The beastmen move.
Not one at a time.
All at once.
A unified surge.
They rush forward with intent—no hesitation, no fear. They do not test me. They do not circle.
They come to tear me apart.
Behind me, Ignis watches.
Her instincts scream at her.
This is wrong…
There are too many.
Far more than expected.
This isn't a scouting party.
It's a war band.
I should leave, she thinks. Warn the village. Prepare defenses—
But she doesn't move.
She can't.
My presence holds her in place.
The weight of it. The pressure. The bloodlust bleeding into the air like heat from a flame.
If they could feel this… her thoughts tighten, they would run.
I stand still.
Waiting.
Grinning.
The first reaches me, its blade coming down with force.
I block.
The impact is heavier than expected.
It drives me back—
They are strong.
Stronger than humans.
But I do not fall.
Another strikes from the side.
I catch it.
Steel meets steel.
I refuse to give ground again.
I shift—
prepare to counter—
An arrow.
Behind me.
I feel it before I hear it.
I turn, splitting it cleanly in two.
Without pause, I move—dashing into a small clearing, forcing space between myself and the horde.
They follow.
Of course they do.
Behind me, Ignis watches.
He's being overwhelmed…
Her jaw tightens.
No one could handle this.
For a moment, she convinces herself.
I close my eyes.
Raise one hand.
And the world answers.
Blades form in the air around me.
Dark.
Weightless.
Waiting.
Then—
they fall.
They shoot forward in unison, piercing through flesh, tearing into the charging beastmen. Several drop instantly, impaled before they can even react.
Ignis stares.
Shock overtakes her composure.
What… was that?
She's studied magic her entire life.
She has never seen anything like it.
I grin.
Then I laugh.
Low at first.
Then louder.
Unrestrained.
I charge.
Back into them.
Something has shifted.
My movements sharpen. My speed increases. My blade finds flesh with every swing.
I do not stop.
I do not think.
I move through them like something unbound.
Each strike feeds the next.
Each drop of blood pulls me deeper.
This—
this is where I belong.
The beastmen feel it.
They sense the change.
Their howls shift.
No longer just rage—
but warning.
Calling.
Summoning.
An answer comes.
Something larger.
A towering beastman crashes through the trees, forcing its way forward. It moves with purpose, pushing past the others, its eyes locked on me.
Fast.
Faster than the rest.
Faster than I am now.
But I do not notice.
Not yet.
I am still lost in the slaughter.
It closes the distance in an instant.
Strikes—
From behind.
The impact is violent.
I am thrown forward, my body slamming into a tree. The wood cracks on impact as I fall, slumping to the ground.
Still.
The beastmen shift.
Their attention turns.
Away from me.
Toward Ignis.
She freezes.
For a fraction of a second.
Then moves—reaching into her pouch, ready to cast a spell or escape
But stops.
They stop.
Everything stops.
A sound cuts through the forest.
Laughter.
Mine.
Low.
Broken.
Then rising.
Louder.
Uncontrolled.
Ignis' breath catches.
The beastmen hesitate.
All eyes turn back to me.
I begin to stand.
Slowly.
The towering beastman moves again, charging with speed that even Ignis struggles to follow.
It swings.
I raise my blade.
And block.
Effortlessly.
Ignis stares.
He… saw that?
No… he read it.
Something is different.
Again.
Before the beastman can react—
I vanish.
To Ignis, I simply disappear.
Then reappear behind it.
A single slash.
Clean.
Its head separates from its body.
Blood sprays across my face.
My grin widens.
The body falls.
But I don't stop.
I stab it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
As if unsatisfied.
As if disappointed.
The others howl.
Rage.
Fear.
Confusion.
They rush me again.
I barely acknowledge them.
Their attacks come—
Too slow.
Not because they are weak.
But because I am faster now.
Far faster.
I move through them, cutting, tearing, carving through flesh as if they were nothing.
Blood coats me.
War surrounds me.
And I welcome it.
Ignis watches.
Frozen.
This is no longer a battle.
It is slaughter.
Her stomach tightens.
What have we released back into this world…
Her eyes remain fixed on me.
On the way I move.
On the way I smile.
There is no hesitation.
No restraint.
Only satisfaction.
What is he…
What kind of creature is he truly…
The last beastman falls.
Silence returns.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
I stand in the center of it.
Covered in blood.
Breathing steady.
Eyes empty.
Then I move.
Toward her.
Slowly.
Each step deliberate.
Ignis freezes.
Her body refuses to respond.
Fear locks her in place.
As I approach—
closer—
closer—
Then—
I pass her.
Without a glance.
"Let's return," I say.
My voice is calm.
As if nothing had happened.
And just like that—
it's over.