"[Lunar Arc]!"
"[Telekinesis]!"
Aria and Nyx hurriedly intoned their spells just as the bear-like monster used its strong limbs to swipe at Kaiden with its muscular, clawed paws.
His Metal Nomad armor set took the brunt of the hit for him, but he was still sent flying due to the sheer force exerted by the silverback mauler.
Not only did every level bring stats up a good amount, but a monster's difficulty greatly varied depending on its race. A level 100 dragon would be a lot mightier than a level 100 goblin.
This silverback creature was not a simpleton like the warthog and the stags who could only charge with their heads down, bracing for impact. It was also protected by its heavy, sturdy hide, unlike the rats. Nyx's dagger and Aria's projectile failed to injure the beast in any significant manner.
As level one existences, they were in grave danger. The mauler was tankier, stronger, faster, and enjoying the comfort and familiarity of its natural habitat.
Kaiden groaned with extreme amounts of pain coursing through his injured body, but he forced himself to stand up—he knew very well he was the only one who could face this creature in melee range. If its focus was directed at his girls, they would not live to tell the tale.
'Against a physically superior monster, you have to use your abilities to your advantage. If that doesn't work, you're left with relying on your superior intellect. Outsmart it.'
Kaiden remembered back to his mother's words when he watched Alice train with her—which almost always resulted in his little sister getting beaten up mercilessly. Alice would often spend hours afterward crying into his shirt.
Now that Kaiden thought about Alice, he couldn't help but compare his feelings toward his younger sister versus the atrocity that was Theodore's feelings regarding Luna.
As a result of doing so, Kaiden felt more and more enraged with every passing moment.
A big brother was meant to protect, to be the shield that would sustain injuries so that their weak siblings wouldn't have to. Yet, this failure of a brother tracked them down just to offer Luna to his sketchy organization's bosses or whatever his plan was.
The mere thought made Kaiden's blood boil. He understood the world was an ugly place, but since getting to know his girls and their horrible stories, Kaiden was forced to stare these living human scum in the face instead of hearing about them through the net.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Theodore from limb to limb. To listen to his pained cries while begging for mercy that would never come. However, the target of his rage was nowhere in sight.
But the silverback mauler was.
Kaiden eyed the creature with fiery red eyes. The Paragon of Sin instinctively knew he wasn't strong enough to cut through the bear with his axe blade. The pick end of it was a different story, though. It allowed the force of his strike to converge at a single point.
He ignored his body's begging for him to run for his life and dashed back into the fray.
"Aim for its eyes!" Kaiden shouted while turning his axe handle around in his palm.
His loud voice grabbed the monster's attention, and it once again pounced at him. The mauler's sharp combat instincts marked Kaiden as the biggest threat to its life. Kaiden knew he couldn't match the beast in speed, nor could he take another major hit, so all he could do was keep a steady distance between the two of them to the best of his abilities.
It swiped its mighty claws at him, but he was ready and managed to step back just in time.
"[Lunar Arc]!" Aria intoned while aiming her wand right at the creature's left eye. However, the silverback monster dodged the projectile and used its momentum to strike at Kaiden's frame. Kaiden's [Adaptive Reflexes] passive skill was starting to kick in as he saw the attack coming at him, but due to the Agility stat difference between the two, he was not able to dodge. On the bright side, he was quick enough to raise his gauntleted hand to protect himself.
*Bam!*
Kaiden gritted his teeth as the claws nearly severed his arm. The only reason it remained intact was the existence of his metal gauntlet, which was in a completely ruined state after sustaining just one strike.
However, he couldn't afford to care right now. The copious amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins came in clutch when Kaiden gripped the axe handle with both arms and swung it at the beast. He hit it in the shoulder and left a severe puncture wound in its place.
Kaiden knew he had to create distance between himself and the monster, or he'd have no chance of dodging its next attack.
The monster roared with pain, rising to its two legs in a threatening manner, towering over the tall Kaiden by many heads.
Nyx remained patient throughout the fight. She watched with a heavy heart as the man she cherished sustained ugly wounds, but the Space Valkyrie forced herself to bide her time. She knew that waiting for the perfect moment to strike was their best chance at victory while panicking would doom both her friend and lover to fall here.
When the beast got on its two hind legs and started roaring, her patience was rewarded at long last. Nyx used her telekinetic powers to stab its right eye by utilizing all her mental power.
The might of the monster's guttural roar lessened, turning into a pained cry. It got down on four legs once again, using its paw to pull the dagger out. It had to do so because Nyx kept twisting the dagger in its eye socket, causing extreme pain.
All three combatants knew perfectly well:
It was now or never.
Despite the severity of the eye injury, the beast would manage to get over it soon enough.