The bear roared in pain and fury.
Greenish mana surged through its body as the (Boneframe Reinforcement) skill kicked in. The reinforced skeleton absorbed the shock, preventing its shoulder from collapsing entirely.
Before Old Ni could pull back, the bear retaliated.
It slammed both paws into the ground, activating its (Earth Split Slam) skill.
Mana flooded into the earth.
The ground beneath Old Ni fractured violently, as jagged stone pillars erupted upward. Old Ni leapt backward, but one spike grazed his leg, spilling blood.
He landed hard, rolled once, then immediately pushed himself back up.
The bear charged again. But this time, its eyes glowed faintly red as it used its (Regenerative Frenzy) skill.
Mana surged through its veins as wounds began knitting together at a visible rate. Torn fur reattached, its blood slowed down, then stopped.
With each attack, its recovery accelerated.
Old Ni clicked his tongue. "You plan to outlast me?"
The bear swung again with its crushing paw manifesting once more.
The energy claw extended farther this time, tearing through the air with a sharp sound.
Old Ni didn't retreat and stepped forward instead.
He used his (Sever the Line) skill and swung his sword horizontally. The slash wasn't aimed at the bear's body but at the flow of mana itself.
The blade cleaved through the energy claw mid-formation.
SHRRRK!
The mana construct shattered violently, exploding into scattered fragments of light. The backlash caused the bear to stagger, its arm jerking unnaturally as its mana flow destabilized.
Old Ni pressed the advantage as he slashed again and again.
The bear was forced to block and counter repeatedly as each clash drained more of the bear's mana since it continuously reinforced its fur, skeleton, and regeneration.
The ground around them became a devastated zone—craters, broken stone, and gouged earth were everywhere.
Yet, Old Ni's breathing remained steady as exchange after exchange, his skill (Veteran's Rhythm) sharpened his timing further.
His parries became tighter. His follow-ups became faster.
Still, the bear was relentless.
With a thunderous roar, it lunged forward and unleashed its (Crushing Paw) skill at full power, both arms coated in massive energy claws, crossing toward Old Ni in a lethal scissor strike.
Old Ni's eyes flashed.
He instantly made a decision as he raised his sword and poured mana into his legs.
He slipped between the converging claws at the last possible moment, the energy grazing past his back and shredding the air behind him.
Before the bear could react, Old Ni used another skill (Iron Weight Slash).
The blade descended once more. This time, it struck the bear's foreleg joint.
CRACK!
Even with the (Boneframe Reinforcement) skill, the accumulated damage finally broke through.
The reinforced bone fractured, and the massive limb collapsed.
The bear howled, crashing to the ground. Its regeneration surged wildly, but its mana reserves were already dangerously low.
Old Ni didn't give it time as he stepped back, pulled a vial filled with blue liquid from his belt, and drank it immediately.
Mana flooded back into his body.
His eyes hardened, and he instantly used his skill once again (Sever the Line).
With one final, decisive sweep, the slash tore cleanly through the bear's neck.
The massive head slid free and fell to the ground with a thud.
The bear's body convulsed once, then went still.
Old Ni exhaled slowly, lowering his sword as blood dripped from the blade and soaked into the shattered ground beneath his feet.
"One down." He muttered to himself.
The moment its massive body hit the ground, his gaze shifted eastward. Mana still flowed steadily through his body thanks to the potion.
Without wasting a single heartbeat, he kicked off the ground and sprinted toward Kargan's battlefield.
The scene he arrived at was grim.
Kargan stood firm, his feet buried into the ground, his broad frame was sticky with sweat.
Opposite him loomed a hulking hippo, its massive body covered in thick, hardened skin that shimmered faintly with mana. Each step it took cracked the ground beneath it, and its wide maw snapped shut with enough force to crush stone.
Kargan was clearly at his limit.
His swings were still heavy and precise, but his mana fluctuations were already thin. Every time the hippo charged or slammed its body forward, Kargan was forced to give ground.
Just as the hippo reared up, mana surged violently into its bulk—
Old Ni struck.
"Move!" He yelled, and at the same time, he unleashed his (Sever the Line) skill.
The wide, sweeping slash cut through the air. It wasn't aimed to kill, more like aimed to disrupt. The blade tore cleanly across the hippo's mana flow, ripping through the thick aura reinforcing its hide.
SHHHNK!
The beast roared in shock and pain as its forward momentum collapsed. The mana coating its body flickered violently, and its charge faltered mid-step.
Kargan didn't hesitate as he retreated instantly, creating distance, pulled a vial filled with rich blue liquid from his belt, and drank it down in one motion. Blue light surged briefly through his veins as his mana rapidly replenished.
The hippo recovered quickly, stomping its massive feet as it activated its defensive skills again. Its skin hardened, layers of mana compacting over muscle and fat like living armor.
With a furious bellow, it lunged, attempting to crush Old Ni beneath sheer mass.
Old Ni didn't back down and met it head-on.
Steel rang out as his blade carved across its side. Though the cut didn't fully break through, blood still spilled and stained the ground.
Then Kargan rejoined the fight.
Now restored, his attacks came crashing in from the flank, delivering brutal strikes that forced the hippo to split its attention. Each time it turned to deal with Kargan, Old Ni punished it with ruthless slashes.
The battlefield shifted. What had once been a desperate struggle turned into a controlled battle.
Old Ni waited, watching the timing of the beast's skills, feeling the rhythm of its mana pulses. When the hippo slammed its body down again, overcommitting to crush Kargan—
That was when he saw an opening.
He immediately stepped in and raised his sword high as he used his (Iron Weight Slash) skill.
BOOM!
The strike smashed directly into the hippo's neck and shoulder junction. Mana exploded outward as its defenses strained to hold, but this time they failed.
Bone cracked audibly beneath the force. The beast screamed, its massive body staggering sideways as blood poured freely from the wound.