Chương 355: instinct born of Death

Vale and Eskar stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes fixed on the insectoid creature before them. Its serrated mandibles clicked together in rapid succession while its translucent wings twitched with restless anticipation. For several long seconds, it simply watched them, its countless eyes darting between the two opponents as though trying to understand the sudden shift on the battlefield.

Whatever primitive instinct drove the creature clearly recognized danger, yet it lacked the intelligence to formulate a strategy the way a human warrior would. Vale narrowed his ivory eyes. Countless questions were burning inside him, questions about Eskar's injuries, his missing eye, the arm he had lost, and the strange molten blood coursing through his veins, but none of them mattered right now. If they failed here, there would never be an opportunity to ask them.

Keeping his voice low, he spoke without taking his eyes off the creature.

"Hey... that carapace looks incredibly dense. I bet heat travels through it pretty well, don't you think?" Eskar glanced sideways with his remaining blue eye before returning his attention to the insect. A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You realize this thing is stronger than the Tyrant we fought back then, right?"

"Yep."

"And you think we can actually beat it," Eskar continued, lifting his blade as lazy crimson flames curled around its edge, "... without Shade doing most of the work this time?" Vale's grin only widened.

"Yep." A chuckle escaped Eskar.

"It seems we're thinking the same thing." Together, they advanced. Neither of them rushed. Against an opponent whose greatest advantage was overwhelming speed, impatience was simply another way to die.

"You take the right," Vale muttered.

"I'll-""No." Eskar cut him off immediately.

"Against something this fast, splitting up is suicide. Stay close." Vale sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Ruining my brilliant strategy already." Before either of them could say another word, the forest exploded into motion. The insect vanished. One instant, it stood before them. The next, it materialized beside Vale. Instinct reacted before conscious thought ever could. Vale dropped backward, planting one hand against the earth while both legs snapped upward, locking tightly around one of the creature's bladed arms.

"Got you!" The monster halted for only the briefest fraction of a second. Eskar's sword carved through the air, unleashing a roaring torrent of crimson fire that engulfed the space where the insect had stood. The creature reacted with terrifying speed. Twisting free of Vale's grip, it kicked off his chest and disappeared backward just before the inferno swallowed it. Flames surged through the surrounding trees, igniting branches before dying away almost immediately beneath Eskar's precise control.

Vale landed lightly before immediately repositioning himself beside his friend. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"So it's relying entirely on speed now." Eskar offered no reply. His gaze remained fixed on the canopy above. Silence settled over the forest. Not even the insects dared make a sound. Then, Danger. The creature burst from the trees above, diving straight toward Eskar with both bladed forearms already descending.

"Eskar!" Vale stepped across him without hesitation. Steel collided against chitin. A shower of sparks erupted as Vale intercepted the strike only inches from Eskar's neck.

"Wake up!" The insect instantly lifted its second blade to finish the attack. An ocean of fire answered. Crimson flames erupted behind Vale, swallowing everything in their path. Once again, the creature escaped by the narrowest margin, retreating into the trees before the inferno could close around it. Vale spun toward Eskar, brushing soot from one shoulder.

"Seriously? Watch where you're aiming. I thought I was about to get roasted." A smug smile crossed Eskar's face.

"My flames only burn what I decide they burn." Vale blinked.

"Is that new?!" His expression quickly hardened again as he scanned the forest around them.

"Doesn't really matter if we can't pin this thing down. One clean hit is all we need, but actually landing it is becoming a nightmare." Eskar nodded.

"You still narrate every plan out loud."

"It's called teamwork."

"It's also dangerous." Vale shrugged. His eyes drifted toward the fallen forest drake.

"It's still alive..."

"It isn't moving because of the poison," Eskar explained.

"The drake's body resists it, but enough wounds eventually overwhelm even that resistance." His gaze dropped briefly toward his own ruined body.

"The same thing happened to me." Vale stared.

"You could've mentioned the poison earlier." Eskar scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I've been alone for almost four months." A quiet laugh escaped him.

"I guess I forgot." The irritation faded from Vale's expression.

"Yeah. That must've been rough." For a brief moment, understanding passed silently between them. Then murderous intent flooded the forest.

"There!" Vale reacted instantly. The insect descended from the canopy with impossible speed. Steel rang across the clearing as Vale deflected the first strike, the sheer force sending the creature spinning sideways. He didn't allow it a chance to recover. Dropping his sword entirely, Vale lunged forward and seized one of its powerful legs with both hands. With a roar, he slammed the monster into the ground hard enough to shatter the earth beneath it.

His metallic arm clamped around one bladed limb as muscles tightened and metal groaned beneath the strain. Then, Rip. The entire arm tore free in a spray of thick emerald blood.

"You like that?!" The insect answered with a shriek unlike anything human, a metallic scream that scraped against the ears. Green blood splashed across Vale's face as the creature lashed out wildly, one enormous kick finally forcing him backward. Its wings beat furiously. It launched skyward. Then dove. Its remaining blade shot toward Vale's chest like a living spear. Time slowed.

'It's going to stab me.' His thoughts accelerated far beyond the flow of reality.

'If I dodge... it'll escape again.'

'If it escapes... we may never get another opening.'

'It lost a leg and only became faster.'

'What if losing another arm does the same?' Then the hunger returned. That unbearable craving. The same instinct was born during his first Trial. The same monstrous desire that had haunted him ever since Kealix. He wanted to consume it. To absorb it. To understand it completely. Its movements. Its instincts. It's brutality. To make those strengths his own before crushing the creature with them. A twisted smile spread slowly across his face. He didn't dodge. He didn't even try to block. Instead...

He stepped forward. The bladed limb punched straight through his lower abdomen, entering one side of his body and bursting from the other in an explosion of crimson blood. Pain should have followed. It didn't. Vale barely acknowledged the wound. His metallic hand snapped shut around the creature's arm like an iron vice. The insect struggled violently. It couldn't escape. For the first time since the battle began, uncertainty entered its countless eyes. It couldn't sense anything. No fear. No anger.

No killing intent. The being standing before it felt... Empty. Yet every instinct it possessed screamed the same warning. Run. Vale's sword flashed downward. The remaining arm separated cleanly from the creature's body. The insect froze, not because of the injury, but because, for the first time in its existence, it understood fear. A roaring inferno consumed the crippled creature from every direction. This time, there was no escape.

Its shell blackened, its wings curled inward, and its countless eyes slowly dimmed beneath the relentless blaze. Curiously... It never screamed. Not once. It died in complete silence. Eskar exhaled slowly, relief washing over his exhausted face as he looked toward the gaping wound in Vale's abdomen. Vale, however, never looked away from the charred remains of the insect. His expression had become strangely vacant, almost detached, as though something deep inside him still lingered elsewhere.

Then the poison finally spread through his bloodstream. His vision blurred. His knees gave way. He managed one unsteady step before the world tilted beneath him. Darkness swallowed everything, and Vale collapsed into unconsciousness.