Luriel didn't panic upon seeing the snake's fangs etched into his flesh. His eyes revealed a dangerous glow as he pulled out a dagger from underneath his clothes using his right arm and aimed it at the beast's left eye, stabbing right through it.
The snake hissed in an aggressive manner and instinctively retreated, trying to blend in with the surroundings once more. However, its blinded left eye caused it a great deal of panic, disrupting the camoflage's effect, resulting in a semi-transparent state.
Luriel felt searing pain in his arm where the snake had bit him. The possibility of the snake being venomous crossed his mind. If that were the case, a prolonged battle will only increase his chances of losing.
With that in mind, he leaped towards the beast, aiming the dagger at its blind spot, its blinded left side.
Sensing the incoming danger, the beast also attacked in a frenzied state, going in for another bite with its blood covered fangs. However, it was already too late!
Luriel's dagger pierced through its hard scales and into its flesh. The snake released released another cry as Luriel slashed through the rest of its body with one swift movement, killing it on the spot.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to celebrate his victory as the pain in his arm intensified. Although he was uncertain before, he could now feel the snake's venom flowing inside him.
A frown appeared on his face as he concentrated on guiding mana to get rid of it. Due to the absense of mana pathways, this proved to be very challenging. Luckily, his mana reacted on the poison on its own, eradicating it.
Seeing Luriel stabilize his condition, Hans went over to him and began analyzing.
"You did well, I guess. You took the oppurtunity when it wasn't thinking straight and killed it in a single strike. Everything was done relatively well. However…"
He paused for a moment, his voice growing a bit colder.
"The oppurtunity you took was at the price of your left arm's mobility, which could leave you vulnerable for other beasts to feast on had I not been here."
When faced with Hans' scolding, Luriel lowered his head a little. He knew ehat he did was risky. After dealing with the venom, his mana reserve was only about 40% of its full capacity.
If another beast were to attack him at that time he would have died. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of Hans' scolding anymore, he quickly thought of an excuse.
"However, you WERE there to protect me, right? I took that into consideration and planned accordingly. So in the end, my strategy was flawless, wasn't it?"
Hans was momentarily at a loss of words. He wanted to refute his words but, why did they actually make sense? Unable to come up with an argument against it, he simple signed and looked at Luriel.
"I've located the Thunderclaw Bear, by the aura it gives off, it seems to already be in the seventh stage."
Luriel immediately understood what Hans was saying, he won't be participating in the battle. The slim chances he had of winning against the demonic beast were now reduced to zero.
Hans then pointed towards a tall tree that stood out from the rest, about 200 meters away from them.
"You are to climb that tree and watch our battle from afar. It will help you realize the difference between the seventh stage and those below it."
Luriel nodded and ran towards the tree, arriving there in a matter of seconds. He quickly climbed the tree, his blue eyes watching the forest from above.
After making sure Luriel was a safe distance away, a small grin escaped Hans' face as he mumbled under his breath.
"Now then, should I show off a bit in front of my junior?"
-Boom!
With a bang, he released the aura of 8th stage Broken Vessel realm, startling all the beasts nearby, causing them to flee. Hans' brown eyes revealed a fierce glow as he looked towards the Thunderclaw Bear.
The demonic beast also sensed the human's aura and responded in kind, releasing a frightening pressure that spread quickly towards its opponent.
It could feel that Hans' intent was directed towards it and had no intention to back off.
The two auras collided, sending ripples of mana all around the area. All the beast below the fourth stage Broken Vessel realm were crushed under the pressure and died. The rest were barely holding on, only those at the sixth stage were somewhat well.
Luriel, who was standing on top of the tree, almost fell off. He marveled at the strength they showed. Even he, who wasn't very sensible when it came to mana, could vividly feel the mana fluctuating in the area.
Naturally, there were other 7th stage demonic beast in this region of the forest. However, all of them stayed in their territories. Unless their territory was in danger, or if they could expand it, they wouldn't interfere and would only silently observe the fight from afar.
Luriel however, wasn't very worried about Hans. Although vaguely, he could feel that Hans' aura had the upper hand in this face off.
Naturally, the Thunderclaw Bear also sensed that and grew more cautious. That doesn't mean it backed off, though. If anything, it was the first to rush towards its opponent.
In a matter of seconds, it stood before Hans and waved its claw downwards, attempting to crush Hans. Its paw and claws were covered in lightning that rippled through the area.
Watching them, Luriel felt chills run down his spine. The bear moved at a speed he couldn't react to at all. Not to mention the power behind that attack, which is more than enough to instantly kill him without leaving any traces behind.
-Bam!
The full force of the bear's swing fell on Hans, lightning sparks flew across, striking the nearby trees, causing them to burn down and fall. Dust covered the battlefield as a voice rang out from within.
"Is that all? Well, maybe I expected too much from a mindless beast."
Hans stood at the center of the ruined forest area, a shield made out of mana protecting him from the bear's attack. He decided that the bear wasn't worth fighting for much longer and decided to end it soon.
Just as he was about to strike back however, a frown appeared on his face as he stretched his senses further into the forest. His expression turned grave. More than five beast were rushing towards him, three of which were at the 8th stage Broken Vessel realm.