The plaza shook as Haruki's power burst outward. Black chains dissolved into shards of light, sinking into his flesh like molten iron.
His gauntlets twisted, claws elongating into obsidian talons that hummed with energy too sharp for reality to contain.
The Banting screeched, a chorus of warped tones echoing like a dozen dying beasts at once. Its bladed limbs lashed the air but for the first time, the creature looked uncertain.
Haruki's chest heaved. He felt both lighter and heavier, as though the world itself bent around him.
Every sound, every heartbeat, every particle of dust hung crystal-clear in his mind. And beneath it all, a steady thrum pulsed: hunger.
System Zero's voice vibrated in his skull, sly and amused:
[Protocol Override: Active. Combat rating recalculated—Z-Rank potential detected. Finally, you're interesting.]
The words barely registered. Haruki's body moved before thought caught up. He blurred forward, claws cleaving the air. Stone shattered underfoot, and in a blink he was in front of the Banting.
The monster slashed. Haruki caught the blade between his talons. Sparks and black fire erupted, the sound like steel grinding against a hurricane. With a twist, he tore the limb clean off.
The Banting's roar split the night sky.
Hunters froze in disbelief. Just moments ago, their strongest attacks had barely scratched the creature's hide. Haruki had ripped it apart like paper.
Kana's voice trembled. "H-Haruki… what are you…"
He didn't answer. His gaze locked only on the Banting, his claws dripping with its ichor. A grin tugged at the edges of his mouth unnatural, sharp.
He lunged again, movements feral, unchained.
The Banting phased, disappearing into flickers of shadow. But Haruki anticipated it.
His body twisted mid-stride, claws swiping through empty space catching the beast as it reappeared.
Black energy surged, dragging it out of its veil and slamming it against the ground hard enough to crater the plaza.
"Impossible…" Rai muttered, still clutching his blades.
Kuro chuckled softly from the sidelines, eyes gleaming like a predator watching prey. "Now that is more like it."
The Banting shrieked, struggling against Haruki's grip. But he pressed it down, claws sinking deeper into its chitinous flesh, abyssal flames eating through its body.
Kana stumbled closer, voice breaking. "Haruki! Stop you're losing yourself!"
For a heartbeat, her words pierced the haze. Haruki's claws froze inches from splitting the monster's skull.
His vision flickered Kana's terrified face overlapping the Banting's writhing form.
Then the hunger surged again, black fire roaring louder, drowning out hesitation.
He wasn't sure anymore if he was fighting the Banting… or if he was the Banting.
The Banting writhed beneath Haruki's claws, ichor gushing in waves that steamed against the black fire.
Its many eyes rolled back, limbs thrashing wildly. Each strike carved trenches through the plaza floor, but Haruki held it down with monstrous strength.
Hunters stared in horror. The boy they had dismissed as dead weight was now radiating more power than their entire squad combined. But there was no relief in their faces only dread.
Kana's hands shook as she channeled healing energy into Rai's wounds. "This isn't right," she whispered, her voice thin, almost breaking. "That's not Haruki anymore."
Rai winced, sitting up against the rubble, his eyes narrowing at the sight before him. "No… that's him. But it's like he's drowning in it."
The Banting screeched and, with a surge of desperation, phased again its body dissolving into fragments of shadow. For an instant it vanished.
Haruki's head snapped up, his pupils glowing like molten scarlet. He extended one claw into the empty air and pulled.
Space itself tore like fabric. The Banting was yanked out of the void, its body snapping back into reality with a horrific crack.
"No way…" one Hunter gasped. "He… dragged it out of phase?"
Haruki slammed the beast down, black fire crawling over its body, consuming its screams. He pressed harder, savoring the resistance, the raw sensation of power coursing through him.
System Zero purred in his mind:
[Synchronicity rising: 87%. You are magnificent. Let go completely, Haruki. You were never meant to be human.]
The words coiled like poison. And part of him wanted to listen. The hunger was intoxicating. Every heartbeat begged him to crush, to devour, to end.
Then
"Haruki!" Kana's voice rang out again, cutting through the haze. She stumbled closer, ignoring the heat searing her skin.
Her eyes glistened, desperate. "Please! You're scaring everyone you're scaring me!"
For the briefest instant, her voice reached him. The grin slipped. The claws hesitated. His vision flickered.
He saw Kana not as prey or distraction, but as the girl who had stood beside him since his first day in Driath.
The chains inside him rattled violently, torn between snapping completely or reasserting control.
"Don't you dare lose yourself now!" Kana screamed. "Come back, Haruki!"
