Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Heart of the Beast (Part 4)
*SLICE! CRUNCH! SLICE!*
Nero’s metallic claws tore through another imp’s throat while Dawnbreaker carved a bloody arc through 3 more, his dual-wielding technique turning him into someone similar who can turn into a divine blender of death...
The A-tier blade sang in his right hand while his left arm punched straight through demonic torsos with bone-crushing force.
"HAHAHAHA! HERE YOU GO! EAT SHIT!"
*WHOOSH!*
[Flowing Slice]!
The almost forgotten active skill triggered as his sword traced a perfect horizontal line, the technique flowing like water as it bisected 5 Amalgants simultaneously.
Black blood sprayed across the battlefield like a fountain.
*CRUNCH!*
His metallic fist followed up immediately, crushing the skull of an imp that tried to leap at his back.
*STAB! STAB! STAB!*
[Fierce Stab]!
The second active skill activated in rapid succession, Dawnbreaker becoming a blur as it punched through demonic flesh with surgical precision.
Each strike targeted vital points with deadly accuracy.
His Greater Instinct passive was working overtime, analyzing attack patterns and guiding his movements with inhuman efficiency.
The way he fought had completely abandoned all restraint.
*SLICE! PUNCH! SLICE!*
Right hand blade, left hand claw, flowing between techniques like a choreographed dance of death.
But something was changing.
Despite his wild, unhinged movements and that crazy grin plastered across his face, his swordsmanship was evolving.
The crude, brutal slashes were becoming more refined.
More elegant.
And then,
[Congratulations. Your passive skill: Valkyria Swordsmanship (SR) has leveled up.]
The system notification flashed across his vision, but Nero was far too lost in bloodlust to care.
But what lacked in his attention was shown in his action.
His blade work had immediately shifted.
Dawnbreaker began vibrating with a crimson aura instead of the typical silvery divine energy that coated Aurelia’s weapon.
The red power wasn’t holy or pure like his angel’s abilities.
This was something darker... more raw and violent.
*WHOOSH!*
The crimson-wreathed blade carved through demons like they were made of paper, leaving trails of red energy that lingered in the air.
Each strike carried exponentially more power than before.
But Nero remained completely unaware of the transformation.
His mind was consumed with only one thing.
Kill. Destroy. Obliterate.
The Heart of the Beast passive skill was feeding on his rage and battle-joy, amplifying both his instincts and his bloodthirsty satisfaction.
*CRUNCH! SLICE! SPLAT!*
Bodies piled up around him as he carved a path of absolute carnage through the demon horde.
And finally...
*THUD! THUD! THUD!*
His metallic boots stepped over the last pile of dismembered Amalgants as he approached the towering flesh blob that had once been Vincent Cross.
The massive SR-tier monster loomed above him, multiple eyes tracking his approach while flesh tentacles writhed with predatory hunger.
"Well, well, well..."
Nero’s voice carried that same unhinged satisfaction as he looked up at the grotesque abomination.
"Look what the mighty Vincent Cross has become. A fucking blob of walking garbage... Looks like your grand plan failed, huh..."
His reptilian eyes glowed with cold mockery as he raised Dawnbreaker, the crimson aura pulsing stronger.
Congratulations, asshole. Looks like karma finally decided to give you a middle finger."
*ROOOAAARRR!*
The Amalgamation’s response was a deafening bellow that shook the ground, multiple mouths opening to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth.
"Alright, let’s fucking dance!"
*BOOM!*
Nero launched himself forward like a crimson-wreathed missile.
***
The battle that followed was absolute chaos.
*SLASH!*
Dawnbreaker cut deep into the creature’s flesh, the A-tier blade enhanced with his improved swordsmanship carving wounds that should have been crippling.
"GRaaaAHhhhHHH!"
The Amalgamation’s scream of pain echoed across the battlefield.
But within seconds...
*SQUELCH! SQUELCH!*
The wound began knitting itself back together, flesh regenerating at a speed that defied logic.
"Heh."
But instead of frustration, Nero’s grin only widened as he analyzed the creature’s regeneration pattern.
His Greater Instinct was already searching for weak spots he could take advantage of.
*CRASH!*
A massive tentacle slammed into the ground where he’d been standing, creating a crater 3 feet deep.
But Nero had used the creature’s own attack as a launching point, his metallic claws finding purchase on the tentacle’s surface as he ran up its length toward the main body.
[Putrid Miasma]...
Dark green gas began seeping from the creature’s pores, filling the air with toxic corruption.
Without missing a beat, Nero tore a piece of fabric from his shredded shirt, wrapping it around his face while continuing his advance.
It’s not elegant, but hey, it’s effective.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
He carved handholds into the creature’s hide as he climbed, each strike with Dawnbreaker serving dual purposes - damage and mobility.
[Flesh Devour]...
Multiple fleshy tentacles shot toward him from different angles, each one tipped with lamprey-like mouths.
