Oops.
It took me a second to process what had just happened.
The babies—Azrael had gone out of his way to protect them. He had fought to keep them safe.
And yet…
They were gone.
Mauled. Devoured. Wiped out.
I didn’t need to look at him to know that he was pissed.
His entire body radiated tension, his grip tightening on the one remaining baby in his arms. He was glaring daggers at the ‘goo’—his cosmic energy surging in violent, uncontrollable waves.
I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
Maybe I should gift him a gaming console when we get back. That should cheer him up, right?
I barely concealed the pity in my gaze, but Azrael didn’t notice. He was too focused, his entire attention locked onto the monster before us.
Wait a minute.
He was still holding the last baby.
How the hell was he planning to fight while cradling an infant?
He must have sensed my doubt, because he glanced at me and chuckled.
“Don’t worry,” he said, voice light, as if none of this truly bothered him. “You can handle it. You like fighting, right? As a good friend, I should let you have this one.”
Wow.
He was shameless.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
I grinned, shifting my gaze back to the ‘goo’.
All of this—this entire fight—it was mine. Just mine.
For a brief moment, the ‘goo’ twitched.
I didn’t miss it.
Maybe it saw the mad expression on my face at that moment.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“You know what?” Azrael said, shifting the baby in his arms. “I’ll go find Vesna. You enjoy your fight… I guess?”
Without another word, he vanished, slipping into the shadows.
I sighed. Did he think Vesna was a mole rat or something?
Not that it mattered.
I had more pressing matters to deal with.
Like the fact that the ‘goo’ was still adjusting to its new body.
How inconvenient.
……
I didn’t wait.
The second I was sure Azrael had left, I launched myself forward at sonic speed—my knee driving straight into the creature’s torso.
Impact.
The force sent its liquid body crashing into the cave wall.
I had expected it to feel soft, like gelatin, but…
It was solid.
Well, solid enough.
It was both liquid and strong—which made zero sense.
Before I could fully process it, the ‘goo’ moved.
Instantly.
One moment, it was against the wall—
The next, it was in front of me.
I barely had time to react before it punched me.
No—slammed into me.
It didn’t feel like a fist.
More like a metal rod.
I barely gritted my teeth before the force sent me flying.
I crashed against the rock, but it didn’t stop.
The next moment, it was on me—barraging me with relentless punches.
Each strike carried enough force to tear the cave apart, producing air currents sharp enough to slice through the surrounding stone.
Sh*t.
This bastard was getting used to its body.
I could feel it.
The way it moved. The way it attacked.
It was adapting.
And I—
I was finally getting the adrenaline rush I had been waiting for.
Enough playing around.
I caught its arm mid-swing, tightening my grip—cosmic energy coating my foot as I drove a brutal kick into its gut.
The impact sent the ‘goo’ soaring upward, crashing through the last bits of the cave and into the open sky.
I grinned.
I kicked off the ground—chasing after it.
……
We broke through the ruins of the cave, ascending above ground.
As we emerged into the open, I noticed something.
Spectators.
A group of so-called battle-hardened warriors stood nearby, their gazes locked onto our fight.
Pathetic.
The second the wind pressure from our battle reached them, they couldn’t even withstand it.
Some bled from their ears. Others collapsed, their bones likely shattered from just the shockwaves.
So much for ‘warriors.’
I would have laughed if I wasn’t so focused.
At the very least, they could now see the difference between us.
Between mortals and Planetoid Rank warriors.
And yet, I had made a crucial mistake.
I had allowed myself to get distracted.
The ‘goo’ took advantage of that.
Its legs stretched, forming rope-like tendrils that wrapped around my limbs.
Before I could react, I was plummeted to the ground.
The grip tightened.
I struggled, thrashing against the binds, but they held firm.
Sh*t.
This bastard was actually serious now.
And I was still treating it like a joke.
Fine.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath—
And commanded gravity itself.
The air compressed.
The ‘goo’ was slammed into the ground, its body flattening under the sheer force.
It lost shape instantly, collapsing back into its liquid state.
Good.
I raised my hand, condensing cosmic energy to form a wind chamber.
A small one—just barely two meters in diameter.
But its force?
Faster than the winds of Jupiter.
The ‘goo’ was trapped, swirling helplessly inside.
I dusted off my clothes.
The spectators stumbled out from their hiding places, their faces pale with fear.
It was probably their first time seeing a true Planetoid battle.
And even though this one was mediocre at best, the sheer devastation was enough to remind them—
They were nothing.
Nothing compared to us.
……
I turned.
Time to find Azrael and—
A flash of black.
Before I could react, a spear shot forward, striking me straight through the torso.
My body froze.
Not because of the pain—pain meant nothing to me—
But because I had realized something.
The ‘goo’…
It had been testing me.
It wasn’t using its full strength before.
Not because it couldn’t.
But because it was gauging me.
Just like I had been gauging it.
Sh*t.
The wind chamber cracked, its structure shattering as the ‘goo’ emerged.
And this time—
It had a face.
A grinning one.
Something inside me snapped.
It was laughing at me.
The spear inside me twitched, its liquid form slithering into my body—forcing itself deeper, spreading like veins.
I gritted my teeth, grabbing the spear to pull it out.
It reacted instantly.
More spears shot out, impaling my limbs.
Within seconds—
I was bound.
The situation had flipped.
I was no longer the hunter.
I was the prey.
And the ‘goo’ was about to devour me whole.