I snapped my head to the side.
The second Snowbear had broken away from the others and was dashing straight toward us. Like a living tank, the air shook with every pounding step of it. It was coming from behind our bear and charged directly toward Rash while—
ROOAAR!
THMP!
The bear in front of me moved as well and charged straight at me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other teens running desperately after the second bear. But they were too far away to help.
Gripping my sword tighter, I waited.
THMP!
Clouds of dust rose with every stomp as the bear closed the distance.
THMP!
I bent my knees slightly and held my ground, still waiting.
THMP!
When it finally came into range, I used a movement I had once learned while playing football.
It wasn't really a technique.
It was a small movement. Something you would easily miss if you weren't looking for it.
Step.
I shifted my feet and made a tiny hop in place just before the bear attacked.
ROAAR!
The bear didn't use its paws this time. Instead, it opened its maw wide, revealing rows of teeth and fangs as it lunged to bite me.
Step.
The moment its jaws reached for me, I jumped with all my might to the side.
CHOMP!
A loud snap of teeth clashing shut sounded right beside my head as I barely escaped.
Thud.
Landing hard on the ground, I rolled through the sand before stopping flat on my stomach. Placing my palms on the ground in a push-up position, I pushed myself up and stood again.
The bear, having lost its prey, had slid several meters before stopping. It turned toward me again with another roar.
ROAAR!
I used the moment it stood still and dashed straight at it.
Step.
My bare feet sank into the sand with every step.
The most dangerous part of fighting these beasts wasn't when you were close enough for them to attack.
It was when you weren't.
Because then they had to close the distance.
And that meant charging.
That was the most dangerous thing about them.
The longer they ran, the faster they became. At some point, their speed would become impossible to dodge. So the only way to keep the advantage was to fight them at close range.
Step.
I reached the bear before it could launch another charge.
Swish.
Its answer was another paw swipe.
Step.
Ducking while stepping under its arm, I slashed into its left armpit.
Slrrsh.
Graawr!
The beast shrieked, but reacted immediately, swinging its extended arm sideways at my head.
Swish.
I ducked lower, stepped back in front of it, and delivered another deep slash into its armpit and ribs.
Slrrsh.
Now standing directly in front of the bear with only a few centimeters between us, I jumped back at once before—
CHOMP!
Its jaws bit into empty air. The same spot where my head had been a moment earlier.
Haah.
I took a short breath before stepping forward again—
Step.
Then stopped.
The other teens had finally arrived.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the girl with the spear rushing toward me.
Seeing her, I decided on my next move and shifted to the left before attacking again.
Swish.
Evading another swipe from the bear, I ducked beneath its arm and delivered one more slash at its side before jumping back.
The bear growled, clearly angered.
The fur at its sides had by now turned red from the constant bleeding.
Our attacks were working. And slowly, the wounds were beginning to weaken it.
ROAAR!
With another roar, the bear stepped forward and attacked again.
Seeing the opening, I shouted as I jumped backward.
"GIRL! ITS ARMS!"
Swish.
The bear's claws missed my face by barely a centimeter.
Now, with its whole body leaning forward and its arm fully extended, it had no way to defend the next attack.
Shuk!
The girl struck at once.
She thrust her spear directly into the space between its armpit and ribs, digging deep into its flesh.
GHAAR!
A heavy shriek escaped the bear as it spun around and swung at her.
But—
Step.
The girl ducked low and stepped into a lunge, letting the paw pass over her head before pulling the spear free.
Slrrt.
Blood burst from the deep wound and splashed around.
Seeing that the bear had turned its back fully to me, I didn't hesitate.
Step.
Shuk.
I stabbed my sword directly into the back of its knee.
ROAAR!
Another roar tore out of it as I ripped the blade out.
The fur on its leg rapidly turned crimson as even more blood poured from the wound. Its knee buckled and crashed down to the ground.
Thud.
But somehow it kept itself upright with its other leg and arms.
Seeing that it couldn't turn around and defend itself, I drove my sword into its other knee as well.
Shuk.
When I pulled the blade free, that leg trembled too before bending and—
Thud.
Crashing to the ground.
Its stomach followed, slamming into the sand.
THUD.
The ground shook beneath its weight.
Now with both legs and one forearm badly injured, it could no longer move properly.
Step.
Gripping my sword tighter, I took a step forward and bent my knees before jumping onto its back.
The landing was easier than I thought. Its muscles were firm and steady beneath me, creating a good foothold.
Step.
I moved across the beast's back until I reached its shoulders and looked down.
The bear pushed its paws across the ground, claws desperately digging into the sand, attempting to throw me off.
But I wasn't stupid enough to let that happen.
Dropping to one knee for balance, I raised my sword high above my head, tip facing down, and drove it down into the beast's neck.
SHUK!
GHHAR!
My left hand shifted as well, fingers circling around the hilt. Then, with both hands, I pushed the sword further down.
GRAAH!
A deep shriek burst from the bear as my blade plunged deeper into its neck.
The bear twitched for a moment, body shaking before it stilled. The only thing I still felt was the faint rise and fall of its back as it breathed.
Slrrt.
Blood sprayed across my face and clothes as I pulled the blade free.
The faint rise of its back stopped then.
It was dead.
Thud.
I let myself fall backward and sat on its back, breathing hard.
Haah.
My eyes drifted down toward the girl standing in front of the bear.
Her eyes were slightly widened as she looked at me sitting atop the dead beast. For a few breaths, she looked straight into my eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly from exhaustion.
Then—
ROAAR!
The roar of the other bear snapped both of us out of it, and we turned our heads at the same time.
There—
A dozen meters away, Rash and the others were finishing their fight as well.
Rash dashed straight at the Snowbear, which had risen onto its hind legs and lifted both paws into the air, ready to smash them down on him.
He didn't seem to care. Instead, he even increased his speed, still rushing at it. A moment later, he was directly before it.
Just as the bear slammed both forelegs down with all its weight, Rash ducked low and slid—
THUD.
The bear's paws smashed into the ground where he had been an instant earlier. But Rash was already beneath it, sliding between its legs before emerging behind it. The speed of his dash carried him across the sand, kicking up dust behind him.
Slrrsh.
With one quick motion, Rash slashed at both of its knees before jumping onto its back. And while Rash landed, the others struck too.
The two siblings, 86 and 92, were already positioned on both sides of the beast and stabbed their swords at the same time into the space between its ribs and armpits.
Shuk.
Their blades sank deep into its flesh. The bear lost all strength in its forearms and toppled forward headfirst.
Thud.
Now with the beast motionless, Rash had it easy. Standing on its back, he rammed his sword down into its neck.
Shuk.
The bear died instantly.
Haah.
I let out another breath as I watched him.
'Strong.'
That was my only thought.
He must have felt my gaze because he turned his head and looked right at me while standing atop the beast's corpse.
Our eyes locked for a few breaths.
Then—
Thud.
He let himself fall down and sat on the corpse just as I did. Slowly, his lips curved upward until they became a wide smile. A chuckle broke out of them a second later.
The other teens noticed it too and began to relax.
Then, as the situation finally settled—
"Yeeaaah!"
"Kill them all!"
"Blood!"
"BLOOD!"
The crowd's cheers broke free. Chants echoed across the arena, growing louder with every second.
"BLOOD!"
"NO MERCY!"
We won.