The Predator

  Ilarion’s cold voice cut through the silence:

  "You hurt my first friend and ally in the academy. So don’t expect a quick death."

  The parasite lunged at me, its massive hand striking downward. I dodged, ducking low, and in return, clenched my fist and drove a punch straight into its nose. I felt the bones shatter beneath my knuckles as a dark red liquid poured out.

  I stepped back just as its fist crashed where I had been standing, cracking the floor. Without hesitation, I surged forward, slashing its flesh with Dawnflame, my sword now infused with mana. A pure white glow enveloped the blade, and soon, that radiant energy spread through my body. My muscles tightened, my movements grew lighter, and my speed increased.

  With each slash, the parasite’s body became more grotesque, covered in deep wounds, blood pouring from its flesh. And with every strike, I grew faster, stronger. The beast tried desperately to hit me, but it was too slow, its attacks predictable. Its clumsy swings made it easy to evade. I sidestepped its disfigured hand and delivered an uppercut to its jaw, shattering it. Blood and broken teeth sprayed from its mouth.

  Then—lightning! This lump of flesh could use magic? It lashed out wildly, its attacks erratic and unpredictable, making them harder to avoid. Stray arcs of electricity crackled around it, trying to strike me.

  "Slow and dull."

  My words only seemed to enrage it further. The creature lunged again, its blows gaining speed and force. That damned muscle-bound freak started coating itself in lightning magic.

  The strikes became faster. My back hit the castle wall. I dodged just in time—its fist crashed into the stone, leaving a massive crater, shaking the ground beneath us. This strength wasn’t a joke. I sidestepped, countering with a slash toward its neck. But before my sword could land, Dawnflame was repelled. A barrier—this bastard had formed a lightning shield around its throat.

  "Not bad… not bad at all."

  Alright. Time to pick up the pace. I took a deep breath and charged. Before, I had only aimed for non-lethal areas to make its death as painful as possible. But I couldn't let it evolve any further.

  The moment it moved toward me, I used my innate ability. The solid ground beneath its feet instantly turned to liquid, making it lose balance. I slipped behind it and sliced off its ears. I wasn’t stupid enough to aim for the head or neck—it clearly had a barrier there. But without its ears, it was practically deaf, making it slower, its movements uncoordinated.

  It slammed its fists into the ground, unleashing an ice spell that froze the entire floor, creeping toward me. I leaped onto a nearby wall, grabbing hold of one of the torches. This bastard kept surprising me! Lightning and now ice? If I let this continue, will it start using a third element? Just how powerful was it before it mutated?

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  I landed, and the moment my feet touched the ice, it melted away. My ability wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

  This time, the creature was different. It wasn’t recklessly charging like before. It was adapting too quickly… I had to be serious from now on.

  It formed swords of ice, then coated them in a layer of crackling lightning. A shiver ran down my spine. A composite attack? Just minutes ago, it didn’t even know how to use magic, and now it was combining elements? What kind of logic was this?!

  I lunged forward. I had to aim for its heart—its head was too well-protected. The ice swords shot toward me at breakneck speed, barely giving me time to deflect them. One after another. If not for Dawnflame’s enhancements, I would’ve been in real trouble.

  I tensed my muscles and delivered a powerful thrust toward its chest, hoping to end this once and for all. But instead of attacking me, the beast placed its massive, tree-trunk-sized hand over its heart. Breaking through that would be impossible—or so it thought.

  Instead of aiming for its chest, I adjusted my angle mid-swing. The sword’s tip pierced through its right eye, tore through its nose, and burrowed deep into its left eye socket.

  I jumped back immediately, anticipating a counterattack or some last-ditch trick. This bastard was evolving too fast! Its mismatched blue and green eyes turned a bloodshot red, both of them now gouged out, leaving it completely blind.

  The parasite let out an ear-splitting scream, flailing wildly. Even without sight, its attacks carried devastating amounts of mana. I stood still, watching.

  The beast was in shambles.

  "Alright, time to finish this and get back to Fabian."

  I moved swiftly, gathering scattered debris in one place.

  The burned mass of muscle charged toward me. Just as I planned, I grabbed two Deathwing Beetles—creatures we had fought earlier. I had kicked them aside a moment ago, and now, I hurled them at the parasite. The second they made contact with its lightning barrier, they exploded in a powerful blast.

  I dashed forward, exploiting the opening. Only a single meter separated us now. The beast’s massive, muscular hand emerged from the dust, hurtling toward my face with terrifying speed and strength.

  No problem. This was all part of the plan.

  I wrapped a black rope around its arm and yanked it toward its own throat, tightening the loop. I whispered a few words in its ear before stepping back a few meters.

  As soon as I let go, releasing my ability, the rope reverted to its original form. A two-meter-long black spear emerged, its tip shaped like a half-meter-long sword. I had wrapped the sharp edge around its neck like a ring—any movement would cause it to slice deeper.

  Its other hand was too weak to help. Just exposed bones and sinew, barely able to keep it standing. If it wanted to free itself, it had no choice but to pull its arm away from its neck.

  It struggled violently, screeching, its sanity long gone. But with every attempt to free itself, the blade dug deeper. Blood began to spill.

  It kept pulling and screaming, still convinced there was a way out. I simply watched, smirking in amusement.

  A crimson pool formed beneath it. The blade struck its spine. It went berserk upon realizing what was stopping it from escaping. It kept pushing, kept pulling. And then—

  A sickening crack.

  Muscle and tissue tore apart. Blood gushed freely.

  I almost pitied it.

  A deep gash stretched across its neck. The sound of the blade grinding against its spine echoed in the silence.

  Checkmate.

  In one last act of desperation, it wrenched its arm back with all its strength. And for a moment—

  Something hit the ground.

  Its head.

  Blood erupted like a fountain.

  Its grotesque, burned body collapsed, and I remained still, watching. I could see The Dark Lord’s Blade lodged in its chest. Just in case, I drove it deeper to ensure the parasite was truly dead.

  I didn’t leave immediately. I retrieved the sword cautiously. There was always a chance it had some final trick—an explosion, a curse, something. But after a minute, the blood stopped flowing.

  Its massive, muscular form had withered, leaving behind a frail, mummified husk.

  Then, a sinister feeling washed over me.

  The Dark Lord’s Blade was pulsing with an ominous, ethereal darkness.

  Shock flickered through my mind.

  Had it absorbed the parasite’s mana?

  Its body was a shriveled husk. I hesitated before gripping the sword. A thick, eerie aura surrounded it.

  This bastard… it devoured every last drop of mana from that thing.

  The moment my fingers touched the hilt, a shiver crawled up my spine.

  An unfamiliar sensation…

  It was cold. Like I was naked in the middle of a blizzard.

  For a full minute, my body trembled uncontrollably. Then, the feeling gradually faded.

  Sweat dripped down my face. I wiped it off quickly and sheathed the sword.

  The aura vanished.

  But I could still feel it inside me.

  This…

  must be the ability Uncle Albert spoke of—the sword’s power to consume mana, whether from its wielder or its victims.