Kael stood still, his breath steady despite the tension in his muscles. The wind howled through the jagged cliffs, its sound mixing with the low growl that echoed from the darkness ahead.
No weapons. No technology.
Just him.
A flicker of movement.
Kael's body reacted before his mind finished processing. He twisted, shifting his weight just as a clawed limb slashed through the air where he had been standing.
The beast didn't stop. It moved in a way that defied natural patterns—no wasted motion, no predictability. It didn't pounce like a wild animal; it calculated.
Kael barely dodged another strike, watching the way the creature adjusted mid-motion, its balance shifting to counter his evasion.
It's adapting.
The realization hit instantly, but Kael had fought opponents like this before.
Zyrath. That energy-based fighter had adjusted to him in real time, forcing Kael to disrupt his flow rather than overpower him.
If this beast was doing the same—then raw force wouldn't work.
"It tracks you through movement," Zappy's voice cut in, analyzing. "If you keep moving the way it expects, it will counter you before you act."
That meant he had to do the unexpected.
Kael exhaled, lowering his stance. Instead of dodging the next attack, he did the opposite. He stilled.
The beast lunged—and Kael moved in, not away.
The moment its claws slashed down, Kael shifted at the last possible second, letting the attack pass just inches from his skin. His body barely made a sound as he twisted inside its reach.
A fist lashed out. Not for damage, but for disruption.
Chrono energy pulsed through his palm as he struck—not the beast's body, but the movement of force within it.
A shudder ran through the creature's limbs. Its flow broke.
Kael didn't hesitate.
The momentary lag in its reaction was enough. He moved with precision, not overpowering, but redirecting its own weight. A well-placed strike to its side, a shift in balance—
The beast staggered.
Kael had fought warriors who adapted mid-battle, but so had he.
And unlike them, he had mastered disruption.
The creature recovered fast. Too fast. Its body convulsed, burning through the interference Kael had caused.
It learns faster than expected.
Kael's eyes narrowed. If he didn't press now, the window would close.
The beast lunged again, this time feinting before striking. Smarter. Sharper.
But Kael wasn't just reacting anymore—he was leading.
He shifted, not away, but toward unstable ground. He let his stance break for half a second, making himself appear vulnerable. A feint within a feint.
The beast took the bait.
It lunged—and its footing slipped.
Kael saw the opening and took it instantly.
His body flickered, a step too fast for the beast to adjust. His forearm slammed into the base of its skull, right along its central axis.
The creature let out a strangled snarl—its limbs jerking before going still.
Then, just like that, it crumbled into dust.
Silence.
Kael stood there, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. His fingers curled, feeling the last echoes of the fight in his muscles.
A test of adaptation. No weapons, no advantages. Just instinct and evolution.
His gaze lifted toward the unseen observers, a wry smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"So that's what this is about, huh?"
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