Chapter Thirty-Nine — An Unexpected End
When the three saw the exploding fire-sphere appear again and again, they froze for an instant; breaths quivered in their chests. The man whose hand had been severed — the wound no longer bleeding — barked as he stepped forward: he pointed to his companion and shouted, "Prepare your second spear," then turned to the other and said, "The rest is up to you." (Wounds no longer seemed fatal now; the healer's light had ceased — but their ferocity had only grown in their eyes.)
Then something no one expected happened: that man's body began to swell, to bulk up as if consuming some buried, ancient power. Moment by moment his size increased; his human features hardened and coarsened until they were replaced by savage brutality — he shifted into a form like a giant bear, a mass of muscle, fangs, and spikes. He became a huge, lumbering monster whose presence radiated awe and terror at once.
At the sight of that transformation the two guards behind him screamed at the top of their lungs, "Prince — fall back! This is too dangerous!" and then ran full tilt toward Niral, trying to pull the prince back or help him retreat. In a panic they tried to recall from the books what weaknesses such a creature might have — scraps of old records, hints read once and hoped to be enough.
But Niral at that moment was still sending forth the exploding fire-blade — he did not stop, did not recoil. (His heart thundered with a thousand feelings: duty, fear, resolve and regret all mixed, driving his motion.)
The beast: Garok
General classification:
Type: solitary predatory beast.
Element: Lightning.
Habitat: rocky highlands, forests struck by seasonal storms.
Rarity: very rare — appears only in lightning seasons or magnetically active regions.
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🧬 Physical description
Height: 3 meters standing — 2.2 meters on all fours.
Weight: up to 800 kg.
Fur: thick, dark gray tending toward blue, sometimes crackling with faint sparks.
Back: a row of keratinous spines connected to electric glands beneath the skin.
Nose: moist and extremely sensitive; it can smell charges seconds before an atmospheric discharge.
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⚡ Magical/innate abilities
1. Arc Pulse — it slams its claws into the ground, releasing a deadly circular electric shock that affects an area five meters in diameter.
2. Thunder Roar — its roar amplifies in the throat and emits a sound-pulse charged with electricity, used to frighten or stun foes briefly.
3. Insulating hide — a sublayer under the fur absorbs excess electricity and protects it from natural strikes — it can store that charge and release it on contact.
4. Charge-scenting — it tracks creatures by their nervous charge, even when they try to hide silently.
Behavior
Not always aggressive, but it attacks with extreme speed if threatened. It lives alone; males emit low vibrating sounds during mating season to communicate. It builds its lair near rocks that gather charge (magnetized stones), recharging its body while resting.
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⚔️ Combat style
It opens with a shocking thunder-roar to unsettle opponents, then charges with a heavy, charged mass. Its blows mix brutal force with electricity and usually drop an opponent within the first three strikes.
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🧪 Magical uses (post-mortem)
Heart: used to craft the Level-4 Raka (charged stun) Nira.
Fur: made into armor that grants shock resistance.
Back spines: used as light weapons or electrical catalysts in arcane experiments.
Claws: blades that can cut and cause mild paralysis.
Finally: Garok ranks as an A-tier beast.
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(Now that the onlookers knew the beast's characteristics and life-pattern in detail, the scene snapped into the noise of an actual battle.)
The beast Garok took a step forward; its massive body turned slowly as if the earth itself parted a path. It met the wind-blade and absorbed it, relying on that thick, hard-to-penetrate pelt. The attack astonished everyone. The whisper of the wind stilled for a heartbeat; breath froze around the brief clash — the blade struck.
The creature, slowly and with great effort, endured the internal explosion because of that protective underlayer beneath its fur. After the skill detonated against its body, the blast had only shattered the outer skin and the fatty layer, leaving muscles and internal organs largely shielded by the beast's oily coating.
Almost immediately priorities reshuffled on the field: the other two attackers struck Niral in synchronized force. At first a "dark spear" appeared in the first man's hand — a pointed shard of shadowy black — while the other attacked with his light beam. The light beam struck Niral's shield and gradually wore down its toughness; thin fissures spidered across the surface like cracks spreading over an eggshell under a hammer's blows.
Niral was panting from having pushed his skill; exhaustion showed in his hands and neck, sparks of his mana flaking off as if the box of his energy were peeling. In his hand a fiery whip coalesced, its threads twisting like a living blaze — his expression showed he could no longer maintain multiple skills at once.
Niral lashed with the fire-whip at the light-beamer in quick, stinging strikes; then, relying on his shield for protection, he ignored the dark spear approaching, the whip tearing into his opponent's helm leaving scorched marks. The light-beamer did not relent: he fought on and grabbed at the fire-whip, managing to seize its last strand while simultaneously activating Healing Light on his own wounds that kept appearing.
Suddenly a guard in the rear shouted in a mix of astonishment and alarm: "No! That is not a Shadow Spear — it's the Deprivation Spear!" (The word came fast and fearful: it was not the ordinary "Shadow Spear" as they supposed, but something far worse — the "Deprivation Spear".)
The shout snapped Niral back; thoughts raced in his head for a moment, shock restoring a dual awareness. He tried to pivot away from the spear's trajectory, but there was scarcely any time. He had neglected to prepare other defenses at that critical instant; when he tried to dodge the spear it was too late. The spear hit him.
The wound was not an ordinary bleeding cut: it was a magical strike designed to strip the enemy of perception. When the spear penetrated Niral's shield and then his body, it did not cause visible blood loss; instead it stole his five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch — the world died at once before his eyes. (Three seconds only — but inside them they stretched like an entire era.)
In those seconds of sensory blackout the spear-wielder seized the moment and drove his second dark spear home. This time it truly was the shadow-spear; he closed in and thrust it straight into the prince's face. The blade pierced flesh and bone without mercy. The final thread of energy snapped as Niral collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
A horrible silence fell for a moment, as if the sky itself had held its breath. Every sound faded and then one sound remained: the dull thud of a body hitting earth.
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Skills in the Chapter
[Nira: Spear of Darkness]
[Mana: Darkness Element]
[Type: Long-range Attack]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
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[Nira: Spear of Deprivation]
[Mana: Darkness Element]
[Type: Long-range Hindrance]
[Rank: C]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
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[Skill: Exploding Flame Blade]
[Mana: Wind & Fire Elements]
[Type: Slashing & Wide-area Long-range Attack]
[Rank: B]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]