Trapped

Nyx stood still, his face a mask of cold calculation despite the chaos unfolding before him. The Minotaur's sheer size and strength were overwhelming, but panicking wasn't an option. He eyed the hulking creature with narrowed eyes, taking in every movement, every sound, as it lumbered toward him.

'32 mana stones… I have to make this count,' Nyx thought to himself, his mind whirring as he quickly formulated a plan.

The Minotaur was strong but slow, and its massive bulk made it difficult to navigate in the narrow streets. Nyx's gaze flickered to the nearby buildings. The alleyways and tight spaces could be his advantage—if he could lure the creature into a trap.

The ground shook again as the Minotaur took another step, raising its colossal axe to strike.

Nyx didn't move, not yet. His icy blue eyes calculated the distance and the exact timing of his escape.

The axe came down with a deafening CRASH, but by then, Nyx was already on the move, sprinting to the side and darting into a narrow alley.

'Too slow,' Nyx thought as he weaved through the streets, leading the Minotaur deeper into the maze of buildings. Each step was deliberate, each turn strategic. He wasn't running to escape—he was setting the trap.

The Minotaur roared in frustration, its massive form struggling to squeeze through the alley. It swung its axe again, shattering walls and sending debris flying, but Nyx had already anticipated the move, staying one step ahead.

"Now," Nyx whispered to himself, glancing at the towering structure just ahead.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of mana stones, feeling their energy pulse in his hand. He only needed one for this.

"Generate, explosive trap," Nyx commanded.

Immediately, the mana stone dissolved in his palm, its energy shifting into a series of shimmering glyphs that hovered in the air for a brief moment before solidifying into a small, glowing device. He quickly placed the trap at the base of a narrow bridge connecting two buildings, the perfect bottleneck for his plan.

He stepped back, watching as the Minotaur, blind with rage, charged toward him.

'Just a little closer,' Nyx thought, his eyes never leaving the beast.

As the Minotaur approached the bridge, Nyx triggered the trap.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the entire block, and the bridge collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris, burying the Minotaur under tons of rubble. The beast roared, struggling beneath the weight, but its movements were sluggish now, slowed by the concrete and steel pinning it down.

Nyx stood at a distance, watching as the Minotaur tried to free itself, its enormous axe thrashing against the rubble.

'Not enough to kill it, but enough to buy time,' Nyx thought, his calm gaze assessing the situation. He could finish it off now, but that wasn't necessary. The Minotaur was trapped, and that was all that mattered.

Nyx smirked, slipping away silently into the shadows as the beast's roars echoed behind him.

'Strength, power... everything will come in time,' he mused, his hand gripping the remaining mana stones tightly.