Chapter 22: Stalker of the Night
What were the odds of encountering the same predator twice in different places at bizarre times? Ruthar couldn't decipher it. This beast had clearly come to tear him apart.
He had never heard of this behavior from predators. Then again, he hadn't watched many animal documentaries in his former life; he had been too busy playing games. Now, that wasn't the problem—his current situation was.
"What should I do? I took down a monster larger than this; it shouldn't be any different," Ruthar muttered, trying to build up his confidence. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and assumed a defensive stance.
He could have sworn he was watching the leopard's every move, but the speed at which it pounced, claws outstretched, jolted him. Reflexes kicked in, and he managed to block the hit with his sword, igniting sparks of gold into the air as he staggered from the force.
The monster leopard didn't stop there. It swung its claw at him once more with lightning speed. Again, Ruthar's reflexes saved him, parrying the razor-sharp claws with his sword. This time, the force didn't just send him staggering—it flung him into the nearest tree, crashing hard against it back first.
"KAYAAAHHHHK!" he coughed, falling to his knees with his sword dropping beside him. This beast was far superior to the first one he had encountered in the forest. The power gap was clear.
Ruthar heard the monster leopard growl again and instinctively rolled out of the way just in time as the leopard's claws tore the tree apart with a single slash.
The leopard didn't seem to want to give Ruthar a second to rest. It attacked again, pouncing at him, fangs aimed to tear into his gut. He leapt backward, barely escaping its reach.
"Damn, I'm scared. If I let my fear consume me, I'll get killed."
Ruthar struggled to maintain his composure and dodged the attacks of the monster leopard, quickly adapting to its movements.
In the following moments, he was finally able to follow the leopard's insanely quick movements. Its leaps and claw swings became easier to predict, making it easier to dodge. Now, he just needed to retrieve his sword.
Borrowing a glance at the darkness, he found the moonlight glinting off his weapon dozens of feet away.
"I have to get there."
Ruthar leapt backward to avoid another slash from the monster leopard. In the same second, he bent down, picked up a rock, and hurled it at the leopard's face.
It was a pitiful attack. The leopard easily evaded it by ducking its head.
The expression on the leopard's face was clear: "Weak."
Thankfully, that wasn't Ruthar's main purpose in throwing the stone. He leapt onto the leopard's head, using his weight to drive its skull into the ground before springing off it.
He made a break for it, aimed at retrieving his sword. His earlier attack had bought him a momentary advantage, but the leopard quickly turned and raced after him.
"Now that I have you all figured out, you're going to be tonight's meal!" Ruthar screamed, grabbing his sword tightly by the hilt and assuming a stance Hendricks had taught him. For this final attack, he preferred to use his teacher's techniques.
"Follow its movements like you have done previously, Ruthar. Let it come close, dodge, and attack..."
He muttered under his breath, waiting for the leopard to come within range and...
As he swung his sword, it was instantly coated in a dark energy. However, the leopard saw this coming and evaded by retreating backward.
"Was I too early?"
Ruthar replayed the situation in his mind. No, he wasn't too early, but for some reason, the leopard had evaded the attack long before it came, which seemed impossible.
He searched its gaze and found the leopard shaking for some reason unknown to him. "Wait, it's scared of me! Hahaha! This bastard is intimidated!"
"Don't be shy now! Cows don't flee when they're about to be slaughtered!" Ruthar taunted, raising his sword high to strike down the leopard. It responded with a scared whimper.
"What's wrong, you coward? Cows don't complain! Man up, aren't you a big cat?" Ruthar continued, moving closer to the leopard to deliver the final blow. But as he got closer, he noticed something significant.
The leopard's eyes weren't on him. Ruthar followed the line of its gaze and turned his head, meeting the eyes of a figure...
No, this was more than a figure.
A dark, smoke-like body, red demonic glare, no definite form, an aura that sent chills down his spine, choking his internal organs... This terrifying entity matched the description given in the novel.
"It's a large threat to all Exorcists... An entity."