The distance between Jayden and the D-Rank Earth Smasher vanished in an instant.
The Smasher swung first—a devastating right hook that would have shattered a truck. Jayden weaved beneath it, his claws lashing upward in a vicious arc aid at the beast’s ribs. But the Smasher was fast, twisting its torso just enough that the blades only grazed its hide, drawing thin lines of blood rather than deep gouges.
Jayden didn’t let up. He pivoted on his heel, his left fist crashing into the beast’s side with enough force to dent steel. The Smasher grunted but retaliated instantly, its knee driving upward toward Jayden’s gut.
Jayden twisted midair, barely avoiding the strike, but the wind pressure alone sent him skidding back. He didn’t stop, he pushed off the ground, closing the distance again in a blur.
His claws beca a storm of slashes—each one aid at vital points. But the Smasher was no mindless brute. It blocked, parried, and countered with terrifying precision.
A fist grazed Jayden’s cheek, the sheer force sending a jolt of pain through his skull. He retaliated with a spinning kick to the beast’s temple
CRACK!
The impact reverberated through its thick skull. The Smasher staggered but didn’t fall, its massive hand swiping at Jayden’s legs.
Jayden leapt over the attack, flipping midair to drive his claws downward into the beast’s shoulder. This ti, they bit deep, blood spraying in an arc as the Smasher roared in pain.
But pain only made it angrier.
Its free hand slamd into Jayden’s side, sending him flying through the air. He twisted, landing in a crouch, his feet carving trenches into the dirt. His ribs ached, but his grin never faded.
"You hit like a train," Jayden admitted, wiping blood from his lip. "But I’ve fought worse."
The Smasher didn’t respond with words, only action. It slamd its fists into the ground, and this ti, the earth didn’t just tremble... it erupted.
The earth exploded upward in a storm of shattered stone, boulders the size of small cars erupting like volcanic projectiles. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring vision, but Jayden was already moving.
As the ground beneath him disintegrated, he leapt, his enhanced muscles propelling him skyward in a perfect arc. The world seed to slow as he reached the apex of his jump, his body twisting midair into a flawless backflip. The Smasher’s head craned upward, its crimson eyes tracking Jayden’s trajectory—just in ti to see Jayden’s feet crash into its face with the force of a teor strike.
CRACK.
The impact echoed through the clearing like a gunshot. The beast’s head snapped backward, its massive body staggering as its knees buckled. Blood and saliva sprayed from its maw, several teeth sent flying from the devastating kick.
Jayden landed gracefully, skidding back a few feet as the dust settled. The Smasher swayed, its vision clearly blurred, but its fury still burned hot. It roared, shaking off the disorientation as it wiped blood from its broken nose.
"Still standing?" he taunted. "Guess I’ll—"
The words died in his throat. And that mont of distraction cost him everything.
The Smasher’s eyes blazed crimson.. and it moved.
Faster than before.
Jayden barely had ti to raise his arms before a fist the size of a boulder smashed into his ribs.
CRUNCH.
His Adamantine skeleton held barely, but the force sent him skidding across the clearing, dirt spraying behind him.
Before he could recover, the beast was already above him.
WHAM!
An uppercut to the jaw launched him airborne.
The Smasher leapt, following Jayden upwards. Then...
SLAM!
An elbow drop hamred Jayden into the earth, cratering the ground.
His vision swam.
[-50 Hp]
[-75 Hp]
[-120 Hp]
The system notifications flashed in Jayden’s face, warning him of his impending end.
The D-Rank Earth Smasher had used Jayden’s distraction to catch him offguard, hitting him unexpectedly.
Jayden spat out blood and tried to get up, but the beast wasn’t done.
It grabbed Jayden by the leg.. and slamd his body into the ground.
BAM!
Jayden’s body cracked the earth on impact, but the beast didn’t let go of his leg. Instead, it continuously slamd Jayden into the ground.
BAM! BAM! BAM’
Every collision caused a crater in the ground.
Then finally, the beast stopped, swinging Jayden like a ragdoll before hurling him into a tree. Wood splintered as he crashed through the trunk, tumbling across the dirt in a heap.
[-150 Hp]
[Hp: 20]
[Host’s condition is critical]
Jayden coughed, blood spraying onto the grass. His claws retracted instantly, his face was a ss of bruises, his ribs scread with every breath.
But his lips were curved into a smile. It was as if the pain only excited him.
The Smasher lood over him, chest heaving, fists dripping with Jayden’s blood. Victory glead in its crimson eyes.
Then Jayden laughed.
A wet, bloody chuckle that made the beast pause.
"I’ve gotta admit," Jayden rasped, pushing himself up on trembling arms. "You almost had there." He spat out a tooth. "You’re one of the best I’ve fought."
His Lycan claws unsheathed with a wet schlick. The Earth Smasher roared and charged, going in for the kill.
"But I made myself a promise." Jayden continued, his eyes flashing gold. "Your head will be mine."
Then, he moved.
His claws glead as a strange erald mist suddenly coiled around them, dripping like liquid venom. He t the Smasher’s charge head-on, ducking at the last second as the beast’s fist whistled past his ear, before raising his own hands in retaliation.
SWISH.
His claws swiped across the beast’s ribs.. not deep, just a glancing blow.
The Smasher roared, spinning to face him, but already its steps suddenly began faltering.
Jayden didn’t stop. He circled, watching as the beast swayed, its massive fra trembling.
"What’s the matter?" he taunted, rolling his aching shoulders. "Can’t move?"
The Smasher tried to lunge... only to collapse to one knee, its breath ragged. The shallow cuts along its ribs burned with unnatural venom, its veins turning black beneath its fur.
Jayden chuckled, before shifting his gaze to the system screen that had appeared a while ago.
[Poison Secretion has been Mastered]
[You’ve unlocked the stat: Mastery]
He exhaled, recalling the mont when his body was constantly being slamd into the ground by the Earth Smasher. He rembered the pain, the desperation, the way his body had scread as the beast brutalized him.
But he had endured. He had focused. And in that crucible of agony, his hand twitched, and he felt a pulse of energy flow through his body. He mastered the pattern of the energy and within seconds, he was able to grasp it. He was able to own it.
Before getting hurled into the tree, he was able to control that energy into his palms... a thick, green mist of poison, which slowly poured out of the pores of his hands. And after recovering from the collision, he received a notification.
The Smasher snarled, trying to rise.. but its muscles locked, its body betraying it.
Jayden stepped forward with a smirk, his claws dripping with poison. "Alright, let’s end this."
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