Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Heart of the Beast (Part 3)
"..."
Nero stared silently at the grotesque blob of flesh that had once been Vincent Cross.
The businessman who’d spent so much time obsessing over his appearance and immaculate image had become something that defied description.
A towering mass of twisted muscle and randomly sprouting limbs that looked like it belonged in the deepest circles of hell.
"No... NO! This isn’t... this wasn’t supposed to..."
Vincent’s voice - or what remained of it - echoed from multiple mouths scattered across the flesh blob’s surface.
Each mouth spoke in slightly different pitches, creating a horrifying chorus of denial and panic.
"I was supposed to be... powerful! Beautiful! A greater demon worthy of..."
The panic in those voices was unmistakable.
Whatever Vincent had been expecting from his transformation, this clearly wasn’t it.
Nero’s analytical mind pieced together the situation from what the man was spouting.
And the conclusion was that it seems something from his grand plan has gone wrong.
And he was right.
Vincent could only wallow and roar in despair...
The pendant had promised him transformation into a "suitable" greater demon based on multiple factors.
And he had probably assumed his natural charisma and manipulative abilities would translate into something impressive.
But instead, his obsessive nature, his predatory exploitation of others, his complete lack of genuine strength or honor had manifested into exactly what he truly was underneath.
A parasite.
A creature that consumed and absorbed others to fuel its own grotesque existence.
An amalgamation of greed and filth under the "gentle" smile...
Truly a fitting transformation.
"NOOoooOoo! I REfuSE To ACcEpT ThiS!"
The blob’s anguished and distorted wailing echoed across the battlefield as it caught sight of its reflection in a broken piece of metal.
Multiple eyes had opened across its surface, each one filled with the same horrified recognition.
Vincent Cross, who had prided himself on being the most handsome and successful man in any room... had become an abomination that would make children scream and adults vomit.
But as the transformation completed, something changed...
"GraaHHHh... graaAAAahhhhh..."
The coherent speech devolved into bestial growling and incomprehensible noise.
The intelligence behind those scattered eyes began dimming, replaced by something far more primitive.
*SPLORCH!*
Multiple flesh tendrils erupted from the blob’s mass, grabbing nearby objects - pieces of debris, abandoned weapons, even clumps of dirt - and absorbing them into its writhing form.
The sight made everyone watching grimace in disgust.
From the parent group, Juno’s analytical mind recoiled at the violation of basic biological principles.
"Fascinating data points, but... absolutely revolting," he muttered while adjusting his broken glasses.
"That’s... that’s not natural," Genya said grimly, his military experience failing to provide any context for what they were witnessing.
"Kiyaa~! It’s disgusting!" Yuki’s magical girl sensibilities were completely offended by the grotesque display.
"Ugh..." Even Hina, who’d seen plenty of violence in her gang days, looked genuinely nauseated.
Across the battlefield, Aurelia’s divine instincts picked up the overwhelming corruption radiating from the transformed creature.
Her golden eyes narrowed with faint worry as she assessed the threat level.
"..."
Her eyes briefly flashed with worry to her Lord while maintaining her combat stance against Vex’ahlia.
The sorceress herself noticed the energy signature and couldn’t help but smirk with disdain.
"Heh. Amateur..."
Vex’ahlia’s mocking tone carried the superiority of someone who’d seen countless fools destroy themselves with power they couldn’t control.
***
Back at the center of the chaos, Nero stood completely still.
Despite the suffocating aura of corruption emanating from the newly evolved SR-tier monster in front of him, his expression remained eerily calm for something that even Aurelia had a rough time dealing with when they fought off that Verdant Tyrant...
Actually, no.
He wasn’t calm at all.
Nero could barely suppress the insane grin threatening to split his face as his heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum.
His blood felt electric, alive with adrenaline that made every nerve ending sing with anticipation.
No, this wasn’t nervousness or fear coursing through his system.
This was excitement mixed with cold rage, and mockery on his opponent.
