'There's only one way to find out.'
Ignoring the injured Kevin, Leon charged at the hulking leopard. And the leopard, sensing the incoming threat, raised a paw in annoyance.
Bang!
Leon's blades clashed with the beast's claws, then shattered.
'Ah?!'
Stunned, Leon was sent flying through the air and crashed unceremoniously to the ground.
"Ugh.."
Still reeling from the loss, he stood up slowly, a mixed feeling in his heart. Ever since the apocalypse had started, the katanas were the weapons he had stuck to—not a thought of changing them crossed his mind.
Fueled with rage, he fully transformed and attacked the mutated leopard. A low growl escaped the beast's throat as it pounced at him, ready to tear him apart.
'Fool.'
Leon sneered. Even in his past life, he was a veteran warrior, reaching the Fifth Level Evolved. Facing a creature of the Third Level, he showed no fear or hesitation.
As the beast's claws neared him, he suddenly flipped over them, dodging the sharp weapons, and attacked the leg.
His own claws, black and lethal, cut through the tough skin of the mutated leopard. Blood sprayed from the wounds like fountain. The leopard recoiled, hissing in pain.
It growled threateningly, then lashed out like a wild predator it was.
Unfazed, Leon dodged every attack he could, and blocked those he couldn't with the silver skin ability. The claws still cut him though, but not deep enough.
In retaliation, he grabbed its hind leg and brutally punched its knee.
Crack!
The bones cracked under the strength of the blow, almost breaking.
Roar!
A roar filled with agony escaped its throat as it kicked Leon hard in the chest in retaliation.
"Ugh.."
Leon grunted, feeling his ribs fractured. Although he had used his silver defense ability before impact, the strength of the attack had left many of his ribs fractured.
Still, the injury was insignificant. As long as he wasn't incapacitated, he could still fight.
He rose to his feat steadily, and charged at the furious beast.
Its maw stretched wide, eager to bite him in half when he slipped under it, then slashed at its belly.
Blood sprayed.
GWOHH!
It roared in pain, tormented by the slippery opponent, then struck at him from an unexpected angle.
Bang!
Its paw slammed into Leon's side, catching the zombie unprepared. His right arm broke with a snap as blood spurted from his mouth.
Like a rag doll, he was flung across the rural street, bouncing off the uneven surface of the earth.
"Ugh-!"
Groaning, Leon watched as it closed in on him with a wild expression. Crossing his arms, he took the full force of another swipe. Four deep gashes were carved along his skin, dripping with blood.
"Fuck-!"
The leopard was relentless. Blow after blow, it carved new wounds on his body, determined to torment the hell out of him.
At some point, it bit his shoulder, then slammed him into the ground twice as if wanting to turn him to paste.
"Ugh.."
A weak groan escaped Leon's mouth, but he still moved. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a heavy stomp.
In retaliation, his own claws lashed out. Holding the beast's ankle, his claws dug in with a painful grip.
It raised the paw, dragging his body upward, then shook the leg. It wanted to fling him away like an annoying pest but Leon had released his hold before the leg even moved. Then, with an eerie laughter, he latched onto the leg again, then sank his teeth into the furry flesh. He tore off a chunk of flesh from the beast, and swallowed it whole.
'If I can't kill you... I'll eat you.'
He figured his idea. Although chilling and disturbing, it was something only he could achieve.
The energy from the meat coursed through him, slowly mending his wounds. Still, it wasn't enough. In pains and agony, it tried to bite him off but he already slipped away, climbing onto its back.
Despite its wild trashing, Leon clung to it—his hold tight and desperate. The taste of blood lingered on his tongue, pulling him back to reality.
'I'm going to lose this fight if I don't make it completely irrational. At heart, it's still a wild animal.'
He thought as he bit and devoured chunks of flesh from the beast's back, adding to its pain.
By now, the mutated leopard had almost run mad. It was being agonized by a creature weaker than it, and it was being eaten alive.
RROOAARR!!!
A roar filled with primal rage shattered the air as the leopard's eyes flickered with murderous intent.
Ignoring the pain on its back, it intentionally crashed into a building, finally throwing Leon off its body.
Leon's body rolled across the street before stopping, then slowly rose.
His white hair was dyed red with blood and his body was riddled with slowly-healing injuries.
Yet, his eyes continued to shine bright. Violet and enchanting.
The beast growled at him, then lunged. The air howled. It was like a blur, barely visible to Leon before its jaws closed on his shoulder with a cruel snap.
Already anticipating this, Leon's hand shot forward and stabbed into its left eye. The other clamped around its neck in a tight grip.
Shocked, the beast tried to retreat but ended up dragging Leon with itself.
Meanwhile, Leon ate the eye he plucked, savoring the taste while feeling his regeneration work faster.
While the beast was disoriented from losing an eye, he ruthlessly plucked the other, prompting another pained roar from it.
It flung him away, then thrashed around like a blind man.
It couldn't even see.
Leon's lips curled into a cruel smile as he stood up again, silently thanking the unyielding stamina of his new race.
'Perhaps as a human, I might not be able to do this.'
He stealthily approached the beast, then attacked with his full force. The creature stumbled to the side, unable to see him. Yet, its instincts were formidable. A claw swipe barely missed Leon's head as he leaned back.
'A beast at heart.'
He grinned. His hands curled into fists and he unleashed a torrent of punches on the leopard's head, shaking its brain as hard as he could.
And while the beast was dazed, he climbed behind it and locked arms around its neck.
With a brutal twist, the neck snapped. The beast slumped, life gone from its body.
As if to mark his victory Leon tore out the blue crystal on its head and raised it to the air.
The evening sun shone behind him, giving him an ethereal look.
Slowly, he brought his fingers to his lips, and ate the crystal. Although it was quite hard, harder than a Second Level Crystal, it soon broke under the assault of his fangs and got swallowed.
Burp!
Leon burped, then felt a rising heat from his core. He immediately understood what was happening. He was about to evolve. Raising his head to the sky, he unleashed a wild roar that shook the air.
Once again, a path was being carved, and the world raised another monster.