"ARGH!" Jasmine groaned as she leaped back at the last possible moment, dodging a swing aimed at her head by an ogre wielding a massive sword.
’Close call.’ she huffed, her chest heaving.
"Behind you!" Lana called sharply from above.
Jasmine spun around instantly, her sword raised, just in time to clash against a descending axe aimed at her skull.
The impact rattled her arms and the sheer force from the ogre sent her skidding several feet away. She winced as pain throbbed through her hands, making it difficult to keep her grip steady.
’Ah, fuck! I’m just a normal human, damn it!’ she roared inwardly. But there was no time to wallow. A shadow loomed over her, and before she could steady herself, a giant hammer came crashing down toward her head.
Her gears were far too weak to hold out in a fight . Just like the other C-ranked hunters, she had only been given the standard advanced-tier boots and sword. Against King-tier beasts, she was a brittle twig against a storm. It looked was where her story would end.
"Damn! You guys are so heavy!" a voice bellowed.
Dust billowed up, and when it cleared, Jake stood there with both hands braced against the enormous hammer’s head, veins bulging as he struggled to keep it from slamming down onto Jasmine. His feet dug into the dirt, cracking the earth beneath him.
From above, Lana’s silver wings flared wide. In an instant, her metallic feathers shot forward like a storm of blades. They tore through the air, faster than arrows, and buried themselves into the ogre’s skull.
The monster barely had time to grunt before its head burst open in a spray of black gore. It toppled with a thud that shook the ground, narrowly missing Jasmine.
Lana didn’t pause. She swept across the battlefield, cutting down ogres in graceful yet lethal arcs. Her wings gleamed under the sunlight, her feathers becoming a hail of death with every flick.
Some hybrids possessed special abilities beyond their enhanced stats, and Lana’s gift was terrifying—her feathers were as sharp as blades and flew with the speed of wind, shredding anything that dared stand before her.
’Oh crap! I’ve got no real sword training.’ Max cursed inwardly as he ducked under an ogre’s savage swing, the weapon whistling over his head with enough force to split stone.
’If only I could use my flames freely...’
The beast pivoted faster than expected, bringing its axe down in a deadly arc. Max reacted instinctively.
’Strength Surge!’ he called inwardly. Instantly, raw power coursed through him like wildfire. His muscles swelled with renewed vigor.
He shoved his sword into its sheath, coiled his legs, and leaped into the air. The axe slammed into the ground where he’d been, shattering earth and throwing up a cloud of dust and debris.
"Perfect." Max muttered.
Flames ignited in his palms while still airborne. Without hesitation, he thrust his hands forward, launching a roaring fireball into the dust.
The explosion lit the battlefield like a miniature sun. The ogre staggered out, its skin scorched and seared. Black blood oozed from the burns as it roared in pain, its tusks gleaming under the firelight.
Max landed lightly on the cracked ground, his eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. In a flash, he closed the distance, his body moving like a streak. The beast swung at him, desperate, but Max vaulted over the strike. His fist clenched with blazing heat, and in one smooth, brutal motion, he drove it into the ogre’s face.
Its curled horn snapped clean off, and the monster was hurled back several meters, skidding through dirt and stone before crashing to a halt. Black blood gushed from its shattered features.
’The others have already seen me use this before, so there’s no point hiding it now.’ Max thought grimly.
His hands flared brighter as he spread them apart, eyes locked on the ogre that was already forcing itself back up, enraged. The beast charged again, its footsteps quaking the ground, but Max was ready this time.
Quickly scanning the battlefield, Max noticed Jake was already surrounded by a wave of snarling beasts, while several more ogres had broken off and were thundering in his own direction. His jaw tightened. There was no more time to hesitate—he had to go through with what he planned.
{Skill: Draconic Force Palm activated}
Max’s palms slammed together, and in that instant a devastating shockwave erupted outward like a rippling explosion.
The sheer force blasted into the ogres, hurling their hulking bodies several meters away. They skidded, rolled, and bounced violently across the torn earth, leaving trails of black blood and broken ground in their wake.
’That was fun.’ Max thought, lips twitching into a small grin.
"That wasn’t cool!" Jasmine’s furious voice cut across the chaos. She stumbled back to her feet, hair wild, glaring at Max with a sharp frown.
Max blinked. Guess the shockwave had caught her as well, tossing her to the ground.
"My b..." he started, but his words froze.
His eyes suddenly flared with a faint yellow glow, though barely noticeable under the glare of the sun. His heightened senses sharpened like a blade. The air behind him shifted unnaturally, a whisper of killing intent brushing against his skin. Instinct took over.
Max crouched low, his body folding just as a vicious swing tore through the air above him. The weapon whooshed past, missing by a hair’s breadth, the air slicing with the sheer force of the blow.
A guttural growl of disappointment rumbled from behind. Max didn’t look back. From his crouched position, he slammed his palms against the ground, launching himself into a backflip.
A thunderous crash followed a heartbeat later as the ogre’s colossal hammer obliterated the spot he’d just vacated, scattering dirt and shattered stone into the air.
Max landed smoothly, crouched and steady, glaring at his attacker with fire in his eyes.
The ogre didn’t care. With a savage roar, it lowered its tusked head and charged at him with astonishing speed, its massive bulk tearing through the battlefield like a freight train.
In mere seconds, it was towering over him. Its hammer swung in a vicious arc, the metallic head whistling through the air. Max dropped low, narrowly avoiding the crushing strike, the weapon grazing his hair as it slammed into the dirt.
He countered instantly, driving his fist upward in a sharp strike meant to shatter bone. Instead...
His knuckles collided with solid metal, sending a harsh vibration screaming up his arm. Before he could recover, a brutal kick hammered into his abdomen.
"Urgh!" Max grunted as pain ripped through his core. His body was flung backward, skidding across the ground in a cloud of dust and dirt. He rolled, coughing harshly, one hand clutched tightly to his abdomen as his eyes snapped toward the ogre with a furious glare.
The beast roared again and leaped into the air, its massive frame casting a shadow over Max as it came crashing down, hammer raised high like the judgment of death.
Max, with his ’Strength Surge’ still active and raw power coursing through his body, gritted his teeth and raised his arm to block the overhead strike. He was ready for the impact.
But it never came from above.
The hammer slammed into him from the side instead, blindsiding him. His eyes went wide in shock as saliva burst from his mouth.
The sheer force launched his body like a ragdoll. He bounced and tumbled violently across the ground, dirt and blood spraying with every impact until he finally came to a shuddering halt, gasping in pain.