Pack

Screech! A rat lord screeched at Ethan as it bared its teeth in anger. His face shot around as he waved his kusarigama threateningly in an attempt to scare it. Screech! The rat lord took a step back.

This scene was oddly familiar to him. Just about half an hour ago, he'd been surrounded by numerous rats. He'd been stuck in a deadlock with them, where neither of them attacked first. Just like he was right now.

Screech! Clank! Ethan's head snapped around as he waved his kusarigama at another rat lord. He was stuck in a hole with eight monsters a full rank above him. This wasn't good. They were well-coordinated, controlled by an alpha. And they were capable of killing him.

Screech! Clank! Ethan looked around, observing every single monster as he clenched his weapon tightly. Which of these was the alpha? If he could find the leader of this pack, he could disable their coordination, making it easier to kill them. With the loss of an alpja, there would be infighting to elect a new leader. And he could use that chaos to kill them off. Because escaping wasn't an option.

"Fucking hell!" Ethan swore as he turned around, facing another monster. This was bad. These monsters weren't giving him a chance to use his mana. Without gathering every single drop of mana inside him, he couldn't activate Firestorm. And that was the only way he could survive.

He looked around wildly. Where was the alpha? Which of these monsters commanded the others? Screech! Suddenly, a rat lord pounced at him. Damn it! He wasn't paying attention. The fight had started.

Clank! He swung his kusarigama around, aiming it at the rat lord. Screech! It thrust its claws forward, deflecting the blade. Clang! Ethan yanked the loose chain towards himself. He felt it tighten up as he twisted his arms upwards. Clang!

The kusarigama grazed the rat lord's white fur, barely missing its hide. There was no point in hiding his kusarigama skills right now. The monsterd had already seen him killing a rat lord in a single blow. There was no need to keep up the pretense.

Screech! Sudeenly, Ethan heard a noise behind him. He turned around, swinging his kusarigama at the rat lord. Screech! It jumped over the blade, shooting towards him. Clank! He yanked the metal chain, pulling the metal chain towards the rat lord. Suddenly, he noticed something at the edge of his vision. His eyes snapped towards his left. Another rat lord was heading towards him.

"Fuckers!" Two rat lords were hewding towards him. He could wound either one of them. But then, the other would get an opening to strike him. "Damn beasts!" Ethan dived forward, ducking beneath a rat lord. His kusarigama went nowhere, crashing into the floor as it completely missed its target.

Thud! He cp

ould hear the spund of their tiby feet crashing into the ground as he fell to the floor. He'd avoided the monsters. But for how long? Eventually, he'd make a mistake. And that'd spell the end of him. Suddenly, his eyes shot upwards. Another rat lord was rushing towards him, its mouth wide open as the distance between the two shortened.

Damn it! There were more than two monsters. He was wrong. They didn't need to wait for him to make a mistake. They could already take him down even if he fought perfectly.

Ethan pushed himself off the ground, jumping backwards . He swung his kusarigama horizontally, aiming it behind. He didn't need another screech to tell him that another rat lord was rushing towards him. Clang! The scytye blade crashed against.a pair of claws. Yup. His guess was correct.

Screech! "Arghhh!" Ethan screamed in pain as he felt a set of claws rake across his stomach. "Cunning fuckers!" The monster had attacked him at the exact spot where he was injured. Clank! He swung his chain once again. He couldn't pause for even a moment. These rat lords would eat up the chance to land a wound on him immediately.

Clang! Screech! The rat lords chittered furiously as they pounced towards him once again.

"Ahhhh" Ethan let out a snall groan as he clutched his stomach. He couldn't move too quickly right now. He had to restrict his movements. That was the only way to deal with the pain. He threw his kusarigama, trying to land a hit on one of the monsters. He just needed an opening to strike one of these monsters.

Whoosh! A rat lord shot past, slicing through the air as it barely missed Ethan. His kusarigama was too slow. He'd focused om the wrong monster. That was why the rat lord had gotten so close.

He swung his kusarigama once again, trying to land another hit. Scratch! A rat lord passed by, raking its claws against Ethan's stomach. "Arghhhh!" He screamed in pain.

The second hit. The same rat lord had deepened the wound on his stomach, making him miss with his kusarigama. Well, not like he wpuld have landed a hit anyways

Scratch! The third hit. This time, Ethan didn't scream. He clenched his teeth, bearing the pain as he tried to hit the rat lord once again. The same monster had hit it thrice. It wasn't a coincidence. The monsters must still be treating this like some sort of a game. That was.why they didn't let any other monster attack him.

Scratch! The fourth hit. "Huff....huff....huff." This time, Ethan didn't bother retaliating. Nothing would happen. He closed his eyes, as if he had given up. He'd been hit four times on his stomach now. The pain increased when he closed his eyes. Maybe the fact that he blocked off one of his senses made him feel it strongly. Or maybe this was his body's way of telling him not to give up.

Screech! The rat lord lifted its claws, its teeth clattering as it stared at Ethan. This prey was too easy to kill. It would end its life with this last blow. And it would strike it at the exact same place that it had all this time. Simply because it could.

Screech! It shot forwards, rushing towards Ethan. His eyes were closed. Yet, the rest of his body was positioned strangely. As id he could see it. As if he was prepared to face it. Should it back off? No. It was about to kill him. It wpuldn't back off at the last blow.

Screech! Suddenly, the rat lord felt an itchy sensation on its skin. What was happening? It felt like its fur was...burning? Spark....spark....spark. Tiny sparks rushed along its body. Was this that prey's attempt to harm it? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't working. Suddenly, Ethan's eyes shot open.

His lips curled, forming a word as he lifted the kusarigama in his arms. "Firestorm." Crackle! The kusarigama shot upwards, rushing towards the ray lord. It couldn't dodge! It raised its claws towards its chest, trying to block the attack.

Slice! The kusarigama sjot upwards, shattering its claws as it passed through unabated. The rat lord's eyes widened. The blade was too fast. At this rate, it would break through its.....Splotch! The scythe blade cut through its tough hide. It wasn't dead. It wasn't even seriously injured. But, right now, one thing had changed.

Ethan's eyes glowed blue. "One hit." Thud! The rat lord crashed into the floor. Screech! Screech! The other rats screamed, rushing towards Ethan. They had already lost one member of their pack. They couldn't let another one die. Splotch! Ethan yanked his chain out of the wounded creature. Screech! Another rat lord pounced at him. Clang! His kusarigama shot out, crashing with just enough force to knock it away.

Ethan threw his weapon upwards. Activating Firestorm had done more than just increase his battle capabilities. It had concentrated his mana, making it purer and wider as it made him stronger. It had increased his rank to G-10.

Clank! He felt the chain tighten in his arms. Whoosh! "Two hits." Screech! The rat lord scramed in pain as the kusarigama descended from upwards, crashing into its black crown. Crack! The crown shattered, giving way to the blade as it pierced through its flesh. Its vision darkened. Ethan had struck some vital part of its head. Not on purpose, of course.

Clank! Whoosh! Ethan yanked his blade put, swinging it in a vertical arc. Splotch! Screech! His weapom cut through its stomach. At the same place where it had been wounded. Just like Ethan.

Screech! Screech! Screech! The rat lords screeched desperately, trying to stop Ethan. It wasn't that they wanted to save tge member of their pack. But the fact that Ethan cpuld kill it while fending them off meant one thing. He could kill the rest of them the exact same way.