Kingsland Arc: Chapter 32: The Unchained Fury
The cold, arrogant voice of the unseen hunter sliced through the dungeon's gloom, chilling Ronin to the bone. "Kid. Run away if you want to see the sun again."
"Who are you?" Ronin demanded, his voice sharp, scanning the profound darkness, his blades Sei and Kuro held ready.
The voice chuckled, a dry, chilling sound that seemed to echo from multiple points at once. "We are the hunters from Squad 4: Solstice of the Astinkein, the Demon Kingdom. And you, boy, are in our way."
From the oppressive shadows, three figures emerged, their forms cloaked and radiating a subtle, malevolent power that made the air itself feel heavy.
The first, a towering, muscled figure, stepped forward. He was clad in dark, heavy plate armor that seemed to absorb the dim light, and a massive broadsword, almost as tall as Ronin, rested casually on his shoulder. His face, partially obscured by a deep hood, was etched with a cruel, confident smirk. This was Klutz, radiating raw, physical might.
"Kid," Klutz rumbled, his voice deep and dismissive, "I don't know who you are, or why you're here. But I suggest you leave. For your safety." His eyes, visible beneath the hood, were cold and devoid of warmth.
Ronin's jaw tightened, the poison in his shoulder a burning throb. He looked at the wounded Saber, at the two unconscious Shadow Wolves he had just fought. He wouldn't abandon them. "I'm not going to leave," Ronin stated, his voice flat, resolute.
Before Klutz could even react, a second figure, a blur of motion, materialized directly in front of Ronin.
This hunter was built like an athlete, slim and wiry, clad in form-fitting dark leather that seemed to enhance his impossible speed. Two gleaming shortswords flashed in his hands, their edges glinting ominously. This was Viper.
"Then die," Viper hissed, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, his face a mask of predatory focus.
Fight: Ronin vs. Viper & Klutz (Initial)
Viper attacked with blinding speed, a whirlwind of steel. His two shortswords danced, a flurry of thrusts and slashes aimed at Ronin's vital points. Ronin, still recovering from the previous fight and the poison, couldn't react fast enough. He brought Sei and Kuro up in a desperate, last-second block, the blades meeting Viper's with a jarring CLANG-CLANG! A shockwave of pure force vibrated up his arms, pushing him back, his boots scraping against the obsidian floor. The sheer speed and precision of Viper's assault were overwhelming.
Before Ronin could regain his balance, Klutz, the broadsword now a terrifying blur, joined the fray. He swung his massive blade in a wide, sweeping arc, forcing Ronin to parry with both Sei and Kuro, the impact shaking his entire body. As Ronin's blades met Klutz's broadsword, Viper, with a cruel grin, delivered a lightning-fast kick to Ronin's stomach.
Ronin grunted, the blow slamming into his abdomen. His Demonic Fortification, though active, couldn't completely negate the combined force. He stumbled back, gasping for air, overwhelmed by the relentless, coordinated assault of the two hunters.
Just then, Suddenly, a monstrous roar split the air—a guttural call that rolled through the dungeon corridors. Two massive silhouettes burst out of the shadows.
The first, Direfang Wolf, looked to have leapt from a primal nightmare; nearly five feet tall at the shoulder, its body was clad in scarred, matted dark fur and ripped hide. Twelve luminous green eyes flickered hypnotically, and its venomous jaws dripped with acid that sizzled when it struck the floor.
Beside it, the Stoneclaw Boar lumbered on thick, stony legs. Its hide was like fused black rock, split here and there by sinewy muscle. Razor-edged tusks jutted out—gleaming with oily venom. Its heavy snorts sent dust trickling from the cavern ceiling.
Two hulking figures lumbered into view from deeper within the chamber. They were monstrous, grotesque beasts with thick hides and razor claws, clearly the floor bosses of lower dungeon levels. But what truly chilled Ronin was their eyes—dull, malevolent green, identical to the controlled Shadow Wolves he had just fought, radiating an unnatural, lifeless glow. They were being controlled.
