Chapter 31

The Spirit Beast dropped to all fours and began barreling toward us, its muscles rippling beneath thick black fur. It didn’t weave or dodge, it didn’t need to. Every lesser beast in its path was flung aside like rubbish, crushed underfoot or batted away with a flick of its arms.

It was fast.

Terrifyingly fast.

Beside me, Elder Tian took an instinctive step back. His axe wavered in his hands.

“By the heavens…” he muttered, eyes wide. “We—we’re all doomed.”

The words spread like poison.

Around us, other villagers faltered. Some lowered their weapons. Others stepped back with frightened, uncertain feet.

And just like that, the line began to crack.

Then, surprisingly, it was Wei Lin who stepped forward.

He was bloodied from head to toe, there was fire in his eyes.

“Who gives a damn what it is?” he shouted, voice raw. “It’s just another beast! Another thing trying to kill us!”

His sabre trembled in his grip, but he held it high. “What are you all going to do? Run? Hide? Let it rip through your homes? Tear apart everyone you love?”

He turned slowly, sweeping his gaze across the villagers.

“Stop being cowards,” he said, voice low and sharp. “Pick up your blades. And fight until it’s no longer possible.”

Then he turned back to the monster charging at us, lifted his sword, and roared.

“Come on, you fuck!”

More beasts crashed against the barricades, howling and clawing but the villagers had stopped fighting back. Their fear was thick in the air like a choking fog.

And the Spirit Beast was closing in fast, still smashing aside smaller creatures like they were nothing.

If this kept up…

Everyone was going to die.

I saw a lizard like creature, the size of a large dog about to strike, it was a mess of muscle and scales. It lunged toward a young man who’d dropped his spear, crouched with hands over his head like prayer might stop what was coming.

It wouldn’t.

I surged forward. My Qi screamed through my meridians, I grabbed the beast by the tail mid-leap and spun with it, letting momentum and fury guide me.

Then I slammed it into the ground.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The ground cracked. Its skull split with a wet crack. It twitched, but I didn’t stop, not until I felt the last shudder run through its spine.

A snarl ripped through the smoke.

A Needleback. One of those hedgebeasts Wei Lin had named, the kind that fired a storm of spikes when cornered. It was bracing, its back rising, quills trembling.

I lifted the broken lizard corpse and hurled it with all the strength I had.

The bodies collided mid-air, a tangle of limbs, blood, and spikes. They crashed into a broken wagon, snapping it clean in half. Screams rang out nearby, but I didn’t look.

I was already moving.

I turned toward the barricade, where smaller beasts were still clawing through broken wood and stone. One vaulted over. I met it mid-air and split its exposed belly open.

Another darted in from the side, it was fast and low to the ground.

It clamped onto my forearm, teeth sinking deep, before I could react.

I drove my sabre into its eye socket, twisting hard.

It dropped like a stone.

I ripped my arm free. Blood ran freely, but pain had already become a part of my life.

I pushed my Qi harder. Let it burn through my pathways like liquid fire.

The muscles in my arms were twitching now, spasming without rhythm. I felt the fibers inside me pulling at the seams. My breathing was growing ragged from the strain.

But it didn’t matter. There were more beasts to kill.

Wherever my blade struck, flesh opened.

I was the reaper. Moving too fast. Every cut was accompanied by a pained yelp. Every punch or kick sent beasts flying.

Until the Spirit Beast roared once more.

The ground shook beneath my feet. I looked up again, only to see saliva foaming from its jaws, long canines jutting out like ivory daggers. And it charging straight for us.

I couldn’t afford to worry about the others anymore.

It was here.

Ten meters. Then eight.

Then five.

Then it launched.

It flew, a blur of black and gold fury arcing clean over the barricade.

It landed with a sound like thunder. The ground cracking around it.

Two hunters stood within range.

They didn’t even have time to scream.

It brought both fists down like hammers, and they exploded — bones shattered, bodies reduced to ruin beneath its weight. Blood sprayed across the cobbles in a wide, steaming arc.

