The smell of rocks and dirt filled the air, bringing a sense of familiarity. His body was no different than it had been before arriving in the village, but he felt a world stronger. He pushed his legs against the floor, imprinting his boots into the now-malleable dirt. He decided now, as if any time would be the best to experiment, to try a new application of Psychokinesis. He, simultaneously, noticed the villagers lurching closer, the child who had brought him leading the swarm.
His mind flowed with an incomprehensible amount of mana, pouring through his body like a fountain. Ryo directed it towards his leg, and with the force of a rampaging river, his body shot forward, his legs releasing an incredible shockwave that sent him towards the creature. Faster than his own mind could comprehend, Ryo's fist hit the Monster, staggering it slightly. This was all the opportunity he needed, however. He sent the debris he had picked up towards it, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him as it was knocked to the ground. The villagers moved closer.
Ryo refused to let up, as if he did, he could be put back in the same situation as he was in before. His hand coated itself with a terrifying current, and he slammed his palm into its chest, the sound of faint whispers and cries growing into agonised screams and groans. The creature spasmed out, its long, unnatural limbs flying around. Black ichor sprayed out of its many tongues, flailing wildly to try to hit Ryo. The villagers grew closer, surrounding the pair like a makeshift barrier.
Ryo noticed one of the tongues was aimed straight at him, a distinct fear washing over him, similar to the feeling he had when he first saw it. He teleported to the other side of the monster right as it fired towards him, almost piercing his chest. He watched it go further than anything he had seen up to that point. 'I need to be faster. I need to SEE faster!' Ryo told himself, concentrating mana in both his mind and his eyes. His mind felt as if it was underwater, the same experience as when he tried to learn Psychokinesis for the first time. Ryo felt his brain absorb some mana, his mind suddenly calming.
Time felt slow. His eyes quickly darted around, noticing the infected villagers had stopped moving towards them, their chests stilled, their bodies no longer lurching. The tongues appeared to be frozen in space, only moving in slight increments. His mind had been accelerated, but his body couldn't keep up. His own body felt sluggish, but this would allow him to defend at an easier pace. He teleported to the Monster, flames coating his right hand. His body slowly moved towards the creature's tongues, hand splayed to grasp the writhing appendages that had caused the village to fall.
The Monster moved one of the tongues out of the way, sending it at Ryo with a force unseen. Ryo stared at it for a second, at least that's what it felt like to him. He activated Psychokinesis, keeping the tongue still for one moment. His hand grasped the others, the fire on his hand lighting them aflame. The black ichor that covered each one became set alight, an inferno spawning from its mouth. Ryo slowed his mind back to its original speed, a feeling of lightheadedness rushing over him. He stumbled slightly, not used to this power. The villagers resumed moving forward, lifeless and mindless.
The creature screamed, the sound of tens upon tens of innocent humans echoing throughout the skies with an agonising shriek. Fire spewed from its mouth, sending embers in all directions, hitting some of the ichor that surrounded them. A ring of fire encroached upon them, the villagers, unfortunately, becoming victims to the flames. No screams erupted from their mouths, however, as the Monster was doing all that for them. Ryo watched them catch aflame, their bodies scarring, bubbling and peeling, all while they kept mindlessly moving forwards.
Ryo stared at the little boy who had brought him here, the black ichor that covered his arm becoming the substance that cauterised it, as well as the rest of his body. Ryo stared down the many-tongued Monster, his mind swirling with thoughts. 'What is it? How did it get here? Is it a regular monster?' He asked himself, but there was no way to answer. The flames inside the Monster's mouth died down, the skin surrounding it dyed black with soot. It coughed up a cloud of black smoke, its tongues drying up due to the ichor no longer lubricating them. The cracked skin that laid bare to see was displeasing to look at, an orange fleshy substance resting beneath its surface.
"Come on! Tell me what you are!" Ryo yelled, genuinely confused about what he was facing. He rushed towards the creature, roots following him like the world's most natural arsenal. It rushed towards him as well, sharp fingers outstretched in an attempt to grab at him once more. Ryo sidestepped, the Monster running straight into the wall of roots, giving Ryo the perfect opportunity to do something he hadn't done since the Goblin back in Aragoth's dungeon. He smiled, preparing a combination of fourth different types of magic.
The roots embedded themselves into the creature's chest, slowly disintegrating. Ryo took this chance to set them alight remotely, as he used to do with the Burning Forest spell. The burning wood, ingrained into the Monster's body, released a foul amount of black smoke, bubbling its skin. Ryo then formed a ball of water, similar in size to the Hydro Sphere he had used on the Achrons back when he was adventuring. He covered the creature's body in it, extinguishing the flames. Ryo then sent electricity into the water, creating an electrocution chamber. This was the same technique he had used on the Goblin, Convulsion Of Order.
