Chapter 23: The Three-way Battle Between Predators.

A little while later.

Ethan is headed toward the waterfall he had spotted the day before. From there, he would go straight to the territory of a herd of Rustclaw Lions, one of the strongest D-rank beasts.

These weren't ordinary lions. They were genetically modified to have steel-forged claws and teeth. Although the first generation of these lions was not able to live for long because of the pain, slowly they adapted and bred. They are now able to make complete use of their steel body parts, making them a true threat among the D-rank. But their very strength was also their curse. The steel parts slowly rusted over time, spreading toxins through their bloodstreams and eventually killing them quickly and painfully.

Still, for creatures doomed to have a short life, Rustclaws are terrifying. They are known to live in herds and take down much stronger prey. They were among the top predators in the D-rank category. In rare cases, a few of them had even evolved beyond their natural limits, breaking through to C-rank or, in extreme circumstances, even B-rank.

Thankfully, this particular group was living in the outer forest. So while the possibility of a C-rank existed, it was unlikely. The chances of them having a B-rank were even slimmer. Otherwise, they would have long gone to the inner area.

Ethan had scouted them yesterday. There were six D-rank lions with no sign of anything stronger being present. So he chose them as his first real target.

A short hike later, Ethan arrived near their territory. It was an unusual clearing of roughly fifty meters wide, completely void of trees, despite being deep in the forest. The reason was simple. Their body fluids. As the steel rusted and toxins leaked from their body fluids, the very earth around them became poisoned. Thus, no trees were able to grow near it.

Ethan crouched down, staying just outside the plain zone, using the dense trees for cover. His eyes were scanning the pride. He began to memorize their movements, their roles, and their position.

But suddenly he realized that something was wrong.

"Wait... eight of them?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I only saw six yesterday. Where the hell did the other two come from? And one of them is even a C-rank, possibly the leader."

His face let out a small frown. He didn't miss any details during his initial observation; he was sure of that. So, how were there two more now? Were they hiding or out hunting?

Whatever the case, he was still calculating their formation and thinking of a plan. His mind was full of possible outcomes and plans. Perhaps that is why he did not notice that just as he was watching the lions, something was observing him too.

"HISSSSSS—!"

The sound came to Ethan's ears. Before he could react, a powerful gust of wind struck him from behind like a sledgehammer. He flew forward, crashing into the dead soil of the Rustclaw zone, coughing and rolling until he came to a halt right in the middle of the lions' den, completely revealed and without a plan.

The pride, startled by the sudden noise of Ethan's arrival and the wind spike, immediately shifted into battle stance. Their yellow eyes were fixed on Ethan. But Ethan wasn't looking at them.

"Ah, damn it. Just who did that?" He twisted to look behind him only to hear a hissing sound. A huge shadow was moving between the trees.

Slowly, the shadow came out from the canopy, revealing it to be a colossal serpent, nearly two stories tall. Its scales were radiating a golden light in the sunlight. Its tail was fanned out behind it like a giant peacock, looking more like a fan than a tail.

It was a Windtail Serpent, a C-rank beast.

Not only did it possess incredible speed and reflexes, but its skin was so durable it could deflect arrows like pebbles. However, its most terrifying feature was its tail. It could use its tail to generate slicing wind gusts with every movement. It was a beast that, for some reason, had a natural enmity with the Rustclaw Lions.

Ethan stood in silence, caught between two predators.

Rustclaws in front. Serpent on his back.

"Damn it. This got complicated real fast." He looked towards the front and the back continuously. "Which should I attack first?"

Before he could choose a target, however, the leader of the Rustclaw let out a thunderous roar, and just like that, the entire pride surged forward, not just at Ethan, but at the serpent as well. A full-blown territorial war had erupted.

"Tch... fine. Bring it on!" Ethan said, unsheathing his blade with a steely light in his eyes, charging full on towards the pride.

The serpent hissed and slithered its way into the battlefield. With its insane speed and huge build, it reached the scene before Ethan. It ignored Ethan as, in its eyes, the Rustclaws were more dangerous.

It lashed its tail forward and unleashed a powerful gust of wind. The lions were at its mercy, forced to dig their claws into the ground just to stay in place. They could barely move forward, stuck in place by the sheer pressure. But it wasn't enough to hurt them. The battle hit a stalemate, the serpent and the lion locked in a tense deadlock.

Until Ethan showed up, that is.