The Banting seized the hesitation. Its body erupted with shadow, exploding outward in a shockwave that hurled Haruki back. He crashed through a collapsed wall, black flames flickering wildly around him.
The monster staggered upright, half its body melted away, ichor sizzling in the cracks. It was dying but not dead. And now it stared at Kana, its eyes burning with primal hatred.
Kana froze as it charged, claws raised.
Her barrier flickered into existence, thin and unstable. She braced for the impact, knowing it wouldn't hold.
Haruki clawed his way out of the rubble, eyes blazing. He could stop it. But he knew if he went any further, there might not be a Haruki left to save.
Kana's barrier quivered under the Banting's charge, its claws slamming against the light with an ear-splitting shriek.
Sparks scattered, cracks spiderwebbing across the glowing shield.
Kana's legs buckled, her body shaking as she forced mana into the ward with everything she had left.
"Not… yet…" she gasped, teeth clenched.
But the Banting's power was overwhelming. With one final strike, the barrier shattered into glittering fragments.
Kana's eyes widened. The creature's claws descended.
"NO!"
Haruki erupted from the rubble like a shadow reborn. His claws hooked around the Banting's limb, stopping it inches from Kana's chest.
Black fire surged up his arm, devouring the monster's flesh as he wrenched it away.
The beast screamed, twisting, but Haruki's grip was merciless. He snarled, voice deep and distorted, almost unrecognizable. "You don't… touch her."
System Zero's voice echoed with manic glee:
[Emotional override complete. Combat instinct unlocked. Showtime.]
Haruki swung the Banting over his head and slammed it into the ground, hard enough to send shockwaves through the plaza. The earth split open, rubble flying.
The monster writhed, shadows wriggling like worms to stitch its wounds, but Haruki didn't let it recover.
He pounced, claws plunging deep into its chest.
Ichor splattered across his face. The black flames roared brighter, consuming both him and the creature. For a terrifying moment, it was hard to tell where Haruki ended and the Banting began.
Kana stumbled backward, clutching her chest, eyes wide with horror. The boy she had sworn to protect was gone what crouched before her looked more demon than human.
"Haruki…" she whispered, voice trembling.
Rai pushed himself upright, blood still staining his lips. He raised a shaking blade, glaring at Haruki's monstrous silhouette.
"Kana… if he loses himself completely…" His tone was grim. "…we may have to stop him."
Kana shook her head furiously, tears welling in her eyes. "No. He's still in there. I know he is."
Haruki roared, ripping the Banting apart with a surge of abyssal energy. The monster's body convulsed, then detonated into fragments of shadow that scattered into the night sky like dying stars.
The battle was over.
But Haruki didn't stop. His claws slashed at the air, his chest heaving, flames spilling from his body as if searching for another enemy to devour.
The hunger screamed in his mind, louder than his own thoughts.
More. I need more. More to break. More to burn.
System Zero whispered approvingly:
[Yes. Feed it. There's no going back now.]
Kana's voice cut through the haze. She stepped forward, trembling but resolute. "Haruki. That's enough!"
The words froze him. The claws halted mid-swipe. His scarlet eyes wavered, flickering between abyssal fire and fragile humanity.
Kana reached out, her hand shaking, her palm glowing faintly with healing light. "Please… come back."
For the first time, Haruki's grin faltered. The hunger pulled him one way. Kana's voice pulled him another.
And he stood there, trembling at the edge of choice—between the abyss and himself.
The plaza was silent eerily so. Dust floated like ash in the moonlight, settling on broken stone and shattered walls.
The only sound was Haruki's ragged breathing, a low growl layered beneath it like something feral.
The Banting was gone. Nothing remained but a smoking crater, its body completely consumed.
But Haruki still crouched like a beast, claws dragging across the rubble, eyes blazing crimson.
Hunters who survived pressed themselves against the edges of the square, too afraid to approach. They whispered among themselves in hushed, panicked tones.
"Did you see that…?"
"He tore it apart like paper…"
"That wasn't human."
Kana ignored them. She staggered closer, her body trembling with exhaustion. Every step toward Haruki felt like walking into a furnace. The black flames rolling off him seared her skin, but she didn't stop.
"Haruki." Her voice cracked, but she forced strength into it. "It's over. The monster's gone. You can stop now."
His head snapped toward her, eyes glowing brighter. For a heartbeat, he didn't recognize her. The abyss looked back at her instead of her friend. Her stomach tightened with fear but she refused to step back.
Rai gritted his teeth, dragging his blade up despite his wounds. "Kana get away from him! He's not"
"He is!" she snapped, cutting him off. "He is Haruki! And I won't abandon him."