It reached down, grabbed one of them by the leg and hurled what was left of him straight into Wei Lin, who was charging it full of rage.

The body hit him like a boulder. I saw him vanish beneath it, crashing to the ground in a mess of limbs.

Everything around me froze.

My stomach dropped at the shear power this beast held. I couldn’t think of a time I had ever had to fight something so strong. Except the demon. But it had been toying with me and I had a cheat. This beast wasn’t playing around. It was here to destroy and dominate and all I had was myself.

I forced my Qi through my meridians again. Harder. Deeper. I didn’t care about the damage anymore.

I could feel things tear.

Lines of heat rippled through my body, my skin flushed, blood vessels popping in my arms, my chest. I could smell my own flesh burning from the heat building inside.

I shot forward, body screaming with every inch and I slammed my sabre into the beast’s chest.

The steel sank deep. I felt ribs give. Felt meat part.

It didn’t even flinch.

It looked down at me, up close those golden eyes looked intelligent.

Then it moved.

I didn’t even see the arm come around.

One second I was standing. The next, something hit my chest with the force of a moving train.

I felt my ribs give way before I flew backward and crashed through a crate, skidded across the stone like a rag doll, then stopped.

My whole chest pulsed like it was caving in. I gasped for breath but it was impossible to breath in.

And still…

I reached for my sabre.

My fingers closed around the hilt.

I blinked the blur from my eyes.

The Spirit Beast turned away, already looking for its next kill.

I pushed myself up, gritting through clenched teeth.

I spat a thick stream of blood onto the ground. The copper taste coated my tongue, bitter and raw. Something inside my chest crunched when I moved. My whole body throbbed with pain, just from its one hit.

That really pissed me off.

“Come on then, you monkey bastard,” I growled.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my wrist. My fingers tightened on my sabre’s hilt, blood slick between the grip and my skin.

The Spirit Beast had already moved on, one massive paw curling around the wreckage of a cart, before picking it up and hurling it at Elder Tian. He jumped to the side but not before a splinter stabbed into his leg. He let out a hiss as he fell down.

I charged forward while it turned its back. It turned around swinging as I got closer, so I dropped to my knees and slid under the blow, while striking out with my sabre.

My blade caught the creature across its thigh, a deep slice, sharp enough take off a man’s leg.

The ape roared, it twisted and lunged forward, its shoulder hitting into my chest as I rose, lifting me clear off my feet. We crashed through the remains of a stall, the world a blur of movement and splinters.

I hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up again, chest heaving.

I looked to see the ape charging again, blood squirting out from its wounded leg.

I pushed Qi through my arms, through my legs, my meridians flaring so hot I swore I could smell my skin burning beneath my robes. My sabre moved faster than I thought possible, faster than any of my earlier strikes, a blur of silver and red. I carved across its forearm, then ducked low and slashed across its abdomen.

Blood spilled, thick and dark.

The Spirit Beast roared and swept its hand sideways like a club. I ducked under it, barely, the wind from the swing slicing past my face. I lunged forward and drove my sabre up into its side, twisting with everything I had.

It shrieked in fury.

It slammed its head into mine. A solid crunch echoed through my skull. I staggered back, vision doubled, knees dipping. Something cracked behind my eyes.

Before I could recover, it bounded away. It leapt high, impossibly high for something its size, landing with a crash on the roof of the bakery. Tiles exploded under its weight.

It roared again, slamming both fists into the roof, sending cracks spidering through the stone. Then it launched itself toward me, a black shadow against the firelight, coming down like judgment.

I dove sideways, rolled, and came up to see it land where I’d been standing. The ground cratered, dust shooting out in a halo around it.

I pushed the thoughts away of how strong and fast it was. I was already moving.

Qi flared again, white-hot through my arms. I darted in, slicing low, carving into the back of its leg. Flesh parted. I saw tendon snap. It buckled slightly, and I pressed the advantage.

I struck again, higher this time, at the ribs, then again at the shoulder. Every blow was a toll. Every movement came at a cost. But I didn’t stop.

I swung once more, aiming for its neck.

