The Kagutsuchi Stalker twitched, its mandibles clicking in rapid succession as if sensing their presence. Then, in a blur of movement, it vanished.

  “Move!” Riku shouted.

  Ren barely had time to react before something slammed into his chest, sending him skidding backward. His ribs screamed in protest as he tumbled through the undergrowth, barely managing to roll back to his feet. The Stalker had been on the tree one moment—on him the next.

  “Fast,” he muttered, gripping his sword tighter.

  Jin’s voice rang out. “It’s testing us! Don’t give it the chance—attack now!”

  Daichi roared, his body glowing as his Mandate Aspect activated. His muscles bulged unnaturally, his veins glowing with pulsing blue light as he charged. His fist struck the tree trunk where the Stalker had been a moment ago, shattering it into splinters.

  But the beast was gone.

  It reappeared above them, limbs curling inward as its bioluminescent ridges flared with eerie light. With a shriek, it dove.

  Mei released an arrow. It struck the Stalker mid-air, but the arrow simply deflected off its hardened exoskeleton.

  “Shit,” she cursed.

  Sora slammed her palm against the ground, her Mandate activating. Vines erupted from the earth, twisting toward the creature like living chains. The Stalker twisted in midair, clicking wildly as the vines wrapped around its legs.

  For a moment, it was trapped.

  Ren’s eyes flickered with calculation. He saw the opening.

  Now or never.

  He moved.

  His feet barely touched the ground as he dashed forward, shadow curling around his form. His Mandate’s flaw gnawed at him—hunger whispering in his bones, demanding to be fed.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  But he pushed it aside.

  Ren leapt, bringing his sword down in a precise, merciless strike toward the creature’s exposed underbelly.

  The blade connected.

  A screech of pain erupted as black ichor sprayed from the wound. The Stalker writhed violently, its clicking turning into a distorted shriek.

  Then it retaliated.

  Its mandibles snapped forward, aiming for Ren’s throat.

  Ren twisted midair, barely avoiding the strike as the Stalker’s acidic saliva burned through his sleeve. He landed in a crouch, heart pounding.

  Not enough damage.

  The Stalker was already recovering, its wound sealing far too quickly.

  Jin cursed. “It’s regenerating!”

  Ren gritted his teeth. “Of course it is.”

  If they didn’t kill it fast, they were screwed.

  Daichi rushed in again, swinging a massive fist toward the beast’s head. The Stalker dodged, its unnatural speed making it nearly impossible to track.

  Ren’s mind worked frantically. Think.

  This wasn’t a fight of strength. They were weaker. Slower. Less durable.

  So they had to trap it.

  Ren’s gaze flickered toward the shadows cast by the broken tree trunk. His ability…

  Shadow Binding.

  He hadn’t tested its limits.

  But if he didn’t gamble now, they were all dead.

  Ren took a deep breath, reaching deep into his Mandate—into the hunger clawing at his soul.

  The world dimmed around him.

  And then, the shadows moved.

  They lunged for the Kagutsuchi Stalker, stretching unnaturally across the ground. Dark tendrils wrapped around its limbs, sinking into the Stalker’s own shadow like a second set of chains.

  The beast screeched in confusion.

  It couldn’t move.

  The others stared.

  Jin’s eyes widened. “Ren… what did you just—?”

  Ren grinned, his body trembling as he felt the strain of the technique.

  “I just made the shadows real.”

  [ New Skill Acquired: Abyssal Binding ]

  → Allows the user to manifest shadows into physical restraints. The stronger the enemy, the more essence required to hold them.

  The Stalker thrashed, but the Abyssal Binding held.

  Not for long.

  Ren’s flaw—Hunger Unending—was already gnawing at him harder than ever.

  “I can’t hold it forever!” he shouted. “Kill it now!”

  Mei didn’t hesitate. She fired an arrow directly into its exposed wound.

  Sora’s vines wrapped tighter, crushing the beast’s limbs.

  Daichi charged. His fist, glowing with raw essence, slammed into the Stalker’s skull.

  A sickening crack echoed.

  The Stalker gave one last shriek before its body collapsed.

  It was dead.

  And Ren felt the essence rushing toward him, sinking into his very soul.