Instead of running only to reach the canyon and wait helplessly for the vile creatures to come and devour him, Byron decided to fight. He glanced at the advancing Infected Monsters, noticing the difference at that very instant.
The illusional monsters he fought were really illusions. These ones had something lively to them. Their howlings, bloodlust burning in their eyes and their speed. Byron suspected that even their bodies were more tough than those of their illusions.
'Well, where do I start from?'
He started glancing at a monster after another.
'By the time I'll kill these small ones in front, their big bros will have reached me. I'll be doomed.'
'OK! Let's see!'
However much he tried, Byron found himself having to use the same technique he used when he fought their illusions. To step on the smaller ones, reach the big guy, confront him and then...
'How am I going to do that with my sore feet?'
Before the first Infected Monster could make it twenty meters to him, he tightened his grip on the beautiful Jian sword in his right hand. Though he was not a swordsman, his father back on earth liked to attend auctions for ancient artcrafts. There is no way Byron couldn't have heard names of swords from him or saw them in his collection.
Now, not only he was seeing and holding it, he was also going to fight with it. No! Not to fight with it. He was not a swordsman. Maybe he would become one in this world but, for now, he had no intention to use the sword as others used it.
'Just reach the big guy, stab him like you once did with the jade binyeo and...'
What would he do next. Well, that was not his to decide. All he did was to wait for the monsters to come more closer for his plan to work. A simple plan of tricking them into falling into the canyon.
With their speed, it would be impossible for the ones in front to stop themselves. That's what he wanted. To step on a monster, leaving it the next second to plummet into the endless abyss.
With much much more tremendous speed, Byron lunched toward the oncoming horde of Infected Monsters.
As a person who spent his entire life making songs and most of the times brainstorming their clips, now he could imagine a drone camera far above, capturing a breathtaking scene of a crazy guy running toward a dozen crazy monsters as if a child going for her mother's hug.
'I better not have that hug!'
His foot found its place on the black silky back of the first Infected Monster. However, unlike its illusion, this one was too quick to jerk backwards, throwing him off its precious back.
'I need to be more fast!'
Instead of cursing and panicking, Byron exploited this boost to land on another monster then another in no second. He had no time to glance back to see if his plan had worked.
Did he even need to glance back?
His ears could tell him what was happening behind. He could hear two howlings, these ones more terrified and louder, fading away at inhuman speed.
This brought a smile on his face. Now, not only he had used the vile creatures as a bridge to reach their master, but also gave them a free fall down a canyon.
'This is good!'
Byron initiated his count down.
Two dead, four remaining to reach the big guy.
'Let's go!'
With that, his right foot was already in the air about to land on the next monster. Unfortunately, before he could land, he saw something that made him shake in fear. The four bigger monsters running beside the three-eyed guy didn't keep their pace as their illusions did. Instead, seeing the intruder getting closer to their master, the monsters lunched forward with tremendous speed to welcome him.
Byron landed on another monster and instead of counting three for the remaining ones, counted seven.
'Dammit!'
While on the back of the smaller monster, reaching the back of one of those bigger ones was not impossible. However, jumping from its back to another would not be possible. The guys were bigger, their backs three meters long. He was not a champion in Olympics to jump all those meters without having to run.
...and the thought of running on the back of a moving massive monster gave him shrills. It was impossible.
'Uh... well! I have no choice. Besides, it's better to try before saying it's impossible.'
With that, his left foot was already landing on the back of the monster he was standing on, his right one shooting toward another smaller monster.
While he did that, he was pondering on ways to use. No idea came. Instead, a calm voice whispered to him.
[Vanquished an Infected Monster, Ruby Wolf.]
[Your Pigment becomes brighter.]
'What the fuck?'
Not even a second passed, the voice came back.
[Vanquished an Infected Monster, Ruby Wolf.]
[Your Pigment becomes brighter.]
Was the Goddess of Beauty trying to play tricks on him? Why would she? Why would she want him distracted?
'This is not good!'
Since Byron didn't want to have himself distracted in the middle of the battle, he decided to ignore the mysterious voice.
Two smaller monsters and four bigger ones remained.
He didn't waste any second.
He jumped toward another monster and...
Unfortunately, the four bigger monsters were lunching toward him, so violent and determined to crash him that they even stomped over one of the smaller ones, killing it on the spot. As a result, before Byron could land on the back of the smaller monster, it increased speed to escape the onslaught of its aggressive big brothers. This left him with nothing to step on.
'Damn it!'
He looked this side and that, finally deciding to take the direction toward the canyon. He was hoping to use the same technique he had used earlier. To let them come closer and trick them into falling into that deadly abyss.
That's what he did.
Though the monster that had just dodged him was small, it wasn't easy for him to land in a proper way.
'At least no broken bones!'
With that, he was on his feet, taking the direction of the canyon afterwards.
Now, his drone camera saw the crazy dude taking a turn to run from the horde of crazy monsters. As soon as he stepped out their path, the place where he landed seconds ago shook, a sign that the monsters had reached there and were trying to change their directions to run after the tiny human.
If the canyon was too far, the vile creatures would outrun him in a minute or two. But it was not far. He reached it in no seconds, turning toward the oncoming monsters.
'Come on, you fools!'
The normal Goddess of Beauty's voice that had been quite when the battle started finally spoke, fear and concern abundant in her tone.
"What are you planning to do?"
"What else? Trick them into falling down there."
She let out a not heart-felt chuckle.
"You really are crazy! I didn't expect you to reach this far."
"Say that to me when I come for a next lesson!"
She giggled.
"I'll be more than happy! You first have to survive this. Lessons will be plenty."
At that moment, the first monster reached ten meters away from him.
'Here we go!'