Kael activated his Shield Tubes, and a light blue translucent screen enveloped his body. There was no time to dodge—using the shield was his only option.
Before him, a high-intensity beam erupted from the Big Bellied Fox's mouth, instantly slamming into him and forcing his body backward.
Kael crashed against a tree, and the shield surrounding him began to disintegrate.
"A coward, but dangerous," Kael muttered, describing the Behemech unleashing the attack.
This is what made Behemechs so terrifying. While most matched the strength of their Grade, some possessed power far beyond it. Moreover, being hybrids of animals and metal, they had willpower and endurance hundreds of times greater than ordinary beasts.
As the shield continued to melt, Kael remained composed. In fact, he welcomed the challenge.
Fighting the Behemechs below the mountain and even Awer hadn't pushed him much. Of course, that first battle with the Mechanibbit didn't count—he was still adjusting to his body. And the Second-Grade Big Bellied Fox he killed earlier was already on the verge of death, so that didn't count either.
This, however, was different.
This was the first time he'd be fighting a fully capable Second-Grade Behemech with nothing more than a normal human body.
Smirking, Kael activated another Shield Tube, reducing the number on his utility belt to five or six.
Another translucent screen enveloped him, but Kael knew it wouldn't last long. He only needed a few seconds.
Using the Breathing Technique he had learned from the Red Primeval, Kael began to reduce the fatigue in his body caused by the beam's force. Then, employing another technique from Red, he contracted the muscles in his legs in a way no normal human could replicate, pushing them to their absolute limit.
With a burst of speed, Kael dashed out of the beam's path.
He skidded to a halt, his face twisted into a deep frown. Gritting his teeth, he glanced down at his legs. Intense pain seared through them, as if they were being torn apart by a hot blade.
But he had expected this outcome. What he had just done wasn't something a normal human body was meant to handle.
The Speed Burst Technique—a move designed for the Drakorites, the race from which the leader of the Aegis Primeval hailed. Kael had gone through hell to defeat that infuriating "guy" and learn some of his techniques. But because these techniques weren't suited to the White Prime's physiology, they had to be revised. While this made them weaker, it also made them manageable for Kael to use.
Even in their revised form, the Drakorite Breathing Technique and Speed Burst Technique were dangerous. Kael wouldn't dare use their full capabilities with his current, fragile human body. Even using the Breathing Technique just to ease fatigue was taxing, and combining it with combat pushed him to his limit.
Taking a deep breath, Kael felt the pain in his legs subside slightly. He shifted his focus to the fallen monster, which was struggling to stand on its four hind legs.
Squinting, he noticed the Big Bellied Fox was reconnecting its shattered joints. This was new. The previous fox hadn't lived long enough to show such a capability.
Despite this, Kael didn't lose focus or feel threatened. If the fight ended too quickly, it wouldn't be worthwhile. He needed this battle to make his body more battle-efficient.
Kael pulled out the handgun he had borrowed from Trey. The weapon used micro-lattice bullets—fast and accurate. While it wasn't as powerful as the Pulse Sniper, it was more than enough to deal small but effective hits.
Pointing the handgun at the Big Bellied Fox, Kael began firing relentlessly, unconcerned about depleting his bullets.
Sparks flew as the bullets struck the metallic parts of the Behemech, but when they pierced its soft flesh, the monster let out a pained growl.
At the same time, Kael walked toward it, slinging the sniper rifle behind his back and drawing the High-Frequency Sword. He had no intention of ending the fight quickly—he wanted to do it the hard way.
Close combat against a monster bigger than him!
…
Trey and Bach peeked out from behind a massive tree, watching the scene unfold.
Trey frowned in confusion.
"Why isn't he using the sniper?" he muttered. "He could just kill it instantly by focusing on one point on its head."
He had witnessed Kael's incredible marksmanship before—like when he killed Awer and the others with precision, or even how he used the small handgun Trey lent him to redirect a Shockwave Grenade without detonating it. Such exceptional skill without using any Suit was something Trey had never seen before.
But now, Kael's behavior baffled him. Why wasn't he taking advantage of his marksmanship?
"Maybe he ran out of bullets?" Bach suggested. He wasn't an expert in combat, but the fact that Kael had survived the high-intensity beam earlier amazed him.
"Maybe," Trey nodded, his tone tinged with excitement. "But this is insane! If the other Primers saw this, they'd sh*t their pants in amazement!"
"What are you, his fanboy?" Bach asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger man.
"Hell ye— NO!" Trey snapped, glaring at the older man. "Careful with your words, old man. That guy nearly got me killed—I don't even know how many times! He's a d*ck who doesn't care about anyone's feelings! He even used me as bait! If not for my strategic and intelligent mind, I'd—"
"Alright, I get it! Just be quiet!" Bach raised a finger to his lips to shush him.
"Hmph," Trey scoffed, his eyes returning to the battle. Fanboy? That's disgusting… but do I look like one?
…
After emptying the first magazine, Kael loaded another, sliding it into the gun with practiced ease before resuming his barrage.
The Big Bellied Fox absorbed the onslaught of bullets, its growls filled with pain and fury. It tried to escape, but its shattered joints made movement impossible.
As Kael drew closer, the monster began to inhale deeply, light gathering in its mouth. With a deafening roar, it fired another high-intensity beam.
Kael immediately activated the Speed Burst Technique, contracting his muscles in ways unimaginable for a normal human, and burst out of the beam's path.
"Argh," Kael gritted his teeth as pain exploded in his legs, worse than before. His legs trembled violently, but he didn't stop pulling the trigger.
Neither did the fox.
It took another deep breath, preparing for yet another attack.
Kael realized if he kept relying on the Speed Burst Technique in its current form, his legs would endure even worse pain. I have to change it, he thought. On the spot, he began modifying the Speed Burst Technique, weakening it beyond the version he and Red had revised, tailoring it to accommodate his current body.
Kael had done this before, so it only took a moment to adjust the technique.
The third high-intensity beam erupted from the Big Bellied Fox's mouth. With Kael now just a few meters away, the beam traveled faster than before.
But Kael had anticipated this. A smirk played on his lips as he sidestepped the attack with perfect timing.
"I got it," Kael muttered in satisfaction.