The forest exploded.
A black tree the size of a watchtower snapped in half as something massive forced its way through.
Wood splintered.
The ground cracked.
Birds—if there had been any—would have fled.
Instead...
The forest remained eerily silent.
Only the creature moved.
Noah slowly stepped backward.
Predator’s Instinct wasn’t screaming anymore.
It had gone completely silent.
That terrified him more than any warning ever could.
The mist rolled aside.
A claw emerged first.
Nearly two meters long.
Jet-black.
Its surface looked more like obsidian than flesh.
Then another claw.
A broad shoulder followed.
Finally...
The creature stepped into view.
Noah forgot to breathe.
It stood over five meters tall.
Its body resembled a monstrous ape, yet every inch of its skin was covered in black crystalline armor.
Golden veins pulsed beneath the armor like molten metal.
Its face...
Had no eyes.
No nose.
Only a massive mouth lined with rows upon rows of jagged teeth.
Then the mouth opened.
A low growl echoed through the forest.
It wasn’t loud.
Yet Noah felt it in his bones.
A System notification appeared.
Blackthorn Executioner
Threat Level: Elite
Level: ???
Status:
Forest Guardian
Noah cursed under his breath.
"Of fucking course it’s an Elite."
The creature tilted its head.
It couldn’t see.
Yet somehow...
It knew exactly where Noah stood.
The heartbeat echoed again.
BOOM.
The Executioner moved.
No warning.
No roar.
It simply vanished.
"Shit—!"
Predator’s Instinct finally returned.
Pain exploded behind Noah’s eyes.
He threw himself to the side.
BOOOOM!
The ground where he’d been standing erupted.
A crater nearly three meters deep appeared instantly.
Loose dirt and shattered stone rained through the air.
Noah rolled to his feet.
His pulse hammered.
One hit.
That’s all it would’ve taken.
One hit...
And he’d have become a stain on the forest floor.
The Executioner attacked again.
This time Noah saw it.
Not the movement.
The intention.
Predator’s Instinct showed him the attack a heartbeat before it happened.
He ducked.
The massive claw swept overhead.
The pressure alone cut through several trees behind him.
Noah didn’t waste the opening.
He rushed forward.
Shadowfang flashed.
SLASH!
The dagger scraped across the creature’s leg.
Sparks flew.
The blade left...
Nothing.
Not even a scratch.
Noah’s stomach dropped.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
The Executioner slowly looked down at him.
Then...
It laughed.
A horrible, grinding sound echoed from its throat.
Like stone crushing bone.
It had felt the attack.
It simply hadn’t cared.
Then it swung again.
Noah barely escaped.
A second crater exploded beside him.
His breathing grew ragged.
He couldn’t damage it.
He couldn’t block it.
He couldn’t outrun it forever.
His eyes darted through the forest.
Think.
There had to be something.
Anything.
Then Blood Sense activated.
Among the countless crimson threads surrounding the Executioner...
One was different.
A single thread.
Golden.
It emerged from the center of the creature’s chest.
Noah narrowed his eyes.
"A weak point...?"
The System chimed.
Blood Sense Analysis Complete
Core Located
A grin spread across Noah’s bloodstained face.
"There you are."
The Executioner charged.
The earth trembled beneath every step.
Noah didn’t retreat.
Instead...
He sprinted toward it.
"You want me?"
He tightened his grip on Shadowfang.
"Then come and fucking get me!"
The monster roared.
Its claw descended like a falling building.
At the very last second...
Noah activated Shadow Step.
Darkness swallowed him.
His body dissolved into shadow.
The claw slammed into empty ground.
BOOOOOOM!
Noah reappeared directly beneath the monster.
His legs screamed from the strain.
Shadow Step had nearly drained all of his mana.
He had one chance.
One.
The golden thread pulsed.
Straight through the creature’s chest.
Noah lunged.
Shadowfang thrust forward with everything he had.
"Die!"
The dagger pierced the golden thread.
Not the armor.
Not the flesh.
The thread itself.
For the first time...
The Executioner screamed.
A deafening howl shook the forest.
Golden cracks spread across its body.
The black crystal armor shattered like glass.
Noah’s eyes widened.
"It worked..."
But his victory lasted less than a second.
The heartbeat from the center of the forest thundered louder than ever.
BOOM!
The Executioner suddenly stopped screaming.
Its broken body began knitting itself back together.
Golden light poured from the forest floor into its wounds.
The monster was healing.
Fast.
Far too fast.
A cold notification appeared before Noah’s eyes.
Warning
Forest Guardians cannot be killed while the Heart of Blackthorn beats.
Noah stared at the message.
Then at the monster.
Then toward the distant heartbeat.
His jaw clenched.
"So that’s the trick..."
If he wanted to survive...
He wouldn’t win by killing the guardian.
He would have to reach the Heart itself.
The Executioner slowly turned back toward him.
Its shattered armor had already regenerated.
This time...
It wasn’t laughing.
It was angry.
Very, very angry.