*WHOOSH!*
But instead of dodging away, Nero used his Greater Instinct to predict their trajectories.
He leaped from tentacle to tentacle like they were stepping stones, his metallic claws providing grip while Dawnbreaker carved through the ones that got too close.
Each "dodge" actually brought him closer to his target.
*SLICE!*
One tentacle fell to the ground, spurting black ichor.
*CRUNCH!*
His boots found purchase on another, using it as a springboard to launch himself higher.
The creature’s own attacks were becoming his highway to victory.
[Life Drain]...
When a massive appendage finally managed to wrap around his torso, instead of panicking, Nero immediately drove Dawnbreaker into the exact center of the tentacle.
*STAB! STAB! STAB!*
[Fierce Stab] activated repeatedly, but he wasn’t just attacking randomly.
His enhanced instincts had identified a sort of flesh clumps - the creature’s equivalent of a funny bone.
*SPASM!*
The tentacle convulsed violently, releasing him as the nerve damage disrupted its control.
Nero used the momentum to fling himself toward another section of the creature’s hide.
[Corrupt Touch]...
More tentacles lashed out, these ones dripping with corrosive energy that could eat through his scales.
But Nero had spotted something during his analysis.
The corruption took time to activate - roughly 2 seconds after contact.
*GRAB! LEAP! SLICE!*
He used the corrupting tentacles as temporary handholds, gripping them just long enough to propel himself forward before the corruption could take effect.
It was dangerous as hell, but it allowed him to advance through attacks that should have been impossible to navigate.
"HAHAHAHA! IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!"
Even as he danced through mortal danger, that insane grin never left his face.
This wasn’t just bloodlust though...
This was probably problem-solving through violence, and the man was loving every second of it as if he found a new hobby to enjoy.
***
"We have to help him!"
Across the battlefield, Frila watched in horrified fascination as an insane man threw himself against the seemingly invincible monster.
The 6 wives had been fighting off the remaining Amalgants that had scattered when Nero carved through the main horde.
Despite their trauma and emotional devastation, they’d managed to work together using their remaining mana reserves.
"H-He’s fighting that thing alone," Carmen gasped, watching Nero use a corrupting tentacle as a springboard. "It’s regenerating faster than he can hurt it!"
"That bastard Vincent..." Zara’s bone magic flared as she stared at the writhing flesh blob. "Even as a monster, he’s still causing problems!"
"We need to cauterize the wounds somehow," Dia said grimly, her life-binding threads flickering with determination. "Regeneration abilities usually can’t work if you burn the tissue."
Frila looked around desperately, then her eyes lit up.
"Carmen! Your psychological abilities - can you make it feel pain more intensely?"
"I... maybe? But the mental corruption..."
"Isabell, your spatial distortions - can you compress space around its wounds to prevent healing?"
"The energy cost would be massive, but..."
"Nell, your shadows - can they block its vision?"
The black-haired woman nodded slowly. "I can try."
Despite their exhaustion and trauma, despite having just escaped weeks of mental slavery, all 6 women began coordinating their abilities.
Not for Vincent.
For the man who was risking everything to end the monster that had hurt them.
***
Back in the center of the battle, Nero was pushing his Greater Instinct to its absolute limits.
Every movement was calculated for maximum advancement with minimum risk.
He could see the patterns now.
The creature’s regeneration was fastest at the core but slower toward the extremities.
Certain attacks telegraphed themselves through muscle tension changes.
The thing had to pause its regeneration when using its special abilities.
’There!’
His enhanced perception locked onto a specific section of the creature’s mass.
Multiple tentacles were protecting it, and the flesh there pulsed with a different rhythm.
Vincent’s consciousness was housed there - he was sure of it.
*WHOOSH!*
Using his environment to maximum advantage, Nero kicked off a piece of debris, ricocheted off two tentacles, and launched himself in a spiraling trajectory that confused the creature’s targeting.
*SLICE!*
Dawnbreaker carved through smaller appendages that tried to intercept him.
*CRUNCH!*
His metallic claws found purchase on the creature’s hide as he climbed toward his target.
[Necrotic Burst]...
The creature’s counter-attack came in the form of dozens of pustules erupting across its surface.
But Nero had been counting on exactly this response.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
He used Dawnbreaker to pop the pustules in a specific pattern, creating a clear path through the acidic spray while the creature was locked into the attack animation.
Finally, he reached what looked like the creature’s "head" - a concentration of eyes and mouths that writhed with malevolent intelligence.
Behind those features, he could see something that might have once been Vincent’s face, now twisted and grotesque but still recognizable.
That crazy grin spread across his blood-soaked features as he raised Dawnbreaker above his head.
The crimson aura around the A-tier blade flared brighter than ever before.
"You like to eat, right?"
His voice carried pure predatory satisfaction.
"Eat these then."
And
*STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB!...*
He spammed [Fierce Stab] to the creature’s ugly face.
***
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