On the fifth floor of the empire’s last labyrinth, there was a boy hidden inside a pile of snakes. He was covered in blue carcases and disgusting, blueish blood, with a smell so repugnant most people would throw up or faint.

‘This is my life now,’ Finn lamented. ‘I’ll need hours to recover my mana. At this rate, Tommy will heal faster.’

The warrior’s breath pushed the body’s capabilities and senses to their limits and beyond. Healing was one of these capabilities, so as long as they were conscious, both friends and foes would gradually recover from their wounds.

‘We’re running out of time.’ Finn took a sneak peak at the battlefield.

Michael’s pre-emptive strike slowed the butcher significantly, but it was not enough to give him the advantage. Michael kept trying to wear him down, but the more time passed, the more he himself was getting tired.

“Little lamb, you’ve been sheltered, haven’t you? Tired already, I bet your skin is soft as silk.”

A shiver ran down Michael’s spine. He dodged a hatchet to his chest and punched the butcher straight in the gut. His enhanced body generated tremendous force and his fist embedded itself into the man’s large body, pushing him half a step back and causing blood to spill from his mouth.

However, that was it. Butcher laughed heartily and tried to cut Michael once more. The dent in his belly recovered right after, and even the blade in his back moved a little, as if it was slowly being pushed out.

“What are you?”

“A connoisseur.”

The butcher’s hatchet dropped on Michael’s head and the boy barely avoided it. Without his gloves, their speeds were even, meaning he could neither outrun or outpunch his opponent.

“You take pleasure in this, you sick fuck.”

“Of course. I’m a connoisseur of flesh.”

Slowly but surely, Michael’s breathing became unstable. Sweat started dripping down his forehead, and instead of looking for spots to hit his opponent, his eyes started to wander towards the exits and his friends.

‘Shit, this is hopeless.’ He tried to retreat to recover his breath, but the butcher then attacked Tommy instead.

“Over here!” Michael shouted, and after a hearty laugh, the hatchet turned towards him once more.

A few hundred feet away from him, Natalie wasn’t faring much better either. Josie looked to have lost her mind; she was swinging her sword wildly while throthing at the mouth.

However, what she lost in technique and brain cells she more than made up for in speed and destructive power. Natalie had no choice but to run from her blade, and any chances she saw for a counter-attack were shot down by Bluntcoat’s support.

“Ya should’ve stayed home, little lady. Josie’s not one to rub sideways, if ya know what I mean.”

Bluntcoat shot at Natalie’s legs, ruining her posture and causing her to trip. A fraction of a second later, the giant, beet-red sword came crashing down, tearing a gash through Natalie’s thigh and almost costing her a leg.

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Fortunately, the girl quickly recovered. Her wound was shallow, and after a few more seconds of running and dodging, it healed up completely.

“You’re stubborn like a mule,” said Bluntcoat.

“So I’ve been told.”

“Well, if ya’ll gonna play like this, then I ain’t playin’.”

Suddenly, Bluntcoat turned his muzzle away from Natalie and towards Michael, who was fighting on the other side of the cave. Before the girl could yell out a warning, Bluntcoat pulled the trigger, shooting the teen in the shoulder.

“Got ya.”

Michael gritted his teeth and the butcher opened his jaws into a grin. He grabbed the boy with hunger in his eyes and squeezed his neck as if he was a fruit. Michael’s warrior’s breath was cut off and his muscles returned to normal.

In a second, the butcher would cut his torso in half. However, mid swing a broken blade came flying out of nowhere and cut the fat man’s arm instead. It was Tommy who barely managed to help, but due to oncoming bullets he had to retreat right after.

Seeing an opportunity, Michael tried to take the butcher’s hatchet, from his now detached arm, but was kicked in the gut before he could reach it and sent flying into a wall.

“Wretched bugs! I will boil you alive!”

There were limits to what the warrior’s breath could do. Growing a limb was definitely outside of these limits.

Seeing his chance, Michael signaled his friend to attack in tandem. Unfortunately, Tommy was in no position to do so. That last strike had opened his wounds, and he was once again on the floor, breathing heavily. The butcher peeled the hatchet from his own stiff fingers and walked towards Tommy while licking the blood off the blade.

While grunting profanities, Michael activated the warrior’s breath and sprinted towards him. Bullets got in his way, some of which grazed his body. However, he made it in time and punched the fat man just as he was about to cut into Tommy’s chest.

“You never learn, do you?”

The hatchet switched directions and struck Michael’s arm instead. It cut it clean off, and while the boy was falling, Butcher cut off his left leg as well.

“Yet there’s no fear.” Butcher grabbed his face. “Why are you smiling!?”

“Because of me.”

A long, thin blade suddenly pierced through Butcher’s throat. With no time to pull it out, Natalie jumped off of the large man’s back right before a deranged Josie swung her sword and accidentally cut through his spine.

“Why!?” wailed Butcher as he collapsed to the ground.

“She’s not listening!” Bluntcoat shouted from afar.

He shot a barrage of bullets at Natalie, and with Josie going after her too, the teen had to continue running. In the meantime, Michael was dragging himself away from Butcher while Tommy was struggling to stand up.

“What a shitshow,” muttered the brawler.

“Where are you going?” asked Butcher. His spine was healing at record speeds, and he soon started getting up.

“There’s no way you’re human.”

“Of course not.” The butcher stood up. “Humans are prey.” He started walking towards Michael. “I am a beastman!”

The large beastman stepped on Michael’s chest. The boy grunted in pain while Natalie shouted from afar. Tommy threw the broken longsword with the last of his strength, but Butcher blocked it with ease.

The tip of that same longsword was still in the butcher’s body, although it was almost pushed out. Natalie’s rapier, on the other hand, caused constant bleeding in his throat, so with every word that came out of his mouth, the killer spilled blood onto Michael.

Noticing this, the butcher leaned over the boy’s face and spoke amidst gurgles.

“Your inferior species has put us in cages and chains, when it clearly should be the other way around. Can’t you see it, human? You’re nothing but trophies and food meant to make us strong.”

With his last bit of consciousness, Michael grabbed the butcher’s arm. He squeezed so hard that blood poured out, but the wound immediately started to heal.

“See? I’m so strong because I eat healthy.”

“I hope you choke,” Michael spit at his face. A roar came out of Butcher’s broken throat just as Tommy shouted a battlecry, forcing himself to stand up. Natalie ran towards him too, but the teen shook his head.

Butcher’s huge palm came over his head, as the beastman tried to crush his skull with his bare hands. Michael’s eyes lost track of Natalie, and he eventually succumbed to the pain.