The First Men Chronicles

Chapter 45 Title: The Sentinel's Might

The cold Russian air crackled with tension as Gansu's hands dripped with an eerie, toxic green liquid. Each drop that touched the ground hissed violently, corroding the frozen terrain into decayed fragments of blackened dust.

Draven watched silently as Gansu lunged forward, his body blurring into motion. His right fist swung with deadly precision, but Boris tilted his head ever so slightly, dodging it with effortless grace. Gansu pivoted, his left hand snapping forward in a brutal follow-up strike, but once again, Boris leaned back just enough to evade it.

He's fast… too fast.

Gansu leaped back, his breathing steady but eyes sharp. He had seen how Boris avoided physical attacks, but he had also noticed something else—Boris was being careful.

His gaze flickered downward, where his poison had splattered across the ground. Instant decay,A small smirk crept across Gansu's face.

"Tch… You don't want me to touch you , do you?"

Boris' eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted his stance, his body relaxed yet unreadable.

"Da. I rather like my skin intact."

Gansu didn't hesitate. He lunged again, this time closing the distance at an inhuman speed, his fists flickering like shadows,But just as he reached Boris—

The Russian raised a single hand.

WHOOSH.

The air warped. A compressed sphere of wind formed between Boris' fingers, a near-invisible mass of dense pressure.

Then—

BANG!

The sphere launched forward like a bullet. Gansu barely had time to react before the wind collided with his shoulder, detonating into a swirling vortex.

"Tch—!"

The moment it struck, the vortex expanded violently, dragging him into its eye,The air twisted and spun, becoming a storm of cutting blades. Each gust within the vortex shredded through Gansu's flesh like razors. His screams were drowned by the violent howling of the storm, blood splattering in spirals as the vortex turned from white to deep crimson.

Then—

THUD.

His body slammed into the ground, motionless,Boris, still standing tall, exhaled as the last of the wind settled around him.

"Wind Release: Razored Vortex."

Draven's eyes studied him carefully,Wind… and he's strong enough to shape it into pure destruction,His gaze flickered toward Gansu's broken figure.

Then—

Gansu moved,Blood dripping from deep cuts across his body, he pressed a shaking hand against the frozen earth. His fingers twitched, and a low whisper escaped his lips.

"Poison Art: Release."

BOOM.

A black liquid erupted from Gansu's palms, expanding like ink spreading through. The ground itself hissed and crumbled, turning into withering dust,The corruption raced outward in all directions, consuming everything in its path—a creeping death, unstoppable and insatiable.

Boris' eyes widened slightly.

"A dangerous one, indeed."

His body shifted. A deep breath, and then—

WHOOSH.

His stomach swelled unnaturally.Then—

"Water Release: Ocean's Maw."

A torrential wave of water exploded from Boris' mouth, surging forward with monstrous force. The liquid crashed down upon the spreading poison, overwhelming and drowning it completely. The ink fizzled and dissolved, overpowered by the sheer mass of water.

Draven watched with narrowed eyes.

"Two affinities now—Wind and Water," Draven said as he studied him.Huey's clone, standing beside him, spoke in a flat tone.

"Most SS-Rank hunters have at least three affinities or more. Be careful."

Draven exhaled slowly, Then—Kenzy moved,A sudden blur.

His feet barely touched the icy ground as he rushed forward, a streak of speed cutting through the battlefield.

His right arm morphed, splitting into multiple, grotesque snake-like tendrils, each one writhing with unnatural hunger,The snakes shot forward, hissing as they lashed toward Boris from all directions.

Boris, calm as ever, danced between them, his movements effortless, fluid. Each tendril missed him by mere inches, striking only air.

Then—

A single strike got through, a snake's fangs lunged straight for Boris' throat,His right hand flashed,His fingers clamped around the serpent's head, stopping it instantly.

Then—

WHAM.

With inhuman strength, Boris yanked Kenzy toward him,Kenzy's eyes widened in shock,The moment he was close enough—

BAM.

Boris' fist connected with Kenzy's gut, A brutal impact.

Kenzy's body folded inward from the sheer force. His eyes bulged. Blood erupted from his mouth.

The force blasted him backward, his form crashing into Gansu, sending them both hurtling into the side of a massive steel building.

BOOOOOOM.

Dust and chunks of debris exploded outward as their bodies smashed into the frozen metal.

Then—silence.

Draven didn't move, His All-Creation Eyes flickered to life,He could already read Boris' movements,His fingers curled around the hilt of his sword,He twirled it effortlessly between his fingers,Then—he stepped forward,Boris watched him carefully.Then, with a smirk, he muttered—

"So, it's those same power again, huh?"

The battle was about to start.