Both monsters' eyes glowed with the dull, lifeless green of utter domination: Leomord's magic held their wills in a deathlike grip.
Now Ronin was truly outnumbered and overwhelmed. Two elite hunters, two powerful, controlled monsters. His gaze flickered to the third hunter, who had stepped forward. This one was different. He was slender, almost scholarly in appearance, clad in elegant dark robes, with intelligent, piercing eyes that seemed to analyze everything. A single, ornate longsword rested in its scabbard at his hip, but his hands were empty, weaving subtle, almost imperceptible gestures. This was Leomord, the controller.
Ronin took a deep, ragged breath, the poison in his shoulder burning. He needed to analyze the situation. These hunters... their strength, their speed, their coordination... they were easily A-rank, perhaps even higher. Saber, the dragon, lay helpless, too weak to offer aid.
His mind raced, a cold, calculated decision forming. The controller. The monsters moved with unnatural precision, their eyes lifeless. If he could take out the one controlling them, the monsters would fall. And that third hunter, Leomord, was the key. He had to be their leader.
Ronin didn't use his full demonic power, not yet. He activated Demonic Fortification to its maximum, his skin taking on a deeper, more resilient obsidian sheen. He needed speed, not brute force. He focused his intent, pouring energy into his legs, preparing for a decisive strike.
Fight: Ronin vs. Leomord (Attempt)
Viper and Klutz lunged simultaneously, a coordinated attack designed to pin him. But Ronin was ready. He exploded with a burst of Shadow Gale, blurring into motion, his form flickering. He evaded Viper's twin shortswords with a hair's breadth, ducked under Klutz's sweeping broadsword, and surged past them both, a dark streak aimed directly at Leomord.
Leomord's intelligent eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of genuine shock crossing his composed face. Ronin was faster than he anticipated. But the controller was not unprepared. Just as Ronin closed the distance, Leomord's body shimmered, dissolving into a wisp of smoke.
Ronin skidded to a halt, his blades poised, his eyes wide with shock. He disappeared!
Before Ronin could even react, a sharp, searing pain exploded in his stomach. Leomord had reappeared behind him, his face a mask of cold satisfaction. A black, poisoned knife, identical to the one in Ronin's shoulder, was plunged deep into his abdomen.
"You are too slow," Leomord whispered, his voice a chilling rasp in Ronin's ear.
Ronin gasped, a choked cry escaping his lips. His Demonic Fortification flickered, unable to stop the surprise attack. The world spun, his legs buckled, and he crumpled to the cold stone floor, the poisoned knife still embedded in his stomach. The darkness threatened to consume him.
Leomord withdrew his knife, its tip dripping dark fluid. He looked down at Ronin's prone form, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "Klutz," he commanded, his voice sharp, turning to the broadsword-wielding hunter. "Eliminate the dragon. It's too dangerous to leave alive."
Klutz nodded, his face grim. He strode towards the gravely wounded Saber, his massive broadsword lifting high, catching the faint light, ready to deliver the killing blow.
The Unleashing
Just as Klutz's broadsword began its descent, and Leomord turned to address Viper, a profound, chilling pressure slammed into the chamber, radiating from Ronin's fallen form. The very air grew heavy, suffocating, crackling with raw, untamed power. The faint bioluminescent fungi on the walls flickered wildly, their light dimming, struggling against the encroaching darkness. A low, guttural growl, inhuman and primal, vibrated through the very stone, a sound that seemed to tear at the fabric of reality.
Leomord's intelligent eyes widened in sudden, stark terror. His composed facade shattered. "No! Impossible! That bloodline…! He should have died by now! The poison…!" he shrieked, his voice raw with pure, unadulterated fear. He saw the malevolent Demon Aura beginning to swirl around Ronin, a black tempest. "Klutz…!" he tried to warn.
But it was too late. Before Klutz could even twitch a muscle, before he could fully register the chilling presence, Ronin's lean body convulsed. A torrent of pure, malevolent black aura exploded outwards, consuming him, making the shadows deepen around him. His green eyes snapped open, blazing with an unnatural, terrifying crimson, devoid of reason, filled only with raw, unbridled fury. He moved.