The sounds of agonising screams, hissing wounds and the smell of burning flesh were only slightly contained by the water. Ryo felt a distinct joy looking at the Monster, seeing it writhe with pain. It felt wrong, but so good at the same time. It had brought so much pain upon others, so why shouldn't it receive the same?
Ryo's train of thought was rudely interrupted by a sharp pain in his neck. The monster's sharp fingers grasped at his throat, drawing blood and piercing skin. The copper-tasting liquid slid down his throat like the world's most unsatisfying drink, his magic quickly dissipating. It stood up, staring him down similarly to how he had done not moments earlier. "I'm going to enjoy this." It told him, using the same voice as one of the people who had complained about the noises of Ghouls.
The monster opened its mouth wide, jabbing its now-dry tentacle-like tongues into his chest, ripping past his ribs and tearing through his lungs once more. His body felt the strange black ichor flow into him once more, filling his muscles with an unnatural turgor. The tongues pushed through the other side of his chest, wrapping around his body like a snake. His body fell out of his control once more, the dark vignette covering his vision with the same orange tint, but this time, Ryo managed to fix himself.
He quickly activated his newly-acquired healing magic, starting at his heart and quickly shooting pulses outwards. The black ichor shot out his body like a water balloon, his body healing the damage from it almost instantly. The pain, however, would not leave so easily.
Pain changes a person. It makes them more cold, more sadistic in certain ways. Pain cultivates anger, and anger begets hatred. Ryo felt a strange force take hold of his mind, driving his actions. His healing took a sharp turn, the damage to his lungs repairing almost instantly, cutting off the tongues that were still embedded in his chest, releasing him from the restraints that stopped his from moving.
His body lifted into the air, the same as it did when he organised the library. "You know, I think this may be the first time I've ever actually hated a Monster." Ryo stated, his voice sharp with an unnatural tone. "You're the only one to ever deserve it, I think."
The creature, to its own credit, regenerated its severed tongues. Muscles first, then vessels, veins and arteries, and, finally, taste buds. It stared at him, watching Ryo rise into the air, unperturbed in its actions. "So what?" It replied, mimicking the little boy once more, knowing that it disgusted Ryo. "I'm acting on my own instincts, much like any other. What makes me so different, so deserving of your hatred?"
Ryo looked down at the creature, a pitying look almost appearing on his face. "You don't just kill people. You actively go out of your way to torment them." Ryo told the Monster, his eyes scanning the charred village, houses disintegrated and bodies burnt beyond recognition.
"So what?" It snapped back. "The world belongs to the strong. Anyone who can't defend themselves deserves only to be food. You don't compare to me. You haven't even been able to properly damage me yet."
Ryo's mind flashed back to the tavern, where Kevin had fired him. He remembered Kevin's speech about him. 'So? What if I don't?' Kevin's voice rang through his mind. 'You don't compare to us Utopians, scum.'
A scowl appeared on Ryo's face, a surge of mana building up inside his mind. His mouth opened once, no sound coming out, until he finally knew the words he wanted to say.
"You piss me off."
Ryo activated Psychokinesis, holding the Monster's head still. He imagined a pair of invisible hands grasping it, squeezing it tightly. The creature, unable to move, began squirming, trying to grab at an intangible force. The sounds of bones cracking and a skull fracturing lit up Ryo's ears, and he began to push harder. The Monster's head became visibly misshapen, no longer looking like a circle, but more like an oval. The creature tried to extend its tongues forward, but they were stopped by the invisible force of Ryo's mind.
Orange blood spurted rapidly from its head, panic setting. Ryo watched as it tried to heal itself at a rapid pace, but the blood began flowing faster. Ryo was able to crush its head faster than it could stop him. The feeling of lightheadedness washed over Ryo, causing his power to wane slightly, but he shook himself out of it, pushing even harder. The scream of tens of voices pierced the clouds once more, but this one sounded a lot more final.
Cracks. Splinters. Squelches. Those sounds drowned out everything else. Ryo pushed further, the hands now encompassing the Monster's entire body. First, the legs became crippled, shattered in three different directions. Next went the arms, bent worse than the kid's. Finally, the chest. Ryo crushed the monster's ribcage, screams upon moans upon cries of hatred escaping its sternum, the whispers and cries from earlier growing silent.
The village had become a burnt mess of cobblestone, rock and dirt, with a new orange stain on the floor, but the Monster was not yet dead. Its head was still alive, the tentacles wriggling like a fish out of water. Ryo descended to the ground, his arms weaker than the punches of a slime. He walked over to the now-crippled creature, his eyes filled with a unique glow that he hadn't felt since he was fired. The joy of killing a monster.
His foot lifted up, his boot gleaming in the midday sun. It slammed down, the weight of all the villagers behind him. The sound of bones crunching, and a grey, gelatinous brain squishing. He winced slightly, the unpleasant noise disturbing him. Orange blood covered his leg, the stress of what he had just experienced getting to him. His body collapsed in the pile of remains that had been left behind, his clothes now covered in a new orange hue.
He had avenged the village.