Just then the ground trembled.
No.
It wasn’t simply trembling.
The earth itself seemed to groan beneath an overwhelming weight.
THOOM!
THOOM!
THOOM!
Every vibration spread across the battlefield like an earthquake, forcing both beasts and hunters alike to instinctively turn toward its source.
Kael slowly raised his head.
Far beyond the endless tide of monsters stood a colossal ape.
The giant creature towered over everything around it, its enormous body resembling a moving mountain rather than a living being. It stood as tall as a skyscraper, shoulders broad enough to eclipse entire buildings while its massive arms hung all the way to its knees.
Each breath it released caused dust to swirl around its feet.
Its emerald-green eyes remained fixed upon Kael.
Kael stared back without the slightest hint of fear.
Amber light pulsed beneath the skin of his arms, faint veins of earth energy coursing through his body like molten rivers. The power hidden beneath his calm exterior seemed to challenge the giant silently.
Come.
Take your shot.
The ape’s massive brows slowly furrowed.
Confusion flickered across its intelligent eyes.
This tiny human...
He wasn’t even as tall as one of its fingers.
Yet he dared stand there and challenge it?
It couldn’t understand.
The battlefield behind the human had become a graveyard filled with the corpses of countless beasts. Blood drenched his entire body. His killing intent lingered around him like an invisible storm.
The ape could smell it.
It could sense it.
Every instinct born from countless life-and-death battles screamed the same warning.
Danger.
Its enormous fingers slowly clenched into fists.
Why?
Why did such a tiny creature make it feel threatened?
It couldn’t understand.
That inability only made it angrier.
ROOOOOOOOAR!!
Its furious roar exploded across the battlefield.
The sky quivered.
Clouds dispersed.
The sound wave swept through the beast horde like a hurricane.
The surrounding monsters instinctively lowered their heads.
Their king had spoken.
The order was clear.
Attack.
Yet...
Very few immediately obeyed.
Their crimson eyes shifted between the towering ape behind them and the lone human standing before them.
The ape terrified them.
But so did the blood-covered human.
Perhaps even more.
Countless of their brethren had charged this man.
Countless had died.
His body reeked of beast blood.
His killing intent had become so dense it almost felt tangible.
Their instincts warned them not to approach him.
Kael ignored every one of them.
His attention had already shifted entirely toward the giant ape.
The remaining beasts were no longer enough to concern him. After everything he had already slaughtered, the hunters and soldiers behind him could deal with whatever slipped through.
His real opponent...
Was this monster.
Without another thought, he activated Eye of Judgment.
The giant ape’s information unfolded before his vision.
---
[Grondar, The Mountain Breaker]
An ordinary infant ape born within the brutal ecosystem of the Verdant Forest that clawed its way to the very top through endless slaughter.
Level: 477
HP: 4,820,000
Abilities:
Crushing Palm — Slams a massive palm into the ground, creating a devastating shockwave that staggers and heavily damages everything within a wide radius.
Sweeping Fury — Swings an arm in a massive arc, crushing and sending everything in its path flying.
Earth Rip — Tears enormous boulders from the earth before hurling them with lethal precision.
Roar of Dominion — Releases a deafening roar capable of stunning nearby enemies and interrupting abilities.
Crystal Hide — Thick crystalline growths greatly reduce physical damage and grant immunity to stagger from weaker attacks.
---
As the information disappeared, Grondar finally moved.
THOOM!
One step.
The battlefield shook.
Spiderweb-like cracks raced across the ground beneath its feet.
THOOM!
Another step.
THOOM!
Then another.
Its movements appeared slow only because of its unbelievable size. In reality, every stride carried it hundreds of meters forward.
The distance between them rapidly shrank.
As the colossal ape advanced, the surrounding beasts immediately scattered, instinctively retreating from its path while simultaneously attempting to circle around Kael toward the fortress behind him.
Those two monsters...
They weren’t prey the horde wished to challenge.
The humans behind the walls looked much easier.
Kael paid them no attention.
He simply rolled his shoulders.
Crack.
Then tilted his neck.
Crack.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.
"Finally."
"A worthy opponent."
"Someone worth going all out against."
As though understanding his words, Grondar released another earth-shaking roar.
ROOOOOOOOAR!!
The air visibly rippled.
An invisible wave of pressure exploded outward, flattening everything before it as it surged toward Kael.
Dust exploded into the air.
The earth split apart.
Kael simply planted one foot firmly into the ground.
Earth energy surged through his body.
His muscles tightened.
The amber glow beneath his skin brightened.
BOOM!
The pressure crashed into him like a tidal wave.
His hair danced wildly.
Yet...
He didn’t move.
Not even a single inch.
The shockwave could do nothing beyond ruffling his hair.
Grondar’s eyes widened slightly.
Its expression darkened.
This insignificant human...
Had resisted its roar.
Without another second of hesitation, the colossal ape bent down before plunging one massive hand into the earth.
CRAAAAACK!!
The battlefield split apart.
With a tremendous heave, it tore an enormous chunk of earth free from the ground.
The boulder was the size of an entire house.
Its shadow swallowed Kael whole.
Then...
It threw it.
The gigantic mass screamed through the air with terrifying speed, compressing the atmosphere before it.
Kael simply smiled.
His right fist slowly clenched.
Earth energy converged around it.
The surrounding ground trembled.
Then he punched.
BOOOOOOM!!
The fist collided with the incoming boulder.
A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
The enormous rock instantly exploded into countless fragments before disintegrating into dust under the overwhelming force of the earth energy.
The scattered debris hadn’t even finished falling before Kael grinned.
"You think you’re the only one with long-range attacks?"
"Then..."
"Try this."
He slowly raised his right hand.
Palm forward.
Earth energy flooded toward it from every corner of his body.
The amber power compressed at frightening speed, becoming denser and denser until even the surrounding air began to distort around it.
Within less than a second, the condensed earth energy had transformed into a tiny bullet-sized projectile resting upon the tip of his index finger.
Its size was insignificant.
Its aura was anything but.
Kael locked onto Grondar.
His smile widened.
"Meteor Bullet."
# #
[AN_ Hey guys, what do you think of the fight scene so far?
I’m still an amateur and always open to learning. The goal is to write even better fight scenes next time.]