The sky darkened, heavy with unspoken tension. Silence held the world in its grip, the kind that comes before a storm that could tear reality apart. Leonard stood, his breath even, his pulse steady, his blade slick with the blood of nightmares. Across from him, the beast loomed—a titan of flesh and metal, the embodiment of death itself. The abyss watched.

Then, the storm began.

Lightning split the sky in jagged streaks, illuminating the battlefield in ghostly flashes. The monster struck first, launching itself forward with unnatural speed. The air cracked with the force of its movement. Leonard dodged, barely, as a claw ripped through the space where he had stood, splintering the ground into shards of stone and dust.

He twisted, bringing his blade up in a brutal arc. It sliced across the beast’s armored chest, sparks flying as steel met unholy flesh. But the wound was shallow. The creature barely reacted. Instead, it countered, an arm swinging wide—a blur of sinew and metal.

Leonard had no time to evade. The impact sent him flying. He crashed into a twisted rock formation, feeling something snap in his ribs. Pain flared through him, white-hot and blinding. Good. He was still alive.

He forced himself up just in time to see the beast lunging again. Too fast. Too strong.

Leonard rolled aside as the ground where he had lain was reduced to rubble. He had no time to think—only to react. The moment his feet touched the ground, he launched forward, driving his blade toward the creature’s exposed flank.

The tip found purchase, sinking into flesh. The monster let out a sound—a guttural, unnatural screech that made the air tremble. But it wasn’t enough. The beast twisted, bringing down its massive, clawed hand like a hammer.

Leonard barely managed to raise his arm to block. The force of the strike shattered his forearm.

Pain ignited his senses, sharp and blinding. His vision swam. The beast loomed over him, ready to end the fight.

But Leonard wasn’t done.

He let the pain fuel him. With a snarl, he gripped his shattered arm and forced the bones back into place. His body had changed. It could endure this. It had to.

The beast roared and struck again, but this time, Leonard was ready.

He moved like a shadow, slipping beneath the strike, rising with an explosive burst of speed. His blade plunged deep into the monster’s throat. Black ichor sprayed into the air, steaming where it touched the ground. The creature staggered, claws clutching at the weapon embedded in its neck.

Leonard didn’t wait. He drove his knee into its chest, yanked the blade free, and slashed again and again and again—each strike faster, more precise, more brutal. Flesh peeled away. Bone cracked. The monster bellowed, but it was weakening.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A final, desperate strike sent Leonard skidding back, breath ragged. The beast swayed on its feet, its body ruined. But its eyes still burned.

Leonard knew what was coming next.

Its final act.

With a deafening roar, the monster began to change. Its body convulsed, growing, twisting into something even more grotesque. A second form.

The air grew thick, charged with a malevolent energy. The creature’s form expanded, its muscles tearing and reknitting, bone splintering and elongating into razor-sharp protrusions. Flesh bubbled, warping into armor-like plating. A new set of burning eyes opened across its chest, glowing with raw hunger.

Leonard’s grin widened, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade. "Round two, then?"

The beast vanished.

Before Leonard could react, a searing pain tore across his back. He staggered, barely catching himself before the next blow sent him sprawling. It was faster. Much faster.

Blood dripped from deep gashes on his back. The beast prowled in the darkness, shifting in and out of the shadows like a phantom. Its presence was everywhere, its growls coming from all directions.

Leonard took a slow breath, forcing himself to ignore the pain. Think. Adapt.

Then the monster lunged again—this time from above.

Leonard threw himself to the side, rolling just in time to avoid a devastating, earth-shattering impact. The ground cracked beneath its force, dust and debris exploding into the air.

He retaliated instantly. A precise, blindingly fast slash aimed for its exposed side.

Steel met flesh. The beast howled in agony as black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the scorched earth.

Leonard’s breathing was ragged, his body screaming in protest, but he refused to slow. He darted forward, blade flashing like a silver storm, slicing and carving into the shifting nightmare before him.

But the beast wasn’t finished.

A massive tendril of flesh and metal erupted from its side, whipping toward Leonard with brutal force. He twisted away, but the strike still clipped him, sending him flying. He crashed into the remains of a ruined pillar, the impact nearly knocking the air from his lungs.

The creature loomed, its hideous second form pulsating with unchecked power. The battlefield around them had become a graveyard of destruction, littered with craters and shattered rock. Their fight was breaking the world.

Leonard spat blood, pushing himself upright. His vision blurred, his limbs ached, but his grin remained. He lived for this.

The beast let out a sound—half roar, half guttural laughter. It was enjoying the battle too.

Leonard wiped his mouth and stood tall, blade at the ready. "Alright, monster. Let’s finish this."

The abyss trembled as the true carnage began.