Ch 10: The First Battle

"This is the first time I'm really facing a Soul Beast. Fortunately, they're only Seventh Order Ordinary Soul Beasts. I have no fighting experience. If these two Soul Beasts were equally powerful as me, I would be done for," Emrys muttered to himself, taking a deep breath. It was his first encounter with a Soul Beast, so he felt slightly nervous yet excited at the same time.

As Emrys cautiously observed the two Steel-toothed Hounds and slowly approached them, they seemed to detect unusual movements. Their talent "Hearing Enhancement" played a crucial role in sensing Emrys's presence. Immediately, they turned their heads on guard and looked in Emrys's direction.

"Howl!"

Seeing Emrys approaching them step by step, the Steel-toothed Hounds immediately rushed over without any hesitation with fierce glares and howls. They knew Emrys was the enemy and only by getting rid of this enemy could they be safe.

"Their body size is huge and their momentum is fierce. I am already feeling a slight pressure from them."

Emrys held his breath and concentrated, his vision firmly locked on the two Steel-toothed Hounds. His hand was already resting on the handle of the Alloy Knife as he was ready to attack at any time when facing these two hounds.

The agility of these two Steel-toothed Hounds was not low. They were fast, and in a short moment, they arrived in front of Emrys. Faint fluctuations of Soul Force rose from their bodies and their teeth suddenly seemed to be plated with a layer of silver-gray, becoming extremely textured and metal-like.

Emrys knew that they were already using their only ability; Steel Teeth Bite!

On the other side, the two hounds stepped on their feet and scrambled to bite Emrys.

Emrys, who had not been moving, finally moved the moment the two hounds jumped.

With a swift movement far beyond ordinary people, Emrys gracefully evaded the first Steel-toothed Hound's attack. Without hesitation, he swiftly drew his knife and deftly thrust it towards the second hound's head.

The second Steel-toothed Hound was caught off guard by Emrys's speed. Sensing the impending danger of death, it attempted to dodge, but it was already too late. In that critical moment, no ordinary beast could change direction in mid-air.

A flash of cold light filled the air as Emrys's blade sliced through the second hound's body, causing blood to spurt out from the swift cut. With a clean strike, Emrys decapitated the second Steel-toothed Hound before it could even let out its last roar.

Everything happened too fast.

It was at this time the first Steel-toothed Hound landed back on the ground. Quickly turning around, it witnessed its companion's demise. Instead of fear, however, the fierce light in its eyes intensified.

"Grrrr!"

The only remaining Steel-toothed Hound snarled angrily at Emrys, its silver teeth bared menacingly. Summoning its strength, the hound lunged forward, aiming to sink its teeth into Emrys!

However, Emrys had already turned around in time, already anticipating the attack from the hound. As the first Steel-toothed Hound lunged forward once more, Emrys made a decisive move. Instead of retreating, he pounced on the hound, displaying unwavering confidence in his own strength. He firmly believed that he would emerge victorious in this battle against a Soul Beast with lower intelligence and strength.

Both Emrys and the Steel-toothed Hound faced each other, the tension palpable as neither knew who would emerge victorious. Both of them believed they could take the life of their opponent.

Just as the hound's mouth was about to make contact with Emrys's hand, Emrys's eyes flashed with silver light, and in an instant, he disappeared, reappearing above the hound's head. With a swift motion, he raised the knife in his hand and delivered a decisive blow to the beast's head.

The Steel-toothed Hound was taken aback. Initially elated at Emrys's approach, its joy turned to shock and then to fear as Emrys swiftly outmaneuvered it, leaving the hound unable to react in time.

However, what this Steel-toothed Hound didn't expect was Emrys to suddenly vanish and then reappear above its head.

In that split second, as Emrys executed his move, the hound was unable to evade, meeting the same fate as its companion. With a swift strike, its head was severed from its body, causing blood to gush like a fountain from both severed parts of its body.

"Phuu!"

Emrys let out a deep breath before looking at the two corpses of Steel-toothed hounds. Heaving a sigh of relief, he sat down on the ground with a tired expression.

Although it might have sounded very easy for Emrys to kill the two beasts, it had actually taken a great toll on his body. Moreover, it was his first time experiencing a deadly battle. Had he shown any hesitation during the battle, it would have been his body lying on the ground instead of the two hounds.

While facing a Soul Beast for the first time, it's natural for any human to experience innate fear. Emrys initially felt this fear as well. However, what proved invaluable in this fight was Emrys's ability to make perfect decisions in critical moments.

For his first battle, Emrys can be said to have displayed remarkable battle awareness and calculation. 

During the last attack, he acted to meet the hound head-on. However, right before the final strike, he used the Origin Ability "Node Shift" to shift his position right above the hound's head, successfully beheading it.

He didn't expect to kill these two hounds so swiftly without getting injured.

From the moment Emrys made his move, he was acutely aware of his actions. He calculated each step to ensure he dealt irreversible damage to the hounds.

Despite appearing in control throughout the encounter, Emrys was actually filled with tension. One misstep could have proved fatal.

Now, sitting on the ground, Emrys felt utterly exhausted. He had no choice but to rest for some period and recover his energy. After some time, upon feeling the recovery of some energy, he stood up.

"Fortunately, the final result is as I expected."

"After awakening my Soul Mark, Walker of the Blue Sky, I've undergone comprehensive improvement, thanks to the influence of the Void Phoenix. Moreover, these two hounds, being only at the Seventh Order, possess just one attack skill and one talent, which aren't particularly difficult to counter."

The only difficulty in this battle was the number of hounds. The two hounds were very synchronized and knew how to cooperate. Had Emrys resisted the first hound's attack instead of evading it at the outset, he would have been bitten by the second hound. Such a mistake would have proven fatal, resulting in his demise. Although he might have managed to escape with his life using Node Shift, he would undoubtedly have sustained severe injuries at the very least.

Calculating everything ahead of time, Emrys let go of the first hound and killed the second one. It can be said that his calculations were indeed remarkable for someone who was fighting a life-and-death battle for the first time.

After carefully reflecting on the battle's process for a while, Emrys took a deep breath, and a smile spread across his face.