"Looks like wind alone is not cutting it. How about some fire added with that?" Ethan raised his arm, activating his ability. But unlike before, where he summoned fire spears, arrows, or storms, this time he simply released raw flames. Unrefined, untamed, and violent.

The fire mixed with the serpent's wind, turning the gust into a blazing and destructive storm.

The lions let out a bunch of roars as the firestorm hit them head-on, flames doing damage across their metal claws and modified fur. The sudden burst of heat tore through their formation, burning them all badly.

"Now that's more like it," Ethan grinned.

But the grin didn't last long.

With the lions out of the picture, the serpent stopped its attack on the lions and turned its focus to Ethan. In that moment, it saw him as the bigger threat, so it attacked him. Its massive tail, now joined together, slammed down with the aim to crush him. He dodged the blow with a quick sideways leap.

"Oi, oi! I thought we were making a great team there, taking down the lions. Yet here you are, attacking me. What happened to your sportsmanship?" Ethan yelled as he pointed Nightbane at the serpent as if scolding it. The snake hissed in return, its tail whipping back and building pressure again. It was preparing for a wind attack.

"Fine, suit yourself," Ethan said as he rushed in a zigzag motion, hoping to confuse its aim.

Didn't work.

The serpent released another wind attack, wide, fast, and impossible to fully dodge. Ethan was swept off his feet, caught in the gale. He flew back a few feet before stabbing Nightbane into the ground to anchor himself.

"Okay, that was a dumb move," he muttered, trying to push forward.

But he didn't get far.

Two of the Rustclaw Lions lunged at him mid-windstorm, their claws raised to strike and kill.

Noticing the attack, Ethan yanked Nightbane from the ground and let the wind blow him back, narrowly dodging both lions by using the wind's momentum to spin out of range.

The lions, stuck in the serpent's tornado again, dug in their claws just to avoid being blown away. This time, Ethan saw his chance.

With the lions directly in front of him, acting as a shield from the wind, Ethan sprinted forward. He fired flame arrows as he ran, each one slamming into the lions and earning him a roar of pain.

Before he could follow up, the other Rustclaw Lions, along with their leader, attacked the serpent, distracting it and stopping its wind.

The two wounded lions turned their attention back to Ethan, growling with fury.

Ethan just sighed. "Oh well... Let's just finish this."

Half an hour later.

The zone looked like a true battlefield now. The ground was wrecked, torn up by blunt force, burned black, and stained with blood and ash. Dust was still flowing thick in the air, making everything look like a faded memory of what it once was.

Only three figures were left standing: Ethan, the leader of the Rustclaw Lions, and the serpent. They faced each other in a shaky triangle, all of them barely holding on.

The serpent's tail was a ruined mess, dragging uselessly behind it. It was no longer able to whip up the wind or use it as a sledgehammer like before. The lion looked just as bad, its fur slashed open in places, one eye missing and replaced with a raw, bleeding socket. Its front paws were busted, barely holding on.

Ethan had taken the least damage among the three, but he was far from fine. Blood ran down his left arm, which hung useless at his side from overuse and injury.

Ethan had managed to kill three of the lions, while the serpent took down four. Now, it was just them.

"Well," Ethan muttered, a crooked grin on his lips despite the pain, "looks like the climax is finally here, gentlemen. It seems tha—"

Before he could finish, both the serpent and lion lunged toward him. During the earlier battle, he was marked as dangerous by both the beasts, so now they instinctively allied up to get rid of the strongest enemy.

Ethan instantly summoned a swirling firestorm, a barrier of flame that burst up between him and the attackers. It didn't really stop them as they charged straight through after a brief pause. But when they emerged, Ethan was gone.

They paused, eyes swirling in all directions. No sign of him. Just smoke and broken terrain.

Their focus shifted. If Ethan wasn't here, then only one enemy remained.

The lion and serpent locked eyes, both growling. But just as they tensed to strike, a sudden flash sliced through the air.

Ethan shot out of the nearby tree line like a bullet, sword drawn, crashing onto the serpent's back from above.

(That's right. The battle had dragged them across nearly the entire fifty-meter clearing, bringing them back near the trees.)

His blade struck deep, planting itself near the serpent's spine. The creature shrieked, its huge body thrashing wildly. It slammed into the earth, into trees, doing everything it could to shake Ethan off to get rid of the pain. But Ethan kept clinging like a parasite, holding on with every ounce of strength left in his body.

The lion saw its chance. With a feral roar, it jumped and slashed with its claws, sinking its teeth into the serpent's neck.

