"Quiet, kitty."
Pride glared down at the restless Vastaya before him. Though bound and largely subdued, Rengar's single remaining eye burned with unrestrained fury and murderous intent.
His weapon lay shattered. His body restrained. Still, he fought.
Duke summoned a drone to illuminate the scene. In the probe's harsh light, the intruder finally came into focus.
Nearly two meters tall, with a leonine face and braided white mane ending in teeth-loops from warbeasts, Rengar looked like a living statue of wrath. One eye glowed emerald, while the other remained hidden behind an eyepatch. His armor was crudely bolted with bone, reinforcing his savage presence.
Duke studied him as the Vastaya snarled in rage and pain.
"Truly the Pridestalker," Duke muttered, eyebrow raised. Only Rengar, razor-sharp instincts and all, would charge Duke over Kha'Zix's death. To Rengar, Kha'Zix was more than prey: he was the trophy.
Since fleeing the Voidfeed, Rengar had turned Kha'Zix into his singular obsession. To him, no one else had the right to kill or touch that beast. To Duke, Rengar was merely... theatrical.
Rengar's roar echoed out. Duke stepped forward, face-to-face with the furious lion. "So?" Duke prompted.
"Only I may hunt him. Nobody else!" Rengar spat, spraying Duke with saliva. Duke calmly wiped his face.
"Then try," Duke replied.
Pride responded instantly, clenching Rengar's gut in a brutal bone-crushing grip. The Vastaya doubled over, baring tepid bile from his mouth.
Duke reached for the broken hunter's blade, a gift from Mal'Corn the Legendary Hunter. As he studied the splintered handle, a thought struck him.
This jungle's exploitation demands local allies. Rengar is a top-tier predator stubborn enough to lead. Under Elder Lardan's command, the Noxian forces lacked leadership. Rengar's strength and clan ties made him the perfect candidate.
Duke decided, then dismissed Pride. Rengar collapsed, barely breathing.
Duke dropped the broken hilt at Rengar's paws.
"You want revenge? Then try hunting me instead, kitty."
He beckoned Pride to follow and walked away. Nidalee hesitated, then took up position behind him, vigilant, hooking her spear at the ready. She would ensure Duke didn't regrettably harm the forest again, even if it meant being caged.
Rengar, bruised and proud, slowly rose to his knees. He grasped the broken blade. A roar of anger and determination echoed through the night.
"I will hunt you down... forever!"
A small smile curled Duke's lips. The pride was back. Let the games begin.
Would he be overwhelmed? Not a chance.
Duke was a dimensional disruptor here, invincible compared to jungle beasts. Stone golems or Rengar himself, he had no fear.
A ten-second taste of godhood isn't saved for show.
That lion will be tamed.
First, chip away at his pride. Then win his loyalty, make him his captain of guardians.
Could he fail? Even Miss Fortune had once mocked Duke... and yet he had her under his thumb later.
Tough spirits simply need to be broken and remolded.
The Next Morning
Duke emerged from his tent, stretching and heading for the stream to fetch water. As he knelt, three rope-bound explosion gourds whistled toward him, an ancient trap.
With a thought, Mingchan flashed out and vaporized the projectiles mid-air.
"Roar!" A wild roar filled the brush as Rengar leapt out.
Duke remained calm, Pride appeared and pinned the charging Vastaya to the ground, administering a beat-down. Last night, Duke had instructed: "If Rengar shows up again, don't hold back. Just don't break him, where's the fun in that?"
His wounded roars echoed across the riverbank, drawing curious onlookers. Duke waved them away, signaling all was well.
As Duke collected his water, he glanced at the battered creature behind him. "Second time for you, kitty."
With that, he walked off. Pride followed with a cold glance.
"I will kill you," Rengar muttered.
"Go ahead, try," Duke replied breezily, unshaken.
Rengar crawled to the stream to drink, staring into camp as he pondered a different tactic.
Midday
Duke had only seated himself when a giant explosive nut was hurled his way.
Ignoring it, Pride froze the nut solid and crushed it easily, striding toward the camp with satisfied impatience.
Rengar, watching, roared defiantly, only to receive another face-down thrashing.
He staggered to his feet, pain wracking every sinew. As Elder Lardan approached with healing salve, Rengar spat, "You spineless caterpillar, I don't need your pity!"
Ignoring Lardan, he limped into the jungle. His loyalty to the hunt remained unbroken. He would kill Duke, for failed vengeance, for shattered pride.
Not HELP from Duke's forces. Not even for survival. Even torn apart by Raptors, he'd refuse aid.
I am Rengar, the Pridestalker. I bow to no one.
Night
Inside the tent, Duke examined a vial holding a blue eyeball. As he pondered how to counter those who could vanish into Shadow or the Void, like Mingchan freed his hunts with speed, he realized he lacked effective surveillance against stealth.
Thermals, spells, they're no match. Only Mingchan had the tech.
Perhaps... eye replacement?
Organ upgrades were easy for Duke, especially after experimenting with mechanical-biological synergy. He could retrofit an eye, swap it back if needed.
But his thoughts were interrupted by alert chirps from Mingchan.
A spear flew at the tent's entrance, Rengar, exposed from invisibility, thrust a crude stone-tipped spear aimed for Duke's neck.
CRACK!
Mingchan sliced the spear in midair. Duke pocketed the vial, and with a single uppercut, knocked Rengar out cold.
"Don't you ever stop fighting?"
Rengar's spear was just a sharpened rock. "I said I'd kill you, just I killed Kha'Zix."
Duke pulled out an EMP silencer, pressing it against Rengar's neck. Rengar convulsed and passed out.
Duke mused: "Fourth time, kitty. Needs a real lesson."
He smirked. "I remember your Roar of Thunder skin..."
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
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