Chương 373: Form Change

Vale stared up at the colossal beast looming over him. Judging by its size alone, it stood nearly six meters at the head, its massive forelimbs carrying most of its weight while thick, muscular hind legs compressed beneath it like coiled springs, ready to unleash bursts of speed. Its entire body was wrapped in rugged brown scales, interrupted by pale, jagged bones that burst through its flesh like natural armor. They were still growing.

Vale's eyes narrowed as he watched the scales thicken where the falling tree had struck it. The exposed bones lengthened before his very eyes, reinforcing its frame with unsettling speed. It wasn't adapting over days or even hours. It was adapting in seconds.

'A Category Five... so this is why the device classified it that highly.' A cold realization settled over him.

'We don't have the luxury of a drawn-out fight. If we can't kill it within the first few exchanges, we're dead.' The creature resembled some ancient reptilian predator, a monstrous dinosaur twisted into something far crueler. Every inch of its body had evolved for a single purpose: to hunt.

"Of all people..." Vale muttered beneath his breath, tightening his grip around both swords.

"Why couldn't you have gone after Korin? He'd have been a nightmare for something like you." Even while complaining, he never allowed his eyes to leave the beast. Neither hunter nor prey dared blink. The monster slowly lowered its enormous body, muscles coiling beneath its armored hide as it studied him with unsettling patience. It wasn't charging blindly anymore. It was watching him, learning him. Vale held his breath. Then, without warning, It moved. The world blurred.

Instead of retreating, Vale exploded forward. At the last possible instant he planted a foot against the creature's open lower jaw, using its own momentum as a springboard. He vaulted over its skull, landed briefly upon its broad back, then immediately pushed off again, sprinting toward the ravine with every ounce of speed he possessed. Behind him the creature erupted in a furious roar. It twisted with terrifying agility and launched after him. Ahead, Nym had already reached the mouth of the ravine.

She looked back just long enough to see Vale still several dozen meters away. Too far. Even burdened by armor that continued to thicken with every passing second, the beast remained faster. Vale heard its crushing footsteps closing the distance. Without hesitation he killed his momentum and threw himself sideways across the forest floor. Massive jaws snapped shut exactly where his torso had been an instant before. As the beast overshot him, Vale retaliated.

One blade flashed like black lightning toward the side of its neck. Clang. The impact rang through the forest. His sword barely bit into the scales before bouncing away. Vale's eyes widened.

'Already?'

'Its defenses have evolved this much already?' The creature answered by whipping the side of its skull into him. The impact launched Vale violently through the trees. He twisted in midair, forcing his body into a controlled spin before landing in a crouch several meters away, but the instant his boots touched the ground he looked up. The monster was already upon him. Too fast. There wasn't enough time to evade.

His mind raced, Then something much smaller slammed into the side of the beast's head with explosive force. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Nym. The collision barely staggered the creature, but it created the opening they needed. She landed beside Vale, grabbed him by the arm, and hauled him upright.

"Move!" She didn't wait for a response. Both of them burst into a sprint. Vale stumbled once before matching her pace, shooting her an incredulous glare.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. Behind them, the monster shook off the blow, its claws gouging deep trenches through the earth before hurling itself after them once again.

"I just saved your life, dumbass!" Nym shot back without slowing down.

"Don't throw yourself in front of that thing!"

"What? If you die, I'm probably dying right after you!" Despite the situation, Vale almost laughed.

"Fair enough." Before either of them could say anything else, an enormous shadow swallowed the ground beneath their feet.

"Shit!"

"Jump!" They shouted the word simultaneously, throwing themselves in opposite directions just as the beast smashed into the earth between them. Soil, shattered stone, and splintered roots exploded skyward, a shockwave rippling through the forest as both of them rolled across the debris before scrambling back to their feet. Neither hesitated. They immediately broke into another sprint as the creature erupted from the cloud of dust behind them with another enraged roar.

Its voice rolled through the ancient forest like thunder, echoing from tree to tree until it seemed as though the entire woodland was roaring with it. Vale risked a quick glance over his shoulder before facing forward again, his jaw tightening.

