Lord Of Beasts

With Ethan’s go-ahead, the two A Ranks eyed their transformed companion, whom they had to deal with.

Kaela rushed forward.

Mark turned toward her just as she entered his range.

She swung, but he quickly raised his arm and blocked the punch.

Boom!

The collision sent a powerful shockwave through the surrounding rubble.

Kaela’s eyes widened slightly.

Mark’s body hadn’t moved and had absorbed the attack completely.

"You’re somehow even tougher than you look."

She threw another punch.

This time, Mark didn’t even bother blocking, and her fist slammed directly into his chest.

BOOM!

The impact forced Mark several steps backwards, his massive feet tearing through the loose rubble beneath him.

Yet he didn’t fall.

He planted his feet and steadied himself.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Ethan noticed it.

Mark’s shoulders began to broaden.

The muscles beneath his skin thickened, becoming denser and more defined. His entire body seemed to compact and reinforce itself, as though every part of him was being rebuilt to withstand the force that had just struck him.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened.

’There it is again.’

Kaela noticed the change as well, her grin widening in response.

She charged again, and Mark met her head-on.

Their fists collided.

BOOM!

The impact shook the burning rubble beneath them and sent dust spiralling through the air. Kaela immediately followed with a kick, to which Mark raised his forearm to block it.

It pushed his arm backwards, but he held firm.

Kaela spun with the momentum and struck him across the face.

Crack!

Mark’s head snapped sideways.

For a moment, he stood completely still.

Then his body changed again.

The muscles around his neck thickened, reinforcing the vulnerable structure beneath his jaw. His facial muscles hardened, and a strange sheen began spreading across the surface of his skin.

Elara’s expression became increasingly uncomfortable.

"Ethan..."

"I see it."

Ethan’s eyes remained fixed on Mark.

The flesh beneath Mark’s skin seemed to harden before their eyes. A metallic sheen spread from his arms toward his shoulders, covering more and more of his body.

Mark flexed his fingers.

The sound that followed was unsettling, almost like metal scraping against metal.

Kaela stared at him for several seconds.

Then she laughed.

"He’s getting stronger every time I hit him."

Elara looked toward Ethan.

"That’s not normal."

"No."

Ethan’s expression remained serious.

"It isn’t."

Mark charged this time, and Kaela met him head-on; the two collided in the middle of the burning ruins.

BOOM!

Kaela was pushed backwards by the force of the collision.

She dug her heels into the rubble, sliding several metres before finally stopping herself. Instead of being intimidated, she was impressed and excited, her violet aura flaring.

"Again."

She surged forward and punched him.

Mark staggered from the impact, but then his body expanded further. His chest became broader, his arms thickened, and the metallic sheen spread farther across his body.

Ethan stared.

’Strength wasn’t enough, so now even more size...’

It was almost like watching millennia of evolution happen in real time.

Mark wasn’t simply healing from the damage; his body was learning from it. It was adapting to every attack, identifying whatever had harmed it and reinforcing itself against the same threat.

Ethan felt a strange mixture of concern and fascination.

He had fought more beasts than he could count, and just recently, a series of monsters. Among them were all kinds of creatures that adapted through battle and had bodies attuned to their environments.

But Mark was different.

This was happening far too quickly.

There was no gradual evolution or period of recovery.

It was almost instantaneous.

And that left them wondering what his limits were, especially as Elara jumped into the fray. She blinked behind Mark and hesitantly struck him across the back with a crimson gauntlet she had conjured.

Mark immediately turned toward her.

Before he could attack, Elara blinked away again and reappeared several metres away.

"Stop hitting him so hard."

Kaela laughed.

"Why?"

"Because we don’t know what he’ll become next."

Kaela shrugged.

"That’s exactly what I’m trying to find out."

"Kaela!"

"Just relax..."

She raised both hands innocently.

"I won’t kill him."

Ethan couldn’t help sighing.

’Those two really do have completely different definitions of restraint.’

Not that he blamed Kaela for her lack thereof.

