The deeper southern forest did not welcome intruders.
John felt it the moment he crossed the invisible boundary—an oppressive pressure pressed down on his senses, heavy and territorial, like the land itself was rejecting him. The trees grew thicker here, their trunks twisted and blackened, roots breaking through stone as if even the earth bent to overwhelming strength.
His **Predator's Instinct** flared violently.
Not one.
Two.
John landed on a jagged ridge overlooking a wide basin choked with colossal bones and half-crushed trees. The air vibrated faintly, humming with latent power. This place wasn't just dangerous—it was claimed.
And he had just stepped into the center of it.
"Damn it…" John muttered under his breath.
He hadn't meant to push this far. He'd followed the trail of a fleeing Tier 6 beast, letting the chase pull him deeper than planned. The moment he realized his mistake, it was already too late.
The forest answered.
A thunderous *crack* echoed as something massive stepped into view from the left. Trees snapped like twigs beneath its weight. A hulking beast emerged—towering, broad-shouldered, its body covered in layered earthen plates glowing faintly with runic veins.
A **Stonebound Behemoth**.
Tier 7.
Its eyes burned with molten amber light as it fixed on John, lips curling back to reveal tusk-like fangs.
From the opposite side of the basin, the shadows stirred.
A low hiss slithered through the air.
The ground rippled unnaturally as a second presence revealed itself—long, sinuous, coiled around the massive roots of an ancient tree. Jet-black scales reflected no light, and multiple crimson eyes opened along its elongated head.
A **Voidscale Basilisk**.
Tier 7.
John's breath slowed—not in fear, but focus.
"…Two territory lords," he growled softly. "Lucky me."
The pressure doubled.
Both monsters turned—not at each other, but at him.
The message was unmistakable.
*You don't belong here.*
---
## **No Words, Only Violence**
The Behemoth moved first.
It roared, a deafening sound that shook the basin and sent shockwaves ripping through the forest canopy. The ground fractured as it charged, each step a miniature earthquake.
John reacted instantly.
His wings snapped open, launching him skyward just as a massive stone fist slammed into the ridge where he had stood. Rock exploded outward in a violent spray.
"Too slow!" John roared, banking sharply.
Dark flames gathered in his chest.
He exhaled.
A torrent of **Dark Flame Breath** slammed into the Behemoth's shoulder, engulfing it in searing black fire. The flames burned hotter than before, eating into stone and rune alike.
The Behemoth howled, stumbling back.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, its plates glowed brighter, absorbing part of the impact. Cracks formed—but slowly began sealing themselves.
John's eyes narrowed. "Regeneration… or reinforcement?"
Before he could press the attack, danger screamed through his instincts.
He twisted mid-air.
A beam of condensed void energy tore past him, slicing cleanly through the air where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier. The Basilisk struck from afar, its gaze cold and calculating.
*Ranged attacker,* John realized instantly. *And precise.*
This wasn't a fight he could brute-force.
Not against two Tier 7s.
---
## **Clash of Territory Lords**
The Behemoth slammed both fists into the ground.
The basin responded.
Stone spires erupted upward like spears, ripping through the soil and racing toward John from below. He beat his wings hard, barely clearing the rising terrain as shards scraped against his scales.
[Warning: HP Reduced]
Pain flared—but it was manageable.
John twisted, diving low, then surged upward in a tight spiral. He let his **Territorial Authority** flare fully, flooding the basin with his presence.
The air trembled.
Both Tier 7 monsters paused—just for a fraction of a second.
Enough.
John plunged straight at the Basilisk.
Claws first.
The Basilisk hissed, coiling defensively as John slammed into its body, ripping into its scales. Sparks and void energy exploded outward as their auras collided.
The impact sent both of them crashing into the ground.
John rolled, skidding across stone, then snapped his wings to regain footing. He didn't give the Basilisk time to recover—dark flames erupted from his jaws in a concentrated blast aimed directly at its head.
The Basilisk shrieked, retreating rapidly, its scales scorched and smoking.
But before John could follow—
The Behemoth was there.
Its massive arm caught John mid-motion, slamming him into the ground with brutal force. The impact cratered the basin floor, shockwaves rippling outward for hundreds of meters.
[HP Critical Threshold Reached]
John roared, claws digging into stone as he forced himself free, tearing chunks of
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