Screeeeeech!
The force of the claw swipe ripped Rosella's jacket clean open. Underneath, a thin, silver vest shimred – tough stuff, it didn't tear! But the sheer power of the hit wasn't stopped. Rosella was thrown backward like a rag doll, slamming hard against the base of a thick tree with a sickening thump. She gasped, pain shooting through her whole body.
[Damage Received: 850 HP!] [-15% Defense (Armor Weakened)]
Ignoring the downed Daisy completely, the huge Neapolitan Mastiff lowered its head. Its small, cruel eyes locked onto the injured Rosella. It let out a low growl that vibrated in the air, saliva dripping from its massive jaws. It gathered its powerful legs, ready to leap and finish her off.
"Ah, forget it!" Lucian sighed from his hiding spot. He couldn't just watch.
Twang!
The sharp sound cut through the tense air. An arrow suddenly appeared, a black streak whistling towards the Mastiff's head from a surprising direction. It wasn't aid to kill, but it was aid perfectly for the beast's left eye.
The Mastiff, focused only on its helpless prey, sensed the danger at the very last second. It jerked its massive head sideways with surprising speed. The arrow zipped past where its eye had been, embedding itself harmlessly in the thick fur of its neck. It had dodged, but doing so made it miss its chance to pounce on Rosella.
Twang!
Lucian didn't waste a microsecond. Another arrow flew, silent and fast, from a slightly different angle. This one aid for the right eye.
This ti, the Mastiff couldn't dodge. It had already twisted its body to avoid the first shot. It could only watch as the second arrow slamd ho.
Squelch!
"AWOOOOOOOF!"
A horrible, pained howl ripped from the beast's throat. Blood spurted from its ruined eye socket. It staggered back, shaking its head wildly, blinded on one side and driven mad by the sudden, sharp agony.
[Target: Neapolitan Mastiff Hit!] [-300 HP!] [Debuff: Partially Blinded!] [Status: Enraged!]
Its rage boiled over. Forgetting Rosella for a mont, it spun, locating the direction the arrows ca from. With a furious roar that shook the leaves on the trees, it charged!
"BOOM!"
It slamd its head and shoulders into the thick tree Lucian had been hiding behind. The tree trunk groaned, splinters flying everywhere. The ground trembled from the impact.
But Lucian wasn't there. He had already moved the mont the Mastiff charged, lting into the shadows behind another, larger tree fifty feet away. Being hunted by a creature like this was terrifying, the raw power was imnse.
Twang! Another arrow zipped out, sinking into the Mastiff's thick hide near its shoulder. Not damaging, just annoying. Provoking.
Twang! Another, this ti hitting its flank.
The Mastiff roared again, spinning and charging towards the new source of annoyance, crashing through bushes like a furry brown truck. Lucian kept moving, darting between trees, always staying just out of reach, peppering the beast with arrows that stung and angered it but didn't stop its relentless advance.
Rosella, huddled at the base of the tree, watched this deadly ga of cat and mouse. Hope had briefly flared when the stranger saved her, but now despair washed over her again. The arrows barely seed to slow the enraged beast down. It was still coming, pushing the archer back, closing the distance between them. It felt like the stranger was just delaying the inevitable, that soon the beast would catch him and tear him apart.
Both Rosella and Daisy recognized him now – the quiet guy who had been in the car with them. He just had a crossbow and simple clothes, no ability user dal sparkling on his chest. He couldn't possibly be strong enough to actually beat this monster, could he?
It looked like the Mastiff was about to corner him!
Suddenly, Lucian stopped retreating. He glanced quickly towards a hulking tal shape nearby – the automated T9 assault tower. He had been drawing the beast closer to it without realizing it. An idea sparked.
He coiled his legs, then sprang upwards with explosive power, launching himself into the air far higher than a normal person should be able to jump.
Rosella's eyes went wide. "Is he going to… try and use the tower?"
Before the thought even fully ford, Lucian landed lightly on the cold tal platform of the T9 assault tower. His hands imdiately went to the controls.
Humanity had changed since the rifts appeared. Ability users and Ancient Warriors were the strongest, but gunners were the backbone. They used potions to get stronger, then relied on powerful machines like this tower. Gunners couldn't match the speed or weird powers of the others, but machines like the T9, powered by strange rift energies, could hit incredibly hard. The downside? Gunners were slower, less reactive. Could this guy, who didn't look like a trained gunner, even operate it fast enough?
"No! It takes training, coordination! He can't possibly—" Rosella started to mutter, her heart sinking again.
What happened next left her speechless.
KA-CHUNK!
Lucian slamd his hands onto the controls. The T9 tower whirred to life instantly, its heavy cannon barrel swiveling with impossible speed, locking onto the charging Mastiff below.
"BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"
The cannon roared. Not the sharp crack of bullets, but deep, booming explosions as heavy-caliber shells erupted from the muzzle. Tracers like angry red lines lit the air. The shells slamd into the charging Mastiff with brutal force.
"AWOOF-oof!"
The Mastiff's charge stopped dead. Its thick hide ripped open, fur vaporized, chunks of muscle blasted away. Bone shattered under the heavy impacts. The sheer kinetic energy sent the massive beast cartwheeling backward through the air with a choked-off howl.
[Target: Neapolitan Mastiff Hit!] [-1500 HP!] [Debuff: Stunned!] [Armor Sundered!]
Unlike Rosella's panicked spraying earlier, Lucian wasn't just holding the trigger down. He fired in controlled bursts. "BANG!" A slight twist of the controls. "BANG!" He adjusted the angle slightly. "BANG!" Each shell hitting with purpose.
"Aaaaoooouuuuuu!" The Mastiff howled again as another burst tore into it while it was still airborne. Lucian had aid lower this ti. The shells ripped into its softer underbelly, shredding muscle, punching through into its vital organs. Dark blood sprayed like a fountain.
[Target: Neapolitan Mastiff Hit!] [-2000 HP!] [Critical Hit: Vital Organs!] [Debuff: Severe Bleeding!]
Just like that, two controlled bursts, and the terrifying Beast General was critically wounded.
"Aooouuuuuuu..." The Mastiff crashed back to the ground with a heavy thud, landing in a crumpled heap. It let out a long, mournful howl, weaker this ti, the sound carrying a desperate plea through the forest. It knew it was dying.
Although the injuries weren't instantly fatal, if the fight continued, it wouldn't last another minute. So, it used its last strength to call for backup.
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