Li Wei's blade cut through the air, yet the moment felt still, as if time itself had stopped. The force of his slash was silent but vast, an arc of Qi so refined it glowed faintly in the dawn light. His teammates could only watch in stunned silence, breaths caught, as the attack closed the distance with frightening speed.
The Grade 5 beast let out a final, despairing roar, its life force raging against the inevitable. Its eyes, once filled with animalistic fury, were now wide with the primal terror that every living being knows just before death.
The moment the blade met the beast's hide, a shockwave erupted, a violent cascade of energy that split the earth beneath their feet and sent powerful gusts spiraling outward. The beast's scales—once tough as steel, newly fortified by its hasty ascension—shattered under the pressure, fragmenting like brittle stone. Its enormous body buckled, limbs folding as it collapsed under the weight of Li Wei's strike.
