The swarm of lampreys spread out after detaching from the catfish’s belly, slithering toward the crew in a pulsating wave of slimy bodies. Within a handful of heartbeats, the hunters would be surrounded by an army of bloodsucking beasts—forced to dodge the gatekeeper’s blasts while fending off attacks from all sides.

  “Run!” Edge yelled. “We need to come up with a plan and try again later.”

  His team sprinted toward the cavern’s entrance, opening some distance along the way. But matters weren’t fated to be resolved so simply. Before the crew reached the rocky passageway, the stage-three beast made its move.

  The gatekeeper ignited its core and fired its water drill at full power, targeting a cluster of crystals hanging above the tunnel’s mouth. When the high-pressure blast hit the protruding minerals, everything came crashing down and blocked the way out. The hunters could have cleared it with a few hours of labor, but with a horde of beasts following hot on their heels, the debris was an impassable obstacle.

  If that wasn’t enough to deal with, the impact dislodged some stones from the ceiling. They tumbled toward the battlefield below, heading straight for Lilly’s position. She saw the rocks coming at the last possible second and threw herself out of the way… which carried her straight into the path of the gatekeeper’s next attack.

  She went flying back like a stuffed animal struck by a firehose. For a terrifying moment, Edge thought his friend had taken a life-threatening wound. But to his immense relief, the heavy hit didn’t seem to have hurt her at all.

  When he realized an intense surge of mana had emanated from the shadowkiller’s core, he remembered she had Second Chance, which had activated automatically to shield her from the deadly drill. The triggered skill had saved her life, but it had a long cooldown and wouldn’t be ready again until after the fight was over.

  When the catfish’s spray came around for a second pass, Lillian wavered out of existence before reappearing a few seconds later. That must be Vanish. I haven’t seen her use it before.

  “Shit.” Sasha turned to impale a lamprey on the point of her spear, then darted back before the rest could reach her. “We’re trapped. The big bastard has us boxed in.”

  “What should we do?” Melenia yelled while diving beneath a watery blast.

  “You deal with the swarm. I’ll handle the fish.” Edge turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, drawing a portion of the horde in the process. “I’ll expand the ice so you have room to maneuver.”

  “I’ll support everyone from range,” Lilly added while lining up a shot.

  He had considered making a break for the exit on the far side of the cave, but he doubted everyone would make it if they tried. There’s a good chance the beast has another trap in place along the approach. If we run, we’ll be playing into its hands… err, fins, whatever.

  Left with no other choice, he turned to face the giant catfish—certain that only one of them would still be breathing when the dust settled.

  While the hunters were trapped inside the cave—forced to fight a swarm of stage-one-and-two bloodsuckers in addition to the stage-three beast—the situation had a silver lining. Edge was now fighting five opponents his stage or above, which cleared the conditions for Raid Wiper to activate.

  Combined with Big Game Hunter, each of his attacks would gain an incredible boost when hitting the gatekeeper and a lesser bonus when striking the lampreys. For the rest of the fight, his skills would gain power comparable to what Overdrive provided. On that note, he was willing to use his ultimate ability if left with no other choice, although the exhaustion would be dangerous with so many enemies on the field.

  By now, his reservoir was about half empty. He could still use some combos, but he had to be careful not to burn through his reserves too quickly or there wouldn’t be anything left to set up a killing blow.

  All of this passed through Edge’s mind within a couple of seconds. Meanwhile, he raced along the perimeter path to deal with the gatekeeper, which was swimming just beyond the border of the ice. I need to focus on the fish, but I can’t let the women face so many beasts alone.

  He decided it was time to try something he’d been practicing for a few days but hadn’t relied on in battle before. He manifested Foebinder while using his glove to retrieve his chakram. After coating the bone-and-brass ring with subzero mana, he shared his plan with the living links. Use the chakram to take out the swarm. I’ll keep it infused with Elemental Blade.

  After his first throw, Edge turned control of the ranged weapon over to Foebinder. He shifted his crystalline sword into his right hand and stepped onto the ice, pulling his shield out of his vault and onto his left arm.

  As he advanced, the chain let him know when it wanted him to use the glove, drawing the ring back toward their location. Whenever it came into reach, the living links snatched the chakram out of the air, took aim, and flung it at another lamprey.

  When the gatekeeper sensed Edge approaching, it turned its water drill on him, taking some pressure off the rest of the crew. He couldn’t afford to activate Repel Water with Elemental Blade running, so he relied on Warlord’s Mantle and Fear’s Speed bonus to perform one desperate dodge after the next, avoiding the lethal skill with inches to spare.

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  It was his first time letting the chain use a weapon instead of being a weapon. While the power behind Foebinder's throws wouldn’t be effective against a Durable enemy like the gatekeeper, its aim was surprisingly precise—perfect for the present situation. The arctic mana infusing his chakram dealt considerable damage, since the bloodsuckers were vulnerable against cold, and even a glancing blow could freeze portions of their slimy bodies solid.

  Foebinder tore into the lampreys like a force of nature, occasionally pausing long enough to shove beasts out of the way with its coils, keeping the swarm from converging on Edge’s position. Meanwhile, he focused on gouging the gatekeeper while dodging its deadly drill.

  It was a little awkward using the shield and the chain at the same time—since they were both attached to the same arm—but it let him attack in melee and mid-range while blocking attacks headed his way.

