Kiyoshi wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. The beast had shaken off the rope, its claws raking trenches into the dirt as it prowled toward him again. Its breathing came in harsh, rasping bursts.
Kiyoshi began to force himself to breathe evenly, refusing to show the strain in his arms and chest.
If I falter now, I'm dead. Think, Kiyoshi. Think.
His eyes darted up—trees stretched high above, roots twisting deep below. The environment was his weapon. He had to make the beast's own power work against it.
Kiyoshi sprinted left, baiting the creature. Predictably, it lunged after him, smashing through undergrowth. He shaped another rope into existence and flung it high, looping it across a thick branch.
The monster closed in, claws slashing. Kiyoshi ducked, dragging the rope low across the clearing. The beast's forelegs caught on the cord, momentum wrenching it forward. It stumbled, crashing into the earth with a guttural roar.
Kiyoshi didn't stop moving. He circled wide, hands trembling as he conjured more constructs—sharpened stakes driven into the ground at odd angles, half-hidden by roots and leaves. Every second cost him more mana, but every piece mattered.
The beast rose again, blood dripping from its paws. It bellowed, the sound shaking through Kiyoshi's chest. He ignored the ache in his ribs and pulled together one final construct—a massive length of rope, thicker than any he'd made yet, coiled tightly between two trees. He anchored it fast.
Then he stood in the center of the clearing, chest heaving, forcing his body to stay upright though his legs screamed to give out. His eyes locked on the beast.
"All right... come on, then," he muttered, lips quirking into a tired grin.
The beast roared and charged. Straight at him. Straight into the trap.
Kiyoshi held his ground, muscles coiled tight, forcing every scrap of willpower into the rope stretched across the trees. Mana hummed in the fibres, vibrating like a bowstring pulled to breaking.
At the last second, he sidestepped.
The beast crashed headlong into the rope.
The impact snapped like thunder. The line bit deep into its chest, halting its charge with brutal force. Bark splintered as the two anchor trees groaned under the strain, bowing inward.
The monster howled, thrashing.
Kiyoshi didn't waste the chance. He snapped his hand downward, pulling the rope tauter—and the trap came alive. Stakes hidden in the undergrowth rose like fangs, driven upward by his mana threads.
They pierced into the beast's legs and sides, shallow but enough to bind.
For one glorious, straining heartbeat, it worked.
The beast was caught—tangled and impaled. A surge of raw, defiant triumph flooded Kiyoshi's chest.
Got you.
But the victory was fleeting.
The beast's light flared blindingly bright. The rope quivered, cracks of unstable mana spreading along its length like lightning through glass. One by one, the fibres began to fray.
"No—hold!" Kiyoshi roared, pouring more of himself into the construct.
His veins burned with the overuse of mana, his vision blurring at the edges. The rope thickened, flickering between solidity and unraveling sparks.
Forcing the beast to thrash harder, the stakes snapped free from the soil. The trap was failing.
Kiyoshi clenched his jaw, refusing to release it. Blood trickled from his nose, but he only pulled harder, anchoring the rope with sheer stubbornness. His legs buckled, his arms shook, his heart pounded in his ears—
Then, with a deafening crack, the rope exploded into shards of light.
The recoil hurled Kiyoshi backward. He hit the ground hard, breath stolen, body trembling from the backlash.
Through the haze of dust, he saw the beast rising again—enraged, wounded, but unbroken. Its glowing eyes bore down on him.
Kiyoshi tried to stand, but his limbs refused. His mana was unstable, flickering like a candle guttering in the wind.
This is it…
The monster lunged.
And then—steel flashed.
A single arc of Ceng-tae's blade cleaved through the clearing. The beast's charge ended mid-stride. For an instant, it stood frozen, eyes wide, before collapsing in a heap.
Silence returned to the forest.
Kiyoshi lay there, chest heaving, staring at the still corpse. Every nerve in his body screamed defeat, but his mind burned with one thought:
I almost had it. I wasn't strong enough… but I was close.
From the treeline, Ceng-tae slid his blade back into its sheath, his expression unreadable.
"You think too much," Ceng-tae said, his voice a low rumble as he stepped into the clearing. His eyes scanned Kiyoshi's battered form. "But you survived. That's what matters. Now, up. Let's get you cleaned up. The village isn't going to visit itself."
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