Her words pierced the haze. Haruki's claws froze mid-swipe, trembling. His breath hitched, the flames around him flickering.
His vision swam Kana's terrified yet resolute eyes anchoring him, pulling him out of the abyss.
System Zero's tone shifted, almost annoyed:
[Interference detected. Emotional tether stabilizing subject. Probability of full assimilation… reduced.]
Haruki let out a strangled roar, his claws digging into the stone at his feet. Cracks split outward, but slowly… the flames receded.
His gauntlets shrank back into their original form, the black talons dissolving into sparks of shadow. His eyes dimmed from blazing scarlet to weary crimson.
He collapsed to his knees, chest heaving.
Kana rushed forward, catching him before he fell. Her arms wrapped around his trembling frame, ignoring the searing heat still radiating from his body. "I've got you… you're okay… you're still here."
Haruki blinked, dazed. The haze cleared just enough for him to realize what he'd done the crater, the fear in the Hunters' eyes, the ichor dripping from his claws. His stomach twisted. "I… I almost…"
"Shh." Kana tightened her hold. "You didn't. You're still you."
A slow clap broke the moment.
Kuro leaned against a broken pillar, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Touching. Very touching. But let's not pretend we didn't just watch our little leash-boy rip a Banting apart like the demon he is."
The Hunters flinched at his words, their eyes narrowing with suspicion, fear, and something sharper accusation.
Kana glared at them, her voice fierce. "Don't you dare. He saved all of you."
But Haruki felt their stares burning into him, heavier than any chain. For the first time since coming to Driath, he wondered if the true battle… was surviving what he was becoming.
The plaza reeked of burnt stone and blood. Smoke curled upward from the crater, rising into the night sky like a beacon.
Word would spread faster than any runner that an F-Rank boy had felled a Banting alone. But those who had seen it with their own eyes weren't celebrating.
They were afraid.
Hunters huddled at the edges of the square, their whispers like daggers in the silence.
"No way that was human…"
"Did you see his eyes? That was a demon."
"If he loses control again, we'll be next."
Kana helped Haruki to his feet, her arm braced under his. His weight sagged against her, but she refused to let him collapse.
She glared at the others, her voice like steel. "He just saved your lives. Show some gratitude."
No one spoke up. They only averted their gazes, as though looking directly at Haruki might provoke him.
Kuro's chuckle broke the tension. He sauntered forward, hands tucked in his pockets, his smile cutting like a blade.
"Saved their lives? Maybe. But at what cost?" His eyes glinted, locking onto Haruki. "That wasn't a Hunter's strength. That was a monster breaking free."
The crowd murmured, unease rippling like a spreading infection.
Haruki's fists tightened at his sides. The chains within him rattled faintly, as if stirred by their fear. He lowered his head, unable to meet their eyes.
Part of him wanted to argue, to shout that he was still human. But the taste of the Banting's ichor was still in his mouth, bitter and undeniable.
System Zero whispered mockingly:
[See how quickly they turn? It doesn't matter if you save them. To them, you'll always be a beast on a leash.]
Kana's jaw clenched. She took a step toward Kuro, fury radiating from her voice. "You're twisting this. You saw what happened. He fought because no one else could!"
Kuro shrugged casually. "I saw a boy who looked an awful lot like the monster he was fighting. Tell me, Kana when he loses it next time, will you still be so sure he's on your side?"
The Hunters' stares grew sharper. Suspicion clung to the air like smoke.
Rai pushed himself up, limping, his hand gripping one of his blades. His voice was hoarse, but steady. "Enough, Kuro. Haruki saved us. That's what matters."
For a moment, silence hung heavy. Then, one of the surviving Hunters muttered under his breath: "Maybe for now…"
Haruki's heart twisted. The gratitude he had hoped for, the acknowledgment he had dreamed of it wasn't there. Only fear. Only doubt.
Kana felt him falter and squeezed his arm tighter. She leaned in, whispering fiercely so only he could hear. "Don't listen to them. You're not a monster. You hear me?"
Haruki swallowed hard, nodding faintly. But in his chest, the hunger still stirred. And he wondered what if Kuro was right?
Above the ruined plaza, the guild's signal flares streaked across the sky. Reinforcements were coming.
Soon, the higher-ranked Hunters would arrive. And when they did… they would want answers.
Kuro smirked, turning toward the smoke-lit horizon. "Looks like story time's coming, leash-boy. Let's see if the Guild believes you're a hero… or decides you're better off in chains."