  This is awesome. I can’t wait to see what Foebinder can do once I advance the skill a few more ranks. Over the next breathless minute, everyone fought for their lives, putting on their finest performance to date. He was able to land a few solid hits, although he was mostly focused on dipping his iceblade into the water whenever an opportunity presented itself. As the frozen section spread, it gave his team more room to maneuver while forcing the catfish away from their position.

  While getting hit by the gatekeeper’s drill was always bad news, he had learned that flaring Harden right before impact would keep the surging spray from slicing into his flesh after passing through Warlord’s Mantle. It was risky as hell, but it let Edge survive attacks that would have crippled or killed him, since it was impossible to evade every blast the battle-hardened beast sent in his way.

  The diamond scales were impervious to the lampreys’ bites if he grew them in time, giving him a chance to skewer the beasts with his iceblade or let Foebinder grab hold and send them flying across the battlefield. All the while, he did his best to keep the colossal catfish pointed away from the women, so no one had to worry about it switching targets without warning.

  That being said, the stage-three predator wasn’t about to let him dictate the terms of the battle. It occasionally attacked the other hunters despite his best efforts, forcing them to scramble out of the way while dodging the bloodsuckers’ bites.

  The next time he tried to get close enough to land a hit, he was Repelled with incredible force, sending him sliding along the ice. The gatekeeper took advantage of the opening to attack Mel with its drill, filling Edge with adrenaline and dread. The guardswoman sprinted away, staying one step ahead of the lethal skill.

  Although it hadn’t hit her, the spray was driving Melenia straight into a big group of bloodsuckers. Even if it didn’t catch her, she would wind up surrounded by a horde of beasts without enough room to maneuver. He Leapt—trying to throw himself in front of the attack—but there simply wasn’t enough time.

  Just before the water drill caught her, she disappeared. For a second, he had no idea what had happened, but then he spotted Mel heading in the other direction, running to safety while the swarm milled about in confusion. I forgot about her new skill. Swap is an amazing power.

  Mel could only teleport to where the paired stone had landed until she picked it up again, but being able to Swap at will dramatically increased her mobility while making her movements difficult to predict. Letting out a shuddering sigh of relief, Edge set his sights on the gatekeeper—desperate to end the fight before the hunters’ luck ran out.

  As he ran, he caught a glimpse of the rest of his crew. Lilly had hopped onto the ice, skating along the surface while firing round after round from her boltcaster. Every few seconds, she let loose with Scattershot, slaying multiple lampreys with every attack. Whenever the shadowkiller spotted an opening, she turned to fire at the catfish instead.

  With its attention divided, she was able to slip some Vortex Shots past the beast’s defense. The rapidly rotating bolts packed a real punch. When they sank into living tissue, they fused with it and transferred all the centrifugal force, tearing muscles and shattering scales. Even a creature as massive as the gatekeeper couldn’t afford to take too many, and it dove below the water while issuing a shrill scream of pain.

  He knew it wouldn’t be gone long. When the beast reappeared, he needed to end the fight, or the odds were high that one of his friends was going to die. Meanwhile, he used his blade to expand the ice—ready to make his move the instant the catfish resurfaced.

  When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the crew had managed to corral the swarm into a single spot… just as the gatekeeper rejoined the fight.

  Edge was running low on mana, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. The lampreys were in a perfect position to be killed by the women’s attacks. All they needed was an opening, and the hunters could wipe out a significant portion of the swarm within a matter of seconds.

  Besides, I promised Chibime I would rely on him during the next big fight. All right, little buddy. Let’s do this.

  Inside his core, he could sense the avatar’s excitement that its time had finally come. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled as he deactivated his iceblade, opened his mouth, and Roared. The mana-laden soundwave crossed the open air in the blink of an eye, invading the beasts’ brains and infusing them with paralyzing terror.

  The gatekeeper flinched, although the skill barely slowed it down. But the lampreys were rendered helpless for at least a few seconds, giving his crew a chance to wreak havoc and inflict some serious carnage.

  Edge charged the catfish while the women went to work, tearing the bloodsuckers to bits with their strongest skills. He didn’t have enough magicytes left in the tank to Roar again, but it had helped turn the tide in this critical moment.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasha using Hidden Strike. Every hit she landed resulted in a critical blow—the tip of her spear perforating two sides of a bloodsucker’s body at once. In between thrusts, she let loose with Fire Breathing, setting dozens of beasts ablaze. They could normally have countered by diving into the water, but thanks to Roar, they perished beneath her incandescent onslaught.

  For her part, Mel kept chopping like a fiend, using her giant axe to slice the slimy beasts to bits. Whenever she encountered a clump, she attacked with Force Cleave—each swing of her weapon felling several bloodsuckers at once.

  By now, Roar was starting to wear off, but over half the swarm was dead, and many more were seriously injured. As Edge moved into position, the women fell into formation. Mel was up front, using Block and Second Wind to endure blow after blow while Sasha went to town with her flames. Lilly was behind them, firing Scattershots to keep the beasts from drawing near.

  The women were holding their own and didn’t need his help, which meant the board was green to deal with the gatekeeper.

  What he was planning was risky. Finishing off the fish would take the rest of his mana. If his strategy didn’t work, he was ready to activate Overdrive and damn the consequences.

  As Edge sprinted along the stone walkway, he knew the decisive moment had arrived. It was time to find out who would come out on top in an epic showdown between man and beast, and he was ready to go all in.