Even so, the realm of the Dead Eye of the Fallen had these creatures, but there wasn't even a proper order or rule for their hierarchy.

That's right. It didn't make any sense—nothing ever did.

'There is really a lot of chaos. Not even the ranking system is in order.'

His lips curled up into a smirk.

'Whatever.'

Sigh

He immediately heard a noise in the bushes a few metres away, snapping every sense awake. His ears twitched.

Ibaan twisted the Utopian's Duke in his grip.

And as his curiosity stirred, a conclusion formed in his mind—why hadn't the filthy creatures come together the second time?

He was a hundred percent sure it was because they had judged him as nothing more than a brat who had been crushed without effort. So this time, they must have thought that a single one of them could handle him without even trying.

But Ibaan chuckled softly, covering his face with his palm slightly while continuing to think. How come they were so sure that this time it was the same person they had fought before? Couldn't there be a possibility that the enemy was someone entirely different and far stronger than the one they had brought death to so easily—making the patience of death itself useless?

He was convinced that these creatures, these beast-monsters, surely had intelligence, but not to the extent of a human.

Hiding behind the tree, his gaze caught the two creatures emerging from the bushes a few metres away.

His heartbeat quickened.

Two choices emerged in his mind in this moment of life and death.

One was using the true gaze to control the creature, then defeating and taking hold of it. But that was risky. What if it didn't work? It should work, yes, he was sure of that—however, what if the creature refused to look back into the evil eye? That single mistake would cost him his life in the next heartbeat.

The second choice was to summon the Divine Sword and use [Xorra's Inferna Noctis]—since it must have regrown by now; a lot of time had passed since he last used the divine sword—along with the advantage of [The Menace Punch]. One would completely devour the creature, and the other would consume its strength and destroy it fully.

Both choices were risky; and remembering his master's teachings, he whispered softly,

"A life without risk is a cage for the weak. Only those who cut their own path can ever rise."

So he had to take the risk. Without risk, there was no life.

Raising his hand, he summoned the Divine Sword. From the base of its white blade—its edges lined with rough black—a black flickering flame spread outward.

Immediately, before the filthy creatures could react, Ibaan stepped forward. Shifting his other foot at a full angle and twisting his torso, he hurled the Utopian's Duke with all his strength. At the same moment, he shouted:

"Come forth, Menace."

And just like before, the dark punch appeared—only this time it was larger. The horns at its edges were longer, and the whole thing flickered more intensely than ever.

The Utopian's Duke struck one of the creatures with a violent force, while the Menace Fist slammed down like a bolt of lightning. A massive and devastating wave swept across the surroundings, even stronger than before, destroying everything that came into contact with the blast.

Ibaan was thrown back by the impact, but he managed to stop himself by driving the Divine Sword into the ground as he slid and tumbled a few hundred meters.

Dust filled the entire place, hanging thick in the air and hiding everything from sight.

Ibaan remained on guard. He knew these creatures were far too dangerous and unpredictable—appearing from any direction and at any time.

However, to his surprise, three panels appeared before him.

[You have destroyed Beast-monster Uman core]

[You have received Beast-monster Uman core]

[You have slaughtered a Beast-monster: Uman]

Ibaan ignored the relic's notification, though he understood enough.

As he had planned, one creature was already down—the one struck by the Utopian's Duke.

But the Utopian's Duke didn't consume any power from this Beast-monster, which meant the sword could only devour one ability at a time.

With that, Ibaan pushed all useless thoughts to the corner of his mind.

As he focused on the present moment, he noticed something instantly—the dust in the center of the area had vanished completely, wiped away as if a dusty glass had been cleaned with a wet cloth.

His mind clicked. Adrenaline surged.

His eyes widened, and he jumped sideways.

And at the same time, another huge blow swept through the place, but this was not as effective since the creature had already faced the previous blow of such extent and power, which was quite exceptional. It was perhaps already severely injured and had protected itself using the energy or catalyst thing, so was a bit drained and it couldn't use the full force of its Menace Punch.

As Ibaan steadied himself, he caught the smaller punch than his [The Menace Punch] lingering in the air where he was standing. This time, he realized where the filthy creature, Beast-monster Uman, was hiding itself in the Menace Fist —exactly the same place where the Utopian's Duke suspends when he uses the same power. However, the one he used became larger than the original owner of it.

In the middle of that punch stood a small squirrel-like creature, but its head was exactly the same as the filthy creature's—disgusting and odious.

Ibaan drew his left leg back and immediately charged at the punch, swinging the Divine Sword at the small figure hiding inside it.

The Xorra's Inferna Noctis flickered, devouring the very molecules of the air it touched—unlucky ones included.

But before the blade could pierce the punch and reach the creature's tiny form, it had already vanished into nothingness.

Ibaan's body stumbled. His eyes widened, his heart shivered, as his head nearly collided with the black flames.

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