Battle

Matthew stood with his sword drawn, his breathing slightly rapid. Under the effect of 【Eagle Eye Gaze】, his gaze was as sharp as a knife, locking onto the goat demon opposite him.

Under this intense observation, a sudden wave of surprise rose in his heart—

The wound on the opponent's abdomen, which should have been bleeding profusely, had actually stopped bleeding completely!

Not only that, but the flesh in that area seemed to be contracting and healing inward at an abnormal speed. If one did not look closely, it was almost impossible to tell that it had ever sustained an arrow wound.

‘This recovery speed... is definitely not that of an ordinary monster!’ Matthew's eyes narrowed slightly, and the vigilance in his heart heightened once more.

On the other side...

Rivera the goat demon panted heavily, its crimson pupils also staring intently at Matthew, especially the faintly glowing longsword in his hand.

“A sneak attack... another sneak attack!”

It growled inwardly.

First, a cold arrow had suddenly been shot from afar. Had it not reacted in time, its heart would likely have been pierced by now.

Then, a sudden ambush from the shadows, aiming straight for its head.

This human clearly possessed powerful combat strength capable of a head-on confrontation, yet he insisted on hiding in the dark like a venomous snake, waiting for an opportunity to bite!

“Father was indeed right. Humans really are despicable.”

An imperceptible trace of anxiety flickered in its eyes, but it was immediately forced down. Its thoughts refocused on the perilous cave before it.

After that brief exchange of blows, it knew clearly that the human in front of it was by no means an insect that could be crushed at will.

Not only did the opponent react incredibly fast, but the sword glowing with a blue-white light was also weirdly sharp, actually able to tear through its protective barrier.

It then forced itself to calm down and seriously consider its next move.

Rivera took a deep breath, suppressing its surging rage and underestimation of the enemy.

It realized that it had to cast aside all contempt and employ all its caution and calculation to have any hope of surviving this sudden, powerful foe.

“You will pay the price for your despicableness... The moment I catch you, I will make you understand what true pain is.”

It swore inwardly, its claws tightening slightly as the layer of dark red blood mist around its body faintly emerged once more.

Right at this moment...

Rivera noticed the fleeting look of surprise on Matthew's face.

A strange gleam flashed in its eyes. It bared its sharp teeth and squeezed out a hoarse, stiff tone from its throat, saying word by word:

“You are... strong. We... part ways here.”

Matthew was startled. This monster could actually speak human tongue. Although its speech was stiff, the meaning was crystal clear.

His hand gripping the sword instinctively tightened.

Monsters were cunning. The more unusual they behaved, the less one could let their guard down.

Almost at the exact moment this thought flashed through his mind...

Rivera's body suddenly expanded! Its aura also began to surge!

Its muscles swelled, stretching its skin, and its stature shot up. Its dark red skin took on a cold, metallic luster, and even its pair of goat horns seemed to grow thicker.

But at the same time, its entire body trembled violently, its face contorted in agony, and a suppressed, low growl, like the grinding of bones, escaped its throat.

Within seconds, Rivera's body swelled rapidly, shooting up from its original short stature of 1.6 meters to a terrifying height of nearly 1.8 meters.

Although its size had not grown to a world-blocking degree, a cold and tyrannical aura diffused from its body like something tangible.

The air inside the cave seemed to freeze slightly, and even the kobolds cowering in the corners curled up tightly out of instinctive fear.

“This transformation speed is too fast! It completed it in just a split second of thought?”

Matthew's pupils contracted. He did not dare to hesitate for a second.

The life energy within his body surged violently, and a faint shimmer appeared deep in his pupils. The 【Feathering】 state, fully activated!

He took two quick steps back to open up some distance, his eyes locking onto every single change in his opponent.

He slightly raised the 【Dawn Sword】 in his hand, the blue-white light on the blade flowing endlessly, ready to strike at any moment.

But at the same time, Matthew keenly captured his opponent's anomaly—

He could clearly hear the suppressed, low growls the opponent made due to intense pain, and he also saw its face contorted in agony.

‘This is probably some kind of racial talent that burns bloodline or overdraws life energy...’

Matthew's mind raced, yet his breathing remained as calm as an abyss.

‘Looking at its painful state, it definitely can't maintain this for long. I'll drag this out and avoid its edge first!’

As the thought settled, a claw lunged forward like a bolt of lightning!

Matthew's eyes narrowed. In the Feathering state, his dynamic vision had been enhanced to the limit.

In his eyes, the claw carrying a foul wind seemed to move in slow motion, frame by frame, its trajectory clearly visible.

However, seeing it was one thing; whether he could dodge it ultimately depended on whether his body could keep up!

“Move!”

Gritting his teeth, his body leaned back rapidly, his center of gravity shifting forcefully to the side—the claw brushed past the front of his shirt, the sound of tearing air making his skin sting slightly.

A narrow escape!

But Matthew's combat instincts had completely awakened in this life-or-death moment. Just as the claw grazed past his ribs, in the brief gap where the old force was spent and the new force had yet to rise, he suddenly twisted his wrist—

The 【Dawn Sword】 swept upward diagonally, the blade trailing a cold white light like a viper baring its fangs, aiming straight for the opponent's wrist!

The goat demon's reaction was also incredibly fast. It instantly pulled back its wrist and dodged to the side. The tip of the sword narrowly grazed its skin, only shaving off a tuft of black hair.

For a moment, only the shrill whistle of claws tearing through the air and the low hum of the sword blade remained in the cave. The two sounds rose in turn, filling every inch of the space with a life-or-death tension.

After more than twenty exchanges...

Although Matthew had not suffered any severe injuries, several shallow bloody scratches had appeared on his left and right arms.

He clearly felt that what flowed from the wounds was not just blood, but also the life energy required to maintain the 【Feathering】 state, which was slowly depleting.

Just as he was about to adjust his breathing, Matthew keenly noticed that the opponent's movements had also slowed down by an almost imperceptible margin.

Lacking stamina?

In a flash, Matthew pushed off the ground, his figure gliding backward several meters to open up some distance once again.

Rivera's aura was slowly receding. Although its size did not change visibly, a subtle, dull popping sound, like bones popping out of joint, came from beneath its swollen skin.

Its pupils stared fixedly at Matthew, who was also adjusting his breathing a few meters away. For the first time, a trace of hesitation flickered in its eyes.

It could not help but feel shocked inwardly:

“How can this human... move so fast?”

With that violent offensive just now, a weaker Silver Rank human would have probably died directly under its claws!

Yet this young human before it was not only free from severe injuries, but had also managed to repeatedly evade vital spots amidst such a dense flurry of claw strikes...

What made Rivera feel even more uneasy was that it clearly felt:

the physical strength consumed by maintaining its demonized state was draining rapidly.

If the fight dragged on, the situation would only become increasingly unfavorable for it.

“I can't retreat... but I can't keep wearing myself down like this either.”

It struggled internally, but did not dare to easily deactivate its demonized state.

That would mean a sudden drop in defense and speed, which would only plunge it into a more dangerous situation.

A tiny thought of escape quietly sprouted from the depths of its heart like a cold vine.

Therefore, it did not pursue. It merely stood in place, its chest heaving violently, maintaining its demonized state.