The combined assault worked. It proved to be too much for the already wounded serpent.

The serpent began to slow, movements growing sluggish. Its hisses turned to a whimper.

Ethan took this chance and yanked his sword free, then shot his hand right into the sword wound. The serpent shook uncontrollably in pain. Without hesitation, Ethan activated his ability, releasing a firestorm inside the creature.

Flames burst outward, tearing through its body from within, forming a two-way hole.

"HISSSSSSSSSSS!" the serpent cried in agony, thrashing its massive body one last time. Then, with a final tremor, it collapsed. Its body, the size of a two-story building, slamming to the ground and sending shockwaves through the forest. Trees snapped. Dust exploded outward, turning everything grey.

The lion, thrown back by the serpent's fall, staggered to its feet. Its breath was shallow and uneven. It had finally taken down the serpent, earning it a rest… or so it thought.

It forgot something, or rather someone.

Where was Ethan?

From the curtain of dust, a barrage of flame arrows ripped forward, precise and merciless. Each one struck a vital point. The lion roared in agony as its front legs gave out, blood flowing out from its stomach. It collapsed, trying to crawl away, its mouth filled with blood.

As the dust slowly cleared, it saw Ethan.

He stood atop the serpent's massive corpse. His right eye was shut, blood flowing from a cut on his temple. His shirt was gone, torn away in battle, and his left arm hung completely limp.

"Sorry, buddy," Ethan said, his voice low, tired, and wounded. "If I didn't do that, it'd be me groveling now."

He leapt down from the serpent's body, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. He approached slowly, sword dragging behind him.

The lion snarled weakly, a last attempt to regain some of its dignity.

Ethan didn't respond.

With a swift motion, he swung his blade, cleanly severing the lion's head from its body.

Then SILENCE.

Ethan just stood there for a moment, taking in the aftermath. The battlefield looked like a warzone. Craters, fire marks, fallen corpse. He then looked down at himself with tired eyes.

Bloody, broken, battered. That was the only way to describe it.

He sighed.

"Still have a long way to go."

After the devastating battle with the Rustclaw Lions and the Windtail Serpent, Ethan didn't get much time to rest. He did not want to rest as adrenaline was flowing through his whole body currently.

So he fought against another beast group, a flock of Frostwings. They were nimble, bird-like predators, each with crystalline, ice-feathered wings that shone like shards of glass. These wings weren't just for show. They could freeze the air with a single beat, turning the ground beneath them slick with frost.

There were three C-rank beasts and six D-rank beasts in the group. They were more dangerous than the lions and serpents from before. They had an extra C-rank beast, and they were able to fly. So they were naturally supposed to be at an advantage.

And worse, Ethan was still injured from the previous battle. His left arm was numb, and his body was covered in cuts and bruises, bleeding at a regular interval. But even so, he managed to defeat them.

Part of it was pure luck. Ethan's Blaze ability gave him a natural edge over their ice-based powers. But more importantly, the Frostwings were already injured. From the number of Ironback Rhino corpses scattered across the place, split and frozen solid, Ethan could tell the birds had just finished their territorial fight.

He struck fast, releasing fire through the sky and killing the weaker ones first. The C-ranks fought harder, but their movements were sluggish from old wounds. It was a long, brutal skirmish, but Ethan didn't need to use any explosives or his trump cards. That alone made the fight feel like a great achievement, considering everything.

Night fell quietly.

The forest outside was calm. Stars shone gently overhead, and the trees swayed with the breeze. The sounds of night creatures echoed faintly through the darkness.

Ethan sat inside his treehouse-like shelter, high above the ground. After patching himself up and eating, he now lay back on his makeshift bed of cloth and dried leaves. His left arm was fully bandaged, stiff, sore, and numb. He didn't want to use his special healing potion. It felt like a waste as they were limited in number. A painkiller would do for now.

With a low sigh, Ethan sat up and walked toward the edge of the shelter. He pushed the curtain of leaves aside and looked out. From this high altitude, he could see the forest stretching endlessly under the moonlight.

The trees looked peaceful. Quiet. Nothing like the battlefield they became during the day. Even the beasts were quiet, no howling or roaring. Just peace and quiet.

He sat at the edge of the shelter and let his feet hang out, swinging slightly.

A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Life really is great," he whispered.

Even after all the blood, pain, and exhaustion, moments like this reminded him why he fought so hard. Not just to survive. Not just to have revenge. But to live.