Thaed (Part 2)

  Thaed focused on survival and escaping as fast as possible. He had lost his usual spatial awareness and could no longer see with one eye. Of course, if he hadn’t been reinforcing his body with mana, things would have been far worse.

  He ran, enhancing his legs, ignoring all the standard body-protection techniques he had learned. This was pure survival instinct. He hid behind the castle's side wall, took a moment to rest, then pulled out his special green flask and took a sip of water. But suddenly, he started coughing violently.

  "Poisoned?" Thaed realized with dread.

  Before he could react, the wall behind him shattered, and a grotesque hand reached out, grabbing his left leg and twisting it instantly. Thaed cursed internally as he sprinted away, barely dodging the chaotic bursts of electricity the monster was unleashing. It couldn't hit him, but one question burned in his mind:

  "How did it find me? I'm sure it can't hear… There’s no way it should be able to detect me this easily!"

  He ran aimlessly until he found himself in a bathroom. It seemed like a good place to escape—he could break the glass and jump out of the castle or crawl through the ventilation shafts. He began assessing his surroundings, but when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he didn't focus on his disfigured face. Instead, his eyes locked onto the sharp flesh-like tendrils still embedded in his skin.

  His mind raced back to the room where he fought the monster, the grotesque flesh covering the walls. Suddenly, it clicked—the creature was sensing him through the tissue still lodged inside his face! It wasn’t capable of precise attacks like that terrifying lightning strike, but—

  "In other words, the monster is part of the flesh wires… And unless I destroy every last disgusting piece of it, it won’t die."

  Without hesitation, he bit down on a piece of cloth to stifle his scream and started cutting the flesh out of his face—even from inside his ruined eye. He had no choice but to rip the eyeball out completely. He removed every trace of foreign flesh, then tightly wrapped his left eye with emergency medical supplies. Tossing the eye and disgusting remains into the bathroom, he bolted, desperate to find Stone or Ilarion.

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  "I can't kill that thing completely while I'm in this state."

  Pain twisted through his body. His face and chest burned like hellfire. He staggered into a ruined hall, hoping to find someone, but instead, he found Stone lying on the ground. His body was in a horrific state—both arms were utterly shattered, his face and upper torso drenched in blood, and his legs… They were broken in a way no one should ever experience, not even an enemy.

  Beside him lay the charred corpse of a previously slain flame orc.

  Thaed looked at Stone, and for once, his expression went completely blank—something rare for him. He approached, muttering:

  "Did you really die this easily?"

  He knelt next to the corpse, staring into Stone's lifeless, skyward eyes—still filled with ambition and pride. With an exhausted sigh, he murmured:

  "I can’t do anything… He’s really dead."

  His expression darkened. The pain was unbearable, yet he couldn't bring himself to cry. Suddenly, his nose started bleeding, and his chest screamed in agony as if begging for relief. The urge to give up clawed at him, but looking at Stone's broken body reignited his resolve.

  "What did Stone do?"

  His gaze shifted to something he hadn't noticed at first—his vision had been too poor to catch it. But now he saw it. A lich’s corpse lay nearby, with a massive hammer embedded in its body.

  Despite the scorching pain consuming him, a faint smirk crossed Thaed’s lips.

  "You did your part… Now it's my turn."

  One last time, he decided—he would return to the monster’s room and burn everything to the ground. He would use his special oil to create an even stronger fire. Normally, he wouldn’t bother, as an enemy wouldn’t simply stand there and let him douse them in oil. But setting an entire room ablaze? That was easy.

  Moving slowly, he retraced his steps. As he walked, a massive shadow emerged—a grotesque fusion of melted faces and sightless eyes. Its monstrous body pulsed as if still shifting. Thaed froze, pressing his back against the wall. The abomination hadn’t detected him yet.

  It moved away, searching for its prey.

  But then… it headed toward the bathroom.

  The place where he had discarded the foreign flesh.

  "Shit…"

  If the creature checked the bathroom, it would inevitably return to the room, making his plan nearly impossible. Thaed’s body was nearly spent from the poison. Even with his enhanced legs, he was barely holding on.

  A bitter, pained smile formed on his lips.

  He walked toward the room.

  He opened the oil flask and poured it over his body, smirking in grim amusement.

  "This is the end."

  With a sudden leap, he flung himself into the monster’s lair, setting himself ablaze. The fire jewel inside him shattered, unleashing a surge of raw mana. The flames roared violently, consuming everything in their path, incinerating every last strand of the revolting flesh that had infested the chamber.

  Before losing consciousness, Thaed heard the monstrous, guttural roar of the three-headed beast. He smirked and whispered:

  "Burn in hell, you ugly bastard."

  The creature’s body convulsed and crumbled apart.

  Yet, despite Thaed’s relentless efforts and flawless execution… the monster didn’t die completely.

  But the fusion was utterly destroyed.

  Only two pieces remained out of the original seven. The rest had been completely annihilated.

  All that was left was chaos. Endless chaos.

  Silent flames, yet absolute disorder.

  —