Chương 375: Bloodlust of a Dead Man

The beast's remaining eye widened. The creature hesitated. It stared at Vale, not because of the damage he had endured or the strength he had displayed, but because of the expression on his face. The human trapped within its jaws, his body broken and moments away from death, was smiling. Not the desperate expression of prey clinging to life. Not the fear of a creature that had accepted its inevitable end. The beast could not understand it.

From the moment it entered its territory, this human had been nothing more than an unknown variable. Something unfamiliar. Something unpredictable. And anything unpredictable had to be eliminated. That instinct had guided the creature since birth, a simple law engraved into its very nature. The others were irrelevant. They were not threats. They were merely obstacles that existed within its territory. But this human was different.

At first, the beast had considered him weak, a fragile creature that relied on tricks, and intelligence rather than true power. A creature that survived through cunning instead of dominance. Yet now, as it held him completely helpless between its jaws, the beast searched for the emotions every prey carried in their final moments. Fear. Panic. Desperation. It found none. Instead, what radiated from the human was something far more disturbing: an overwhelming hunger.

A hunger to fight, to survive, and to overcome an opponent that should have already ended his life. A hunger that exceeded its own.

'Dangerous.' The realization came too late. Before the beast could react, Vale moved. His metallic arm shot upward, driving directly into the creature's skull. A violent shriek erupted from the beast as its jaws opened instinctively, throwing Vale away. But he refused to retreat. Using his ruined arm, he grabbed the inside of its mouth and forced himself closer, ignoring the unbearable agony tearing through his body.

Every movement sent waves of pain through his nerves, every breath reminded him that his body was already past its limit, but none of it mattered while this creature was still standing.

"Yeah..." Vale muttered, his voice strangely calm despite his condition.

"You really thought that was enough?" His metallic fingers dug deeper.

"You are not getting away." The beast thrashed violently, shaking its massive head in an attempt to throw him off, but Vale held on. His arm pushed further inside, searching for the one weakness that could finally end the fight.

"You tried to kill someone I love." The dangerous smile returned as his expression twisted.

"And the price for that..." His arm drove through the remains of its ruined eye.

"... is death." The beast released a deafening scream that echoed throughout the ravine.

"Prepare to die, you bastard!" But before Vale could continue, the creature reacted. With a violent movement, it threw its head sideways. Vale held on for as long as he could, his fingers scraping desperately against its flesh, but the force was overwhelming. His grip finally broke, sending him flying through the air before he crashed into the stone floor below. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The impact shook his entire body.

Something inside him felt like it had broken. His wounds, fractured bones, and the damage accumulated throughout the battle threatened to drag him into unconsciousness. Every instinct told him to stay down, to let his body finally stop fighting. But Vale slowly pushed himself upright. He ignored the pain. He ignored the exhaustion. He ignored the damage tearing his body apart. None of it mattered anymore. There were only two reasons he was still standing.

The first was the feeling burning inside his chest, the thrill of facing something stronger than himself, something capable of forcing him beyond every limit he had placed upon himself. The second mattered far more. Nym. He had already lost Illu. He refused to lose someone else. His body trembled as he rose, anger and determination replacing the weakness trying to consume him.

"I won't allow it." The words left his mouth quietly at first, almost like a promise. Then the emotion behind them erupted.

"I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Vale grabbed one of his onyx blades and launched himself forward. The beast panicked. Its vision was gone. Hearing was now its only guide, and every sound became a possible attack. Every shift of air, every movement of stone, every vibration through the ground could be the beginning of another strike. Its claws slammed into the ravine floor repeatedly, striking wherever it sensed movement and sending cracks through the stone beneath it. Yet Vale moved through the chaos.

He slipped between each strike with precision, moving less like a wounded human and more like a predator hunting its prey. The beast adapted again, thickening its hide and reinforcing its bones as it abandoned speed completely and focused everything on defense. But Vale continued forward.

'It doesn't matter.' His grip tightened around his blade.

'Your outside can adapt all you want.' His eyes narrowed.

'Your insides will still break.' Something buried deep within him began to awaken. The bloodlust. The hunger for battle. And then it manifested. Vale's pale eyes shifted into a cold, icy blue. His teeth sharpened into small fangs, while his black hair grew longer, falling around his face like a mane. The arm that should have been useless began repairing itself, bones rebuilding and nerves reconnecting despite the unbearable pain of the process. Yet Vale barely reacted. Because he was no longer entirely human.

Somewhere deep within himself, something had answered. Mirage. His essence. His wolf. The power he had always believed was beyond his reach. Somehow, he had forced it into reality. He had merged with it. And now he existed somewhere between man and beast. Something entirely different. The beast attacked. Its claw descended with enough force to shatter the ground, but Vale was already moving. He stepped onto its arm and climbed higher, moving faster with every step until he reached its skull.

Grabbing one of its bone-like horns, he raised his blade. Then he struck. Again and again. Each blow carried more force than the last, tearing through the defenses the creature had spent the entire battle creating. The hardened scales, the reinforced bones, and every adaptation that had kept it alive began to fail beneath his assault. A wicked laugh escaped Vale as his blade finally broke through. The beast screamed and threw itself toward the ravine wall, attempting to crush him beneath its weight.

But Vale was already moving. He twisted away at the last moment, landing beneath the falling creature. Its horn pierced through his hand as its weight crashed downward, yet Vale only laughed. The pain proved he was still alive. With his newly awakened strength, he grabbed the creature and forced himself upward. Then he threw it. The massive beast was launched backward, crashing into the stone wall hard enough to shake the entire ravine. The creature was afraid. Vale slowly approached.

His breathing was heavy, his long black hair hiding most of his face, but his gaze remained locked onto the dying predator before him. The creature that had tried to kill Nym.

"I'll kill you." He took another step.

"I'll kill you."

"I'll kill you." But his body was reaching its limit. Mirage could no longer keep up with the damage, and every step became harder than the last. Still, Vale continued until he stood above the defeated predator. For a moment, the rage faded. The beast within him became silent. Vale looked down at his opponent.

"You fought well." He lowered his blade.

"Rest easy now." Then he struck. The blade pierced through its chest and into its heart. The category five beast died. Vale and Nym had survived. They had won. Slowly, Mirage began to disappear. His fangs faded, his hair returned to normal, and his icy eyes regained their original color. But as the transformation vanished, so did the power holding his broken body together. All the damage returned at once. His legs nearly collapsed beneath him as every injury screamed for attention.

The pain he had ignored rushed back like a tidal wave, forcing his body to finally acknowledge what it had endured. He stumbled down the creature's corpse, barely remaining conscious. Then Nym reached him. She caught him before he hit the ground, her entire body trembling as she held him upright.

"Vale!" Her voice was filled with panic.

"Are you alright?!" Vale looked at her. Despite everything, despite the pain consuming him, he managed a small smile. Then he coughed. Blood spilled from his mouth.

"I'll..." he whispered, struggling to breathe.

"... manage."