The Spirit Beast caught the blade mid-swing.

We froze, strength locked between us.

Then, slowly, it growled, deep, resonant sound that made my bones hum.

And it began to push.

My blade creaked in its grip. My wrists bent backward, pain tearing through my joints.

I screamed and forced more Qi into my arms. My body convulsed from the force of it. Blood ran from my nose, down my lip, over my chin.

The grip broke.

The Spirit Beast reared back and head butted me once more. I fell back to the ground as it let go of my blade.

Everything in me was on fire. And my vision was blurred.

But the ape still stood.

Bleeding. Howling. Furious.

So was I.

“Come on,” I muttered, hoarse and shaking while I stood up. “Let’s finish this.”

It answered by smashing its chest with its arms and bearing its bloodied teeth. Before it charged.

I stepped to the side, pivoting low, driving my sabre across its thigh. It turned and grabbed me by the back of my robe, before slamming me into the ground.

I hit the ground hard, my vision blurring once more. It slammed its closed fists into my back. Cratering me into the dirt before picking me up and throwing me across the road and into a building that was alight with fire.

I forced myself to my feet, staggering upright.

My body screamed at me to stop. My meridians burned. My muscles trembled with overuse, and my heart thundered against shattered ribs. I could feel blood trickling down my side.

It wasn’t enough.

The Spirit Beast roared — a sound that ripped through me like a blade — and grabbed a chunk of stone from the rubble. It hurled it at me like a cannonball.

I didn’t dodge in time.

The chunk slammed into my ribs and sent me flying. I hit the ground and didn’t get back up.

For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe. My ears rang. My whole body locked up, pain screamed through my side where the stone had hit. I tasted blood and bile.

Finally I felt my skill activate.

Skill Activated: Last Stand

Conditions met. Emergency override engaged. Boosting physical output. Suppressing pain response. Engaging emergency healing.

The words flashed behind my eyes like lightning. Then came the wave of clarity. Pain dimmed. My breath returned, shallow but steady. I could feel my body mending at a faster rate than ever. Even my meridians that I knew I had burnt out from using my technique begun to heal.

I pulled myself to my feet. A bloody smile curling onto my face. I looked at the beast, it was cut to ribbons. So was I. But this is where the fight only truely begun for me. When I was on the verge of death. And something about last stand was working better than ever. I could feel my Qi pumping through it. Empowering it.

I pushed my Qi through my body once more, feeling it destroy me only for last stand to heal the damage.

I was moving before it could react.

I vaulted a fallen beam, rolled under a swinging claw, and carved a line across its side. Blood sprayed hot and dark but it still wouldn’t fall.

“You don’t get to win, it’s my turn to get a fucking win.” I growled, while letting the Qi flood me again.

The beast came for me, slower now, bleeding from a dozen wounds.

I dodged left.

Then cut low.

Then rose with a spinning slash that opened its ribs from hip to shoulder. Its roar turned into a gasp, like it finally felt the pain. It staggered. Dropped to one arm. Breathed heavy.

I steadied my breath.

Drew every last thread of Qi I could find.

Then I ran. The world blurred as I moved. I felt my calf’s explode from the movement.

The Spirit Beast rose to meet me, arms spread wide.

I dove straight into its chest, sabre raised in both hands. It wrapped its arms around me and begun to squeeze. I felt ribs cracking. It was all or nothing now.

I let the Qi detonate through my arms, every last reserve and drove the blade into its heart.

The beast staggered.

I kept pushing.

One step. Two. A scream tore from my throat as I forced the weapon deeper, the metal grinding against bone.

Then its arms fell.

Its body sagged.

The light in its golden eyes flickered.

It slumped backward, my sabre pulling out with it.

And then it was still.

My arms hung limp. Blood dripped from my fingers. My chest rose and fell in ragged heaves, each breath agony.

But I still stood. My sabre in hand. I looked up into the sky, the sun was setting and dark clouds had, at some stage, moved above the village. Letting small droplets of water fall to the earth. I couldn’t help but chuckle. A dry raspy laugh.