Lord Of Beasts

Kaela pouted dramatically as she looked around the devastated underground parking level. What had been a coordinated criminal hideout less than a minute ago now resembled a demolition site.

She planted one boot squarely on the chest of one of the C Rank Titled she’d just flattened and folded her arms.

"He left me these weaklings then hogged the fun one for himself."

The defeated man beneath her groaned weakly as Kaela sighed in exaggerated disappointment.

"He better not take too long."

Ethan had every intention of making it quick.

Unfortunately, the man sprinting ahead of him clearly wasn’t one of the pushovers Kaela had just dismantled.

The pair burst out from beneath the abandoned shopping complex, racing through an unfinished construction zone where skeletal concrete frames stretched toward the sky. Tower cranes loomed overhead, while stacks of steel beams and shipping containers created a maze across the site.

Ethan was steadily gaining on his target.

That’s when the fleeing man suddenly skidded to a halt, his boots carving grooves through the gravel. Ethan slowed a few metres away, slipping one hand into his pocket almost casually.

The two stared at one another.

Neither moved.

’Greg didn’t say anything about there being a B Rank.’

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

’That sly bastard definitely knew.’

He was almost certain that Greg had withheld that information on purpose. And be it to see exactly what the new Enforcers were capable of, or just to mess with them, Ethan hated feeling like someone else was playing games with him.

"At least I get to fight a B Rank."

The man opposite him looked to be in his late thirties, broad-shouldered and heavily built beneath reinforced tactical clothing. A jagged scar ran across one side of his jaw, disappearing beneath a thick beard that had begun greying around the edges.

Unlike the others, he didn’t carry himself like a street thug with special abilities. His stance was disciplined, measured, and his breathing remained perfectly controlled despite the chase.

His eyes swept over Ethan.

"I saw you on the news."

He cracked his neck.

"You were part of clearing that A Rank Gate."

His expression twisted into disbelief.

"But weren’t you just an E Rank a couple weeks ago?"

The Enforcer nodded casually.

He laughed, "There’s no way you’re actually a B Rank now. And even if you are, you can’t compare to someone who’s been a Titled for years."

Ethan scratched his cheek.

’If he’s been a Titled that long, he’s probably cleared dozens of Gates. That makes him experienced and dangerous. But...’

He tilted his head.

’Why do people always feel the need to explain themselves before fighting?’

"If you’re going to talk so much, I might as well-"

Ethan flicked open his deck of cigarettes and brought it to his face, but that’s when the man vanished.

Boom!

The ground exploded beneath his feet.

And in that single moment, the man with hawk-like eyes understood everything there was to know about his opponent.

’Decent ability.’

It wasn’t flashy, but it was terrifyingly effective.

Every muscle in his body surged with condensed kinetic energy, visibly tightening as mana compressed deep within his limbs. His calves, thighs, shoulders, and arms seemed to coil inward, like enormous springs being wound tighter and tighter.

Or stretched elastic pulled right to its breaking point.

It was quite basic for him to be a B Rank, but if wielded by a skilled individual, it could be lethal. Each movement stored momentum, and each strike released it; The faster he fought, the stronger every blow became.

His fist rocketed toward Ethan’s face.

The arm didn’t simply swing; it compressed for the briefest instant before snapping forward like a released spring.

Ethan leaned aside just enough, slipping by less than an inch.

BOOM!!

The shockwave alone shattered the concrete barrier behind him into countless fragments.

’He’s strong.’

But Ethan could still see through it all with his enhanced vision.

The man attacked again.

His legs compressed beneath him before releasing all at once.

Rather than running, he practically rebounded across the battlefield. Every landing immediately compressed his muscles again before launching him into another explosive leap.

He was a giant steel spring refusing to stop bouncing, or an elastic band snapping from one point to another.

Ethan disappeared sideways.

’Gale Rend.’

A crescent of compressed wind formed around his hand as he countered. The man crossed his reinforced forearms as Ethan’s talons slashed across his body, almost producing sparks.

He slid backwards several metres before his legs compressed again.

Then, without losing momentum, he launched himself straight back into the fight.

And thus continued their back and forth.

Fists.

Talons.

Wind.

Shockwaves.

Concrete burst apart beneath every exchange, and steel beams rang loudly whenever stray attacks struck them, but neither gained an advantage.

’He’s bouncy and can reinforce his body; I’m fast and can see his attacks coming.’

It was a stalemate of sorts.

But the man was skilled and relentless.

He was also only getting stronger with time, with every rebound storing more kinetic energy inside his muscles. Every successful movement continued feeding momentum into his abilities. Every punch carried the force of everything that had come before it.

Meanwhile, Ethan flowed around him.

Instead of meeting power head-on, he slipped through tiny openings. Every dodge became a slash, and every retreat became another Gale Rend, slowly cutting away at his opponent.

It wasn’t brute force but precision, like watching a hawk dance around a bear.

The criminal smiled.

"So this is all the famous new B Rank can do?"

He planted both feet.

His entire body visibly compressed as his muscles tightened and mana surged. For a heartbeat, he looked like a spring wound to its absolute limit.

Then he slammed both fists together.

The accumulated kinetic force detonated outward.

BOOOOM!!

The explosion of compressed impact blasted Ethan backwards through a half-built wall. Concrete dust filled the air, but the man didn’t stop there. Experienced fighters never assumed victory, nor did they miss opportunities to follow up on their attacks.

Instead, he charged straight into the dust cloud.

Exactly as Ethan hoped he would.

SKRREEEEEE!!

The concentrated sonic blast ripped through the construction site, launching the criminal tumbling. But Skyshatter Cry was more than just a means of knocking your opponent back.

His ears began bleeding, his vision blurred slightly, and his balance wavered.

"What-"

Ethan emerged from the dust like a green blur.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

Three Gale Rends struck almost simultaneously.

The man’s reinforced body absorbed most of the damage, but not all.

Thin cuts appeared across his shoulders and ribs.

He staggered.

But oddly, he was smiling.

"Good. For someone who just became a B Rank, you’re impressive."

He rolled his shoulders as his bones cracked.

His muscles began compressing once more, coils of kinetic energy building beneath his skin until the very ground beneath his feet started to fracture.

"But you’re still inexperienced."

Ethan could see the man’s skin tearing after the constant strain on his muscles. But the man couldn’t hold back any longer, as he unleashed all the kinetic energy stored throughout his body...