Chapter 40 — Transformation
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Kael Grenfort:
The view from the rooftop and the gentle breeze seemed to hold back the fear for now. Outside, the moon hung large and round, its light bathing the rooftop in silver. Millions of stars shone like countless eyes, as if watching this battle unfold. The wind brushed against my face, cooling my sweat-soaked forehead.
But when I began to look at her — I couldn't tear my eyes away.
This... was that woman. The one standing beside Lilith.
Damn it. Why did I come this way? Should I have headed toward the teachers' building?
No. That way was much farther. If I had run there, I'd probably be dead by now.
"What I'm trying to say is — you need to die."
She rested her swords on her shoulders.
"Well, I hate killing young children. More precisely — I hate torturing them to death. So allow me to kill you easily. You don't want to suffer, do you?"
She smiled. That smile held no mercy, no doubt — only cold, calculating confidence.
"Reason… what reason?" I said, breathing heavily. "Why do I have to die?"
And I fell to the ground. I slid my hand beneath me and began searching through the ring for artifacts that might help in this situation. My fingers moved quickly through the ring's inner layers.
Hehe, great acting. Maybe she'll take pity on me? I need to buy time until someone notices.
"Ohhh, those reasons… I don't even want to remember them."
She stared at the ground for a moment. Her hands tightened on the sword hilts.
"Understand me correctly — I don't need your death."
She took a deep sigh.
"To be honest, you could call this a personal matter. If I kill you, I'll have avenged my pain. At the same time, I'll restore my family's honor."
She looked up at the sky. A blue butterfly fluttered its wings slowly, drifting above us. For a moment, she gazed at it.
Then...
Shhkk.
Her sword flashed once. The butterfly split in two and fell to the ground.
"Damn Grenforts…"
What did the Grenforts do to her? She hates them that much?
"Yo-your hatred toward my family is that strong? But…"
…I found it.
This might be enough to slow her down, or give me a chance to escape.
"I'm not even acknowledged by my own family."
"Well, that still proves something for them. I'll place your little skull at the patriarch's feet," she said cheerfully, and looked at me.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
She took a step toward me, raised her leg high, and delivered a powerful kick to my side.
Thud!
I started coughing — cough, cough, cough. With each cough, warm blood spilled from my lips, joining hers.
I wiped the blood away. My lips moved as if smiling.
"...Dzao... your storage really is amazing."
"Wh-what? What are you saying?"
She tried to pull her leg back from my side.
But I was holding onto it. My fingers gripped tightly, deathly.
She rushed to strike me with her sword. But I quickly rose from the ground. She nearly lost her balance. Then she leaped back, performed a backflip, and freed her leg from my grip.
"Boy, what are you doing? You think a mid-Warrior level can defeat a peak General?" she said, straightening herself.
"No, I don't think that."
I held the box in front of me.
Well, I've already taken one of these pills. And there are four more left in here.
I sighed deeply and looked at the ground.
"So, will this be enough to defeat you? Trying is better than doing nothing."
I shouted, looking at her face with wide eyes.
"Your choice. You forced me to do this."
She appeared before me. Fast. Too fast. Her sword flashed in the air — and sliced through the box in my hand, along with my arm. From the wrist.
I didn't feel the pain. Only cold. And then — warm blood flowing.
The box flew into the air. The lid opened, and four pills scattered in different directions.
I froze, not knowing what to do.
She grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up. Her fingers tightened around my throat, cutting off my breath.
At that moment, my mind snapped back.
The pills… I'll pull them toward me with gravity magic.
My fingers moved. Mana flowed out. The pills changed direction in the air and began flying toward me.
"You can't do anything now. Just die."
She brought her sword to my neck.
The pills were flying through the air, getting closer.
She saw them approaching.
"No… this is impossible!"
She prepared to strike hard.
No. Can I withstand the pill? Or not? I have to take it.
The pills fell into my mouth one by one. Milliseconds hadn't even passed.
Second pill. Third pill. And at that moment, the woman's sword began to cut through my neck.
The fourth pill was still a little distance away. By then, half of my neck had already been severed. She was cutting deeper and deeper.
And finally...
The last pill touched my tongue.
At that instant...
Something awakened inside my body.
Red and black aura exploded through my veins. My head, which should have been severed in a few more milliseconds, survived. In this state, even her sword couldn't move forward.
She tried to pull the sword out, but it wouldn't leave my neck.
"Ahhh, damn it!"
She dropped the sword and stepped back.
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My body began to transform.
First — bones. They cracked, stretched, reshaped themselves. Crrr-ack! — my ribs expanded. Crack! — my spine elongated. The pain was so intense that I didn't even have the strength to scream.
Then — muscles. They tore, grew larger, new forms emerging beneath my skin. Every fiber came alive, expanded, strengthened.
Then — claws. They pierced through flesh, becoming long, sharp, deadly. Blood flowed, but the pain was no longer felt.
And finally — two horns grew from my head. They burst through my forehead, slowly, mercilessly.
My eyes — no longer gold, but burning red and black.
Be careful, Kael. From the looks of it, this thing can make you lose your mind. If that happens, I'll definitely die — if not by her hand, then by another's.
Arrrggghhhh!
Pain in my mind. I tried to hold on, but animalistic instincts were growing stronger.
I had become a completely different creature.
A massive beast with the head of a bear, the body of a wolf, and horns.
The woman watched all of this in horror.
"Wtf... what is this? A demonic pill? How could they give this to such a young boy?"
She held her forehead.
"Yes, this is Dzao after all. Should have expected this from him. What madness," she said in a low voice.
Two horns protruding from my forehead, sharp teeth in my mouth. Long, black claws on my paws. My height had grown so much that the woman now looked like a tiny insect.
I growled.
My voice had completely changed — deep, hoarse, animalistic.
"Now... let's see who hunts whom."
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