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Chapter 24 - Confrontation Pt.3

Blade in hand, Fay ran forward, shooting out as if he were on fire. Gripping it tightly in his dominant hand, he rushed toward the front foot of the beast. It growled at him but was suddenly struck by his rolling summon. The lizard, like a circular blade, sliced through its hind legs.

This gave Fay the opening he needed to dig into its arm and try pulling his spear out. Kimya, still on top, jumped down just in time, slashing at the creature's mouth as it lunged toward Fay.

"Thanks!"

Fay yanked the spear free and stabbed it a few times. The large predator recoiled with each hit, but it didn't look ready to fall.

[Retreat, little hunter. It is about to use magic.]

Kimya shoved Fay back. The boy let his body tumble as a paw slashed overhead, then hit the ground and rolled away.

"It's fine. Jolt will handle it!"

Just as he said this, his lizard finished charging its own attack. It stopped moving and rolled up near the hyena before releasing a blast of lightning.

The monarch cried out in pain. Kimya sniffed the air and caught the distinct scent of burnt flesh. Seeing his chance to end it, he acted. The shock had paralyzed the beast just long enough to prevent it from using its elemental magic.

Kimya plunged both blades into its torso, then backed away. He quickly cleaned them on its hide and turned to help his panther. The hunters without summons were still struggling to handle two at once.

"Jolt, eat quickly. We'll need your power when the others lure the beast back."

Fay only had time to glance back and catch the nauseating sight of his creature devouring bone and flesh without offering a reply.

As for his next task, he rushed to protect one of the warriors. A hyena was attempting to bite the man's head off, and he was barely holding it back with the shaft of his spear. The wooden weapon looked seconds from snapping.

Fay dashed forward and drove his weapon toward the creature's neck. Another warrior arrived just in time to help, pushing the spear in deeper.

"Thanks!"

The creature shrieked and began to flee, leaving Fay without his main weapon. It stumbled away nearly thirty meters before collapsing.

[Get your spear. We can handle the last two.]

The call came from a spotted beastman with gray fur—one of the other summon users, Murha. His creature was a giant bison meant to carry supplies, though it easily spooked during battle.

"Thanks. Hurry though, the four creatures will be led back soon!"

Fay sprinted off. He only had a second to glance at his summon, who was about a third of the way through its meal. The greedy creature ignored the ongoing fight as it focused on replenishing its lost energy.

As soon as he reached the creature with his spear still lodged in its throat, Fay stabbed it again with his dagger, aiming where the heart would be. He wasn't about to be caught off guard, even if the extra strike was unnecessary.

The beast didn't move, so Fay quickly pulled out the spear. From his position, he spotted two catfolk perched atop a tree, while the two hyenas they had lured were below, gnawing at the bark.

[Horin, I know you're still listening with your buzzard. Have Kimya help me, and bring his panther. The first group we sent out looks to be in trouble.]

Fay didn't have time to wait for her response. The two warriors trapped in the tree weren't summon users and couldn't take on a hyena alone. He wasn't strong enough to handle them either—at least not without Jolt, Kimya, and the panther.

[Jolt! Come here. We need to help. If you do well, you can have two more meals!]

Fay called out. His creature stopped and looked back, the greed in its eyes unmistakable, before shifting into its wheel form and rushing toward Fay at high speed.

Kimya seemed to have heard Fay's message as well. He abandoned the half-dead beast he was fighting, leaving it for the nearby warriors, and raced to Fay's side atop his panther.

Fay pointed in the direction they needed to go—a large tree downhill. The two hyenas were already halfway through the bark, close to bringing the entire tree down, along with the catfolk trapped above, who would be easy prey if not saved on time.

[Get on. We won't make it in time if you run!]

Kimya extended his hand. Fay grabbed it and was pulled up. The panther accelerated, and in just four bounding leaps, they neared the tree. Jolt had already arrived. In wheel form, he sliced through one of the hyenas' legs and discharged a blast of electricity to draw their attention.

[Be careful, little hunter. Fight with my beast—I'll handle the one your lizard wounded.]

Kimya, like an Olympic acrobat, vaulted onto a branch, flipped around it, and used the momentum to land a powerful kick against the hyena attacking Jolt. The blow dazed the beast, but it didn't end the fight. Having battled three of them already, Kimya now knew how they reacted—and how to move in response.

Jolt released two more surging arcs of electricity, pinning the large predator. As for Kimya, he went straight for the neck.

On Fay's side, the panther leapt toward the hyena. Fay, who wasn't secured by a saddle, let go of the large cat's fur at the last moment before it jumped, landing near the creature. With his spear still in hand, he signaled to the two warriors above to assist him.

The two quickly obliged, jumping down—each carrying a blade.

[Thanks for the help. With you two joining, we can handle it. Let's hurry—I saw the other group was in even worse shape.]

Fay nodded and, together with the two catfolk, charged the beast. Each took a side, careful not to hit the panther, who was holding its position above the hyena. Now, the predator had to defend itself from multiple hunters.

Within minutes, it was down—pinned to the ground with a spear through its heart. The other two catfolk immediately turned and called out to Kimya, who had just finished soloing his own opponent.

Fay only had time to take a few deep breaths before they were forced to move again. This time, Jolt didn't follow. He and the panther were already biting into the corpses of the fallen creatures, replenishing their strength.

[This is going to be dangerous, little hunter. Our count was wrong. Horin told me that there's one more. Now, two of my hunters are being chased by three creatures. We must hurry—they won't survive much longer.]

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