"This beast is dangerous," Shishi's voice echoed in Kazel's mind. "With your current level, technique alone won't be enough."
Kazel's eyes snapped open. Above him, the vast sky stretched endlessly, cold and indifferent. The biting wind wrapped around his body, a cruel reminder of the battle he had yet to finish. But within him, a fire burned—unwavering, untamed. He pushed himself up, his muscles screaming in protest, and saw the disciples of the Ironhide Sect staring at him in disbelief.
(That tenacity…!) Toghon thought, his breath catching. (Were he a disciple of my sect, how wondrous would that be! That heart, that iron of a smile!)
Kazel grinned, his sharp blue eyes locking onto the Frostfang Alpha. Its golden gaze gleamed in challenge, its icy stripes pulsing faintly as if mocking him. He reached out a hand. "Toghon. Your sword."
"What?" Toghon blinked, caught off guard.
"Quickly!" Kazel's tone left no room for hesitation.
Without a second thought, Toghon tossed his sword. Kazel caught it effortlessly, his grip firm, now wielding a blade in each hand. His steps were slow, deliberate, as he approached the Frostfang. The disciples instinctively stepped aside, clearing his path.
"Ambush failed. Looking for openings failed." Kazel rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of steel in both hands. His smirk widened. "Guess I've got one option left."
As he advanced, the Frostfang howled—a deep, guttural sound that sent a ripple through the battlefield. The white wolves, without hesitation, parted for their alpha, forming a single unbroken line between predator and challenger.
Kazel twisted his swords, catching the light of the sun. A bright flare danced across the blades.
"Brute force it is." He grinned, then lunged.
First, it was two slashes—both parried effortlessly by the Frostfang's claws.
Then, the real battle began.
Steel clashed against hardened bone, each collision ringing out like a gunshot across the mountain. It was rapid, relentless—like a war drum beating to the rhythm of their duel. Kazel's twin blades danced in his hands, striking from unpredictable angles, but the Frostfang met every attack with its long, powerful arms, countering with swipes that could tear a man in half.
The air cracked with the force of their strikes. Every swing, every block sent shockwaves through the snow, scattering ice and dust like explosions. The disciples, frozen in place, could only watch in awe.
"H-How…?" one of them stammered, gripping his weapon tighter.
"This… this is beyond anything I've ever seen," another whispered.
Batu, who had been standing ready to intervene, found himself unable to move. His usual confidence wavered as he watched Kazel, a mere young man, go toe-to-toe with a beast that should have been overwhelming. "That's not just talent," he muttered under his breath. "That's… something else entirely."
Toghon, the most experienced of them all, had already realized it. He had seen skilled warriors before, but this was different. The Frostfang wasn't holding back—it was treating Kazel as an equal, something it wouldn't do unless it sensed true danger.
"Kazel…" Toghon's hands clenched into fists. "He's pushing it back."
As if responding to Toghon's thoughts, Kazel twisted mid-air, his blades carving an arc of silver light. The Frostfang barely dodged, but not without cost—a shallow cut appeared on its shoulder, dark blood seeping into its icy fur.
The disciples gasped.
"He cut it!"
Kazel, breathing heavily, smirked. "Not so invincible after all."
The Frostfang growled low, the shallow cut healed at an alarming rate, its golden eyes flashing with something new.
Rage.
Then it moved. Faster. Harder.
But it was according to plan.
The Frostfang Alpha let out a guttural snarl as Kazel's blade flickered in his grasp. The subtle, almost lazy movement of the sword caught its golden eyes, shifting its focus just enough—just a fraction of a second's distraction. But against Kazel, that was more than enough.
(Truly, you're just a beast… The blade is nothing but a tool, you should beware more of the man wielding it. Here is your punishment.)
Kazel moved.
His body became a blur, his feet kicking off the snow as he dived forward. Instead of meeting the Frostfang head-on, he slid—right between its legs. The world seemed to slow as he twisted mid-slide, his blade flashing upward in a ruthless, calculated arc.
A sickening slice.
The Frostfang's howl of agony ripped through the cold mountain air.