It was a chaotic mix of emotions.
’... What the hell is wrong with me?’
The thought briefly flickered through his mind.
He’d never been a battle maniac before. Never craved violence for its own sake.
Nor was he this much chaotic when it comes to emotions.
But even that rational consideration... was immediately crushed by a wave of predatory anticipation that felt completely natural.
*CRACK!*
The sound of mental barriers shattering echoed across the battlefield as Vincent’s unique ability finally collapsed completely.
"AGGHHHHH!"
"MY HEAD!"
"What... what did I...?"
Every person who’d been under his hypnotic control suddenly clutched their heads, screaming as waves of suppressed memories came flooding back.
The mind-controlled camp residents staggered around in confusion and pain, free for the first time in weeks but suffering from the worst migraine imaginable.
But more importantly, the 6 wives who’d been held under Vincent’s charm suddenly snapped back to full consciousness.
"Wha... What happened to me?" Frila gasped, ice crystals forming unconsciously around her hands as emotional shock triggered her abilities.
"I... I remember..." Carmen’s voice broke as fragmented memories began reassembling themselves.
"That bastard... that BASTARD!" Zara’s bone magic flared as rage replaced confusion.
But before any of them could process what had been done to them, the Vincent-blob began a new horror.
*SPLURT! SPLURT! SPLURT!*
Chunks of flesh started sprouting from its mass like diseased fruit, each piece hitting the ground and immediately reshaping itself.
Within seconds, dozens of small demonic creatures emerged from the spawn points.
Baby imps with razor-sharp claws and needle-filled maws.
Each one was B-tier in strength but moved with pack-hunting coordination.
[Amalgants (B) - a living abscess born from the congruent of filth.]
"KeKEKEekeke!"
"GraAAAhhhhh!"
"KIIiiiILLLL!"
Their high-pitched shrieking filled the air as they immediately began swarming toward any living target they could find.
The numbers kept multiplying.
50... 60... 70 of the little bastards and still climbing.
"..."
Nero looked at the overwhelming horde of demons, the massive SR-tier blob monster that had once been Vincent, and the chaos spreading across the entire battlefield.
Any sane person would have felt intimidated.
Any rational survivor would have looked for an escape route.
Instead, Nero’s lips curved into the most genuinely "happy" expression he’d worn in weeks.
The feeling of both rage and excitement bothered him to no end, nudging him to rush in immediately.
*Shing...*
Dawnbreaker slid from its sheath with a sound like singing metal, the A-tier blade gleaming with anticipation.
"... Finally."
The word came out as a whisper of pure satisfaction and relief.
"I can finally destroy you into pieces... hahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
His words followed by his laughter exploded across the battlefield like a battle cry, wild and unrestrained and completely unhinged.
The sound made everyone freeze for a moment, even the demonic imps pausing at the sheer madness in that laugh.
*WHOOSH!*
Nero immediately exploded his legs towards the swarm of Amalgants like a missile wrapped in metallic scales and bloodlust.
*SLICE!*
Dawnbreaker carved through 3 imps in a single horizontal strike, their grotesque B-tier bodies offering no resistance to the A-tier weapon enhanced by his transformed strength.
Dark blood immediately painted the air in arterial sprays.
*SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!*
"KEKEekekeeKE!"
More imps swarmed him from every direction, claws and fangs seeking vital points.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
But his blade became a blur of deadly precision, each strike dismembering multiple targets as he carved a path of absolute carnage through their ranks.
"HAHAHAHA! COME ON! IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!"
Black demon blood splattered across his metallic scales as he spun and slashed with technique that had completely abandoned any pretense of Valkyria Swordsmanship’s elegant forms.
This was pure, savage butchery driven by battle-drunk euphoria.
*CRUNCH!*
His enhanced fist punched straight through an imp’s torso, metallic claws emerging from its back as he lifted the screaming creature and hurled it into 3 of its companions.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
Dawnbreaker followed up immediately, separating heads from shoulders in a spray of corruption.
