CHAPTER 74: CLOSE SHAVE!

Chapter 73

BOOOM!

A cloud of dust was kicked up and from it, an individual shot forward at full speed. His bulged-up arm shot forth with astonishing force, slamming into an ogre with bone-crushing might and sending its body flying far back with its head twisted at an unnatural angle. The impact echoed with a devastating boom.

GROWL!

The guttural sound wafted into Jake’s ears, forcing him to spin around quickly. His eyes widened as a massive axe was already inches away from his face.

He didn’t fret, nor did he flinch. Instead, he tried leaning aside to avoid the strike from splitting his head in two. The axe still managed to graze him, slamming brutally into his shoulder. His hunter uniform tore apart as blood spurted from a deep gash.

Jake glanced at the sight of the weapon buried in his flesh. The beast struggled, snarling as it tried to wrench its axe free.

"Sorry to say, but your pullout game is weak!" Jake roared, his voice echoing in fury. His already bulged arm swelled larger, veins writhing under his skin as his muscles expanded.

If not for the long sleeves of his uniform, the white fur sprouting along his arms would have been visible.

One thing, however, was clear—his fingers lengthened and thickened, his hand transforming into something monstrous. His fist looked like it belonged to a giant.

Without hesitation, Jake swung. His massive fist smashed straight into the ogre’s skull. The creature’s head exploded into gore, blown clean off its neck. The body collapsed heavily to the ground, blood pooling beneath it.

Jake huffed, his chest rising and falling. His arms returned to their normal size, though his eyes were still burning with adrenaline.

Without hesitating, he gripped the axe handle still lodged in his shoulder. With one brutal pull, he ripped it free, groaning in pain as blood spurted from the wound.

The sound drew attention. Several ogres turned and roared, their heavy footsteps pounding as they charged toward him.

Jake tightened his grip on the colossal axe. His knuckles whitened around the handle as he glared at the incoming beasts.

Within seconds, ten massive weapons came crashing down toward him.

"Heads up!" Lana’s voice rang from above. In a swift motion, she swooped down, her talons sinking deep into Jake’s shoulders. Blood gushed again, but Jake didn’t even wince.

The next moment, Lana beat her wings furiously and lifted him from the ground. The weapons missed, slamming into the dirt as the ogres stumbled forward.

"Drop!" Jake shouted.

Without hesitation, Lana spun mid-air, twisting with Jake still in her grip. With a mighty heave, she hurled the bulky hunter like a boulder straight back toward the pack of beasts.

"Good luck," she muttered, but her words were cut short. Her eyes widened as she was forced to veer aside, barely avoiding a giant sword that had been hurled her way.

She flapped her wings hard, feathers gleaming silver as they detached in a volley of deadly projectiles. A dozen sharp feathers shot forward, slicing through the air like arrows.

Unfortunately, the ogres had grown cautious. They raised their massive weapons as shields, the feathers clanging harmlessly against rusted iron and crude steel before falling away.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, disappointed.

Meanwhile, Jake soared through the air, axe in hand, his body spinning slightly as he descended upon the beasts who were regaining their footing.

"Eat my axe!" he bellowed, muscles flaring again as he brought the weapon down with brutal strength.

The axe cleaved into an ogre’s skull, splitting it in half. The strike didn’t stop there—his weapon carved all the way down through its torso, splitting it from head to foot before slamming into the ground with a thunderous crack.

GROWL!

The remaining beasts roared in fury and without a shred of hesitation, they charged forward like maddened bulls. One of them swung a massive sword that sliced through the air, the sharp edge passing just inches away from Jake’s neck.

But in that instant, a deafening bang erupted as Jake moved like a blur. His body twisted unnaturally fast, the blade cutting nothing but empty air.

A second later, the beast’s eyes went wide before its head slipped clean off its shoulders and thudded against the ground with a dull, final sound.

Another ogre reacted instantly. Its hammer came swinging down toward Jake’s face with blistering speed, the sheer force behind it causing the air to ripple.

Jake leaned backward, his spine arching almost unnaturally, allowing the hammer to miss him by a hair’s breadth. Dust exploded from the impact as the weapon crushed the earth where his skull had been a heartbeat earlier.

However, he didn’t have time to recover. Another ogre, quicker than the last, leaped into the air and in a blur of movement, its colossal fist slammed into Jake. The blow was like a falling boulder, brutally crashing him straight into the ground.

BOOOOM!

The earth caved inward from the impact, forming a deep crater as debris shot outward. "Ugh!" Jake coughed out a spray of saliva while his body ached from the crushing strike. A thick cloud of dust rose up around him, blotting out his vision.

For a split second, everything was muffled. Then a sharp whistle cut through the air.

SWIIISH!

A sword sliced through the curtain of dust, its edge gleaming faintly as it cut the air cleanly in front of Jake’s face. The strike dispersed the dust for a moment, allowing him a clear look at the rusty steel heading his way.

"Crap," he muttered through clenched teeth, realizing he was too slow to fully react this time.

KABOOOM!

A sudden explosion tore through the battlefield. The ground shook violently as another shockwave burst outward, kicking up another wave of dust and hurling the surrounding beasts off their feet. Their massive frames were tossed and sent tumbling across the wide expanse like broken dolls.

Jake’s body trembled slightly as he pushed himself up from the cracked ground, blinking in disbelief. "What was that?" he muttered, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Max standing nearby.

His friend’s hands were lowered to his sides, faint energy still pulsing from them, clear proof that he had just unleashed the attack.

’Oh! The same skill he used against Hunter Ben during the assessment, huh?’ Jake thought, his eyes narrowing. ’Now I’m dead sure he is a hybrid too. Without being that, there’s absolutely no way he could use a skill.’

GROWL!

He wasn’t given time to dwell on his realization. Another beast lunged at him from behind, its guttural roar splitting through the haze. Jake’s instincts screamed and he didn’t waste a second. He leaped forward with raw force, narrowly dodging the axe that would have cleaved his skull in two.

Rolling to his feet, his eyes darted around. He spotted a discarded axe nearby and bent swiftly, gripping the heavy weapon by its thick handle.

His arms flexed as he spun on his heel and, without a moment’s hesitation, hurled the axe forward with every ounce of strength he had.

The weapon became a silver blur, slicing through the air so fast it emitted a high-pitched whistle. The ogre barely had time to blink before the axe smashed into its head.

CRUNCH!

The steel tore through flesh and bone, carving a grotesque hole in the creature’s skull. Its massive body shuddered once before collapsing like a felled tree, the loud thud shaking the ground beneath Jake’s boots.

He stood panting, his chest rising and falling in exhaustion. Sweat rolled down his temples, mingling with the blood that clung stubbornly to his hunter uniform.

’Okay,’ Jake thought grimly, his eyes scanning the battlefield. More of the ogres remained, far too many for his liking. ’This is going to become harder.’

The fight was nowhere near done.