Chapter 69 69: Jagd



Boom!

With an explosive step, Raven shot from his position, his body piercing through the air like an arrow towards the unaware orcs; even if they looked similar, they were his enemies; this is what he repeated in his heart over and over.

'Kill them.'

The moment he started to hunt them, it felt like something shrouded his heart like chains tying his thoughts down.

He felt something dampening his emotions as he began to use more of his mana and purple energy as if fueled by his emotional thoughts, not logic.

Raven's body was distorted by his black mist, causing him to look like a reaper of death as the massive axe ripped through reality with its powerful chopping arc.

His blade destroyed several young tree's with a simple swipe; call him an environmental disaster as the wood and splinters exploded towards the orcs.

Instantly, the orcs were barraged with a slew of sharp splinters that tore through their skin like clay, blood oozing and spraying, unable to even adjust to the pain as a black flash slipped across their bodies and lugged them apart, killing them instantly as their fading eyes saw the orcish male donned in his black mantle of death.

Those neon-blue eyes as if a symbol of the end.

'Rip.'

'Tear.'

'Rip!'

'Tear!'

Raven's actions were cruel and brutal, like a killing machine with no emotions, as his axe began dissecting the wolves and orcs lost in his bloody massacre. 

He entered a trance-like state as the orcs from the nearby encampment began to attack him after the noise.

"I wanted to be quiet... But my heart wants to massacre you all~" Raven spoke, his voice distorted, slowly transforming into his manticore form, his upper body bulking with muscles, sharp claws replacing his nails, while the tip of his tail became covered in sharp barbs.

"Buhiii!!" 

"Speak the common language, you fucking monster!"

Crack!

The black spike of his axe pierced the brown orc's face with a sickening snap; Raven yanked it out, his body leaning back as a heavy club smashed through the air as if enraged at his murder, two green orcs with hulking bodies lunging towards him.

"Buhihih!"

Bang!

His tail's thick barbs sank into the left orc's chest as it shot forward like a hydraulic drill turned on its side, the force sending the corpse hurling into a tree, smashing the trunk into wood chippings and mashed orc.

"Hahaha! Come!"

Axe and Shadow.

They cut through the orcs like butter and jelly; the poor orcs tried fighting desperately, their warriors, women and even the old.

Raven's axe showed no mercy as his body began to blur, the gentle almond skin now completely covered in black mist, as if the monster was, in fact, him all along.

"Hey... Why run?" His distorted voice sounded as he stepped forward, his weight crushing an orc's skull underfoot.

The small village of 20 orcs was destroyed as the last few attempted to flee.

'Ah, dungeon monsters fleeing. What kind of an amusing joke is this?'

[Killed 20 Orcs]

[Gained 100 Experience]

[Gained 600 Credits]

- Level Up!

"Give me more Attributes."

Raven didn't stop; something in his chest was driving him forward; the feelings deeply contained in his heart for decades, the frustration of being discriminated against and taken for granted, all began to swirl in his heart, creating a dark cocktail of anger and resentment.

The trial of the heart was more than just confronting the memory of his father after all.

Inside his heart, there was always a beast.

A brutal and decisive monster that only wanted to kill and feast upon its prey.

'The next camp is to the northeast? Haha, let's go!'

His steps were light as the hooves dug into the ground, aiding his body that shot through the forest like a tiger, his tail wrapping around trees to catapult himself forward, the cracking of trunks from his heavy body and powerful tail crushing them.

As he left a trail of destroyed trees in his wake.

-

His speed was now faster than the most agile athletes as he darted between the trees, his body smashing through them, not bothering to dodge as the wooden trunks were crushed into chips and sawdust.

'Come!'

He made as much sound as possible, watching as the group of 30 orcs, all holding crude weapons, stared him down, his humongous axe trailing behind in his right hand; a dark aura began to wriggle and writhe around him.

"Come! Let's fight, become my food, let me devour you all!"

'I feel so good! Nothing can stop me!'

When his loud bellow sounded, his aura suddenly spiked, all the orcs shivering in terror as Raven's image became the god of death. 

Raven's eyes became brightly glowing orbs to guide their souls, his deadly axe a tool to reap life and his powerful body to carry their burdens.

Woosh!

