---
Chapter 9 – Fangs from Another World
The air trembled, hot like the inside of a colossal furnace. The ground beneath my feet began to melt, glowing cracks of molten red spreading fast, and from the smoke rose a beast of fire.
A magma tiger emerged. Its body towered as high as a house, its black fur gleaming like liquid metal, with fiery lava pulsing through the seams of its skin. Each step it took seared the earth, leaving trails of burning flame in its wake.
I staggered, struggling to steady my breath after the fight with the evolved gorilla. My left arm was nearly useless, blood dripping from my shoulder. Facing this magma tiger, I wasn't even sure I had the strength left to stand.
"This… is insane…" I rasped.
But the madness wasn't over yet. A rumble came from above. I lifted my gaze—my blood froze. The sky was tearing apart.
It was as though giant hands ripped the night sky open, leaving gashes glowing with violet-black light. From within came alien cries—a fusion of beastly roars and twisted human screams.
And then… they came.
The first was humanoid, tall and gaunt, with ashen skin, glowing red eyes, and a jaw split all the way to its ears. In its hands, it wielded a strange weapon—a bone-like staff that pulsed as if alive.
The second was no longer anything one could call an animal: a grotesque fusion of insect and serpent, its blade-like legs stabbing into the soil, its dripping green saliva sizzling against stone.
Behind them, countless silhouettes spilled out—footsteps, wings, alien shrieks filling the air.
This world… it was breaking apart. Dimensional rifts were real—and whatever lay on the other side was now forcing its way in.
The magma tiger roared, its voice like a volcanic eruption. But instead of striking at the intruders, its burning eyes locked onto me. Flames flickered in its gaze—hunger, bloodlust.
The otherworldly monsters noticed me too. Their eyes turned, recognizing prey—weak, cornered, easy to kill.
"Damn it…" I stumbled back, my body trembling. I knew—I didn't stand a chance.
Their power was overwhelming. One strike would be enough to end me. My face drained pale as I considered escape.
There was no choice.
Gritting my teeth, I drew the last dregs of energy within me.
"This is the only way…"
I turned to one of my avatars. His face mirrored mine, though his gaze was cold and still—no soul of his own, just my consciousness flowing through him. In an instant, I knew what had to be done.
"Go," I whispered. "Hold them back…"
The avatar stepped forward without hesitation. Dark energy rippled around his body as he drew the crude blade I'd given him, then charged straight into the path of the magma tiger preparing to pounce.
BOOM!
Flames exploded, the ground split apart. The avatar's sword struck, sparks bursting as steel met magma-forged hide. The beast roared in fury, its burning claws slashing down, scorching the air. Shockwaves of heat tore through the battlefield, forcing me further back.
The alien monsters moved too—some swarming toward the avatar, others turning their twisted gazes toward me.
But it was enough. The rift was open.
"Qin! Fall back!" my main body shouted, our minds linked by shared consciousness, our voices like telepathy. Qin turned, glancing once at the avatar locked in a hopeless fight. He said nothing, only paused briefly—then sprinted into the forest toward where my true body lay.
Behind us, explosions, roars, and alien screams shook the night. The forest burned. The ground quaked. But I didn't look back. I knew what was happening. The avatar wouldn't last long.
And when it fell—I would feel it.
---
I ran, plunging into the darkness of the forest, lungs burning, breath ragged. Flames lit the path behind me, as though the world itself was on fire. My legs went numb, moving only through sheer panic.
Then—something snapped in my mind.
Like a cord of consciousness severing.
I stumbled, crashing to the ground. Dirt and blood smeared my face, but I barely noticed. My chest clenched, as though my heart had been crushed. The avatar—myself—was gone.
"Arghhh…" I clutched my head, nausea and emptiness churning. It wasn't just the loss of lifespan used to create it—it was the tearing away of a part of me.
But I couldn't stop here. Stopping meant death.
I forced my body up, legs trembling, vision swimming—but my eyes stayed locked forward.
---
I knew what all this meant.
The world was changing. Not just beasts and humans evolving, but other dimensions clawing their way in. That rift… it was only the beginning of something far worse.
I glanced back once. Flames devoured the forest, the sky split open, silhouettes of monsters still writhing within the violet light.
I had no choice but to retreat. Yet beneath my grim face, my eyes burned with resolve.
"I will return… stronger than this," I whispered.
And then I stepped into the darkness of the forest, leaving disaster in ruins behind me.
---