In an instant, dozens of Horn Rabbits leaped at him at high speed, attacking like arrows shot from a bow.
"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"
Tian swiftly avoided each of their attacks, his body moving nimbly between the gaps in the trees. He retaliated with a blow of his axe, sending several Horn Rabbits flying.
"THUD! THUD!"
The Horn Rabbits immediately lay helplessly
"Haaa....it was surprising when these rabbits suddenly attacked me" he muttered in relief
But when he was preparing to pick up the rabbits, something unexpected happened.
'SHUT...!!'
"WAAAH!!"
Tian stepped on something slippery—a rotten fruit hidden behind the leaves. He lost his balance and slipped backward.
"BRUKK!!"
Right at that moment—
"WHOOSH!!"
A sharp crystal object shot out quickly, only inches from his face before Tian fell to the ground.
"CRACK!!"
The crystal hit the big tree behind him, slashing the trunk until it fell instantly. Tian felt a thin scratch on his cheek, and a drop of blood slowly flowed down his skin.
He paused for a moment, stunned by the suddenness.
"Ehh, Wha... What was that just now? It almost hit my face, if not for slipping maybe my face would have been riddled with holes from that attack" he muttered while turning towards the source of the attack. However, before he could find the answer—
"KIIIKKKHHH!!"
The remaining Horn Rabbits attacked him again, jumping simultaneously from various directions.
"Damn, at a time like this! You guys really don't know when to give up, huh?!" Tian growled.
Swiftly, he hit the horned rabbits one by one.
"THUD! THUD! CRASH!!"
One by one the Horn Rabbits fell, and the rest finally decided to run away, jumping into the bushes and disappearing.
Tian took a deep breath. "Phew... finally done. Now I can focus on finding out who—"
"SWOOSH!!"
Another crystal projectile shot towards him!
"HAAH!!"
Reflexively, Tian raised his axe and blocked the attack.
"TIIING!!"
The hard impact made his arm a little numb.
"Tsk... the attack was fast and strong... and so... hard!" he thought as he stared at his axe which was now slightly jagged from the hard impact on the edge.
Tian jumped onto a nearby tree branch to get a better view.
"Where are you, you damn monster?" he muttered, his eyes sharply scanning the area around him.
Suddenly—
"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"
Three more crystal projectiles shot out from the bushes!
"HAAH!!"
Tian blocked one with his axe, tilted his body to avoid the second, and jumped into the air before the third could hit him.
"UOOHH!!"
He landed lightly on another tree trunk. Then, his eyes caught a silhouette in the distance—
A creature with a slender body and long legs stood among the trees, its crystal antlers shining under the light of the sun that was about to set covered by the trees
Tian narrowed his eyes.
"That's it... Hmm... a Deer!
Tian stood on a tree branch, his eyes fixed on the terrifying figure in the distance. The creature stood proudly with a large body, taller than the mother boar he had fought before.
Its antlers glittered like pure crystals, shining under the light of the rice fields near noon. From its sturdy body, a cold mist emerged that made the surrounding air tremble, it was the Monster called the Crystal Moose.
"What deer is that...? Why do its antlers look like crystals...? And its size… it's much bigger than a full-grown Giant Boar," Tian muttered, his jaws clenched.
Suddenly—
"MOOOOOOOHH!!"
The creature let out a thunderous roar. The sound echoed throughout the forest, shaking the leaves and sending birds flying in panic from the tree branches.
"Shit… this looks bad!"
A flash of light gathered around its crystal horn. In a matter of seconds, dozens of sharp projectiles formed in the air—no less than fifty of them!
Tian stiffened.
"SWOOSH!!"
Like a meteor shower, the crystal projectiles shot out at incredible speed, as fast as sound so that each projectile produced a sonic boom!
"Kh—!"
Tian immediately jumped down to avoid the attack, but—
"VRRMM!!"
The attack took a sharp turn, chasing after him!
"It can track and chase?! Damn it!"
With no other choice, Tian swung his axe with all his might.
"TING! TUNG! TENG!"
One by one he managed to deflect the projectiles, but there were too many of them. His hands and feet began to feel heavy, his eyes had difficulty following the movement of the projectiles that continued to hunt without stopping.
"Khh... too fast and hard! I can't keep holding on like this!!" he thought, his body began to be covered in scratches from the projectiles that escaped his defenses.
After a fierce battle, finally—
"THUNG!!"
He managed to deflect a final projectile with a full swing.
Tian smiled faintly, his breathing heavy. "Hah... hah... finally finished—"
However, the roar sounded again.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!"
The Crystal Moose roared louder than before. This time, between its horns, a giant projectile began to form!
"What...?! at least give me a break"
The crystal ball continued to grow, shining with a terrifying cold aura. Its diameter reached three meters, with a length of almost ten meters!
Cold sweat flowed down Tian's temples.
"No good... if I get hit by that attack, I'm finished!"
Suddenly—
"WHOOSH!!"
The giant projectile shot towards him at a speed that exceeded the speed of sound!
"HMPH!"
Tian immediately jumped high into the air, avoiding the powerful impact. However—
"SWOOSH!!"
From behind him, another projectile suddenly shot after him!
"WHAT?! DAMN!!"
There was nowhere to dodge.
"KHGH!! HAAAAAAA!!"
With all his might, Tian raised his axe high, his muscles tensing to withstand the brunt of his opponent's attack.
"THUUUUNG!!"
A tremendous impact occurred in the air! The resulting shockwave ripped through the air, breaking the tree branches around them and sending leaves flying in all directions.
"GUUAAHHH!!"
Tian was pushed back, his body flung out of control like a leaf in a storm. However, in a split second, he managed to press the giant crystal with his axe, using the momentum to jump onto it!
"WHOOOSH!"
As the crystal projectile shot forward, the tops of the trees 100 meters away were instantly shattered into pieces, torn apart by the destructive energy it released.
As soon as his feet touched the surface of the moving crystal, Tian did not hesitate to jump forward again at an incredible speed, creating a small crater where he stepped.
"BOOM!!"
His gallop matched the sound of an explosion, piercing through the air like a bullet fired from a giant gun.
"SWOOSH!!"
With a powerful swing, Tian slammed his axe into Crystal Mosee! However—
"THUNGG!!"
The monster blocked the attack with its horns. The energy sparks from their clash created a shockwave that swept across the surroundings.
"Khg... hard!!" Tian muttered in his heart, his jaws clenched tightly against the pressure. "Its horns... are just as powerful as the crystal projectiles from earlier!"
"MOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Suddenly, the monster let out a shocking roar. From its horns, tiny, dust-like crystal grains began to emerge, vibrating at a strange frequency before exploding in all directions!
"What—?!"
"Guaaakh!!"
The crystal wave slammed into Tian with brutal force! Thousands of sharp crystal grains rained down on him like a storm of countless daggers.
"BRAGH! CRACK!!"
His body was thrown back, hitting several large tree trunks in its path. Each impact made a loud thud, shaking the forest like a mini earthquake. The trees collapsed, splitting from the middle due to the effects of the waves of crystal grains that were still spreading wildly.
"DOUGH!!"