Elias ran.
He didn't look back.
His legs were shaking, his breathing was uneven, and every step sent pain through his injured body.
But he kept moving.
I need to get away.
Behind him, the forest erupted with the sounds of battle.
BOOM!
A tree was shattered.
ROAAAR!
The Savage Fanghorn's roar echoed through the forest.
Elias clenched his teeth.
He knew Garen was fighting it.
And he knew something else.
If Garen defeated that monster...
he would come for him.
Elias pushed himself harder.
Branches scratched his face as he ran between the trees.
His body screamed at him to stop.
But he refused.
If I stay, I'll die.
He didn't know where he was going.
He didn't even know if he could make it back to the settlement.
He simply ran.
---
Meanwhile...
Garen's claws collided with the Fanghorn's horns.
CLANG!
The impact shook the surrounding trees.
Garen's eyes narrowed.
The creature was strong.
Far stronger than an ordinary Fanghorn.
Savage level...
He twisted his body and kicked the beast away.
The Fanghorn slid across the ground before digging its claws into the soil and stopping itself.
Garen stared at it.
"So you were hiding your strength."
The Fanghorn lowered its head.
Its eyes locked onto Garen.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then—
ROAAAR!
The Fanghorn charged.
Garen disappeared from its path.
The beast crashed into a tree, splitting the trunk.
Garen appeared behind it.
His claws glowed with the heat produced by his Overdrive.
He swung.
SLASH!
Blood sprayed across the bark.
The Fanghorn roared in pain and spun around.
Its massive horn narrowly missed Garen's head.
Garen stepped backward.
Fast.
He had underestimated it.
A normal Beast would have been predictable.
But this creature had already crossed into the Savage stage.
Its instincts were sharper.
Its body was stronger.
And its movements were much harder to read.
Still...
Garen smiled.
"You're only Savage."
His muscles tightened.
"That means you're still controlled by instinct."
The Fanghorn growled.
Garen lowered his stance.
"And instinct..."
His eyes became cold.
"...can be exploited."
---
Far away, Elias continued running.
His breathing became heavier.
His vision began to blur.
He stumbled.
THUD!
He fell to one knee.
Elias gritted his teeth and forced himself back up.
He looked at his hands.
They were trembling.
He had never felt this helpless before.
Garen had nearly killed him.
The Fanghorn could have killed him.
And Lena...
Elias stopped.
His mind returned to the unconscious girl.
For a moment, he considered turning around.
Lena...
His fists tightened.
But then he remembered Garen's strength.
He remembered how easily Garen had overpowered him.
If he went back now...
He would only become another corpse.
Elias looked ahead.
"I'm sorry."
Then he ran again.
But something inside him refused to settle.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Something else.
A question.
Why was I so weak?
He had spent years being told that humans were weak.
He had accepted that.
But now...
For the first time...
He hated that weakness.
Not because he wanted to become another race.
But because he wanted to know—
how far a human could really go.
And somewhere deep inside his body...
Something seemed to stir.
Elias didn't notice it.
Not yet.
The forest swallowed him as he disappeared into the darkness.
And behind him...
The battle continued.