Chapter 50: Meeting Again

The incoming force of the charging Level 3 monster left no margin for evasion. Bracing his core, Michael brought his Level 5 shortsword up in a desperate, defensive stance, planting his dominant hand firmly on the hilt while pressing the palm of his left hand against the flat near the tip of the blade to stabilize the parry. He lowered his center of gravity, aligning his skeleton to absorb a brutal impact that would test the absolute structural integrity of both his reinforced muscle tissue and the dark alloy of his weapon.

Yet, even as his focus locked onto the primary threat, he registered a secondary distortion in his view. The monster he had avaided before was closing in from behind, coiled and preparing to launch an interlocking flank attack. Michael’s cognitive processing kicked into overdrive, mapping out a desperate sequence of counter-maneuvers.

Before he could commit his strained muscles to action, a sudden move disrupted his analysis.

From behind the attacking monster, a heavy, predatory silhouette blurred into motion. It did not target Michael; instead, it slammed directly into the flank of the secondary monster. With an explosive burst of feral strength, the intervening creature clamped its jaws violently around the back of the charging monster's neck, teeth tearing through dense hide, and threw the beast backward across the concrete.

Before the displaced monster could hit the asphalt or reorient itselve, a long, ash-wood shaft cut through the air. A basic iron-tipped spear pierced straight through its temporal bone, driving deep into the brain stem with absolute violence. The creature’s limbs stiffened.

*What just happened?* Michael’s mind instantly began running a rapid diagnostic of the variables. *A monster actively attacking another one? And that weapon... an iron-tipped recruit spear. That must have been a human.*

Before he could finish his thoughts, the third party was revealed. Standing over the carcass, gripping the haft of the spear with a tense, blood-splattered grip, was Julian.

But the fight was not over. The massive predatory shape that Michael had evaded just moments prior near the vehicle—the Level 3 monster that had descended from the structural ledge—was still on the move. Driven by unknown motives, it launched its heavy frame forward once more, hurtling directly toward Michael's exposed flank with its sharp claws extended.

Michael’s analytical mind didn't allow for a single second of panic. He had already awaited that attack. He originally had planned to cope with the two monsters at the same time but now it was only one. Anticipating the incoming trajectory with calculated precision, he executed a swift, disciplined step to the side, allowing the rushing beast's momentum to carry it harmlessly past himselve.

But he didn't just dodge. As the monster barreled blindly through the empty space where he had stood a second before, Michael used the rotational force of his evasive maneuver to drive his Level 5 shortsword outward. The edge of the matte-grey alloy sliced effortlessly through the variant’s exposed flank, splitting its tough hide wide open. The creature crashed hard against the asphalt. Michael finished it off with a casual swing of his sword.

The presence of a former classmate wasn’t the only anomaly left on the street. As Michael lowered his guard slightly, his eyes locked onto the third beast—the one that had executed the initial neck-bite. It had stepped back, positioning itself slightly behind Julian in a distinctly submissive posture. It was listening to him.

Upon closer inspection, Michael’s gaze picked up on a profound structural discrepancy that separated this being from the monsters he had slaughtered. The creature’s outline was slightly unstable, its physical envelope emitting a faint, surreal distortion. It didn't seem to fully exist within the allknown laws of physical; rather than being composed of flesh, bone, and ichor, its anatomy looked as though it were meticulously sculpted out of condensed, dark energy. The difference was subtle—invisible to an eye during a chaotic skirmish—but by closer inspection, it was clear to distinction.

"Michael?" Julian gasped, his voice tight with exhaustion and shock as he wiped a smear of black fluid from his cheek.

"Julian?" Michael replied, his voice maintaining its cold, unreadable baseline.

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"What are you doing out here in the open?" Julian asked, his eyes darting across the ruined sedan and the freshly slain Level 3 variants. "I thought you were with the others holding the Audimax perimeter."

"I could ask you the exact same question," Michael countered, his shortsword remaining loosely angled toward the pavement, his finger flicking toward the surreal creature standing at Julian's flank. "But more importantly... what is that?"