Brutally, he didn't give them a moment to breathe, his body leaping into the air as it began to twist and swirl rapidly, his axe cutting through the air like a saw with a loud howl, causing the eardrums of the orcs to explode, before tearing through their chests, crushing their bones with ease.

Blood 

Sinew

Gore

All were exploding into the air, as Raven looked like a monster that bathed in the blood of his victims; the more he killed, the more potent his heart desired to fight, to kill.

'This isn't me...'

His heart cast a doubt.

Yet his axe still slammed down, crushing the skull of an orc that cried and seemed to beg for forgiveness. 

This dungeon was strange; Raven could feel it. 

This monster always felt so alive, but he didn't care. 

He was here to clear the dungeon and kill those who stood in his way, whether monsters or humans.

'Why do you try to kill me and not expect to die?'

Raven's eyes became slightly dazed as the orc he was chasing became the identical figure to the male he killed in the Burning Cove; he was filled with rage and anger, remembering how they tried to kill him and left him dead against that boss.

Filled with even more enthusiasm, another orc camp was obliterated, now burning with a cloud of thick smoke, as his body, now stained with the blood of orcs and wolves, slowly stumbled towards the village he first saw when coming.

"I have to kill them; they want to kill me... It's their fault, not mine."

o-- Alistair "Raven" Granbell

o-- "Chimera of Black Storm." "Monster of Endless Hunger."

o-- Chimera (Manticore / High Orc)

o-- Age 28 (Visually 21)

o-- Blood Type O-Z1

o-- Level: 13

o-- Class: Dread Knight 

o-- Experience: 77/130

o-- Cultivation: The Twelve Gates Of Bliss (Manticore Only)

o-- Cultivation Realm: Gate 2 [Gateway of the Heart] 

o-- Cultivation Stage: Stage 3

o-- Credits: 950 (180 Lilith's Pocket Money)

Strength: 5.8

Agility:  3.5

·ƈθm Stamina:  7.2

Vitality: 7.9

Intellect: 3.7

Wisdom: 3.6

Raven stood in silence, breathing heavily. Did he get experience? Did he choose to improve his strength? 

He could not remember; only a blur of death and destruction was left in his path; with each step, his hooves bored into the soft mud, his steps towards the village were loud, his axe bloody.

The bleeping of his bracelet became annoying, so he smashed it. His clothes felt restrictive, so he ripped them off.

Something was happening to him that medical science couldn't explain, and even magic would struggle to understand the complex changes happening in his body, both physically and inside his mind.

As if a gentle and humane Raven was locked in a deadly battle with a fierce and feral Raven, all watched by a third, enigmatic Raven who metaphorically stood above the two, watching with a cold but amused smile.

"I live to devour... Those that do not accept this are enemies..."

"I love my family... We must protect those who are dear to us."

"Those feelings are weak..."

His mind and voice began to alternate, like a mentally unstable patient, rather than the voice of his reason; it could be more apt to say these were his heart's desires.

Deep down, he wanted to be a brutal man, like his mother and crush all that stood before him and the top, yet he was also trained to be kind and well-mannered by that same woman.

He felt it was hypocritical.

Why could she be how she wanted? But he must contain himself.

Is he wrong to want to bathe in the blood of his enemies...

'I am not wrong...'

'We are not wrong.'

'To kill is to devour.'

'To devour is to live.'

'Thus, we must live.'

A powerful, resounding sound filled his ears like a repeatedly thumping metal smashed against the ground.

His heart was racing as he felt something exciting.

He found the source of his current desire.

A massive orc with almond skin, a hulking body and black hair. It looked like an uglier version of Raven, but the resemblance was uncanny.

At least to him.

'Ah, there you are...'

Grasping the handle of his axe, Raven began to approach the village; his mind didn't care about experience or the credits he had gained. 

The prey he must slay, the thing he must devour now stood before him!

"My dear prey~ please be obediently devoured and vanish!"

And so, the distorted and cruel test of the second gate continued; unlike the first gate, their tests would become gruelling and horrifying as they would forge him into the most deadly and dominant predator.

The two women created a technique for Alistair.

To make him a manticore that stood above all else.

A sovereign of dread.

His mere existence would cause all who hear his name to tremble, worship him, or die!