Fight: Ronin (Berserk) vs. Hunters & Monsters
Ronin was on Klutz in an instant, a speed that defied comprehension, far beyond even his controlled Shadow Gale. There was no finesse, no blade work. Just a primal, terrifying surge of power. His bandaged hands, now encased in a shimmering, obsidian-black aura, closed around Klutz's head. With a sickening CRUNCH, a sound of bone and cartilage tearing, Ronin ripped the head clean off Klutz's body. Blood splattered across the obsidian floor, a dark, glistening pool. The headless corpse slumped to the ground, its broadsword clattering.
Viper stood frozen, his athletic frame rigid with shock, his two shortswords clattering from his numb fingers. His eyes, usually so cold, were wide with pure, unadulterated terror. He had seen power, but never this.
Ronin, a crimson-eyed demon, wasted no time. He surged towards Viper, a blur of black aura. Viper, still stunned, barely managed a choked gasp before Ronin was upon him. There was a sickening THWACK as Ronin's obsidian-hardened fist slammed into Viper's chest, crushing bone and armor. Ronin's blades, Sei and Kuro, moved with impossible speed, a single, precise, brutal slash that cut Viper down before he could even scream. The slim hunter fell, lifeless.
The two controlled monster floor bosses, their eyes still glowing with unnatural green light, roared and lunged, responding to their last, desperate command. But their movements were sluggish, uncoordinated compared to the terrifying speed of Ronin's rage.
Leomord, his face pale with horror, stumbled back, his hands instinctively rising in a defensive gesture, his elegant robes billowing. "Who are you?!" he shrieked, his voice cracking with fear and disbelief. "You should be dead! No human can wield such power!"
Ronin, a phantom of fury, was already upon him. Leomord, despite his terror, was a master of evasion. He drew his ornate longsword, its blade shimmering with faint mana, and met Ronin's onslaught. Steel clashed against obsidian-hardened fists and blades, a flurry of rapid, desperate parries and blocks. Leomord was fast, his movements fluid, but Ronin's berserk speed was overwhelming.
CLANG! CLANG! WHIP! Their weapons clashed, sparks showering. Ronin attacked with primal, relentless force, each blow carrying immense weight. Leomord managed to block, but the sheer impact of Ronin's strikes sent jarring shockwaves through his arms, pushing him back, forcing him to stumble. He tried to create distance, to teleport, but Ronin's speed was too great.
Leomord saw a desperate opening, a chance for a fatal blow. He lunged, his longsword aimed precisely at Ronin's heart. But Ronin, even in his rage, retained an instinctual cunning. He dissolved into a burst of Shadow Gale, vanishing from Leomord's sight. The hunter's blade cut through empty air.
"You are too slow," Ronin's voice, distorted and chilling, whispered directly into Leomord's ear.
Before the hunter could even comprehend, Ronin reappeared behind him. Sei and Kuro flashed, a single, devastating, clean cut across Leomord's neck. The hunter's eyes widened in disbelief, his elegant longsword clattering to the ground. He crumpled, his life draining from him, joining his fallen comrades.
With their controller gone, the two monster floor bosses, their eyes dimming, swayed unsteadily, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious, their unnatural green glow fading.
The oppressive black aura around Ronin began to recede, slowly, steadily. His crimson eyes flickered, then softened, returning to their natural, vibrant green.
The wild, untamed fury drained from his body, replaced by a profound, bone-deep exhaustion. He had been in full control of his demonic power, using it with devastating precision, but the cost was immense. He stumbled, his legs threatening to give out.
He looked at the carnage around him—the headless body of Klutz, the lifeless form of Viper, the fallen Leomord, the unconscious monsters. He looked at his own hands, still faintly shimmering with residual dark energy, then at the still-wounded Saber.
With a heavy sigh, Ronin slowly, painfully, sank to the ground beside the ancient dragon, his back against its warm, scaly side. He was utterly spent, but he had protected Saber. He had survived. And for the first time, he had truly unleashed the demon within, and brought it back under his command.
[To Be Continued]