First Blood

Two Frenzy Antelopes charged straight into the large shield that the Human Spirit had rammed into the ground to spread the impact he would have to face at once.

However, the force of two Frenzy Antelopes with a weight of more than 100 kilograms and a maximum speed of around 90 kilometers per hour was not something that could be blocked or deflected easily.

Furthermore, there were eight more Frenzy Antelopes that didn't even think of slowing down their charge.

Two more Frenzy Antelopes charged from both sides, while the remaining four were a little bit slower than the rest. The slower Frenzy Antelopes just wanted to stomp on the Human Spirit and crush it mercilessly once it was thrown to the ground.

However, the Human Spirit endured the attacks and it even moved the shield to the left to hurl the two Frenzy Antelopes sideways and into the air that had charged at it from the front.

The Frenzy Antelopes were pulled to the side, blocking the advance of those advancing from the left, leaving behind a few that were on the right and the slower Frenzy Antelopes from the front.

It was difficult to deal with the slower Frenzy Antelopes because they were still farther away from the Human Spirit but that could be used to their advantage. While its shield was used to block the attacks and divert the trajectory of two Frenzy Antelopes, the Human Spirit smashed the large iron mace to its right with a mighty swing.

Instead of delivering a lethal blow and killing the Frenzy Antelopes on the spot, the Human Spirit wanted to crush their bones. Ending their lives with a single attack was quite difficult because he was wielding a large iron mace and not a greatsword with a blade that was sharp enough edge to cut through the opponents in an instant.

Thus, the Human Spirit made use of its brute force and the bluntness of the Iron mace to smash into the side of the closest Frenzy Antelope on the right.

The sickening sound of bones crushing along with the Frenzy Antelope's desperate bleat echoed through the surroundings as it was hurled to the right side, smacking into two of its brethren that were charging from the right side.

'What a show-off…'

Zayn thought as he began to move as well. Initially, he wanted to make sure that the Human Spirit would be fine acting as the Vanguard against the ten Frenzy Antelopes and take the brunt of the attack, but that didn't seem to be necessary.

The Human Spirit consumed a large amount of soul particles the moment the fight started but that was more than fine. The result of the first clash was certainly satisfying and Zayn could reap the benefits.

He shot forth and reached the right side of the Human Spirit just a moment later. The silver iron shortsword was gleaming faintly as he slashed at the dizzy Frenzy Antelope that was furthermost on the right side.

It had been unexpectedly headbutted by one of its own when the Human Spirit smashed the iron mace into its brethren.

The rhythm of their attack had been shattered with a seemingly simple attack and the dizzy Frenzy Antelope looked over to the perpetrator after it saw the severely mutilated body of the Frenzy Antelope whose rib cage had been crushed.

However, even before it could charge at the perpetrator, the dizzy Frenzy Antelope's sight blurred. It felt drained all of a sudden, too weak to stand and its legs gave in.

Only then did it see the comrade of the huge perpetrator who had infiltrated their territory. A small cloaked figure rushed past the collapsed Frenzy Antelope, warm blood trickling down the shortsword he used to slash through the neck of the Frenzy Antelope, whose rib cage had been crushed just moments before.

Afterward, the world itself seemed to have come crashing down on the Antelope as its breathing turned ragged. The last traces of life force flickered violently in the eyes of the Antelope before they dimmed down forever.

Zayn stared at the blood that gushed out of the wounds he had inflicted while his hands reached out to grasp the Soul Wisps of the two Frenzy Antelopes subconsciously.

He looked at his trembling hands and at the blood that trickled down the silver iron shortsword, the weapon that he had just used to kill two living beings.

At first, he was pretty sure that he was well-prepared for the inevitable situation and that he could kill easily. And, Zayn did move smoothly as he reaped the lives of the two Frenzy Antelopes, turning into their Grim Reaper. But only after a few seconds passed and the adrenaline rush died down did he realize what he had actually done.

Even if he was prepared for the moment of truth, it was not as if everyone could easily cope with the fact that they had just killed other beings.

Zayn's mind went blank for several seconds and his hands were trembling as the memories of the shortsword digging through flesh of the two monsters and tearing it apart was imprinted deep into his mind. The scrapping sound of the shortsword's tip scratching the monster's soul rang through his ears that twitched before his body gave an involuntary shudder as if he could shake off the unease.

Zayn had too take a deep breath and focus on the pain that came from devouring the soul particles of the monster's Soul Wisps to regain his senses.

The sounds of battle became clearer once again, pulling Zayn away from the thoughts that tormented him as he set off once again.

'That was much harder than expected…' He could only think as he anticipated things to work out differently.

In the end, Zayn thought that fragmented memories of his old self killing all kinds of beings would resurface the moment he ended the life of his first living opponent.

Cutting through the arm of Phillip Cerk was something he had done without a shred of hesitation or remorse, yet, killing the Frenzy Antelopes made him feel both uneasy and guilty.

'...why couldn't my memories resurface?!'

Complaining wouldn't take him anywhere, and that was also why Zayn shook his head and decided to join the fray and lend a helping hand to his companion.

The Human Spirit had smashed the head of two Frenzy Antelopes. In exchange, it was headbutted several times. The horns of the monsters dug into the Human Spirit and the areas where it had been hit were fluctuating wildly as if it was flickering in and out of existence. Soul particles were drained from the Human Spirit's reserves to tend to the wounds, which decreased the amount of soul particles it would have used in different ways to attack otherwise.

This was the only downside it faced when sustaining injuries. The Human Spirit's combat prowess wouldn't decrease drastically but the time for which it could fight while being injured would plummet significantly.

With that understanding in mind, Zayn did what he had to do…

**

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