That dark red blood, stained black, flowing slowly along the slope... It wasn't just a liquid anymore; it was spreading like a warning, a curse.
Each drop licked the stones, leaving ominous trails that whispered darkness in its wake, transforming into a somber waterfall. So much so that the dull fear that seeped into the marrow of everyone who saw it seemed to be flowing down with the blood. A bloody waterfall... A waterfall made of the blood of sacrificed people...
"Get out of my way!"
"Mother! Mother!"
"Elsa! Elsa! Where are you my girl?!"
The street echoed with screams. People were running away, pushing each other through the market place in the square, their steps hesitant, the sharp knife of dull fear stabbed into their hearts.
"Filthy woman! Don't hold me!"
"No! No! I don't want to die!"
Some clutched the arms of loved ones, whispering a desperate prayer as they tried to escape... Others, without a moment's hesitation, transformed into rats, fighting to save their own lives, no matter who stood in their way—children, elderly, women, and so on. And amidst that terrifying flight, some breathed a shattered prayer, while others gazed like a corpse long since met the cold face of death.
Ryu felt his legs tremble. The echo of the impact still rang in his head like a ringing bell; his consciousness felt lost in a foggy labyrinth.
He took a deep breath—the air in his chest, seeping through his broken ribs, stabbed his lungs like needles. The blood, pouring from his forehead, reached his cheeks and the corners of his mouth, leaving a salty, metallic taste.
He barely kept his feet on the ground; his knees trembled as if they wanted to betray him. The sharp, burning pain that spread through his body with every breath… It was like a curse etched into every muscle fiber.
His eyes darkened for a brief moment. "No…" he whispered to himself, his voice hoarse with fear. He felt the cold breath of exhaustion and death on his neck, but he had to stand. Because he knew full well that if he fell, he wouldn't be able to get back up.
"(Gasping)… I can't even believe I'm still alive."
He turned around and looked at the counter he'd hit.
"For a weak kid like me to survive even though I crashed down that hill so hard, I must have been lucky."
As he continued to breathe slowly, the pain in his chest grew, and he began to cough up blood. He clutched his chest with his still-good arm.
'What do I do now...'
The thought echoed in Ryu's mind, but he had no answer. His legs were utterly paralyzed; even if he went ten meters, he would fall. His body trembled in pain, his breath scorching—but worse than that, there was still not a single policeman, guard, or knight around him. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his sleeve, his gaze filled with dark anger.'If only one... even one knight had come,' he thought, his voice a hoarse whisper. 'Then we wouldn't have had to endure this disgrace.'
But the truth was clear. The Blight… It was the discarded garbage dump of the Kingdom of Velenor. The lives of the people here were worthless in the eyes of the nobles.
Pain, fear, and hatred… All of it combined and slowly hardened into a hard core in Ryu's heart. And in that moment, he realized one thing clearly again: No one in this world would save anyone but himself.
Despite all those years living on the streets, he had momentarily forgotten this mindset. He was so angry with himself that he bit his lip so hard, it caused it to bleed.
"First, I must escape this bastard—"
At that very moment, a resounding roar rang out that shook the square.
Ryu's breath caught in his throat; his words were cut off. The surge of fear in his heart coursed through his veins like frozen ice. That sound was not just the echo of a monster; it was like the echo of a death sentence… And death was approaching before his eyes, its red eyes. The shining in his hand intertwined with the tissue of bone and muscle; That giant scimitar, covered in clotted black-and-red blood… For a moment, as the pale sunlight fell upon it, a metallic sheen appeared on the blood's wet surface.
'T-This creature… how much further will it evolve?!'
Ryu's mind echoed in the fog of fear and dread. Every step the thing took left deep marks on the stone-paved ground, leaving dust and a trembling echo in its wake.
Slow at first… he could hear its muscles tense, the blood and bone of its armor creaking. Its red eyes seemed to drink the fear in Ryu's eyes…
A cracked whisper escaped Ryu's throat:
"D–Don't come!…"
But the monster's steps, breaking free from their slowness, quickened to a sinister rhythm. Ryu's retreating steps were weak, trembling, and desperate.
"I told you not to come!"
The words melted away like an empty prayer echoing in the air.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling roar… and the monster lunged at Ryu, its muscles tense like explosive tension. Ryu, breathless with terror, saw the dark shadow bearing down on him…
Until… a hand suddenly grabbed him by the collar and tore him from the shadows' grip.
Ryu lost his balance and staggered, his breathing still ragged, his heart pounding like a wounded bird in his chest.
"Hey, kid! Are you alright?"
A harsh but exhausted voice echoed. The man who had spoken approached, his face lined with age and his uniform dusted with dust. His badge, gleaming faintly in the sunlight, identified him as a member of the Blight Police Department.
Ryu's eyes widened.
"The-The police?!"
Breating heavily he looked around himself. Suddenly men with black uniform appeared in the damn street where he thought he was alone in it. Every one of them was positioned quietly, pointing their guns towards the creature.
The heavy smell of blood and metal was still in the air. But at that moment... he realized that he's not alone.
He thought he was going to die. That he will be gone in this darkness.
But with the pale glow of the badge, something was reborn within him. Something like a living chance!
"Everyone surround the creature!"
The old police shouted in a cracked but authoritative voice. While he pushed Ryu back with his left hand, he put his right hand behind his belt.
With a single move he took out his heavy looking gun.
Strangely his gun looked old and threatening.
