The beast advanced with a roar charged with hate, but Asteron remained immobile, studying it with a glacial calm that was more terrifying than any violent reaction.

  The smile that curved his lips was cruel, almost playful, but his eyes... his eyes were empty pits, as dark as night itself, illuminated only by a flicker of something inhuman.

  —Is that all you've got? —he murmured, tilting his head as if challenging it to surprise him.

  The creature lunged at him, swift and lethal, but Asteron did not back down. On the contrary, his body moved with supernatural precision, dodging the beast's claws with a fluidity that seemed more dance than battle. In a single movement, one of his blades pierced the creature's hind leg, tearing muscles and tendons.

  The beast fell to the ground, roaring in pain, but Asteron gave it no chance to recover.

  —Ah, does it hurt? —he asked with a mocking voice, as he circled around it, almost disinterested. His tone was laden with contempt, as if the creature's life was less than nothing to him—. You have no idea what pain is... yet.

  The left blade cut deeply into one of the creature's flanks, and the right traced an arc that tore the flesh of its back. Black blood stained the ground, but Asteron did not stop. Each attack was calculated to not be mortal, to prolong the suffering.

  —Do you feel powerless? —he continued in a venomous whisper that resonated above the creature's growls and shrieks—. Does it burn you to know that you can do nothing to stop me? Welcome to the hell that you and yours brought here.

  The beast tried to back away, but Asteron was implacable. His blade pierced one of its front paws with a brutal movement, pinning it to the ground.

  The creature howled, in a sharp sound that echoed in the square, but Asteron simply leaned towards it and his green eyes glowed intensely.

  —Do you want to run? —he whispered as softly as the edge of his weapons—. I'm sorry... you no longer have that option.

  He twisted the blade, eliciting another scream that echoed through the town streets. This was not a simple confrontation; it was a slow and deliberate execution, a display of controlled ferocity bordering on madness.

  Finally, the creature stopped fighting. Its body, full of deep and bleeding cuts, trembled erratically. The eyes that were once full of fury, now shone with pure terror.

  It tried to back away, letting out a low and pitiful moan, but it had no strength to flee.

  —Oh, do you regret it? —Asteron murmured, leaning towards its face. A drop of black blood fell from one of his blades and slid down his cheek as he spoke—. Too late.

  With a quick and precise movement, he plunged both blades into the creature's skull. It let out a final tragic moan before collapsing and its life extinguished in a sigh.

  Asteron remained immobile for a moment, watching as the inert body of the beast slowly bled out on the ground.

  He stood up, his breathing barely altered by the intensity of the confrontation. He raised his blades and, with a simple flick of his wrist, shook them, splattering the blood that covered them until they were impeccably clean.

  A muffled noise caught his attention.

  He turned his head towards the main street, where four other beasts emerged from the shadows. One of them, larger and more horrendous than the others, walked at the front, an alpha that commanded his pack with an imposing presence. His eyes gleamed with cruel intelligence and hunger. In his jaws, a human torso still hung and its bones crunched as he chewed it.

  Asteron observed the scene coldly. He showed no fear, nor rage. Only... anticipation.

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  —Ah, finally... —he said with sarcasm, as he took a step forward—. I suppose you must be the leader. What a disappointment... I was expecting something more impressive.

  The alpha looked at him, letting out a low growl that made the ground tremble, and Asteron smiled, that icy and soulless curve that seemed to promise unimaginable suffering.

  —I hope you're more entertaining than your dogs —he added, raising one of his blades and pointing it at him—. Come, show me if you are worthy of dying by my hand.

  But the alpha stopped dead in his tracks, and his dark eyes studied every detail of the battlefield. His nostrils flared as the stench of blood and flesh filled the air. He observed the corpses of the fallen beasts, their dismembered and deformed bodies, before fixing his gaze on Asteron, who remained firm, holding his blades with cold confidence.

