I kept coughing up blood, each expulsion a painful reminder of the gaping wound in my chest. But strangely, there was no pain. Only a profound sense of cold, a chilling emptiness that seeped into my bones. It was the threshold of death, the precipice of oblivion, and I felt myself slowly drifting away, carried by an ethereal current towards an unknowable destination. The world around me faded, colors dimming, sounds softening into a distant hum. It was peaceful, a serene surrender to the inevitable. The smell of the blood was overwhelming
But the beast, that grotesque mockery of life, full of void and malice, just couldn't let me die slowly. It wouldn't allow me the solace of a peaceful departure. It was determined to hasten my demise, to drag me kicking and screaming into the abyss.
With a deliberate, bone-jarring thud, it raised its monstrous foot, the appendage grotesquely swollen and covered in razor-sharp claws. It was the force of an elephant's stomp, amplified by the creature's unnatural strength, a crushing weight that threatened to obliterate me. It slowly began to apply even more and more weight to me as if to test my limit.
It lowered its face, close enough for me to smell the stench of its rotting flesh, and the monster spoke, its voice a guttural rasp that sent shivers down my spine, a grotesque parody of human speech, "Admit defeat… and you'll live."
I was still contemplating the absurdity of the situation, trying to reconcile the creature's ability to speak with what I knew about Mileena. Sweet and Koji had been adamant that only Class Two and above could even mutter coherent words. How wrong could they have been?
And then, it added pressure to its stomp, the weight increasing exponentially, crushing the air from my lungs. I felt ribs snap and crack, splinters of bone piercing my flesh. My head was pressed against the floor and I could not even move my eyeballs. It was definitely Yami-Ebhi, the manifestation of pure malice and hate and suffering that permeated the creature's very being, a force that threatened to crush my soul.
The floor, unable to withstand the force, shattered mercilessly, splintering into shards of wood, stones, and glass that flew about like deadly projectiles. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring my vision, choking my senses. We both plummeted downwards, crashing through the floor into the basement below, a chaotic descent into the unknown.
I should have died. I should have been crushed, broken, obliterated. But right before the end, a surge of raw, untamed power erupted within me, piercing through my chest just like it had done in the armed force truck. It was a blinding flash of light, an explosion of energy that banished the cold and filled me with an unearthly heat.
And the only thing white on my entire body was my shady teeth. Smiling grotesquely at the mileena. With this, the beast began to be confused. I am not suppose to be standing let alone have a presence that would make this beast confused.
I wasn't myself any longer. The boy who had lived in fear was no longer here. The pain in my chest slowly and surely left my body and left an incredible sense of power. It was all because of the anger and rage from wanting to save grandma again. It was not enough to just use it, I had to let it engulf me, become one with it. But this can't be good.
My Okhuomo-Gekido had consumed me completely. The raw, untamed power surged through my veins, transforming me into something… else. The aura surrounding me intensified, the air crackling with an almost palpable energy. It was a vortex of pure emotion, a maelstrom of joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise, all swirling together in a chaotic symphony. The beast was now shaking in fear. The world was only black and white.
And I could even feel where Koji and the man we were looking for were. It wasn't a visual perception, more like a sense
of them being right in front of my eyes.
I had completely lost it, succumbing to the overwhelming tide of my own emotions. My sense of self had dissolved, replaced by a primal instinct to protect, to destroy, to avenge. The world existed only as a canvas upon which to unleash my power.
Driven by an unseen force, I grabbed the Mileena's leg, the flesh slick and cold in my grasp. I spun it around, faster and faster, an ever-increasing blur of motion. I was faster than the wind, a whirling dervish of destruction, and we were heading straight for the steel-coated floor above, a collision course with oblivion.
The impact was deafening, a thunderous explosion that echoed through the underground facility. I slammed the Mileena into the floor with the force of a meteor strike, shattering its lower limbs into a grotesque mess of bone and sinew. The force of the impact left a deep, crater-like mark on the steel and everything was covered in crimson. The smell, I could still feel the smell.
I drew back, anticipating its next move, waiting like a predator poised to strike. My senses were heightened, every sound, every vibration, every scent amplified a hundredfold. I am a coming beast!
I couldn't see it, my vision clouded by the swirling energy that surrounded me. I could only hear its footsteps, a faint, rhythmic thudding that echoed through the basement. It was circling me, testing my defenses, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
With the barrier of energy around me, I felt the monster lunge, its presence a sudden, violent intrusion that targeted towards my back. All I could see was the floor and that was when it made itself apparent
"Definitely a hunter's weakness," I growled, my voice distorted, alien, a mere echo of my former self.
I spun slowly, channeling all my power into a single, devastating kick. My foot connected with what I thought was its stomach, a sickening crunch resounding through the room, sending it hurtling back up through the hole we had created, back towards the club above.
I followed it, propelled by an unseen force, my body moving with a speed and agility I didn't know I possessed. The hole was where we landed I could feel it in my gut, where the beast lied in wait. The darkness welcomed me with open arms.
But the moment I reached the top, I realized my mistake. It had disappeared, vanished into thin air, leaving only the lingering scent of decay and the chilling echo of its monstrous laughter. It then finally appeared.
Before I could react, it hit me with a bicycle kick, the force of the blow slamming my face against the floor. The impact sent shockwaves through my skull, disorienting me, blurring my vision.
But I wouldn't give up. I needed to win. I needed to become something more. I grabbed its jaw, fueled by the knowledge that I was completely immortal at the moment, impervious to pain or injury. With a primal roar, I severed its head, the appendage flying through the air and smashing into the various steel pipes that lined the ceiling, showering the room with sparks and debris. I couldn't even think about that now. I was ready to end this.
We were both injured. A lot of blood was surrounding us and for me it was quite refreshing. The beast's body was twitching and moving all around the place making more and more scratches. I could feel myself not going to the point of death, but it was slowly drawing near if I prolonged this any longer. If I want to have this kind of power, I can't get hit.
Then without knowing what to do and how to process anything at the moment I feel. It then tried something and pinned my hands with its legs, and then crossed them tight, pulling away at my arms, ready to tear them from their sockets. I should be able to withstand anything that the force does.
I didn't bleed, didn't flinch, didn't even cry out. I simply looked at it, a wider, more sinister smile spreading across my face. It was more than just a smile, it was a declaration. A promise that I would not break, I would not yield, I would not die.
The blood was something that I could use, and without a second thought I could release so much black strings to engulf the whole place. The blood created a barrier and now nothing was safe from me.