Chapter 52 – Soaring Higher—in the Form of a Demon
"Halftime break, huh…"
Bullet stood on a cloud platform half the size of the one before, panting as he watched the Sea King across from him devour its reward in silence.
Was this monster raised by Ross?
Humans can raise something that terrifying? This thing's more horrifying than any weapon or cannon!
The feeling from earlier still lingered—if that thing's tail had hit him, he would've died on the spot.
Bullet's eyes blazed with intensity. For the first time in a long while, his blood boiled with excitement—just like back when he stood alone, face-to-face with a dozen armed soldiers.
He was going to kill that thing.
"ROAR!"
Across the way, the Sea King finished gulping down the last chunk of flesh and turned its gaze toward Bullet.
It didn't understand how it had been dragged here or why it couldn't leave. And after being starved for an entire day and night, all it knew now was—if it beat that puny piece of meat, it would get to eat again.
It wasn't intelligent, which made it even more savage. Its mind held only one thought: food.
"ROAR!"
With a furious cry, the beast dove back into the sea, submerging to wait for its moment.
Not far away, Bullet knew the break was over. The next round of bloodshed was about to begin.
He scanned his surroundings. Shadows swirled beneath the platform, slowly closing in. Bullet stayed calm, searching for even the slightest ripple that might give away the creature's position.
A hunter who fails once only becomes more cautious.
And prey that survives an attack becomes more wary.
That's instinct—pure animal instinct. Right now, both predator and prey were circling, waiting for the other to slip up.
Splash!
There!
Water broke behind him. Bullet turned—but saw only a decoy tail flick into the air.
Damn it!
He pivoted sharply—just in time. A massive, gaping tiger-maw lunged past his side, narrowly missing him.
Once again, luck was on Bullet's side.
The Sea King had overcommitted. Its head and tail were submerged, but its bulky middle had gotten caught on the edge of the platform.
And Bullet? He wasn't about to waste this opportunity.
BOOM!
CRACK!
He drove his fist into the beast's belly with all his might. A sickening crack rang out.
But it wasn't the monster's bones that broke—it was his own.
"ROOOAR—"
A low, agonized roar rumbled from beneath the waves.
The Sea King didn't get off easy. Though it hadn't been knocked back, the punch had shaken it badly—its stomach twisted, bile surged, and the flesh it had just devoured rose to its throat. In its awkward position, it nearly vomited.
Bullet was drenched in sweat.
No good. I can't beat it like this.
He had poured everything into that punch and barely hurt it—while his hand was now useless.
He still had his elbows, legs, knees… But how many more solid hits could he even land?
It wasn't the pain of shattered bone that shook him. It was the realization of how weak he still was.
"Why do birds fly?"
"Because they must."
Ross's words echoed in his mind.
Right now, he was just a bird that couldn't fly. And if he wanted to survive, to stand against something this powerful, he had to soar higher—had to grow stronger.
For a moment, something stirred deep within Bullet.
In the past, he sought strength just to survive—trapped in a world of gunfire and shelling, barely able to meet his basic needs.
Now, he still sought strength to survive—but it was different.
He'd seen what the world outside had to offer. He'd seen the vastness of the sea. And even a single sea beast was enough to end his life.
This wasn't about dodging bullets anymore.
This was the raw savagery of nature—beast versus beast.
His hunger for power surged.
His will solidified.
The fire of determination blazed.
The food he'd eaten the day before now burned rapidly, transforming into raw energy his body could use.
In an instant, the pain in his broken hand faded.
What replaced it was a surging force—wild, potent, alive.
He was changing.
No—he had changed.
Drastically.
"…Now then," he whispered, grinning.
"Time for Round Two."
---
The tiger-headed Sea King dove again beneath the waves. It could sense its prey had grown stronger—but it had no means of escape. All it could do now… was fight.
Bullet's face, once calm, finally cracked into a smile.
A mad smile.
His eyes burned with a terrifying, inhuman light. A demonic glow.
His entire presence had transformed—no longer the cold, ruthless demeanor of a hardened soldier.
Now, he was a beast.
Wild.
Bloodthirsty.
Insane.
"ROAR!"
The tiger-headed Sea King let out a furious roar as it lunged out of the water.
Its massive body loomed before Bullet, looming so close he could see every detail. Lowering its enormous head, the creature locked its cold, predatory gaze onto him.
The hunting game was over.
Now, it was time to fight.
BOOM!
The beast slammed down at once, its gigantic head smashing toward Bullet. He braced with both arms to hold it back. The platform beneath his feet trembled violently—their collision shook the solid cloud itself.
WHAM!
With a sweeping motion, the Sea King swung its enormous tail toward him at an impossible angle.
Bullet caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He shifted his weight—then pushed with all his strength.
THUD!
The colossal force he exerted wrenched the monster's skull downward and to the left. Its own tail—mid-swing—lashed brutally into the side of its head.
"ROAR!"
Howling in rage, the Sea King recoiled, thrashing. Waves churned wildly as its bellow tore through the air—its bloodlust finally unrestrained.
Then it dove beneath the surface again, twisting its long, serpentine body in a furious spiral.
A vast whirlpool began to churn beneath the platform.
From above, Bullet could only see the circular black silhouette swirling under him, like some enormous living ring. The whirlpool's deafening roar drowned out every other sound, making it impossible to predict what the beast would do next.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, the tail burst from the vortex—shooting straight at him.
I'm dead!
In this heightened state, Bullet's senses were unnaturally keen. He could feel the incredible power compressed into that tail—more like a whip than an appendage.
He knew instantly he couldn't block it.
He couldn't even react.
A strobe of memories—like a zoetrope—flickered across his mind in that split second.
As Bullet prepared for death, familiar white clouds wrapped around his entire body.
BOOOOOOM—
A home run.
Inside the sphere of cloud, Bullet tumbled head over heels, the sudden acceleration churning his stomach. If he hadn't already burned through every scrap of food in his body, he would have vomited all over himself.
When he finally managed to open his eyes, he realized he was high in the sky.
Ross was there, watching him with that same cold, unreadable expression.
Bullet wanted to say he was sorry—that he had failed his mission.
But he no longer had the strength to speak.
The "demonic" transformation faded away in silence. Hunger flooded his limbs, hollowing him out from the inside.
As expected, he blacked out instantly.
---
Outside, Ross's cold expression gradually softened. A trace of guilt flickered in his eyes as he looked at Bullet.
He gathered the unconscious boy gently and turned to head back to the cloud island.
He didn't regret what he'd done.
He only hoped he could soon face the real Bullet—free of all the chains that had bound him.