  He emitted no sound, neither a roar nor a growl. But something changed in the air. The three beasts accompanying him reacted instantly, as if an invisible command had resonated in their minds.

  With a deafening roar, they lunged at Asteron, moving like living shadows, fast and lethal.

  —Is that all, leader? —Asteron raised an eyebrow, letting out a dry laugh full of contempt—. You send your dogs because you're afraid to get your paws dirty. Pathetic.

  The sarcasm in his voice was like a poison aimed directly at the alpha's pride, but he remained impassive, watching from a distance.

  The three beasts attacked with fierce coordination. One went straight for his legs, another for his side, while the third reared up, seeking to tear his face.

  Asteron reacted with calculated precision. He rotated his wrists, and the Ether Cut blades sparked, ready for another confrontation.

  “This time, there was no room for theatrics.” He knew he was reaching the limit of his endurance. The amount of Aether he had channeled up to that point was considerable, and although his experience allowed him to use it with surgical efficiency, his body was still that of an Adept of the Arcane, of the lowest level on the path of ascension. He could not ignore the spasms in his muscles nor the growing burning in his ether conduits.

  —Time to end this... quickly —he murmured, more to himself than to his enemies.

  He dodged the first attack, sliding his body under the jump of one of the creatures. The blade of his left knife cleanly cut the beast's throat, causing an explosion of black blood that stained the air. Before the body fell, he spun on his heels to block the attack of the second, which was lunging from his right flank. The creature launched a swipe that hit him like a battering ram, sending him backwards, but the claws failed to penetrate his clothing.

  Asteron landed heavily, feeling how the impact tore a silent scream of pain from him. The pressure in his chest indicated that at least one rib was broken, but he could not stop. He got up immediately, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

  —Well, they're making me sweat. —He smiled, his voice tinged with a dark ferocity—. But that won't change their fate.

  The third beast attacked him before he could catch his breath. It was faster than he expected, and although he managed to dodge the main blow, the creature spun around and delivered a direct hit with its huge tail, throwing him against a nearby wall.

  He felt the air escape his lungs, but he did not release his blades. He propelled himself forward with a roar, cutting the beast's hind leg in a descending arc that made it fall with a shriek of agony.

  Before it could recover, Asteron jumped onto its back and plunged both blades into its nape, a precise movement that extinguished its life instantly.

  “Two left”

  The pain in his ribs was unbearable, but he ignored it. The second beast took advantage of his apparent weakness to lunge again, but Asteron spun at the last second, allowing his right blade to cut deeply into its side while his left one plunged into its eye. The creature howled, staggering, and a single twist of his blade was enough to pierce its brain, ending it instantly.

  The last beast stepped back, as if hesitating.

  Asteron advanced towards it with heavy breathing and his movements increasingly slow, but his eyes shone with a murderous intensity.

  —Come on, don't make me come get you —he growled, with a twisted smile.

  The creature charged desperately, and Asteron, in a clean but painfully fast movement, spun on his axis. His blades traced a lethal arc that opened the beast's neck and belly even wider.

  It fell to the ground with a muffled moan, its life extinguishing as Asteron exhaled forcefully, exhausted.

  Before he could lower his guard, he felt danger like a shiver down his spine. The alpha had seized the moment to attack. Although Asteron dodged instinctively, the monster's blow partially reached him, throwing him several meters through the air.

  He rolled on the ground, feeling how the impact tore more blood from him and how the stabbing pain in his side confirmed the fracture of another rib.

  He got up with difficulty, spitting blood. His chest rose and fell irregularly, but his smile, that twisted and mocking curve, remained on his face.

  —Ah, there you are —he said, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand—. Finally you decide to get your claws dirty...

  The alpha observed him, his eyes full of predatory intelligence, while Asteron raised his blades, still pulsing with Aether energy.

  —Come on, cowardly king. —His eyes flashed with malice—. Show me why you lead this pack. Or die like the dog you are.