Victor turned back to face the monster. Freed from the continuous attack of the heroes and villains, the Ape monster roared its fury and was swinging its massively powerful arms, hitting everything within reach. It had already caused an impressive amount of damage within a short amount of time and it was clear the heroes and villains fighting it were outmatched.

However, they did provide Victor with good distraction. Victor called up the Qi within his core and used Bear Charge to cover the ten metres between him and the monster. He instantly appeared behind the monster and punched as hard as he could to its body. The Ape monster had sensed Victor at the last moment, but it was too late enough to avoid the punch.

The punch that could go through a normal human, lifted the Ape monster off the ground and forced it to take a few steps back. Victor was a little disappointed at the damage, but at least he now had the monster’s attention.

Angered by the punch, the Ape monster roared and swung at Victor, trying to hit him with a backhand. Victor ducked beneath the massive arm, stepped in, and activated Flurry of Punches. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty punches hit the Ape monster within a few seconds and for a moment, Victor thought he was winning. Then, the monster raised both arms into the air and smashed them down on the villain. Victor raised his arms to defend, but the force of the attack forced him to one knee. It became a test of strength. One the Ape monster was winning as it tried to overpower Victor. The test of strength was broken when the monster cried out in pain! Victor quickly rolled away as the Ape monster turned to face a new opponent.

It was the Old Man of Pui.

The Ape roared and leaped at the old mystic warrior. Instead of retreating, the old man charged at the monster and went for one of its legs. His rapier slashed against the monster’s legs and a cut appeared as the Old Man ran past the Ape Monster in a blur.

The Ape monster bleed red.

The Old Man did not stop and ran in a circle to flank the monster. The Ape monster tracked the old mystic, but the old man was too fast. Seeing a chance, the old man leapt, and his blade slashed at the other leg of the monster. The wound was deep enough to force the Ape monster back, but the monster did not want to retreat. Instead, it tried to attack the old man. The Old Man of Pui skipped back, beyond the range of the monster and Victor could swore that he was smiling.

The Old Man of Pui, the genius cultivator of Nexus, was having fun.

Victor took the chance to glance away and saw seven figures standing in the gap at the wall. Mister Black was one of the seven, and the others were people from the command tent. Victor recognized The Stray among them. They were blocking the rats from swarming into the forward base while the other heroes and villains were killing the rats that were already in the base. That left him and the Old Man to deal with the Ape Monster.

Victor looked back and the monster had all its attention on the old man. Victor smiled. There was no reason for the old man to have all the fun. It was time for Victor to prove he deserved to be known as a mystic martial artist as well.

Victor positioned himself behind the monster and called upon his Qi again. Bear Charge got him behind the monster, and his punch got its attention once more. Victor knew he was not fast enough to dodge the monster but with Bark Armour and Iron Body, he was confident in his defence. The Ape monster turned to attack Victor who blocked with his arms. Victor gritted his teeth at the force of the attack, but he held his ground. More importantly, the monster’s attack had opened it to the Old Man, and the mystic did not need another invitation. The Old Man leapt, and a big wound appeared across the monster’s back.

The monster immediately understood what the two mystic warriors were trying to do and stepped back to keep them both in its view, but the two mystics moved with it, and between the two of them, Victor and the Old Man of Pui managed to keep the monster between them. They took turns to attack when the monster’s back was turned, and it was surprisingly effective. The Old Man was too quick for the Ape monster to catch with its injured legs, and Victor was tough enough to withstand its attack. The Ape Monster might be stronger than either of them but together, it was only a matter of time before the two mystics worn it down.

The Ape Monster realized this as well. It was an intelligent monster, and Victor could see the fact dawning on the monster’s face. Before he could go in for the kill, the Ape monster squatted, and leapt. In one jump, it went over the walls of Forward Base Gamma and ran into the forest. Victor blinked in surprise.

He could not believe the Ape monster just ran. Monsters don’t just-

“Master Fist!”

The shout came from the Old Man of Pui and Victor turned to see him running to support the people defending the gap in the wall. Victor cursed. The Ape monster may have ran, but the fight was not over yet.

However. Victor did not run to the wall with the Old Man. As much as he wanted to, Victor knew Mister Black would be safe there. Well, as safe as anyone could be in a combat situation.

Instead, Victor turned to the rats that were already inside the base. His men were still fighting but they were disorganized, fighting alone or in small units against the swarm of rats who were attacking without thought of their own safety. It was just fighting against a madman who did not mind dying as long as he gets to kill you. Victor knew he need to change things, or he would begin to lose people.