him from death. But it was no use. His vision grew increasingly hazy, and the last thing Shaan saw was a pair of black boots before he finally lost consciousness entirely.