A flicker of light appeared in the bushes ahead.

It was brief.

Without warning, an orange glow burst forth, as if someone had struck a match to ignite a torch. The light briefly illuminated an orange, spiky-haired young man, his face twisted into a grim yet smug expression that Kaiser could recognize instantly.

'Brick?'

What the heck is that guy doing here? Nevertheless, what happened next made him lose care.

Without delay, Brick swung his arm in one fluid motion, the lantern was hurled forward with impressive strength, aimed at the unsuspecting Hound just as it was about to pass the ambusher's spot. Although, Brick was not precisely in line with the creature’s path, his throw was accurate enough to close the short distance between them.

"Take that piece of disgusting meat!" Roared Brick as he did.

Whether by luck or, honed precision or skill, Kaiser was just relieved that it hit the Hound square in the head despite moving with such speed and considering its reflexes. Or was it disoriented already? After all the damage it has received, it's about time it showed some signs of wavering.

The lantern, thrown with tremendous force, shattered on impact against the sprinting monster's grotesque face. The wooden frame splintered, and the glass casing burst, releasing the flammable oil inside. Flames erupted, licking across the creature’s fleshy head. Disoriented, momentarily blinded by the raging flames, the Hound stumbled, its body aflame yet still charging forward like some hellish beast in the dark forest.

At the same time, Kaiser’s doubts had vanished. The moment the lantern found its mark, he had already pivoted to intercept the hideous monster. There's no way he would waste this chance. The sudden turn of events had just boosted his odds dramatically.

Charging at full speed, Kaiser braced himself, lowered his shoulder, and rammed into the Hound as it careened forward, using his momentum to slam it into a nearby tree. The beast struck the trunk with bone-rattling force and bounced back, but the impact wasn’t enough to kill it, of course.

He wasn’t even sure if a mere sword could end its life. Still, he reached for his blade, unsheathed it in one swift motion, adjusted his grip, and thrust it downward with both hands.

The blade's tip plunges into the disoriented Hound's deformed rib cage and through the soil beneath, pinning the monster to the ground before it could even recover.

A slash, be it hundreds—or even a blow powerful enough to cut it in half like Alfred’s great sword could. Would either be shrugged or simply multiply, probably weakening it but still couldn't kill the undying shifter. That is, if he could deliver a strike capable of severing the flesh, which is rubbery-like and also regenerate. Kaiser isn't confident in achieving that, so, he chose to immobilize it instead until the real attacker arrived. Alfred is stronger than him in terms of muscle power, he has a higher chance of devastating this grotesque creature.

However, even nailing it seemed ineffective, too.

Beneath him, the creature’s deformed chest convulsed, shifting grotesquely as its flesh parted on its own. Its upper body practically attempted crawling away, cutting itself in his blade to slip free of the sword pinning it down.

He knew he had to do something to hold it just a few seconds longer. Kaiser reached for his dagger with his one, free hand, then stab it deep in the hound. The problem is, the blade was too short to make a difference.

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A dagger can't pin it down. If only he had another weapon with more reach, but he didn’t.

Only one option remained.

His own body.

Kai isn't afraid of dying by now nor pain. However, wether his immortality cover a lost of limb or not was uncertain, his afraid of risking it. Then again, what's heavier? Letting this frightening thing roam free with the desire for his goddess and now, it was probably yearning to tear him apart, if only it wasn't in extreme need to survive, it would have aimed to devour him instead. After witnessing how resilient and troublesome this monster is, he really wants to end it right here and now. Still, the thought of losing a body part frightened him.

Gritting his teeth, Kaiser cursed.

'Argh, F*ck it!'

He would rather take the risk than live in fear every day knowing this thing lurking around.

It sounded ridiculous, yet he was left with no choice.

He braced himself and used his own arms, pressing the thrashing beast struggling upper body down with all his strength. Just in time before it could completely break free from the nailing sword.

'It should be fine.'Kaiser console himself as he pressed down on the struggling creature beneath him, his hands gripping tightly on its chest and neck. In this condition with its maw restrained, the beast couldn’t reach him—or so he thought.

To his horror, the nightmare he had been fearing became a reality.

