Chapter 39: A Step at a Time

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Step at a Time

Damon stood quietly with Freya beside him.

Two High B rank beasts.

Just one would have been enough to force him to give everything he had. Facing two at once?

He honestly had no idea if they could come out without paying a terrible price.

Still, there was nowhere to run.

And even if there was...

He wasn’t willing to.

He slowly exhaled.

"Guess we’re doing this, huh?"

Freya stepped forward and raised her head proudly. Her five tails swayed behind her as tiny arcs of silver lightning danced around her fur. She looked back at him and chirped softly.

As if telling him.

Trust me.

Damon smiled.

"I do."

He walked up beside her and both fixed their eyes on the two monsters.

Neither beast seemed to think much of them.

Those cold eyes carried only disdain.

The pressure rolling off their bodies alone made the air heavy.

They had expected fear.

Expected panic.

But seeing Damon and Freya standing their ground only made them irritated.

Then suddenly...

WHOOSH!

The wolf moved first.

Without warning, wind gathered in front of its mouth.

A compressed blade of air shot forward.

Damon’s eyes widened.

"Shit!"

His body reacted before his mind.

Crack!

Silver lightning exploded beneath his feet.

He disappeared from his spot.

BOOOM!!

The stone floor where he had stood exploded apart.

Broken rocks flew everywhere.

Yet before Damon could even breathe...

Another wind blade came.

"Again?!"

He twisted his body.

SWISH!

The attack grazed past his shoulder and smashed into a distant wall.

Dust filled the air.

Damon landed and cursed under his breath.

"Damn monster..."

That was just one beast.

One.

And it was already this terrifying.

Fortunately...

The second High B rank beast merely sat nearby.

Watching.

Not moving.

Not interested.

Yet.

That was both good and bad.

It meant they still had time.

And they needed to use it.

Meanwhile, Freya had already acted.

Five afterimages split apart instantly.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

Silver foxes rushed from different directions.

The wolf snorted.

It clearly looked down on them.

Wind exploded around its body.

BOOM!

One attack.

Five afterimages shattered.

But before the beast could even relax...

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The destroyed afterimages exploded.

Tiny bursts of lightning blasted against its fur.

The injuries weren’t serious.

Just shallow burns.

Yet they were enough.

The wolf froze.

Then anger appeared in its eyes.

ROOOAR!

The entire hall shook.

Damon grinned.

"Good."

"Keep looking down on us."

The wolf charged.

Freya’s real body appeared among the remaining foxes.

Another afterimage formed immediately.

The beast tried to kill them all again.

But now it had become cautious.

It remembered the explosions.

Every time an image got close, it immediately retreated.

Yet that hesitation gave Damon exactly what he wanted.

Crackle!

Lightning surged through his knife.

He shot forward.

The wolf turned, but it was too late.

Slash!

His blade carved across its ribs. Blood sprayed.

ROOOAR!!

The beast retaliated immediately.

Three wind claws appeared.

Damon’s expression changed.

"Move!"

His body twisted.

SWISH!

SWISH!

SWISH!

The attacks barely missed him.

One cut through a pillar behind him.

Another left a deep scar on the floor.

The last one sliced off part of his sleeve.

"Tch."

"Close."

Freya appeared again.

Three afterimages attacked together.

The wolf chose one target...

And Damon came from its blind spot.

Slash!

Another cut.

The beast growled.

Then swung its claws.

BOOM!

The floor shattered beneath them.

Freya disappeared.

Damon retreated.

Then both attacked again.

They weren’t rushing.

They weren’t greedy.

Instead, Damon constantly adjusted.

Sometimes he attacked.

Sometimes he withdrew.

Whenever the wolf focused on Freya... he struck.

Whenever it targeted him, Freya punished it.

Their coordination grew smoother with every exchange.

Even Damon himself couldn’t help laughing.

"Haha!"

"Come on!"

"You were acting all mighty earlier!"

The wolf growled furiously.

It began searching for the real Freya.

But that only made things worse.

Because every second it spent hesitating...

Another wound appeared.

Another current was planted.

Slash!

Boom!

Clang!

Crack!

The sounds echoed across the hall.

And little by little...

The injuries accumulated.

Nothing deep or fatal, but just exactly what they wanted.

Meanwhile... The second beast continued watching.

Its eyes slowly narrowed.

At first, it had ignored them.

But now... Those eyes had changed.

It was studying them.

The so-called weaklings had actually managed to suppress its companion.

Damon noticed it immediately, as he smirked

Just as expected.

He had already guessed this would happen.

Smart beasts always liked to observe.

Which meant... They had only bit of time.

He glanced at Freya.

No words were needed.

Their connection had long surpassed that.

Freya understood.

Her eyes sparkled.

Then her tails swayed gently.

Damon’s grin widened.

"Let’s show him."

"Blow it up."

The wolf suddenly sensed danger. Its instincts screamed.

It tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Freya’s eyes flashed.

And all the currents hidden throughout its body awakened.

Boom!

The first explosion erupted.

The wolf screamed.

BOOOM!!

A second followed immediately.

Crack!!

Lightning burst from inside its flesh.

Then...

BOOOOM!!

Another.

And another.

And another.

The entire ruin trembled.

Silver lightning burst from wounds all over its body.

Its fur exploded apart.

Blood sprayed.

Its roar turned into a painful cry.

ROOOAAARRR!!

Damon’s hair fluttered under the violent shockwaves.

Even he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

"Beautiful."

Beside him, Freya stood proudly.

Five tails dancing.

Silver lightning reflecting in her eyes.

And in the distance, the second High B rank beast finally rose to its feet.

No longer indifferent.

No longer looking down on them.

For the first time... It had begun taking them seriously.

And that was exactly what Damon had been waiting for.

The detonations continued one after another.

Boom!

Boom!

Crack!

Silver lightning burst violently from inside the wolf’s body. Flesh split apart and burnt fur scattered across the ruined hall. The once proud High B rank beast no longer looked majestic.

Earlier, its silver fur had been smooth and imposing. Its stance had been proud, like a king surveying weaker creatures.

Now, it looked miserable.