Chapter 21: [21]
A front kick landed squarely.
No matter how thick Hugo's hide was or how much his toughness surpassed that of an ordinary person, it was a direct hit to the solar plexus.
Moreover, it was a counter that leveraged his own momentum as he was charging forward.
Although Hugo must have taken considerable damage, he didn't stop. Instead, he leapt backward to create distance.
Hugo twisted his body in mid-air before landing.
The hang time was impressively long.
One could truly say he moved like a beast.
Grrr.
Hugo bared his fangs and growled.
His fierce yellow eyes glinted menacingly, and drool dripped from his foul-smelling mouth.
The beast named Hugo was enraged at the human before him. He couldn't accept that he had been injured by what he considered mere prey.
Ethan, watching the wary and ferocious Hugo, chuckled.
"What's wrong? Going to bite? Dogs shouldn't bite people. Woof, woof."
Ethan's taunt made Hugo even more ferocious.
He took a ready stance and charged.
Hugo was remarkably agile, as if he hadn't taken any damage. His movements were more beast-like than human.
Running on all fours, he was faster than a wolf.
Though there was a considerable distance between them, it took only a moment for Hugo to reach Ethan.
Ethan's eyes tracked Hugo.
In the fleeting moment as Hugo charged, Ethan didn't blink once, keeping his gaze fixed on Hugo.
It seemed as if he could see the muscle fibers in Hugo's body.
Hugo was now a beast.
A beast's movements are swift and fluid but straightforward and not cunning. There are no tricks, no feints. Unlike humans, they didn't scheme.
So, Hugo attacked straightforwardly, aiming precisely where he was looking.
When the path of an attack is predictable, evading it requires only minimal movement.
Ethan dodged Hugo's assault with a simple step back and a tilt of his upper body.
Whoosh!
The sound of the air being torn was terrifying.
The noise of the atmosphere splitting echoed in Ethan's ears.
A faint smile appeared on Ethan's lips.
His heart rate quickened, sending blood rushing through his body. As his warmed-up body heated up, his reaction speed increased.
His body responded precisely to his intentions and thoughts. All he needed was intuition, and his thoughts became actions.
'How much mana do I have left...?'
Ethan gauged the mana flowing within him, trying to estimate its strength.
It was not easy to grasp.
For someone with a modern mind like Ethan, handling mana was a new experience.
Could he control it?
Uncontrolled power was dangerous because it was unpredictable.
However, not taking the risk in the current situation would be foolish.
The uncertain process and outcome. The thought excited him, making his heart race.
He felt a thrill from wielding an unfamiliar power. It was like a child playing with a new toy.
Grrr!
As his attack failed, Hugo growled low and turned around.
Hugo's body was flexible.
He performed movements that would be difficult for a human without any effort.
This was the difference between a beast and a human.
Hugo charged again.
This time, Hugo used both arms in an attempt to prevent Ethan from evading.
In a situation that would have paralyzed an ordinary person with fear, Ethan's smile didn't fade.
Feon, who had been quietly watching, shouted urgently.
— You fool! What do you think you're doing!?
Feon couldn't understand Ethan.
In such a critical situation, he was acting relaxed.
Was he frozen in fear?
The reason didn't matter.
Feon intended to exert influence over Ethan's body immediately.
"Stay still," Ethan muttered, taking a step forward.
Then, Ethan suddenly darted toward the charging Hugo, springing forward like a coiled spring.
Flying through the air, Ethan struck Hugo's jaw with his elbow.
Hugo's open mouth snapped shut, his head jerking back from the impact.
Ethan didn't stop there.
Grabbing Hugo's head, he channeled blue mana into his knee.
Crack!
As Ethan drove his mana-infused knee into Hugo's jaw, a sound of breaking bones echoed, and Hugo's massive body toppled backward.
But then...
Grrr!
Hugo's unfocused eyes suddenly snapped back into clarity.
Seeing this, the corners of Ethan's mouth curved up.
"You withstood that?"
Hugo twisted in mid-air, putting some distance between them, but his shattered jaw hung slack, unable to close.
Drool dripped from his dysfunctional jaw, creating a grotesque scene.
"Wow, impressive."
No human could have withstood such a blow. But Hugo did.
This was the difference between a human and a beast.
Grrr.
Hugo growled lowly but didn't charge recklessly like before. His beastly instincts warned him that rushing in would be fatal.
Meanwhile, Ethan's expression remained calm.
'This isn't a situation for relaxing,' he thought.
His remaining mana was nearly exhausted.
'But I can't show any weakness.'
