Rayden deftly transformed his entire being into a delicate blossom amidst the grass. With a subtle shift, he relocated himself outside the confines of the house's fence, sprouting anew from a small sapling that erupted from the earth and matured into a towering tree within mere fractions of a second. This tree then seamlessly transitioned back into the form of an ordinary human.
Noticing Rayden's extraordinary presence, the giant bears fixed their menacing gaze upon him. Some among them unleashed torrents of scorching red flames from their mouths, anticipating that the frail human before them would soon dissolve into mere dust.
Yet, their expectations went unmet. As Rayden extended both palms outward, he conjured a protective dome using an artificial gravitational field. The moment those blazing flames struck the gravitational shield, an overwhelming repulsive force instantly dispersed the fire with a single, decisive thrust.
Rayden harnessed his control over gravitational vectors to invert the natural pull of gravity into a repelling force. This technique, formidable in defense, was his ingenious creation.
Stunned by the spectacle, several bears stood frozen in shock for a fleeting moment. Seizing this brief lapse, Rayden lightly swung his right hand, summoning sharp, resilient roots from the ground. These roots, swift and lethal, pierced through the hearts of the immobilized giant bears with ease, offering little chance for resistance.
The bears roared in agony for a few seconds before the light in their eyes gradually dimmed, signaling their demise.
Recognizing Rayden's formidable combat prowess, the remaining giant bears warily retreated a few paces, keenly observing his every move.
"Oh, it seems your intelligence rivals that of humans," Rayden murmured, realizing something significant. "Perceiving danger and exercising caution in your actions reveals you to be extraordinary creatures," he continued, expressing genuine admiration.
Curious about something, Rayden attempted an experiment on the carcasses impaled by his roots. Suddenly, the roots began absorbing something from the bears' bodies, leaving them withered and skeletal—mere husks of skin and bone.
"The bodies of living beings are composed of organic matter and microorganisms. By utilizing the roots' function, I can absorb them and convert them into essential nutrients," Rayden explained, recalling crucial information stored in his mind.
Witnessing this horrific scene, the giant bears growled in shock, becoming increasingly cautious and endeavoring to distance themselves from the nearby roots, wary of their potential threat.
Rayden unsheathed his saber, gripping the hilt firmly in his left hand. Channeling arcane energy throughout the entire blade, he swung his weapon in a horizontal arc, simultaneously uttering the name of his technique.
"Gravitational Slash."
Along the trajectory of his saber's swing, Rayden deftly manipulated the local gravitational field, altering its direction and amplifying its intensity. This manipulation unleashed a gravitational wave, racing forward with lightning speed and carrying immense energy across a vast distance.
In a fraction of a nanosecond, the gravitational wave succeeded in tearing through and slicing apart dozens of giant black bears. By harnessing the immense gravitational pressure, Rayden effectively shattered the molecular bonds within the targets' bodies.
So precise was the incising, down to the molecular level, that the massive black bears remained oblivious to their fate for a brief moment. It wasn't until their bodies split into two that they realized what had transpired, releasing torrents of fresh blood in the process.
As the gravitational wave surged forward with relentless speed, Rayden struggled to control its immense power. It raced through the forest, felling hundreds of trees along its path with a precision and smoothness that belied its destructive force.
The massive black bear's dismembered parts, along with the toppled trees, crashed to the ground with a resonant boom that echoed through the forest, accompanied by a powerful tremor. The sounds and vibrations gradually faded as the energy of the gravitational wave dissipated completely.
Witnessing their kin being slaughtered as if they were mere tofu, several of the remaining giant bears turned pale with fear, their bodies slick with nervous sweat. Panic-stricken, they fled like cowardly chickens, hastily retreating from the outskirts of Rayden's domain.
"Foolish bears!" Rayden sneered disdainfully, watching his would-be prey scatter to the winds.
As Rayden simmered with irritation, a colossal bear suddenly engulfed its claws in flames and lunged directly at his back.
In an instant, as the bear's fiery claws streaked toward him, Rayden summoned two tree roots, positioning them precisely between himself and the massive creature. One root swiftly coiled around one of the bear's arms, halting its lethal swing. The other root ensnared both of its legs, sending the beast sprawling onto the grass at Rayden's feet, now that he had turned to face it.
Once more, Rayden called upon another root to entwine the bear's neck. With rapid precision, it constricted the creature's throat with immense force, delivering an immediate and fatal end.
Suddenly, five more giant bears appeared, encircling him strategically in a circular formation. In unison, they swung their massive claws, unleashing eight razor-sharp air blades, split into two diagonal arcs.
Rayden, acting swiftly, manipulated the gravitational field around his body, propelling himself high into the air. Below him, a massive explosion erupted as the air blades collided with one another in a cacophony of destruction.
"Hmm—there's something I want to try," Rayden murmured softly, a tactical idea sparking in his mind.
Focusing intently, Rayden channeled a significant amount of arcane energy throughout his saber. He then manipulated the gravitational field of his saber, altering its mass and molecular density.
Rayden increased the saber's mass exponentially, by thousands of times, and enhanced the density of each molecule to an advanced level. Thanks to his mastery over gravitational fields, he effortlessly wielded the immensely heavy saber in his left hand.
Utilizing precise vector gravitational control over his entire body, Rayden shot downwards at lightning speed towards one of the black giant bears below, swinging his saber horizontally.
In a fraction of a nanosecond, the targeted bear's head flew into the air, cleaved cleanly. In the same breath, Rayden decapitated the remaining four bears, maneuvering with complete freedom and unhindered precision.
Simultaneously, the four other heads soared skyward, severed almost instantaneously, with mere nanoseconds apart. A fountain of blood erupted simultaneously, creating a chilling tableau.
Rayden landed gracefully, flicking his saber with a smooth motion to cleanse it of the blood and flesh remnants.
"It seems there's a significant difference between airborne sword technique and terrestrial swordplay," Rayden mused, reflecting on his previous attack's shortcomings. "Ideally, there should be no trace of blood or flesh on my saber if my swing was truly lightning-fast," he grumbled, slightly dissatisfied with the result.
Taking a deep breath, Rayden shifted his gaze toward a pair of black giant bears, likely the leaders of the now-vanquished horde, who had fled the battle in terror of his overwhelming might.
"Now, it's just the two of you left," Rayden declared, glaring at the two monsters before him with a sinister gaze.