The creature’s neck twisted sharply at an unnatural angle the instant he pinned it down, its distorted form shifting grotesquely. In that moment, Kaiser found himself staring into the monster’s vacant, pitch-black eyes—eyes that seemed hollow, devoid of anything resembling an eyeball. Or had its eyes fallen out sometime during the chase? Or had it repurposed them as material to create the new set of back limbs?

A thousand questions flashed through his mind, but he had no time to ponder. The monster took full advantage of his brief distraction. With terrifying speed, its broken head lunged at him like a coiled snake striking its prey, the short neck extending impossibly. The creature’s gaping maw, filled with pure, black emptiness, was aimed directly at his head.

Losing an arm or a leg—he could manage that, even if it would complicate things. But his head? His precious face? Sure, he wasn’t particularly handsome, but he couldn’t afford to be ugly! His appearance might be plain, but it was all he had... On second thought, scratch that. He realized he was facing something much worse than his pride in his looks—this nightmare’s gaping jaws was wide enough to rip his entire head off in a single, vicious snap.

'Oh, sh*t!!'

Reacting in the heat of the moment, he raised his arm restraining the neck — It's useless, anyway — just in time to shield his face. The creature’s fangs clamped down on his forearm with a force that rattled his bones. Thankfully, his forearm was protected by a vambrace, and for a brief second, he thought it might hold.

But then he felt the metal begin to buckle. His relief was short-lived.

“You’ve got to be kidding me—why the hell does it know how to saw?” he growled, horrified.

The monster’s teeth were vibrating. He could feel the sharp edges oscillating rapidly, scraping and slicing against the metal with a sinister, sawing motion. The creature was somehow manipulating its gums, making its razor-sharp teeth slide back and forth in a grotesque display of precision. It was literally using its teeth as an automatic saw... Electric saw? Organic flesh saw!

Within moments, the vambrace gave way, the thick metal torn as if it were mere cloth. Its relentless teeth bit through, shredding his skin, grinding deeper into his flesh, and finally, he felt the unbearable pain of his bone being gnawed through. Gritting his teeth, Kaiser forced himself to endure the agony—a familiar, haunting sensation—determined to keep the beast pinned down. He refused to let go - Not like he can free himself from nature's saw.

In any case, no matter what, he wouldn’t let go!

Even when he felt his forearm snap.

Kai's eyes widened as he watched, powerless to do a thing as his severed hand was pulled into the creature’s ravenous mouth. In a sickening display, his hand disappeared entirely into the creature’s dark, gaping maw, vanishing into an abyss within.

Just like that, his hand was gone, devoured in an instant.

It didn’t even chew.

But that was fine.

Kaiser had bought enough time. Sensing a powerful gust of wind blew on his back as Alfred moved in from behind. Kaiser gave a final push, shoving himself back just in time to clear the way. In the next moment, the flat side of Alfred’s massive greatsword crashed down with brutal force onto the exact spot where Kai and the monster had been only a second ago.

Kaiser rolled aside, barely escaping the blow, but the creature was not so fortunate.

With a sickening crunch, the greatsword flattened the twisted monstrosity, shattering its form beneath the sheer weight of the strike. Well, Alfred basically hammered it this time, instead of giving another heavy slash which was proven ineffective earlier.

Sprawled on the ground, Kaiser lay staring up at the moonlit canopy of trees above, shadows flickering in the pale light. He didn’t feel so good. His breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps, his face pale and drawn from pain and blood loss. Losing a hand wasn’t something he’d ever imagined—neither the agony now nor the challenges it would bring later. But as much as he would have liked to stay here, grounded by exhaustion and pain, he knew he didn’t have that luxury.

Forcing himself to move, he cast a weary glance over to the towering figure of Alfred. The big man looked just as spent, his chest heaving, sweat glistening in the moonlight, and his rough, calloused hands still gripping his heavy greatsword.

In a strained, ragged voice, Kaiser finally managed, “Is it… is it finally dead?”

Alfred struggled to push the greatsword aside, shifting the weight with a grunt that showed just how drained he was. He stared at the unmoving remains of the beast, silent for a moment, then, after a few heavy breaths, shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he replied, his voice grim and uncertain.

When he turned to look at the monster's horrible condition, Kai groaned.

Its dead... But also alive.