Although it was still very rough around the edges and Leo was still nowhere close to truly understanding Aura circulation, he believed the little he had grasped was enough to battle the abomination.

At first, he had submitted most of his consciousness and clarity toward controlling the flow of Aura inside his body and that had caused him to mostly remain on the defensive side with only occasional attacks whenever he found openings.

Splitting his concentration into two parts had turned out far harder than he initially imagined, especially during an actual fight where hesitation could easily cost him his life. So now he shifted his focus completely. Most of his mind returned toward normal combat instincts while the smaller remaining part continued monitoring the unstable movement of Aura inside him.

The result immediately felt more natural.

The creature rushed toward him again with its twisted body bending unnaturally between the black trees while its long fingers clawed against bark and branches to force itself forward faster. Leo reacted almost immediately this time. Instead of retreating fully backward like before, he stepped diagonally to the side while swinging [Yielding Spine] toward its shoulder.

The creature twisted away from the attack but Leo had already expected that.

He lowered his stance and drove his elbow directly toward its stomach area the same way Lucien had done earlier during the fight against Caius. The impact landed properly this time.

The creature staggered backward slightly.

Leo himself looked surprised for a second before immediately following forward. His movements were still rough and lacked proper structure but they were no longer as stiff as before. The small amount of Aura flowing through his body now moved alongside his instincts instead of disrupting them every few seconds.

The abomination suddenly let out a horrible screech before lunging at him again. Its speed increased.

Leo barely reacted in time before one of its claws sliced across his sleeve and left a shallow wound on his forearm. He frowned slightly from the burning sensation but ignored it completely and continued moving.

’Should have summoned the Shell of Dread.’

The forest around him became chaotic after that. Black branches cracked apart from missed attacks while dead leaves scattered violently beneath their feet. Leo continued weaving between trees while exchanging short clashes with the creature whenever it got close enough. Sometimes he blocked using [Yielding Spine]. Other times he simply avoided the attacks entirely while looking for openings to counter.

At some point, he realized something important. The creature was fast but predictable.

It always attacked aggressively after missing. It always aimed for the upper body first. And every time it leaped from above, there was always a slight delay before the second strike.

Leo slowly started adapting to the rhythm. The creature dropped from another branch above him but this time Leo stepped forward instead of backward. Its claw missed his neck by inches while Leo slashed upward with [Yielding Spine], finally cutting properly across its chest.

Dark ash-colored blood splattered across the tree beside them. The creature screamed again.

Leo immediately retreated several steps afterward, breathing slightly heavier now. Even though he was fighting better than before, the strain on his body remained very real. The Living Seed inside him felt increasingly unstable from continuously supporting Aura usage while his Core itself carried a pressure that worsened every passing minute. He was also losing Aura at a fast rate.

"Arghh."

Still, compared to earlier, he had improved. At the very least he was no longer fighting like prey.

The creature crouched several meters away from him while its stretched smile twitched unnaturally. The wound across its chest slowly moved as black veins pulsed beneath its pale skin.

Leo narrowed his eyes carefully.

"...You’re ugly as hell."

The creature suddenly disappeared from his sight. Leo’s instincts immediately kicked in.

He bent downward almost instantly and felt something sharp pass above his head before crashing into the tree behind him hard enough to shatter part of the trunk entirely. The creature had appeared behind him.

Leo rolled across the ground before forcing himself back upward quickly. The moment he regained balance, the creature attacked again without giving him any room to breathe.

Its claws descended rapidly toward his face.

Leo blocked the first strike using [Yielding Spine] before kicking directly toward the creature’s knee. A loud crack echoed lightly through the forest.

The creature stumbled and Leo took advantage immediately. He grabbed one of its thin arms and slammed the creature directly into a nearby tree.

The impact shook the surrounding branches violently. For a brief second, the creature looked stunned.

Leo raised [Yielding Spine] toward its neck but suddenly froze.

The dreadful whisper inside the sword returned again.

"Left."

Leo reacted purely on instinct.

He immediately released the creature and threw himself sideways just as another pale figure crashed down exactly where he had been standing moments ago.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Another one?!" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Guess, the [Grinning Mist] doesn’t work on these bastards.

This second creature looked almost identical to the first except smaller and thinner, with longer arms and an even wider smile stretched across its face.

"...Seriously?" Leo muttered.

The two creatures slowly stood side by side between the black trees while staring at him silently.

For the first time since the battle began, Leo genuinely felt pressure crawl across his spine. One was already difficult enough.

Two would be really, really annoying.

The creatures attacked simultaneously.

Leo immediately retreated backward while blocking one strike and barely avoiding another aimed toward his ribs. The difference in pressure instantly became obvious. He could no longer focus properly on tracking both movements while maintaining stable Aura circulation.

His breathing worsened.

One creature rushed from the front while the second leaped from above.

Leo blocked the frontal strike but the second creature managed to claw across his shoulder before he could fully react. Blood splattered lightly onto the dead leaves beneath him.

Leo gritted his teeth painfully before kicking the first creature backward.

The second immediately lunged again.

This time Leo stopped retreating.

He lowered his stance slightly and exhaled deeply while tightening his grip around [Yielding Spine]. His Aura circulation remained unstable but he forcefully maintained it anyway, letting the remaining flow strengthen his arms and legs just enough.

The smaller creature rushed first.

Leo stepped sideways calmly. Instead of trying to overpower it directly, he redirected its movement slightly using the flat side of [Yielding Spine] before grabbing its thin arm and slamming it toward the larger creature charging from behind.

The two collided violently.

Leo moved immediately afterward.

He appeared beside the smaller creature before driving [Yielding Spine] directly through its neck.

The resistance felt horrible. The blade slowly tore through flesh and bone while black blood exploded outward across Leo’s hand and uniform.

The creature convulsed violently for several seconds before finally collapsing motionless onto the ground.

[You’ve slain....]

Leo immediately turned around, not listening to the voice of the Aura System.

The larger creature was already rushing toward him with terrifying speed.

He barely managed to raise [Yielding Spine] in time before the impact sent him crashing backward across the forest floor. Pain spread through his arms from the force behind the strike but he forced himself upward again before the creature could continue attacking.

The monster screamed loudly and lunged again.

Leo suddenly stepped forward instead.

The creature clearly didn’t expect it.

Leo twisted his body slightly to avoid the claws before driving his shoulder directly into the creature’s chest hard enough to interrupt its balance.

Then he swung [Yielding Spine].

This time the blade cleanly sliced through the creature’s side.

The abomination staggered violently.

Leo followed immediately with another slash. Then another.

His attacks still lacked refinement and proper swordsmanship but the small improvements from Aura circulation made his movements smoother than before. Each strike carried more stability behind it.

The creature tried retreating toward the trees.

Leo didn’t allow it. He chased after it and drove [Yielding Spine] straight through its open mouth before forcing the blade upward through its skull.

Everything became silent afterward.

The creature’s body twitched weakly several times before finally going still.

Leo stood there breathing heavily while black blood slowly dripped down the sword.

[You’ve slain a Condemned Capricorn: Memory of the Lesser Smiling Husk.]