The creatures emerged fully now.
Scott could finally see them clearly.
Their bodies were pitch black—so dark they almost swallowed the space around them. Their forms resembled tigers, lean and muscular, but far more unnatural. From their backs sprouted four jagged green wings, twitching slightly as if they weren't made for flight—but for something far more sinister.
Their mouths hung open unnaturally wide.
Rows of razor-sharp teeth lined their jaws.
Not one.
Not ten.
Thousands.
Surrounding him.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Scott exhaled slowly.
"…Alright."
He moved first.
His right foot slid forward, lowering his center of gravity. His left hand came up slightly for balance while his right hand sharpened into a blade-like form.
Then—
He stepped in.
A quick forward burst.
His arm sliced downward toward the nearest creature.
DONG!
The impact rang out like metal colliding with metal.
Scott's eyes narrowed.
Too hard.
The creature didn't even flinch.
Before he could react—
It vanished.
Scott's instincts screamed.
He twisted his torso sharply to the side—
Slash!
A claw tore past his ribs, narrowly missing his core.
He pivoted on his left foot, sliding backward to create space.
Another creature lunged from his blind side.
Scott ducked instantly, dropping low as the creature's body passed over him.
He drove his elbow upward—
DONG!
Again, the same metallic resistance.
"They're not normal…" he muttered.
The swarm moved.
All at once.
They didn't rush mindlessly.
They flowed.
Like a wave collapsing inward.
Scott's breathing steadied.
His eyes sharpened.
His body loosened.
Then—
He moved.
A step to the right—
He slipped past a claw strike by inches.
A pivot—
He redirected his weight, letting another attack glide past his shoulder.
A backward slide—
Two creatures collided where he had just stood.
His footwork was precise.
Controlled.
Efficient.
Every movement wasted nothing.
A creature lunged again—
Scott didn't dodge this time.
Instead—
He stepped in.
His hand shot forward, fingers tightening.
He grabbed one of its wings mid-motion.
The texture was rough.
Rigid.
Alive.
Using the momentum, he twisted his hips and pulled—
The creature's body spun sideways.
Scott forced it between himself and the incoming swarm.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The other creatures crashed into it.
Their attacks collided with its body instead of his.
Scott didn't hesitate.
He stepped through.
Sliding past the chaos like a shadow slipping between blades.
But the creatures adapted.
Fast.
One appeared directly in front of him—
Too close.
Too sudden.
Scott's eyes sharpened.
He shifted his weight forward instead of back.
"—Infiltration."
His hand thrust forward—not with brute force, but with precision.
The movement was small.
Almost effortless.
This time—
The impact felt different.
THUD.
Not metal.
Not resistance.
The force passed through the creature's exterior—
And struck something inside.
The creature convulsed.
Dark blood spilled from its mouth.
Scott stepped back, watching closely.
"…That's it."
But then—
The creature steadied itself.
Scott's eyes widened slightly.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He had hit its head.
Directly.
With internal force.
And it still lived.
No time to think.
The swarm surged again.
Scott moved.
Faster now.
Sharper.
Step.
Pivot.
Slide.
Turn.
His body flowed through attacks like water slipping through cracks.
A claw grazed his shoulder.
Another struck his thigh.
A third scraped across his back.
Each hit burned.
Not with pain—
But with loss.
His life was being drained again.
He clenched his jaw.
"Heal."
The energy responded instantly.
Closing wounds.
Restoring what was lost.
But it wasn't enough.
The attacks were increasing.
Faster.
Closer.
More precise.
Minutes turned into an hour.
Or maybe more.
Scott's breathing grew heavier.
His movements slowed—just slightly.
But enough.
Another hit.
Then another.
Then another.
His healing struggled to keep up.
"…At this rate…"
He slid back, barely dodging a strike that tore through the air where his neck had been.
"…I'll die."
Then—
The swarm split.
Something stepped forward.
Larger.
Heavier.
More solid.
This one had only two wings.
But they were thicker.
Sharper.
More defined.
Its presence alone felt different.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
It crouched slightly.
Then—
It lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
Scott barely raised his arm in time—
CRASH!
The impact sent him skidding backward across the invisible ground.
His chest tightened.
His vision blurred for a moment.
"…So this is the end…?"
For a split second—
His mind drifted.
Back to the party.
The laughter.
The noise.
The excitement.
"…Why would anyone celebrate for something like this…?" he muttered.
Because this—
This wasn't celebration.
This was survival.
Death was right in front of him.
But—
He didn't stop.
Scott pushed himself up.
His body trembling slightly.
"I'm not dying here."
His voice was low.
Firm.
Unshaken.
"I don't care what this is…"
He took a step forward.
"I'll live."
Something ignited.
Deep within him.
Power surged outward.
A shockwave exploded from his body—
Blasting everything within a ten-meter radius away.
The swarm was thrown back violently.
All—
Except one.
The two-winged beast remained.
Scott stood at the center.
Breathing slowly.
Calmly.
Everything felt different.
Clearer.
Sharper.
Lighter.
His mind—
Was untouchable.
"…So this is Veilborn."
The beast roared and charged.
Scott moved.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
He became a streak of white.
In a single instant—
He appeared beside it.
His hand rose.
Then fell.
A clean, precise arc.
The creature froze.
Then—
Split.
Perfectly.
Two halves collapsed to the ground.
Silence followed.
Scott stood still.
Watching.
Feeling.
Understanding.
"…This power…"
Moments ago, he had been on the verge of death.
Now—
He was in control.
The remaining creatures hesitated.
And that hesitation—
Was their end.
Scott moved again.
And this time—
It was effortless.