Hunt Race

The beast disappeared again, and Kael stood his ground instead of chasing the movement with his eyes. He could feel the creature's mana moving through the chamber, faint but clear enough to tell him where it was approaching from. A pressure formed behind him, then shifted toward his left. Kael turned with his sword already raised, catching the incoming claw with a sharp CLANG! before the impact could reach his body.

The beast twisted immediately, bringing its other claw toward Kael's ribs. Kael followed the movement with his eyes, but the attack came faster than expected and forced him to move backward. The claw grazed him before he could completely escape, opening another cut along his side. Kael landed several steps away and looked at the beast, his expression tightening as he tried to understand what had happened.

He could sense the creature.

That wasn't the problem anymore.

The problem was that he still didn't understand what the mana was telling him.

The beast rushed again, and Kael raised his sword just as the creature appeared in front of him. He blocked the first claw, then felt the mana around the beast shift before the second attack came. Kael moved his blade toward the change and caught the second claw as well, the impact forcing him to slide backward. His eyes narrowed slightly. The shift had happened before the attack.

The beast pressed forward, its claws moving continuously as Kael blocked one strike after another. Each time the creature prepared to attack, the mana inside its body changed, gathering more heavily around the part that was about to move. Kael didn't understand the pattern yet, but he kept watching while fighting, noticing how the flow changed before every strike. When the beast suddenly shifted its weight, Kael felt the mana gather around its legs and immediately moved before it could disappear.

The creature appeared where Kael had been standing.

Kael turned and swung.

SHING!

The beast twisted away from the blade, barely avoiding the attack.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

He had sensed the movement.

He had even reacted early.

Yet he still couldn't land a hit.

The beast disappeared again.

Kael steadied his breathing and waited for the sensation.

There.

Mana gathered around the creature's body before shifting toward one side.

Kael moved his sword before the beast appeared.

CLANG!

The claw struck exactly where he had prepared.

The creature followed with another attack, but this time Kael noticed the mana moving toward the opposite arm. He adjusted his stance and caught the strike as well, turning the blade and forcing the claw away. The beast immediately changed its angle, and Kael barely avoided the next attack by twisting his body.

A small realization formed.

The mana wasn't telling him where the beast was.

It was telling him what the beast was about to do.

Kael began testing it without slowing down. When the mana gathered around the right arm, he prepared for the right claw. When it shifted toward the left, he adjusted his guard. When the flow concentrated around the beast's legs, Kael knew it was preparing to move. His reactions became sharper, his blocks cleaner, and for the first time since the creature had taken its humanoid form, the beast's speed stopped being enough to completely overwhelm him.

But Kael still couldn't counter.

He blocked a downward strike, redirected another, then slipped away from a third before trying to attack the beast's exposed side. The creature twisted away before the sword could connect. Kael followed with another slash, but the beast had already recovered and knocked his blade aside. Even when Kael knew where the next attack was coming from, the creature's physical ability allowed it to respond to his counters.

Kael was beginning to understand the difference.

Sensing the attack wasn't the same as creating an opening.

The beast rushed again.

Kael felt the mana gather around its legs and prepared himself.

The creature vanished.

Kael turned.

The mana was already moving toward its right arm.

He raised his sword.

CLANG!

The claw struck.

Kael redirected it and immediately sensed another change.

The mana rose.

Upward.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

The beast's next attack was coming from above.

The creature twisted and brought its claw down toward his head.

Kael had enough warning to move completely out of the way.

But as he shifted, he noticed the beast's body would be exposed for the briefest moment if he stayed close.

He made his choice.

Instead of retreating, Kael twisted his body at the last instant.

SHING!

The claw tore across his shoulder, opening a deep cut and sending blood down his arm.

Pain flashed through him, but Kael stepped forward before the beast could recover. His sword moved with him, and the first slash of Ripple Slash swept across the creature's exposed arm.

SHING!

The beast tried to pull away.

Kael followed the movement instead of giving it room.

The second slash came immediately from the opposite direction.

SHING!

The blade cut deeper into the same arm.

The beast recoiled with a roar, blood spilling from the wound as it finally broke away from Kael.

Kael staggered one step, blood running from his shoulder, but he kept his sword raised. Across from him, the beast stared at its wounded arm before looking back at Kael. The two stood several meters apart, both bleeding from the exchange.

Then the black crescent on Kael's palm pulsed.

Kael felt the connection return.

His eyes lowered toward the Mark for only a moment before returning to the beast.

A faint smile touched his face.

He had finally figured out how to turn what he sensed into an attack.

And this time, he had drawn blood.

The beast's wound began closing.

Kael tightened his grip around his sword.

The connection remained.

The Mark was ready again.

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