"Why is it suddenly so damn loud?" he hissed. He didn't have time to dwell on the question. The ravine was close now. Thirty meters. Only thirty meters. Yet every single step could still be their last. Vale clenched his jaw as the thunderous footsteps gained on him once again. Whatever instinct drove the creature, it remained completely fixated on him. It ignored Nym as though she didn't exist. It wanted him.

'Fine.' He leaned farther forward, forcing every muscle in his body beyond its limit. Leaves and loose soil exploded beneath his feet as he accelerated, widening the gap between himself and the monster despite its terrifying speed. Ahead, the ravine yawned open beneath the forest floor, a jagged wound carved through the earth, its depths swallowed by tangled vines and darkness. Whether it descended twenty meters or two hundred no longer mattered. It was their battlefield now. Their only chance.

"better watch out," Vale whispered. The instant he reached the edge, he leapt. Halfway through the jump he twisted, a dagger already leaving his fingertips. The beast didn't even attempt to dodge. It simply lunged after him, convinced it had already won. A fatal mistake. The dagger screamed through the air before burying itself deep inside the creature's left eye. A deafening roar shook the entire ravine. Blood erupted across its face as its colossal body twisted uncontrollably in midair.

'Got you.' Vale slammed into the vine-covered cliffside and immediately buried both hands into the thick roots, arresting his fall. Across from him, Nym caught herself the same way, boots scraping against the rock as she fought to keep her footing. Between them, the wounded beast crashed into the cliff face. Fresh blood streamed from its ruined eye as it clawed desperately at the tangled vines, trying to halt its descent. For a brief moment it succeeded. Then its remaining eye locked onto Vale.

One enormous claw shot toward him. The talons slammed into the stone scarcely centimeters from his face, rock exploding outward as razor-sharp fragments sliced across his cheek. For a heartbeat the monster hung suspended against the cliffside. Then the vines gave way. They snapped all at once. The beast disappeared into the below. Vale watched it fall.

'Twenty meters... maybe.' Not enough. Something like this would survive that easily. He opened his mouth to warn Nym, Then the roots supporting him groaned. His expression froze.

"... Oh no." A sharp crack echoed overhead.

"You have got to be kidding me!" The entire section of vines tore free from the cliff. Vale reacted, driving one of his swords deep into the rock. Sparks burst from the blade as it carved a glowing trail through the stone, slowing his descent just enough to keep him from plummeting uncontrollably. Across the ravine, Nym suffered the same fate, desperately digging her own weapon into the cliff while chunks of rock and broken roots rained around them. Below, the beast had already recovered.

With an enraged shake of its head, it finally tore the dagger free from its ruined eye. Blood sprayed across the ravine floor as another deafening roar echoed through the narrow chasm, the sound rebounding off the stone walls until it seemed to come from every direction at once. Vale landed hard beside Nym, rising into a guarded stance. One glance around was enough to tell him the truth. The ravine floor was far narrower than he'd hoped. There would be no more running.

No more baiting its charges through the forest. No escape. Only one side was leaving this place alive. Nym swallowed hard, never taking her eyes off the towering predator.

"So..." She tightened both hands around her sword.

"We got it down here." She glanced sideways at Vale.

"... Now what?" Vale remained silent for a long moment, studying the creature as it slowly lifted itself back onto all fours. His expression offered very little reassurance.

"It looks like," he said at last, lowering himself into a combat stance, "we actually have to kill it." Nym let out a short, nervous laugh.

"You've got a plan?" Vale hesitated just long enough for her to realize exactly how uncertain he was.

"Sort of." She sighed through her nose, settling into her own stance beside him.

"I'll take that as a no." At that exact moment, the beast ripped the dagger completely free. Another spray of crimson splashed across the stone. Its ruined eye twitched violently with obvious agony before it slowly raised its head and unleashed a roar so overwhelming that the walls of the ravine trembled beneath its fury. Vale tightened his grip around both swords, never taking his eyes off the monster.

"We aim for the eyes," he said, his voice calm despite the tension threatening to overwhelm him.

"Only its scales adapt. The eyes stay vulnerable. If we want any chance of killing it before it adapts again, that's where we strike." Nym lowered herself even further into her stance as the beast's remaining eye fixed squarely upon them. A deep, guttural growl rolled through the ravine like distant thunder.

"... Roger that."