Blood sprayed in a wild arc as Kazel's strike severed the tendons at the back of its heels. The beast's massive frame trembled, its balance utterly destroyed. Its legs faltered, and for the first time in this battle—
—The Frostfang fell.
It crashed onto its knees, its powerful arms stabbing into the ground for support. But it was useless. The strength that once allowed it to dominate had now become its greatest weakness. No longer able to stand, no longer able to lunge, no longer able to chase.
The once-mighty predator had been crippled.
The disciples of the Ironhide Sect stood frozen, disbelief painted on their faces.
"H-He took its legs…" one muttered.
"He—he actually brought it down?!" another stammered.
Batu exhaled sharply, his eyes locked on the sight before him. (That level of precision… That ruthlessness…)
Toghon's lips parted slightly as he watched Kazel rise from his crouch, blood dripping from the edge of his sword. His movements were fluid, effortless—as if the entire sequence had been nothing more than a dance.
(He saw through it. He knew its weakness, and he took it... apart.)
Kazel smirked, his blue eyes gleaming like frost under the sun. He twirled his sword once before resting it against his shoulder, tilting his head at the struggling Frostfang.
"You relied too much on your instincts," he muttered, approaching the beast with slow, deliberate steps. "And you thought you could predict me."
The Frostfang's golden eyes flared with rage and desperation. It bared its fangs, attempting to swipe at him with one last, desperate attack—
Too slow.
Kazel stepped to the side, effortlessly dodging, before placing his foot on the beast's arm, pinning it down.
"Now," he said, raising his sword. "Die."
Its severed head tumbled from its shoulders, landing with a heavy thud.
(I guess recovering the tendon is not as quick huh, or you can't do regeneration... wait, I severed your head, what am I saying).
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
The white wolves, their eyes wide with primal terror, hesitated for only a moment before instinct took over. One by one, they turned tail and bolted into the depths of the frozen forest, disappearing between the trees.
It was over.
Kazel let out a shaky breath. His vision blurred, his body screamed in protest, and exhaustion weighed on him like a mountain. The toll of the battle, the injuries, the overuse of his abilities—it was all catching up to him.
"Shit," he muttered, staggering slightly. "I'm dying."
His legs wobbled, but before he could collapse, he saw Toghon sprinting toward him, concern written all over his face.
(One last whim for the day.)
Kazel's eyelids drooped, and before he could fight it, darkness took him.
—
He opened his eyes to find himself in the vast void of his soul space.
The familiar expanse stretched endlessly around him, a realm where the ground was solid yet formless, where the sky was neither dark nor light. Standing before him were his four spirit beasts—his Two-Tusk Boar, Black Mustang Rabbit, and the twin Shishi—waiting, ever-loyal, ever-ready for his command.
But something was different this time.
A new presence lingered in the middle of them all.
An intruder.
A low, guttural snarl echoed through the space, filled with raw fury and defiance. The towering form of the Frostfang Alpha materialized, its golden eyes gleaming with unrelenting aggression. Its ashen-gray fur bristled, its icy-blue stripes pulsed faintly, and it let out a howl that reverberated through the soul realm.
The moment it finished, it lunged—straight at Kazel.
Kazel tilted his head slightly, completely unfazed. His lips curled into an amused smirk.
"So that's how it is?" he mused.
Before the Frostfang could reach him, a colossal force slammed into its side.
BOOM!
The Two-Tusk Boar crashed into it like a boulder, sending the beast skidding backward.
Kazel didn't move. He merely watched, his smirk deepening.
"You must think this is a fair fight," he said, cracking his neck. "But I don't play fair in this space."
His voice dropped, commanding and absolute.
"All of you—conquer."
The response was immediate.
The Shishi twins, their manes blazing, pounced forward in perfect synchronization.
The Black Mustang Rabbit, eyes gleaming with deadly intent, darted through the space with lightning-fast movements, striking where it hurt the most.
The Two-Tusk Boar charged again, a living battering ram, relentless and unstoppable.
The Frostfang Alpha had barely recovered before it found itself surrounded.
Outnumbered. Overwhelmed. Hunted.
Kazel crossed his arms, watching as the familiar white flame emerged on the Frostfang.
"Welcome, Frostfang," he said, his voice echoing through the realm.