Julian managed a small, proud smile, though his knuckles remained white on his spear. "This is my Talent. I unlocked it while searching for survivors in the university. I can summon monsters that I have previously defeated in battle. We can talk about the details later, though—it’s too dangerous to remain stationary at this place. We need to keep moving. Where are you heading?"

*A summoning talent?* Michael analyzed the potential of such an ability. *Incredible. An ability capable of expanding, creating an army and becaming stronger the more you fight without risking to get wounded.* Aloud, he answered smoothly as they both began to shift their positions, "I am going toward Lower Austria. My parents are trapped there."

"Lower Austria? That's quite a distance," Julian muttered, matching Michael's pace as they broke into a disciplined jog down the avenue. The necessity for speed was absolute; the vibrations of their brief clash had already alerted more monsters moving within the immediate perimeter.

As they traversed the debris-strewn asphalt, the low, rhythmic padding of claws echoed from behind. A high-speed Level 3 monster had managed to track their scent, closing the distance with high speed. It was gaining on them rapidly, its eyes locked onto Michael’s back.

Without warning or a single word of communication, Michael pivoted cleanly on his heel. Instead of continuing his retreat, he lunged directly toward the pursuing monster.

The monster, completely caught off guard by the sudden inversion of its prey's trajectory, failed to adjust its momentum. In a panicked, uncoordinated reaction, it thrust its right claw outward in a desperate attempt to impale Michael’s chest.

But Michael had the absolute advantage of initiative and momentum. Moving with enhanced agility, he glided past the extending claw, his Level 5 shortsword blurring in a tight, fluid arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the center of the monster's front leg without offering a single ounce of resistance.

Simultaneously, Michael executed a swift side-step.

The monster let out a throat-shredding, agonizing shriek as it tried to plant its missing limb. Unable to maintain its balance, its immense mass carried it forward, causing its torso to crash brutally onto the hard asphalt. Before the thrashing beast could even begin to roll or reorient its visual field, Michael brought his shortsword down in a heavy, horizontal sweep from the side, cleanly detaching the head from the shoulders.

The entire fight, from the initial pivot to the final decapitation, had taken less than three seconds.

Julian stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with utter bewilderment. His mind struggled to process the absolute efficiency of the violence he had just witnessed. *I thought that by unlocking a rare, high-tier summoning talent I had surpassed him by far,* Julian thought, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck. *But this... this is a completely different level of battle awarness. He isn't just surviving; he's killing them like a machine.*

Unable to suppress his disbelief, Julian caught up and asked, "How do you do that? You fight as if you've had years of battle training or combat experience. The whole apocalypse only started a few hours ago?"

*It lies within the nature of my Talent, I guess,* Michael thought, his mind referencing the silent, potent effects of his massive willpower and cognitive acceleration. *It may not possess the overt, flashy dominance of a summoning technique, but its passive advantages are not to underestimate.*

Because explaining the intricate, abstract variations of a developed mind and will would only waste time and induce unnecessary strategic deviation, Michael opted for an evasive, simplified narrative. "I don't know," he lied smoothly, his expression remaining an unreadable mask. "I am simply operating on raw instinct. I see the chances, I move, and it just feels correct."

Julian stared at him for a second longer, a mixture of awe and suspicion swirling in his eyes. *What a monster,* he thought, trying to reassure his own rising insecurity. *Is it just an innate talent for combat? If his ability is restricted to simple physical instincts, then my summoning potential is still definitively stronger in the long-term.* He chose not to press the matter further.

Before they could clear the next block, another guttural roar echoed from an intersecting alleyway. A hairless, hound-like Level 3 variant leaped into the street, blocking their primary transit corridor.

"Go!" Julian commanded, his voice hardening as he thrust his hand forward.

His summon launched itself forward with feral intensity, intercepting the charging variant mid-air. The two beasts crashed onto the asphalt, locked in a violent, snarling wrestle of claws and teeth. While the target was completely pinned and distracted by his summon, Julian advanced with rapid, disciplined strides. He drove his beginners spear forward in three successive, high-velocity thrusts, piercing the vulnerable soft tissue of the monster's underbelly and throat.

The monster shuddered and went limp.

[You have killed a Razorclaw Stalker – Level 3]

[You have received 50 Experience Points]