Chapter 144 — More! III
7 min read ·
THUD THUD THUD
The C rank patrol emerged into the clearing, twenty massive warriors in heavy armor, moving in tight formation.
They saw Damian immediately.
This blood-soaked human standing over their fallen comrade’s corpse, and they raised their weapons immediately!
No words were exchanged. No demands for surrender or attempts at communication.
Just pure violence erupting instantly.
"ROARR!"
A Giant charged with his hammer raised high.
Damian moved, his enhanced speed making him a blur even to C rank warriors.
His fist drove into the Giant’s armored chest with enough force to dent the metal inward, the impact audible across the clearing.
BOOM
BAM BAM BAM
The Giant flew backward, crashing through three trees before stopping, his chest cavity collapsed, ribs shattered and lungs punctured.
Another swung an axe at Damian’s head.
He caught the blade with his bare hand, his reinforced palm stopping the weapon cold, blood running from where the edge cut his skin.
Then he ripped the axe away and drove it into the Giant’s skull with one-handed strength, splitting the helmet and the head beneath.
CRACK
The C rank warriors were stronger than their D rank counterparts. Their armor was better, their training more advanced and their coordination superior.
And they managed to wound him.
An axe caught his shoulder, the blade biting deep, opening a wound that exposed bone.
A hammer crushed his left arm, breaking it in multiple places.
A spear punctured his side, the tip emerging from his back.
But his self-healing skill ran constantly, unconsciously, using all his available Aura to repair damage as fast as it occurred.
RIPP
The shoulder wound closed even as he ripped out the Giant’s throat with his other hand.
"Argh!"
The broken arm reset itself while he kicked another warrior’s knee backward with bone-shattering force.
BAM
The spear was pushed out by regenerating tissue as he headbutted a Giant hard enough to cave in the warrior’s face.
He was getting brutalized, taking damage that should have seriously wounded him.
But he kept coming back, more violently and savagely... finding new ways to kill with each resurrection.
He grabbed a Giant’s head and twisted until the neck snapped completely around.
Drove his fist through another’s eye socket, the reinforced bone penetrating into the brain.
Bit into a throat and tore away the windpipe with his teeth, spitting it out before moving to the next target.
BAM
Used a dead Giant’s body as a weapon, swinging the corpse by its legs to bludgeon another warrior.
The translucent flames of his Slaughter Intent burned brighter with each kill, the manifestation so intense that it was starting to affect the Giants psychologically, making them hesitate and making them afraid!
And in a fight involving lives–
Fear was death!
Hesitation was death!
By the time the last C rank Giant fell, Damian was barely recognizable as human.
His clothes were completely destroyed, hanging in tatters.
His body was covered in blood from dozens of wounds that had healed and reopened repeatedly.
His eyes were completely wild, pupils dilated... showing no recognition or sapience.
He looked like something that had crawled out of a nightmare and decided to stay.
And he was still... Hungry!
"MORE! MORE!! MORE!!!"
Still looking for more prey!
And driven by instincts that had completely overridden his humanity.
****
[Portal World - Damian’s Rampage Continues]
Three more days passed in a blur of violence.
Damian had lost count of how many Giants he’d killed. Lost track of time and lost any sense of self beyond the basic drive to hunt, kill, and consume.
His body had transformed further with muscles dense and corded like steel cables beneath skin.
He no longer resembled the sixteen-year-old student who’d entered this portal.
He looked a bit older, harder and more like a weapon forged from flesh and bone than a human being.
The translucent flames of his Slaughter Intent burned constantly now, a visible aura that made him appear as a demon walking among mortals.
Kuro followed at a distance, his own rank having climbed to C+ from absorbing the death energy of hundreds of kills.
The raven was torn between loyalty to his bond partner and recognition that what Damian had become was dangerous even to those trying to help him.
Another Giant patrol appeared on the horizon.
They were mixed ranks this time. C rank commanders leading D rank warriors in coordinated formations, exactly as Vorgath had ordered.
Fifty Giants moving through the forest with military precision.
Damian’s head snapped toward them as his hearing detected the movement even through his degraded mental state.
"MORE!"
He charged without strategy or any tactics, just raw aggression driving him forward.
The Giants saw him coming and formed defensive positions with shields raised and weapons ready.
"CONTACT! ENEMY INCOMING! DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
The C rank commander’s voice boomed across the clearing in Giant language.
BOOM
Damian hit their formation like a battering ram, his physical strength now exceeding what even most C rank Giants could manage.
His fist connected with a shield and the metal buckled, the Giant behind it flying backward with his arm shattered from the impact.
An axe caught him across the back, opening a wound from shoulder to hip that exposed his spine and ribs.
But... he didn’t even slow down!
He spun and grabbed the axe-wielding Giant by the throat, lifted the three-meter warrior off the ground with one hand, and slammed him into the earth hard enough to create a crater.
BOOOOOM
Then kept slamming him! Again... And again.... And again.
Until the Giant’s skull shattered and brain matter mixed with dirt.
PUCHI
A spear punched through his chest, the tip emerging from his back with a spray of blood.
Damian grabbed the spear shaft and pulled himself forward along it, ignoring the agony, until he reached the Giant holding it.
CRUNCH
His teeth found the warrior’s throat and tore it out, arterial spray painting them both of them crimson.
The self-healing skill worked overtime, knitting the chest wound closed even as new injuries opened elsewhere.
His body had become an engine of destruction that refused to stop no matter how much damage it sustained.
The battle lasted nearly an hour with Damian fighting all fifty Giants with berserker fury that made them question everything they’d been told about human limitations.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
By the time the last warrior fell, Damian was standing in a field of corpses, his body covered in so much blood that his original skin tone was completely hidden.
He swayed slightly, exhaustion finally catching up despite his enhanced stamina.
His healing skill had been running continuously for days, burning through his Aura reserves faster than they could regenerate.
But even exhausted, even barely able to stand, his instincts demanded more.
More hunting! More killing! More feeding!
He stumbled toward the treeline, looking for the next patrol.
Kuro had seen enough!
The raven descended, expanding to his full size, his C+ rank power radiating outward as he activated his skill that he previously used in Giants.
The mental attack hit Damian at full strength, the illusion skill designed to incapacitate enemies by trapping them in nightmares.
With Damian’s mental stats degraded to barely functional levels, he had no defense against it.
His eyes went glassy! The translucent flames of his Slaughter Intent flickered and died as his body went slack.
Unconsciousness took him instantly, his mind too damaged to resist even basic mental manipulation.
Kuro caught him before he could hit the ground, the raven’s massive form supporting the teenager’s weight carefully.
His eyes were filled with tears and unspoken words.
The raven took flight, carrying his bond partner back toward where the human survivors were hidden, praying they could help somehow.
Because Kuro could feel through their bond that Damian was teetering on the edge of permanent mental breakdown.
A few more days like this and there would be nothing left to save.