Chương 411: Madmans Rage

The thing inside Korin screamed. Its own hand had torn through its throat, yet its voice came out clear. It was not weak or broken. If anything, it was louder than before.

"YOU STILL RESIST ME, FATHER KILLER?!" The voice shook the forest. Leaves tore from the trees, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.

"WILL YOU NOT SURRENDER TO DESPAIR?! EVEN NOW, YOU RESIST LIKE A FILTHY MAGGOT!" Korin slammed both feet into the ground. BOOM! The earth cracked beneath him. Vale was thrown back and nearly lost his balance as the force spread through the ground. Blood burst from Korin's ruined throat, but the wound quickly began to close. Flesh grew back over the hole, yet Korin's struggle did not stop. His hands kept tearing into his own body as he fought the thing inside him. The presence roared in anger.

"ENOUGH!" One of Korin's arms suddenly jerked. The creature took control of it and grabbed his other arm. With a violent pull, it tore the limb from his body. CRACK! The severed arm flew aside and struck a nearby tree, breaking the trunk apart. But Korin still fought. His remaining hand moved toward his chest and drove its claws into his flesh. RIP! His chest opened, and blood poured down his body as his fingers dug deeper. His ribs became visible, but he kept going as if he could not feel the pain.

Vale could only stare. Korin was tearing himself apart from the inside.

"I'LL MAKE YOU FALL INTO DESPAIR, FATHER KILLER!" the presence screamed.

"YOU ARE MINE! YOUR POWER IS OURS! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A WEAK HUMAN!"

"In the Creator's name..." Vale muttered. Korin's hand reached his lungs. Then it tore through them. The presence bit down on its own arm. CRUNCH! It ripped the limb free and threw it aside. Korin staggered, looking less like a living man and more like a corpse. His chest was wide open, both arms were gone, and his throat was little more than a deep wound. Blood covered him from head to toe. Yet he was still standing. His red eyes slowly turned toward Vale and Nym. Vale took a step back.

His whole body shook, but the creature only smiled.

"I know what I'll do." Its grin grew wider.

"I'll kill the people you care about. That should break you!" It lowered its body. Vale's eyes widened.

"Wait—" The creature vanished. It rushed forward with its mouth wide open, rows of sharp teeth showing. Vale reacted without thinking. He twisted aside and kicked both feet into its jaw, turning its head just enough to miss his body. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. For a moment, Vale thought he had stopped it. Then the jaws closed around his feet. CRUNCH! The teeth dug into his flesh.

"AH!" The creature pulled back, dragging Vale across the ground before throwing him through several trees. His body slammed into the last one, and he fell hard to the ground. Blood ran from his mouth. Nym's face hardened.

"Vale!" She charged with her blade raised. The weapon drove straight through Korin's chest. The creature looked down at the blade. Then it smiled.

"Dumb girl." Its leg shot upward. BOOM! Nym was kicked away and crashed into the ground several meters away. At the same time, Korin's body began to heal. Bone formed first, followed by muscle and flesh. Skin soon covered the new limb. Within moments, his arm was whole again. He flexed his fingers and smiled.

"Good as new." The forest drake saw him and charged again. Its instincts would not let it leave while its young were nearby. It lunged, but Korin barely turned before his new arm struck the drake. BOOM! The huge beast was thrown back through the trees.

"WEAK EXCUSE FOR A BEAST!" The drake crashed into the forest, breaking several bones from the force of the hit. Vale coughed and pushed himself up. Blood filled his mouth, and his body shook as he tried to stand.

"How the hell..." He coughed again.

"... are we supposed to beat this thing?" His voice was weak. The creature noticed him and began walking closer. Its body kept healing with every step. Then— BOOM! A black figure rushed in from behind. Shade appeared once more, refusing to die. His fist cut through the air with all the strength he had left. His fist struck the creature's head. The impact sent a huge shockwave through the forest. Trees bent, branches broke, and dust filled the air. When it cleared, the creature had not moved.

It slowly turned toward Shade.

"You're too weak to be his shadow." Shade's body shook. Then Korin's body began to change. His hands grew into claws, and dark hair spread across his chest. Thick veins rose beneath his skin as his hair grew longer and thicker until it looked like the mane of a great beast. Black fur covered parts of his body, and his shape became wider and more beast-like. Vale stared at him.

"You've got to be kidding me." He coughed blood before looking at Korin again.

"Of all the Founders you could be linked to..." His face darkened.

"... you're the Black Lion's heir." The creature turned back toward Shade. It moved before Shade could react. Two clawed hands grabbed him. RIP! Shade was torn in half. Black shards burst from his body as his shadow form broke apart. The pieces quickly faded into darkness before falling back toward his weapon. Shade was dead. Again. The creature threw its head back and roared. The sound echoed through the forest, shaking the trees around it. Something had awakened inside Korin.

Something old and wild that had been buried deep within him. The creature flexed its claws and slowly licked the blood from them. Then it looked toward Vale. Its pupils had become thin slits.

"Ah. The friend." It started walking toward him.

"I'll tear you apart too. Then I'll take this power that belongs to—" THUNK! A rock struck it in the head. Everything went quiet. The creature slowly turned. Nova stood several meters away. She was shaking, but she had not run. Vale's eyes widened.

"No!" He forced himself back onto his feet.

"I am your target! Take me!" The creature looked at him with an annoyed expression. It raised one finger, and a shockwave burst from it. Vale was ripped off the ground and thrown aside. The creature turned back toward Nova.

"How noble." Its voice was calm now, almost bored. It walked toward her.

"Useless bag of meat." Its claw rose. Nova closed her eyes and waited. Then a voice stopped it.

"Hé." The claw froze. Nova slowly opened her eyes. A single angry eye stared at the creature. Eskar stood in front of her. His body was battered, and his clothes were torn. But his face remained calm.

"Did I not say I would destroy you if this happened?" The creature tilted its head. Then it smiled.

"A fun little toy?" Its other hand rose. Before it could strike— BOOM! A beam of fire slammed into its side. Korin's body flew back dozens of meters before his claws dug into the ground and brought him to a stop. The flames around him faded as he pushed them away.

"Useless meat bag!" the creature snarled. Then flames burst from the ground. Several sharp pillars of fire pierced its body. Its eyes widened. BOOM! A huge explosion swallowed it. Fire spread across the forest floor, leaving a deep crater behind as smoke filled the air.

"Bag of meat?" Eskar walked towards the presence calmly. His wounded eye slowly opened. Part of his Divine Heart had awakened. His remaining eye was no longer that of a human. It had become a sea of fire, with a small point of red light burning at its center. The heat around him was so great that the air began to bend. Plants caught fire just from being near him. Eskar kept walking. Behind him, the Magma Borne landed with a loud hiss.

Its huge body appeared through the smoke as the creature tore through the flames and roared. Eskar did not stop. He raised his one arm and kept his eye fixed on Korin.

"Well, I suppose there is one difference between us." His eye burned brighter, and the forest shook from the heat. His voice became cold.

"In a moment... you will be nothing but a bag of meat." Flames gathered around his hand.

"Burned down to the bone."