The battlefield lay silent for a moment.
Arlon stood at the center of the ruined stone chamber, his grip firm on Aetherion's Edge.
Dark blood dripped from the blade, pooling at his feet, the remnants of the 299 monsters he had already cut down.
But his focus was entirely on the one remaining enemy.
Kurge.
The towering mantis-like creature stood at the far end of the chamber, its body covered in thick, emerald-green chitin.
Its segmented arms, razor-sharp and gleaming, moved with unnatural precision, clicking together as if it were testing its weapons before the fight began.
Its black, soulless eyes locked onto Arlon, unblinking, watching, calculating.
Arlon flexed his fingers around his sword hilt. This one's different.
Unlike the previous enemies, Kurge wasn't rushing in blindly.
It didn't snarl, didn't screech, didn't charge forward in a mindless attempt to overwhelm him.
It was waiting.
Testing him.
Smart.
