Hope took a deep, measured breath.
His body ached from the brutal assault.
His ribs throbbed with every inhale, his shoulder was numb, and his chest wound stung with every movement.
But for the first time since the fight began—
He had an advantage.
The darkness cloaked him, swallowing him whole.
And the Ant Fiend—for all its brute strength—was blind in it.
The massive creature twisted its head left and right, mandibles clicking in frustration, its body tense as it tried to pinpoint his location.
Then, with an ear-splitting screech, it lashed out wildly—
Its razor-sharp legs sliced through empty air, missing Hope entirely.
Good.
It was panicked.
Hope smirked.
"I can use this."
He didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he moved carefully, weaving through the shadows.
Silent.
Unseen.
The Ant Fiend continued to lash out, stabbing at the darkness, its frustration mounting.
Hope used that.
He circled it, taking note of its movements—the way it relied on quick bursts of speed, the way it instinctively reared back after every wild swing.
A pattern.
And once he saw it, a plan began forming in his head.
His gaze flickered to the terrain around him—
The rocky walls of the cave. The uneven ground.
Then, he noticed something—
A large jagged boulder, half-buried in the dirt just a few meters behind the fiend.
It looked unstable, its base eroded.
And if he could make the fiend charge into it at full speed...
His best shot at turning this fight around.
Hope took a deep, steadying breath.
Then, he moved.
Step one: Get its attention.
With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward from the darkness.
The Ant Fiend had no time to react.
His dagger slashed in a precise arc—
CRACK!
The blade pierced into the creature's side, slipping between the plates of its exoskeleton.
A spray of dark green fluid erupted from the wound as the fiend stumbled back, screeching in pain.
Hope grinned.
Step two: Make it mad.
The Ant Fiend's eyes locked onto him, its body trembling with rage.
It screeched, mandibles snapping as it charged with reckless abandon—
Exactly what Hope wanted.
He turned and ran.
Not away.
But toward the boulder.
His heart pounded as the thundering footsteps of the fiend grew closer, its massive frame barreling toward him.
At the very last second—
Hope dissolved into darkness again.
The Trap is Sprung
The Ant Fiend never saw it coming.
One moment, its prey was right there.
The next—
Gone.
And by the time it realized, it was too late.
The massive creature slammed into the boulder at full speed.
A sickening CRUNCH echoed through the cave.
The jagged rock cracked and buckled under the impact—
Then, with a deafening rumble, it collapsed.
Chunks of stone rained down, smashing into the Ant Fiend's armored body.
The creature let out a piercing screech, its legs thrashing, trapped beneath the debris.
Hope reappeared, standing a safe distance away, panting.
His plan had worked.
The Ant Fiend was pinned, wounded, vulnerable.
And now—
It was time to finish the fight.