With a final thud, the last of the vicious wolves met its end at Aurel’s fists. Standing in the midst of their bodies, he looked like an executioner adept at his craft.

  His clothes had no blood stain whatsoever. Only his fists were bloody, and that, too, came from the beasts he had slain. Aurel was barely out of breath from what he had just done.

  Stepping over the bloody corpses, Aurel found his bearings and took off once again. The previous attacks had taught him not to underestimate the forest, as he could be ambushed at any point during his run.

  Manoeuvring past tree roots and overgrowth, Aurel steadily made ground. And as he expected, another assault came his way. Swinging through the branches after him was another group of creatures he had never seen before.

  ‘Just how mad has the world become since my slumber?’

  The creatures swinging in the branches high above moved so fast that Aurel could not make out their forms without taking his eyes off the forest floor. But that was the least of his troubles. Flanking him to his right was another creature, and a familiar one at that.

  ‘How is it that big?!’

  Aurel almost tripped over a large root when he saw the massive black-silver serpent called Steel Viper. This creature was known for its steel-like hide that was impenetrable to most weapons. Breaking their defence was a headache no one wanted to deal with.

  But Aurel had never seen one this large. The one after him was almost twenty meters long, and as thick as a tree trunk. Getting caught in the serpent’s grip was a death sentence!

  Shifting his gaze to the creatures above, Aurel realised they were cautious of the Viper. They seemed to be following along, biding their time. Feeling annoyed at the constant threats from these creatures, Aurel turned around to face the incoming Steel Viper.

  As soon as he broke his previous momentum, he lunged at the massive serpent, a frown etched across his face. The Steel Viper was far stronger than the alpha wolf he dealt with. But to him, it made no difference. It would take slightly more effort than normal.

  Closing in on the viciously hissing serpent with fangs dripping venom, Aurel wondered if those intruders had gone through the same madness. He hadn't come across any corpses in his path. But that could be that their corpses had been fed on.

  When he got in close to the Steel Viper, the creature lashed out in a flash, its maws opened wide. Aurel coldly snorted and threw his arms out. So what if the serpent was dripping corrosive venom? It had no idea what physique he had.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  A muffled boom echoed across the forest as Aurel caught the venomous fangs with his hands. His feet dug into the soil, breaking through thick overgrowth and roots as he got pushed back by the serpent’s momentum.

  The Steel Viper hissed in what Aurel assumed to be frustration and smirked. But he had to admit, the creature packed a punch! His hands stung from the impact. Ignoring the discomfort, Aurel pushed back.

  However, before he could make any grounds, Aurel noticed the throat muscles of the serpent contract and pulsate, a sign it was about to shoot venom at him.

  “Not so fast!”

  Aurel's muscles tensed as he flung the serpent to the side, slamming the creature into a tree trunk. He might be immune to all poisons, but he had no desire to get venom all over his body. Ruining the one he wore meant he would have to wear his flashing outfits.

  Unperturbed by its loss, the Steel Viper quickly recovered and lashed out again. Aurel shifted his position in a flash, reappearing above the creature's head. He dropped a powerful right leg onto the serpent's head.

  With an agonising hiss, the Steel Viper had its head buried into the ground. Its massive body twitched and wiggled as it tried to shake off the blow. Aurel met the creature's murderous gaze and smirked. He spun and moved to press his advantage when the Steel Viper’s tail whipped out.

  Before he could react, Aurel found himself flying. He brutally crashed into the ground and stumbled a couple of times before slamming into a tree and breaking through the trunk like Lego pieces. Aurel groaned and hurried to get back to his feet when he caught the serpent already closing in on him.

  He reacted almost instantaneously, his hands catching the Steel Viper's venomous fangs. But this time, the serpent had learned from their first clash. Its massive body wiggled and wrapped around Aurel’s small frame in a death grip.

  Cursing under his breath, Aurel stifled a groan and attempted to tear the serpent in two. Unfortunately for him, his extended reach was not enough to do the job, but it was enough to prevent the serpent from spitting venom.

  A shudder ran down his spine, recalling a similar experience not long ago. Realising he had no other choice, Aurel finally channelled his essence.

  Suddenly, an explosion of essence rippled out of Aurel's body, the force breaking the death grip for a second. He capitalised on the created opportunity and spun out of the binding. Midair and above the creature's head, Aurel executed a lightning technique, his hand buzzing with electricity.

  Then he struck.

  A thunderous eruption echoed out, accompanied by an agonising hiss from the serpent. The Steel Viper slammed into the ground, raising dust and wood splinters. It wriggled and shuddered under the lightning assault.

  Aurel did not let up. He pushed down on the serpent and increased the charge, the lightning tendrils sparkling across its body. Several seconds of unrelenting electrocution later, the Steel Viper stilled, weakly twitching from time to time.

  No sooner had the Steel Viper been defeated than Aurel heard the maniacal screeching and laughter of the creatures above. The damned creatures had been watching, waiting for an opening to strike.

  With an angry expression on his face, Aurel's hands disappeared into his jacket. He pulled out his weapons and leapt off the Steel Viper, just in time to dodge a sneak attack from behind.

  Aurel spun around to face the creatures, finally getting a proper look at their features. For a split moment, he was taken aback, his heart skipping a beat.

  ‘What the hell are these things?!’