Maintaining a poker face was essential. No matter how dire the situation, he had to remain composed.
"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
Ethan took a step forward, and Hugo retreated in sync with Ethan's stride.
The fight had drained the fight from Hugo's eyes.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to take a beating until you snap out of it."
With those words, Ethan lunged.
At the same time, Hugo's expression changed, and he lowered himself, timing his move with Ethan's charge.
Hugo tried to pounce on Ethan quickly, but the previous intimidation was gone.
The beast's spirit had been broken. And a beast that had lost its wildness was no longer something to fear.
'It's just an animal.'
As Ethan grabbed Hugo's arm, Hugo tried to swing it wildly in panic.
'He is strong.'
But if he didn't give Hugo a chance to use his strength, it wouldn't matter.
Ethan moved into Hugo's guard and stomped down on his foot.
Crack!
A howl of pain escaped Hugo's mouth. But Ethan showed no sign of stopping.
The two locked eyes.
Ethan's eyes gleamed like a lion's, while fear glimmered in Hugo's.
"This is the price for not snapping out of it."
Ethan's knee struck Hugo's solar plexus.
Wham!
This time, it didn't stop with one hit. His knee repeatedly pummeled Hugo's abdomen and chest.
Each time, Hugo's body jerked violently. Blood flowed from Hugo's mouth, and his massive frame went limp.
"Sorry about this."
Ethan, grabbing Hugo by the waist, spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Feon could roughly guess what Ethan was about to do.
— …You cruel bastard.
Feon turned his head, unable to bear watching.
Hoo.
Ethan took a deep breath.
He maintained abdominal pressure and put strength into his lower body.
To generate more power, he infused mana into his waist and lower body.
There wasn't much mana left. He poured all remaining mana into his muscles.
'Draw it up from the ground!'
Whoosh!
Hugo's body lifted off the ground. At the same time, Ethan's waist flexibly twisted.
Bang!
Hugo's body was driven headfirst into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise from the impact.
Ethan frowned as he saw Hugo's body twitching slightly.
"A beast is still a beast."
At least his toughness was undeniable.
Ethan stepped over Hugo, whose eyes now showed fear.
Ethan raised his arm.
This was a move banned in matches, but now it didn't matter.
His elbow came crashing down vertically.
Crack!
Once wasn't enough. His elbow came down repeatedly.
Crack! Crack!
Every time Ethan's elbow struck, Hugo's body jerked.
Finally, Hugo's body went limp, and Ethan stood up, confirming he was completely unconscious.
'He should recover...'
According to the original description, every time Hugo transformed, minor wounds would heal.
Feon stared at Ethan, speechless.
"He wasn't someone to go easy on."
— ...True.
Feon couldn't argue.
The beast-like Hugo wasn't someone to show mercy to.
— But those moves... I've never seen them before...
Ethan's movements during the fight with Hugo were extraordinary. Each attack was powerful and systematic, devoid of any unnecessary flair.
They were the ultimate in practical combat techniques.
— 'Where did he learn that?'
Such movements required systematic training. Feon, having dedicated his life to martial arts, could recognize that.
He tried to estimate Ethan's age.
Seeing his still youthful face, he figured Ethan wasn't even an adult.
— 'Is this what they call a genius...?'
Feon had met many geniuses in his time, but Ethan was different.
At first, he had underestimated Ethan, not sensing even a hint of magic, but Ethan's true strength didn't lie in that.
"Hey."
Ethan's gaze shifted.
His eyes landed on where the vampire, Belmont, was.
Belmont flinched.
It wasn't just his imagination.
"Are you getting up or not?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes, watching closely.
Belmont shuddered involuntarily under that icy stare.
Ethan squatted in front of him.
"You were so chatty earlier, and now you're playing dead."
"..."
Belmont ignored him with all his might.
The recent fight had been horrifyingly brutal. Recalling it, he wanted nothing to do with this human.
But Ethan grabbed Belmont's neck.
"Hey."
Belmont's eyes opened involuntarily at the low voice.
Meeting Ethan's eyes, Belmont quickly went limp and closed his eyes again.
"Are you kidding me?"
Did he think this would fool him?
Ethan laughed incredulously.
But Belmont was desperate.
Even as his legs trembled, he clung to hope like a lifeline. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since becoming a vampire.
"Stay still."
Ethan bared his teeth in a grin.
Belmont's purpose was different anyway.
'The Dead Tree.'
He had never learned how to use it.
There was no manual, of course.
But he felt it instinctively, like knowing how to breathe without being taught.
It was time to test the power of The Dead Tree.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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