Alpha Instinct

Leonard wanted answers, badly. Pentagram? Gods? But he knew better than to expect anything coherent from a Leirion, even one capable of speech. Fleshripper might possess a cunning intelligence, but it was still a creature of rage and instinct, incapable of nuanced explanation.

"Enough bullshit," Leonard spat, his voice cold, focusing entirely on the hulking form before him. "You die in Liam's name, Fleshripper."

Fleshripper threw its head back and laughed, a grating, hideous sound. "Haha! Pentagram... weak... now!" The hoarse, gravelly voice reverberated with terrifying intensity.

Without warning, Leonard exploded into motion. Battle Aura flared, blue energy crackling around him. He shot forward; Smiling and Absolution aimed in a powerful, crossing slash.

But Fleshripper, despite its injuries and Battle Rage, was ready. With surprising speed for its size, it brought its massive axe up one-handed, deflecting Leonard's twin blades with a deafening CLANG! The force of the impact sent a shockwave ripping through the air, staggering Leonard momentarily and kicking up dirt and debris.

Fleshripper roared, pressing its advantage, swinging the axe in a brutal downward chop aimed at splitting Leonard in two. The sheer force displaced the air, creating a vacuum that pulled at Leonard's clothes. Leonard activated Ghost Steps, vanishing an instant before the axe slammed into the earth, shattering the ground and sending rocks flying. A sonic BOOM echoed from the impact.

Reappearing behind the Gnoll, Leonard unleashed Ethereal Blades. His swords hummed, crackling with blue energy. He moved like lightning, a series of blindingly fast slashes targeting the back of Fleshripper's legs and its remaining arm. Sparks flew as the electrified blades bit into tough hide and strained muscle.

Fleshripper bellowed in pain and fury, spinning around with astonishing agility. It ignored the cuts, lashing out with its clawed feet and its mangled left arm stump. Leonard danced back, dodging the clumsy but powerful blows, the wind whistling past him.

Seeing Fleshripper off-balance, Leonard used Dimensional Step. His form shimmered, leaving a faint afterimage hanging in the air as he instantly repositioned himself to the Gnoll's blind side.

Fleshripper, its rudimentary intelligence tricked, swung its axe wildly at the afterimage.

Now! Leonard lunged, pouring energy into his swords. He executed a focused Elemental Sword Dance strike, aiming for the deep wound on Fleshripper's shoulder where Kaleb's fire had hit.

The blades bit deep, shearing through muscle. A sickening crunch echoed as they likely hit bone. The ground beneath Fleshripper cracked under the force of the blow.

The elite gnoll screamed, an unholy sound of pure agony. It stumbled back, clutching its shoulder, its red eyes blazing with unrestrained hatred.

Ignoring the grievous wound, fueled purely by Battle Rage, it raised its axe high for a final, desperate overhead swing, putting all its remaining strength into one devastating attack. The air itself seemed to compress around the descending weapon, whistling with deadly intent.

Leonard knew he couldn't block or parry that. Instead, he channeled his Battle Aura and leapt. High into the air, directly towards the descending axe. Mid-air, he twisted his body laterally, a blur of motion. "Electric B-Twist!"

He spun above the deadly arc of the axe. As he twisted, Smiling and Absolution erupted with crackling blue energy, transforming into whips of pure lightning. He lashed out downwards as the axe passed beneath him, the electric whips striking Fleshripper across the back and shoulders.

CRACK-ZZZZT!

The sound of searing flesh and overloading energy filled the air. Fleshripper roared again, stumbling forward not just from the pain but from the sheer electrical shock disrupting its muscles.

The ground cracked where the whips struck, leaving smoking gouges. Leonard landed gracefully a few meters away, his swords returning to their normal state, breathing heavily. The air smelled sharply of ozone.

Fleshripper staggered, smoke rising from the sizzling wounds left by the electric whips. Its breathing was ragged, its remaining hand clutching the haft of its axe tightly, using it almost like a crutch. But it refused to fall. It glared at Leonard, pure, undiluted hatred burning in its red eyes.

Leonard leaned heavily on his swords, gasping for air. The Electric B-Twist, especially after the energy spent deflecting the axe, had drained him. His muscles screamed, his lungs burned. He watched Fleshripper, waiting for the beast to finally collapse, trying to catch his breath before the inevitable next move.

But the collapse never came. Instead, with a speed that utterly belied its grievous injuries, Fleshripper moved. It lunged forward, abandoning the axe, its movement a deceptive shamble that exploded into a terrifyingly swift grab.

One moment it was stumbling, seemingly still reeling from the electric shock; the next, its massive, clawed hand shot out.

Leonard, his Temporal Cognition deactivated in the brief moment he thought the fight was over, saw the movement too late. He had no time to react, no time to dodge.

The huge, calloused fingers clamped around his throat, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The world spun. Leonard clawed uselessly at the thick, hairy wrist, his feet dangling inches above the mud.

Fleshripper brought Leonard sickeningly close to its face. The stench hit him first—rot, burnt flesh, stale blood, and something indescribably foul emanating from the Gnoll's maw.

He could see every horrific detail: the charred, peeling skin around its snout, the yellowed, broken fangs, the stringy saliva dripping from its jaw. But worst of all were the eyes—burning with malevolent intelligence, staring directly into Leonard's own, challenging him, mocking him.

The grip tightened, cutting off his air supply, but it wasn't the killing crush he expected. Not yet. Fleshripper was savoring this.

"I... told... you..." the Gnoll rasped, its voice like grinding rocks, "...weak…"

The grip tightened slowly, inexorably. A sickening sound, like tendons straining against bone, echoed faintly. Leonard's face flushed crimson, then deepened to a sickening purple. His eyes bulged, desperate hands still clawing uselessly at the massive wrist cutting off his air. Black spots danced before his vision as his lungs screamed for air that wouldn't come.

Leo looked at Kaleb who was still knocked out "Shit I'm fucked…" was the only thing Leonard could think.