Snake and Bear

The tip of a curved blade was always sharpened on both sides.

And thanks to its crescent-like curve, provided the blade itself was sturdy enough, its thrusts were often more unpredictable and deadlier than those of a straight sword.

Black Snake struck with incredible speed. Shivana no longer had time to identify where the tip would land and raise her Great Axe before her eyes to block it.

She simply used the momentum to fling the axe into the sky, then twisted sideways and hammered her fist down onto Black Snake's forearm.

The blade tip shifted three inches, grazing her cheekbone and leaving a shallow streak of blood.

Shivana turned with the motion, sweeping her left fist toward Black Snake's cheek.

But he had already steadied himself and sharply stepped back.

The blade tip, which should have stabbed straight ahead, drew back at the same time. Yet its curved arc turned it into a sharp hook, like the crafty tongue of a venomous snake, slicing across the half-orc's nape!

Splat!

Thick blood flowed over the blade and dripped into the dirt.

The hooked reverse edge caught in Shivana's neck, forcing a muffled groan of pain from her.

She realized the blade tip had sunk deeply in. If her skin had not been tough enough, that strike could have taken off half her head.

Black Snake gave her no chance to catch her breath. Seeing that the blade could not pierce any deeper, he simply lashed a kick at her ankle.

Shivana lost her balance and fell backward.

As she staggered, those eyes capable of seeing in the dark clearly caught sight of a curved blade about to plunge into the top of her skull—

Black Snake understood that he could not take her life.

After all, once these Beastfolk lost a leader who was at least somewhat civilized, they would certainly not remain peaceful as they watched the duel around them.

They would not support him, a stronger "human," merely because Black Snake had won the duel.

They would only let some other restless fellow seize power and order the tribesmen to hack these outsiders to death.

Even if he escaped, he would inevitably be wounded. He might not even make it out of the forest alive.

"Fuck, I really am about to lose in spectacular fashion."

Black Snake cursed under his breath and decided to deliberately miss, letting the blade fall beside her ear.

But when the blade was still a foot away from her forehead, he saw thick veins bulge across Shivana's pale skin as her well-proportioned muscles swelled:

"Roar—"

Her voice became incomparably deep and heavy, like a Brute Bear roaring through the forest to declare its territory.

The shockwave it raised stirred up a gale and exploded before Black Snake.

A repulsive force sent him flying ten feet away. Black Snake was forced to halt his thrust and roll through the air to bleed off the force, avoiding an undignified crash to the ground.

When he looked back at the female Beastfolk, he found that she had already clumsily risen to her feet.

Her hand clenched loosely, and the Great Axe she had thrown away immediately spun back into her grasp as if being pulled by an invisible force.

Her entire body had grown a size larger than before, and her once more human-like face had become savage and ferocious.

Her eyes were crimson as blood, overflowing with brutality.

"Die!"

With a furious roar, she stomped down. Boom! The ground beneath her feet shattered into a shallow crater.

Then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, she charged wildly toward Black Snake!

Her body had become more muscular, yet her steps were remarkably steady—faster even than before!

Watching from afar, Tang Qi clearly saw the phantom of a Brute Bear behind her—

"She's a [Barbarian]!?"

Not everyone who lived far from the cities and honed their skills in the wilderness could be called a [Barbarian].

True barbarians did more than temper their bodies in harsh environments.

They were even better at uncovering the secrets of "rage."

They mastered this primal emotion and made use of it, even bringing that impulse into battle.

But [Totem Warriors] were different still.

They uncovered the "rage" within the hearts of savage creatures in nature, learning through imitation until their souls merged with them and gained nature's mighty power.

Now, she had summoned her Totem Spirit, adding the strength of a giant bear to her body.

Every swing of her axe raised a fierce gale, like invisible blades of air scraping across the earth and leaving crisscrossing marks behind!

Black Snake did not excel in strength. He had no doubt that if his curved blade collided with the Great Axe now, the recoil alone would numb his hand.

He could only resort to the same tactic, trying to evade while using the reverse edge of his curved blade to cut two wounds across her arm—

But this time, his blade was like it had scraped against an iron plate. It could not even leave a mark on her skin.

Her skin had become tougher because of the totem.

Fortunately, "rage" came at a cost as well.

Shivana's attacks no longer seemed to follow any pattern.

The paths of her Great Axe had also become extremely clear and easy to read, making Black Snake's evasions much easier.

He still had to seize the gaps when she paused and leave slashes across her body.

But this time, Shivana simply neither dodged nor blocked. She traded injury for injury, swinging her axe sideways at the same moment the curved blade cut into her shoulder and sent blood spraying—

Black Snake had always relied on evasion, yet the fierce wind blades still tore open his waist and abdomen!

"Uha!!!"

Seeing their leader's axe leave Black Snake drenched in blood, the gathered Beastfolk all erupted in a thunderous cheer.

Tang Qi, however, looked at Black Snake with lingering fear, worried that the successive battles had left him too exhausted to continue.

"Hiss!"

As pain flared through him, Black Snake instinctively pressed a hand to the scraped wound—

Blood had already dyed his silk short shirt red, but his control of distance had been precise.

After twisting his waist, the wound only looked frightening. It had not pierced through his skin or injured his internal organs.

The cut on Shivana's shoulder, protected by the Brute Bear Spirit, was much the same.

Black Snake panted, feeling weakness spread through his legs. He knew he could not drag this out any longer:

"Why would I still need to lose beautifully?

I'd better think about how I can win first..."

He admitted that he had underestimated the Beastfolk before him.

In terms of technique alone, he could have pinned her to the ground and toyed with her.

But Shivana possessed the advantage in bloodline and physique.

This injury-for-injury style was simply too effective against a swordsman like him, one who relied on agility to win—

No matter how nimble his movements were, inertia would inevitably leave openings.

As long as he took a solid hit at such a moment, he would immediately lose his ability to fight.

They were like a snake and a bear fighting in the jungle.

The venomous snake could not tear through the brown bear's flesh with its fangs. It could only sway nimbly and leave shallow bite marks on its limbs, torso, and neck.

It looked as though it held the upper hand, yet achieved very little.

The brown bear could never catch the agile venomous snake, but once it found an opening, its claws would be lethal to the snake.

And the exhausted snake would eventually reach a day when it could no longer crawl.

By then, it could only become a feast in the Brute Bear's belly.

"Drag out the duration of Barbarian Rage!"

As he panted, Tang Qi's urgent reminder reached Black Snake's ears.

"Pain will only make her angrier!"

Rage was an emotion.

Emotions changed.

One second, someone could feel happy after eating a cake.

The next, they could become furious because the cake had fallen to the ground.

The secret behind a barbarian's control of rage was merely to amplify that emotion as much as possible and prolong its duration.

As long as she was not provoked during that time, she would naturally return to her previous calm state.

Black Snake understood what Tang Qi meant—

After this wave of rage subsided and before she could ignite it again, he had to end this battle.

But his stamina would only support this one chance!