"Now," Aurelian muttered. "Let's see how strong I really am."
After that, the Gasoian Bat didn't wait, as It launched itself from the roof of the overturned carriage, using its powerful legs to propel its mass forward. It was a desperate, high-speed lunge designed to crush Aurelian under its weight and tear his throat out before he could react.
Aurelian did not back away. He planted his lead foot firmly, his boot digging into the dirt. As his weight shifted, the pressure was so great that the ground beneath his heel cracked. He then activated his [Divine Touch].
Immediately, the faint aura around his sword intensified into a brilliant golden glow. The air around the blade pulsed with energy, as the bat's face came within inches of him, Aurelian then held the point of the sword steady.
The bat shrieked and flapped its wings violently, forcing a mid-air stall. It tumbled backward, landing clumsily and skidding across the dirt. It began to pant, its chest rising and falling. The creature was no longer acting like a predator. It was trembling. Its many eyes were wide and focused on the glowing sword. The bat possessed a primal instinct for survival, and it now sensed that the object in the human's hand was no longer a piece of metal. It was a divine-grade weapon. One scratch from it would melt through its hide like a hot wire through wax.
Lysander watched from the ground, his new hand trembling as he wiped sweat from his face. 'Why is it backing away?' he wondered. 'The bat was fearless a moment ago. It took a lightning bolt and kept coming. But now... it's terrified. Who is this guy? What kind of weapon is that?'
The bat prepared to take flight, its wings unfurling to catch the wind and escape. It never got the chance.
In an instant, Aurelian moved. His speed was so great that to Lysander, it looked like a single blur. To the beast, it was a sudden absence of space. Before the bat could even lift its weight off the ground, Aurelian was already within its guard.
Swoosh!!
Aurelian delivered a low, sweeping horizontal slash. His blade didn't meet any resistance as it passed through the creature's thick hind legs. Both limbs were severed cleanly at the hip.
The bat let out a high-pitched scream, as the pain of the strike coursed through it's body. Without its legs to provide a launch, it flailed its wings, managed to gain a few feet of altitude through sheer panic, and hovered clumsily above the path, blood spraying from its stumps.
Lysander stared in awe, but he noticed something strange about the way Aurelian moved, the way he fought— like this is his first real fight. Every time the man swung his sword, his posture became slightly more refined. It was as if he was learning the limits of his own body in real-time. He fought with the raw and unpolished movements of a beginner, yet he possessed the terrifying precision and power of a master. It was a contradictory style, like a strange soul trapped in a body that was still getting used to its own strength.
'He's improving as he fights,' Lysander thought, a pang of envy hitting him. 'If he kills this beast, the fame will be immense. The Merchant Guild of Gasok would pay a fortune for the head of the bat that has stalled trade for months. Does he even know that? He looks like he's just testing a theory.
Damn! This brat is going to claim a B-rank glory.'
Above, the bat seethed in pain. It opened its mouth and let out a concentrated sonic screech. The sound wave distorted the air, intended to burst Aurelian's eardrums and throw his balance off. Aurelian simply braced his himself, his [Pseudo-Celestial Physique] absorbed the vibration, as he felt a slight ringing in his ears, but his feet remained steady.
He looked up at the hovering monster, and pondered how he could reach it for an attack. Aurelian had no ranged skills in his arsenal, and he definitely couldn't fly, so he pondered on his next course of action.
And that's when he looked at his left fist. He then thought about the thousands of repetitions he had performed during his daily quests. The system had pushed his physical attributes far beyond the human norm.
With that, He slowly drew his left fist back, his muscles coiling like a heavy spring. He focused all his strength into a single point.
Lysander watched the motion, his eyes widening. 'Is he serious? He's going to punch at it? From that distance? There is no way he is that strong. He's out of range by at least ten feet.'
Aurelian then threw the punch.
The sheer force of the strike created a vacuum. The air in front of his fist was compressed so violently it created a localized shockwave. A visible ripple of distorted air shot upward, slamming into the bat's underbelly like a physical hammer.
The creature's breath was driven from its lungs. Its wings buckled, and it was blasted out of the air. It crashed into the dirt with a heavy thud, gasping for air and rolling onto its back.
As the bat struggled to flip over, it opened its eyes. Aurelian was already in the air. He had used the momentum of his own punch to leap high above the creature. He descended with the gravity of a falling star, his sword held in both hands, pointed straight down.
Plunge!!!
His blade sank through the bat's chest, piercing its primary heart and pinning it to the ground. The creature's wings gave one final, violent flap before going limp. Its eyes dimmed, turning from a manic red to a dull, lifeless grey.
[Ding! Tier IV Gasoian Bat Slain!]
[Gained 1500 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Aurelian ignored the blue screens floating in his peripheral vision. He stepped off the carcass and pulled his sword free with a wet slide. The golden light faded from the steel, leaving the blade as clean and polished as it had been before the fight.
He stood up and looked down at the dead monster. It looked much smaller now that it wasn't trying to eat him. He then turned his head and saw Lysander.
The Magi was sitting on the ground, his back against a wagon wheel. He was holding his newly grown hand as if he were afraid it might disappear. He looked at the dead Tier IV beast, then back at Aurelian, his expression a mix of absolute terror and awe. He tried to stand up, but his knees wobbled, and he sat back down with a thud.
Aurelian wiped his blade on a patch of grass and sheathed it. "The road should be clear now," he said. "Can you walk, or do I need to carry you like you suggested?"
Lysander didn't answer immediately. He just stared at the spot where his arm used to be missing. "You... you just punched the air and broke its ribs."
Aurelian shrugged. "I've been doing a lot of pull-ups lately."