’So they have to beat him without killing him, but each time they hit him he gets stronger...’

Even Ethan wasn’t sure how to go about it or what would come of it.

’But if anyone can take him down without killing him, it’s them.’

Mark suddenly lunged toward Elara.

She blinked away just as his enormous hand swept through the space where she had been standing.

Kaela stepped into his path.

Her leg shot upward.

WHAM!

Her kick caught Mark under the chin.

His massive body was launched into the air, rising several metres through the smoke and flames.

Kaela looked toward Elara.

"Your turn."

Elara sighed before blinking above him.

Her crimson armour shifted around her arm as she prepared her attack.

"Sorry about this."

She struck downward.

BOOM!

Mark was driven toward the ground.

His enormous body crashed into the rubble below, sending chunks of burning concrete flying in every direction. The impact created a giant crater beneath him, as though there had been a meteor landing.

For a moment, everything went still.

Ethan tensely watched from the air, unsure whether to be relieved or concerned as a massive hand pushed through the debris

Mark slowly pulled himself upright.

He wasn’t bleeding and didn’t even appear particularly bothered by the impact.

Instead, his body was changing again.

The metallic exterior covering his skin became thicker. Its surface reflected the flames burning around him, giving his body the appearance of polished silver. His muscles expanded beneath the metallic layer, pushing his already enormous frame even further.

His shoulders widened, his height increased, and his entire body seemed to gain weight without losing any of its speed.

He looked denser, heavier, and stronger.

Kaela’s eyes lit up.

"Oh, come on."

She grinned.

"I wonder how big you can get."

Elara blinked beside the Riot Valkyrie, her expression far less enthusiastic.

"This isn’t good."

Ethan watched Mark rise to his full height.

’She’s right.’

Another thought immediately followed.

’But maybe this isn’t all bad.’

His gaze remained fixed on Mark.

He thought about the man standing in front of them.

The man who had once been cautious about everything, struggled to kill even when he had every reason to, and had spent most of his life trying to stay out of trouble despite Ethan dragging him into it.

Now that same man stood in the middle of a destroyed compound, surrounded by fire and rubble, adapting to every attack thrown at him.

Ethan’s expression softened slightly.

’If he could keep and control that power and find a way to use those pills without the side effects..."

It was a strange and dangerous thought.

’If he was one of us...’

Ethan would have been an idiot not to notice how Mark had been feeling recently, which was likely what led to this predicament. But if this power was sustainable, he could be side by side with the man he trusted most again, and they could both fight and progress together.

’Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.’

Ethan clenched his fists.

’Just please be okay, Mark. That’s all that matters.’

Below him, Mark suddenly raised his head.

His blank eyes met Ethan’s.

For a brief moment, the chaos seemed to disappear.

The burning compound, the collapsing structures, the smoke, and the distant explosions all seemed to fade into the background.

Ethan stared down at his friend.

Then the giant, hulking figure suddenly charged forward.

Kaela laughed.

"Here he comes!"

Elara raised her crimson armour.

"Oh, boy..."

The three of them collided amidst the burning ruins.

BOOM!

Another explosion rocked the compound.

The ground shook beneath their feet as flames surged into the night.

Kaela’s fist slammed into Mark’s shoulder.

Elara struck his side.

Mark retaliated with a massive swing.

Kaela ducked beneath it while Elara blinked away from the follow-up attack.

They attacked again.

And again.

Every punch, every kick, and every impact forced Mark’s body to change.

His muscles continued expanding, his metallic exterior continued spreading, and his bones and flesh reinforced themselves against the attacks. Meanwhile, his reactions became faster, and his movements became more efficient.

The longer the battle continued, the more difficult he became to injure.

Mark wasn’t simply getting stronger.

He was becoming better suited to fight them and survive, each adaptation making him a little more monstrous.

Yet Ethan continued watching.

Because somewhere beneath all that changing flesh and metal was still his friend and brother. And he could only hope that when the fighting finally ended, Mark would still be somewhere in there...