Its wooden grip looked as if it had been used for years but never abandoned. The metal body was blackened but still durable. There were faint engravings on the barrel—marks whose meaning was unknown, but which spoke of war, blood, and history.
The man's face was set as he gripped the gun. Around him, the other officers took positions with trained reflexes. Each one held a different angle, but their eyes were fixed on the same target—the massive, muscular, flesh-and-blood creature that still dripped blood on the ground.
The creature snarled inwardly as it stared at the officers. An animal intelligence flashed in its eyes. As if it were gauging what they were, what they might do. But it wasn't afraid.
Ryu still crouched on the ground, watching the action with a wan gaze. His chest heaving, he lifted his head with difficulty.
"These… Are these weapons really going to work…" he whispered, but the sound barely reached his own ears.
The old man glanced at Ryu. Then he turned back to his weapon.
"…I don't know either, son," he said, his voice flat but sincere. "But there's nothing we can do."
And he pulled the trigger.
The gun went off.
A fiery sound echoed around him like a narrow corridor. The bullet's exit sent the acrid smell of gunpowder through the air. The old man's arm jerked back slightly from the gun's recoil, but he bore the shock with years of practice.
The bullet hit the creature in the shoulder—but it didn't stop it.
It just… angered it. The creature groaned, not of pain, but of rage. Its pupils dilated. Its muscles tensed. Its face… was now completely set in death.
The old man raised his hand.
"FIRE!"
At the command, dozens of barrels exploded simultaneously. A thunderous sound echoed through the street. Bullets rained down on the creature like shards of metal death.
Some aimed directly for its head—perhaps if they could crush its brain, they might be able to stop it. Others aimed for its knees, its calves… hoping to bring it down. The rest pierced its torso, hoping to hit some vital point hidden somewhere.
Ryu stood stock-still. A bead of sweat running down his left temple and down his cheek held the weight of the thought in his head.
"Seriously… can they stop that creature?"
His eyes were still fixated on the massive thing in the center of the battlefield.
"No… I don't think so."
The creature stirred. The bullets didn't penetrate him, but they did… irritate him.
He shook his head, strangely… irritated. The bullets might not have torn his skin, but they buzzed through his mind like mosquitoes—a disturbance slowly giving way to his pent-up anger.
The monster slowly raised its right hand. Its heavy, bony fingers covered its face.
For a moment, it looked... like it was in pain.
Its chest heaved with a heavy breath, then it stumbled back a step. Its knees buckled slightly, as if it had lost its strength. It tried to hide its face, its body language mimicking a weakened one.
The old man observed the creature's movements, then took a step forward. He raised his right hand and gave the order in a resolute tone,
"Cease fire!"
A few of the police officers were confused. While trying to understand why the old man would give such an order, one of the police officers who had fired the shot asked, still focused on the monster,
"Sir, why do you want us to cease fire!?"
The old man's veins stood out at this question, and he shouted at the police officer in an angry tone,
"Do as I tell you! You have no right to ask questions! Cease fire, you pieces of shit!"
As if they had seen the old man's facial expressions before, the police officers involuntarily obeyed the order they had received.
The gunshots stopped one by one. The fingers pulling the trigger hesitantly loosened.
Only the smell of gunpowder and an ominous silence remained.
Ryu's eyes widened when he noticed the silenced guns. His breath caught.
He couldn't suppress his voice.
"What are you doing! Why did you cease fire!?"
His words hung in the air… Suddenly, his eyes widened. His skin was as pale as a corpse.
The old man... He was walking towards him. But this was no ordinary walk.
His eyes were pure white.
A black current... was flowing from the corners of his mouth and eyes. Like a zombie.
"A-Aaahh!"
His scream echoed, filling the surroundings.
Ryu's feet left the ground, he lost his balance, and fell backward onto the ground. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest like a bird fluttering.
He began to crawl backwards on his hands.
His skin was pale, his breathing erratic.
The old man...
He was approaching slowly.
The calmness of his steps did not match the evil gleam in his eyes.
A hideous smile, etched with dark mirth, was on his face. Suddenly, something behind that smile activated. He threw his body forward.
As if he possessed the running speed of a young and athletic person instead of an old person, he leaped at Ryu with his mouth open.
At that very moment, a gunshot rang out.
BANG!
One of the police officers took aim with trembling hands. His bullet hit the old man's head.
The man, flung around like a piece of dried meat, fell facedown on the ground right in front of Ryu.
"What was that room?! Why did Master Edrick suddenly transform into a creature?" asked another officer.
"Master Edrick..."
Another one seemed distraught by the incident.
"What are you doing?! Everyone be careful! Something could happen to us all at any moment!"
The shooter seemed to be trying to organize the chaos.
Ryu couldn't move for a moment, but his eyes were fixated on the corpse on the ground.
A thick, black liquid was pouring from the old man's eyes and mouth. This dark, tar-like substance slowly began to spread around the corpse.
The ground seemed to deteriorate wherever it touched. Ryu held his breath and cautiously stood up.
But just as he was about to take a step, his eyes fell on the old man's left foot.
There was a rough, leather-like tissue hanging from the bottom of his foot.
"...What's that?"
Suddenly, the thing came to life!
A leathery tentacle burst from the ground and lunged at Ryu, then was quickly pulled underground by a force coming from the darkness.
The ground cracked, the ground trembled.
The tentacle suddenly shot out from underground and reached for the person.
The police, the injured people around, other people trying to escape, and Ryu... Everyone was staring at that monster with six long tentacles on its back.
It had evolved again!