"YESSSSS!"
The roar of pure joy that erupted from his throat sounded more demonic than the actual demons he was fighting.
*SPLAT! CRUNCH! SLICE!*
Each kill only fed his bloodlust further as the Heart of the Beast passive skill stripped away every civilized restraint, while his Great Instinct allowed him to analyze and dodge multiple attacks, while guiding his blade to further paint the land in black.
"HAHAHAHAHA! DIE!"
Bodies piled up around him as he carved through the imp swarm like a living blender of death and scales.
***
"Wha...!"
Across the battlefield, Frila stared in absolute shock at the massacre unfolding before them.
The love charm that had clouded her mind for weeks was finally gone, leaving behind a kaleidoscope of horrifying memories.
She remembered everything now.
The first days of the apocalypse, when she’d been a beautiful college student trying to survive with her ice manipulation abilities.
Finding Vincent’s camp and thinking she’d found safety with other survivors.
The gradual realization that something was wrong with how the other women looked at their "leader" with those heart-shaped pupils.
And then... darkness.
Weeks of being Vincent’s plaything while convinced she was madly in love with him.
The things he’d made her do.
The acts she’d performed while thinking they were expressions of devotion.
*Blueggh...*
Her face went pale as bile rose in her throat.
Around her, the other 5 wives were going through the same horrifying realization.
Carmen was hyperventilating as suppressed memories crashed back like a tsunami.
Nell had doubled over and was dry-heaving, her shadow powers flickering wildly with emotional distress.
Isabell’s spatial distortions were tearing small rifts in reality around her as rage and disgust fought for control.
Zara’s bone constructs were erupting from the ground randomly as her power responded to trauma.
Dia’s life-binding threads were lashing out in all directions, seeking targets for her fury.
"That sick bastard!!!" Carmen choked out between gasps. "He... he made us think we wanted... that we chose...!"
"I’m going to kill him," Zara snarled, though her voice shook with emotional overload. "I’m going to tear him apart piece by fucking piece for what he did to us!"
"He’s already becoming a monster," Nell whispered with a very dead tone, staring at the writhing flesh blob. "Maybe that’s what he always was underneath."
But before any of them could process their trauma properly...
*SLICE!*
The wet sound of metal cutting through flesh broke through their shocked reverie.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
All 6 women turned toward the source of that sound and the maniacal laughter that followed.
What they saw made their blood freeze.
A figure covered in black demon blood from head to toe, metallic reptilian scales gleaming beneath the gore as he carved through enemies like they were made of paper.
His torso was completely exposed where his shirt had been shredded during the earlier battle, revealing lean muscle beneath the scaled transformation.
And the expression on his face...
"COME ON! GIVE ME MORE!"
Pure, unhinged joy as he dismembered demons with artistic precision.
*CRUNCH!*
His metallic fist punched straight through an imp’s skull, splattering brain matter across his blood-soaked chest.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
Dawnbreaker followed up with a combination that separated 4 more imps into component pieces.
The way he moved... the confidence in every strike, the complete absence of fear or hesitation despite being outnumbered 10 to 1.
It’s like they’re staring at a...
"He’s like... a beast," Isabell gulped nervously.
The memory of fighting against him while they were charmed hit all of them simultaneously.
They’d ganged up on him 6 against 1, using coordinated attacks and overwhelming tactics.
And looking at him now, covered in enemy blood and laughing like a maniac as he single-handedly massacred an entire demon horde...
Despite everything Vincent had done to them, despite the trauma and rage burning through their systems... Frila couldn’t help but feel her cheeks heating up as she watched the display.
The raw confidence, the terrifying competence, the way he looked completely crazy in the middle of a bloodbath...
It was undeniably cool.
... Maybe even attractive.
"..."
A faint blush spread across her face as she realized what she was thinking.
The girl’s heart was racing for an entirely different reason... inappropriate scenes given the situation they were in.
Like... What if she’s ravaged by him with his beastly behavior?
***
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