The last Crimson Fang Serpent reared its towering head, its forked tongue tasting the blood-soaked air. Venom dripped from its fangs in thick globs, sizzling where it struck the sand. Its hood flared once more, casting a sharp silhouette beneath the twin suns that blazed overhead.
Ethan stood with Velina at his side, both of them heaving, battered, bloodied, but unyielding.
Ethan gripped the Anthic Sword tightly, its crimson runes glowing softly, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Every breath he took was fire in his lungs, every muscle in his body screamed. Yet he raised the blade with defiance. Velina was breathing harder now, clutching her ribs. Blood trailed from a deep gash on her thigh.
"We finish this," she rasped.
"Together," Ethan said.
They moved in unison, dashing across the sand like mirrored shadows. The serpent struck. Velina ducked and slashed across its flank, while Ethan leapt forward, blade singing. The Anthic Sword bit deep into its carapace. Not enough to kill, but enough to wound, to cut deep.
The beast roared and retaliated, its massive tail swinging like a wrecking ball. Velina tried to dodge. But–
CRACK.
It struck her midsection and launched her into a dune. Blood gushed from her mouth.
"VELINA!" Ethan shouted.
Ethan's voice broke as he sprinted toward her. She was conscious but struggling. Her sword had been knocked from her hand. Her lips were bloodied, her eyes unfocused.
"I'm…fine," she mumbled. But her body didn't move. She couldn't move.
The serpent turned back to Ethan. He rose slowly. The Leviathan mark on his chest burned again. He could feel the WRATH building, not violently, but as a steady thrum beneath his skin, demanding release.
He gritted his teeth. "You want me?"
He pointed the blade at the creature.
"Then come get me." He charged forward.
The serpent hissed and lunged. Ethan rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the venomous fangs. Sand exploded as the creature's jaws missed by inches. He sprang back and struck across its side. The Anthic Sword tore another line of black ichor from the beast. It recoiled, only for its tail to snap back toward him.
Ethan raised his sword just in time.
BANG.
The impact sent him skidding back, boots carving lines in the sand. He coughed, blood splashing from his lips. He wiped the blood with the back of his hand. Tightening his grip on his sword. But the Wrath inside him was rising once again. This was problematic.
[WRATH: 90/35]
The system flickered. He tightened his grip. The serpent lunged again
[SKILL: ABYSSAL LUNGE – READY]
[WRATH COST: 8 | COOLDOWN: 8s]
Ethan didn't hesitate "ABYSSAL LUNGE!"
Time slow, air tore opened and Ethan vanished in a streak of black mist at high speed, reappearing behind the creature.
[WRATH EXPENDED: 8]
[WRATH: 82/35]
SHHRRRRKKK.
His blade dug into its tail, severing part of its armor and cutting through its flesh. The beast howled and twisted violently. Ethan was flung again, landing hard beside Velina. She opened her eyes weakly, trying to move.
"I said I'm fine…" she said, her voice weak and low.
"You're not," Ethan said, eyes locked on the beast.
[WRATH: 82/35]
His fingers twitched.
[WRATH OVERSURGE DETECTED]
[WARNING: Prolonged WRATH Oversurge May Weaken Seal]
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Abyssal Skills Recommended to Suppress WRATH]
He didn't hesitate.
[SKILL: ABYSSAL CLAWS – READY]
[WRATH COST: 20]
[DURATION: 90s | COOLDOWN: 180s]
"ABYSSAL CLAWS"
The morphing started again, from his forearms to his arms, dark plated armor, the runes along his veins glowing like molten lava, and his fingers curled, sharp like razors.
[ABYSSAL CLAWS ACTIVATED]
[WRATH EXPENDED: 20]
[DURATION: 90s | COOLDOWN: 180s]
[WRATH: 68/35]
-------
At the Academy, the Knights sat silently, eyes glued to the viewing mirrors.
"What kind of skill set is this?... He has done it again" murmured one. "Those claws aren't human."
"He moves like a possessed warrior," another added. "But that aura… it's something dark and vile. What is he..."
The head Knight, robed in deep blue, said nothing, but his fingers tightened against his chin.
Could it be…? No. He wouldn't voice it. Not yet.
-------
Back in the Expanse, twin suns, scorching heat overhead. Ethan on his feet, Velina on the group, unable to move and the Crimson fanged serpent charging toward Ethan.
Ethan charged too. He spun beneath a tail swipe, claws slashing through the beast's belly. The serpent twisted, blood raining from its wounds, painting Ethan. It struck down, Ethan raised both Abyssal Claws and caught the fangs mid-strike.
He held it. Sand whipped around them. Ethan's body trembled from strain. But he wouldn't fall.
"YOU WON'T HURT HER AGAIN!"
He roared and slammed both claws into the beast's lower jaw, then leapt upward, blade in hand. The Anthic Sword arced through the air
SHRRAAAK.
It cleaved deep into the serpent's exposed throat. Black ichor burst like a geyser.
The beast spasmed. Then stilled. It fell.
Dead.
[CRIMSON FANGED SERPENT DEFEATED]
[+65 EXP GAINED]
[+32WRATH EARNED]
[CURRENT EXP: 478/500]
[WRATH: 90/35]
The wind died. Ethan staggered backward. The claws faded. The sword lowered. And finally, he dropped to one knee. His chest rose and fell like thunder. His shoulders slumped. After some seconds, he stood to his feet.
Muscles aching, energy drained, blood all over him, his and beasts own. He walked to Velina, sheathed his sword and stumbled close to her
Velina looked at him, eyes soft. "You… did it."
"I had to."
He looked at his arm. The Leviathan mark was glowing faintly. The pain was distant now. But it left a chill in his bones.
---
At the Academy, Silence reigned.
Then one Knight said, "That wasn't a normal duel."
"No. That was something far beyond the others. Instinct. Precision. Brutality. He fights like them, like a beast"
"His skills… he's not drawing from scrolls. That's pure innate combat. And the abilities... What are they?"
"I don't know," said the second. "Never seen anything like them."
The lead Knight sat still.
His voice low. Thoughtful.
"I've seen claws like that... But in legends... In books… on a particular beasts... But not once did I see it on a human"
The others turned.
"But I could be wrong. We'll watch him longer. This Ethan Valdros…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"May be the no name we are ignoring might become a storm we didn't expect."
---
As the twin sun loomed above, Ethan carried Velina beneath the shade of a broken d'une not before he had extracted the beast core. But he slit one in his inventory. He checked her wound and shared their last drop of water.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Velina asked, "Why did you push so hard?"
Ethan stared at the horizon.
"They would've killed us. You. I couldn't let that happen."
She looked at him, eyes soft. "You're different."
Ethan didn't reply. But inside, his mind was loud.
What is this system? What is this power growing inside me? Why does the mark burn like fire and whisper like it knows me?
He closed his eyes.
And the wind carried his silence into the desert night.