Ash pushed himself up.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
His arm trembled.
Something felt wrong.
Heavy.
Cold.
"…Tch."
His fingers twitched.
Ravok stepped beside him.
Watching carefully.
Then—
"Dig."
Yes, participant Ravok.
"How long does he have?"
A brief pause.
Then—
The answer came.
Calm.
Unfeeling.
Precise.
He will begin experiencing numbness.
In fifteen minutes, motor control will be severely impaired.
In thirty minutes…
A slight pause.
He will die.
Silence.
Heavy.
Cold.
Ash let out a slow breath.
"…So how long do I have?"
Ravok answered.
"Thirty minutes until you die."
A faint smirk.
"…That's not ideal."
Ravok's expression hardened.
No hesitation.
No panic.
Just decision.
"…Then we finish this fast."
He looked toward the battlefield.
Eyes sharpening.
"Stay behind me."
Ash stood beside him.
"Nah..."
"...I've got a couple of minutes left. Let's make them count."
Ravok smirked
His eyes scanned the battlefield.
Bodies.
Five already down.
More incoming.
"…We took down five."
His voice was steady.
"They have ten left here."
A pause.
"…Then we just need to beat the remaining ten."
Ash exhaled slowly.
"…You make it sound easy."
A faint grin.
Ravok didn't look at him.
"…It doesn't have to be."
A beat.
"…Just don't die."
Ash smirked faintly.
"…Same to you."
Then—
They moved.
The blue team rushed in.
A wave.
Ash took the air—
Wings cutting through the cold—
WHOOSH.
He dropped down—
CRASH.
A kick sent one sliding across the snow—
SLASH.
His claws tore across another—
But—
Too many.
From behind—
CRACK.
the Seagull.
kicked him downward.
On the ground—
Ravok was already in the middle of them.
BOOM.
A body hit the ground.
CRACK.
Another folded under his strike.
He didn't stop.
Didn't slow down.
Claws and fists came from every direction—raw force driving them forward.
Brutal.
Relentless.
But the numbers—
Started to matter.
One step forward—
Then pushed back.
Another attack—
Blocked—
Countered—
Ash moved again—
**Shadow Step**—
But slower.
Just slightly.
"…Tch—"
His vision blurred for a second.
Too long.
A hit landed.
CRASH.
Claws followed.
SLASH.
He slammed into the snow.
Blood spattered.
Ravok turned—
Only to take a strike to the side—
Then another—
Then another—
Even he—
Was starting to get pushed back.
The circle tightened.
Closer to the flag.
Step by step—
They lost ground.
Ash pushed himself up again.
His arm barely responding now.
"…Damn…"
The poison spread faster.
Too much movement.
Too much strain.
Ravok exhaled heavily.
For the first time—
He slowed.
"…Stay up."
Ash laughed weakly.
"…Working on it."
Then—
Another hit.
This time—
They couldn't hold it.
CRASH.
Ash dropped.
Ravok followed—
Forced to one knee—
Right beside the flag.
Breathing heavily.
No stamina left.
Surrounded.
The blue team closed in.
They were losing.
Ash forced himself up.
Breathing rough.
Vision blurring slightly.
He glanced at Ravok.
Standing up.
Still fighting.
But slower now.
"…You're slowing down."
Ravok exhaled heavily.
"…Hard to fight…"
A brief pause.
"…while covering your blind spots."
Ash smirked faintly.
Even now.
Even poisoned.
"…I thought you were a guardian."
Silence.
Then—
Ravok laughed.
Low.
Short.
"…You're right."
He straightened.
Standing fully now.
"…Leave the rest to me."
Ash frowned slightly.
"…What?"
Then—
Ravok inhaled deeply.
Chest expanding.
Muscles tightening.
The sleeves of his hoodie broke.
Ash looked at his forearm.
At the mark.
"A three-headed dog… Cerberus…"
Then—
Ravok whispered.
**…Cerberus Awakening**
His body twisted.
Violently.
CRACK—
Bones shifted beneath his skin.
Muscles bulged outward—
Skin turning into dark fur.
Expanding.
Growing thicker.
Veins surfaced across his arms and neck.
His breathing deepened—
Turning heavier.
Animalistic.
Then—
His shoulders swelled.
Skin stretching unnaturally tight.
Until—
RIP—
Two massive shapes burst outward from his shoulders.
Flesh tearing.
Bone forcing its way through.
Two monstrous heads emerged—
One from each shoulder.
Snarling.
Drooling.
The Blue Team participants froze in shock.
"…What the hell…?" one of them screamed.
Ash stared at Ravok in disbelief.
Teeth lengthening into jagged fangs.
All three heads growled at once—
Low.
Savage.
His spine arched backward.
Claws forced their way from his fingers—
Sharp.
Black.
Curved like daggers.
His legs thickened—
Muscles stacking on top of muscle.
His entire frame growing larger.
Wider.
Heavier.
A hybrid Cerberus stood where Ravok once had.
Then—
**Hellish Roar**
ROARRRRRR!
A sound unlike anything Ash had ever heard before.
Deep.
Violent.
Ancient.
The snow trembled beneath them.
Air shaking.
Pressure spreading outward.
The attackers froze.
For a split second—
Their eyes locked onto Ravok.
Only Ravok.
Then—
Something changed.
Their expressions twisted.
Anger.
Pure rage.
They had been taunted.
They rushed him.
Not the flag.
Not Ash.
Only him.
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
"…They're coming after you!"
Ravok grinned.
Wild.
Unbothered.
"…That's the point."
Then—
He turned.
And jumped down the mountain.
Ash watched him disappear into the snow below.
Alone.
The attackers followed.
Every single one.
Like wolves chasing prey.
Ash remained.
Alone.
Beside the flag.
Breathing heavy.
Ash tried to stand.
Nothing happened.
His legs didn't respond.
Not even a twitch.
"…Tch…"
His fingers pressed into the snow.
Weak.
Unstable.
Then—
He heard it.
Distant.
Fighting.
Roaring.
Snow shifting.
Ravok.
Still fighting.
Still holding them.
Alone.
Ash's jaw tightened.
"What am I doing?"
His claws dug into the frozen ground.
"Someone is risking their life…"
"…and I'm just lying here?"
His teeth clenched.
Hard.
"…No."
That's not me.
He forced himself forward.
Dragging his body.
Slow.
Painful.
One inch.
Then another.
His chin scraped across the frozen snow.
Skin tearing slightly.
But he didn't stop.
Again.
And again.
Until—
Footsteps.
Ash froze.
Breathing shallow.
"…Ravok?"
No answer.
Six figures appeared through the snow.
Not Ravok.
Enemies.
Ash's eyes widened.
"Six of them came back…"
"He took on ten… by himself…"
"…and beat four of them."
Ash swallowed.
And I couldn't even move.
The attackers stepped closer.
Slow.
Confident.
One of them raised his weapon.
"…I'm pathetic."
Ash tried to lift himself.
Failed.
Tried again.
Failed.
Then—
A voice echoed behind them.
"…Still alive?"
The attackers froze.
It was Leonis.
The Lion vessel.
He stood there.
Snow falling around him.
A flag in his hand.
Behind him—
More red team members.
"…Didn't think you'd last this long."
"...Nicely done."
Then—
CLANG.
The bell rang.
The guard announced.
"Red Team Victory."
Silence.
Ash collapsed into the snow.
Darkness swallowed him.
But the Red Team's flag…
Was still standing.
Without a single scratch.
© 2025 Moku. All rights reserved. The Tower of the Animal Kingdom is an original work by Moku. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.