Lord Of Beasts

Ant beasts swarmed the A Rank from every direction, seemingly guided by their queen, but none had any chance against her.

She disappeared as she pleased, then emerged elsewhere an instant later.

Destruction marked each of her reappearances: an arm ripped off, a body crushed underfoot, a skull split open by her bare hands. Green gunk flew everywhere, painting the cavern in grotesque streaks as she dismantled the beasts like they were nothing more than literal insects.

Even the Ant Commanders, the ones that had held Wolfy at bay and overwhelmed the other C Ranks, were nothing before her.

One charged at her, its hardened limbs slashing forward with enough force to cleave through stone.

She caught it with one hand.

Its momentum died instantly, then she lifted it before slamming it into the ground.

Again.

And again.

And again.

She only stopped once it stopped twitching, the creature no longer recognisable.

Ethan swallowed, his throat dry.

He almost felt sorry for the beasts as he tried to keep up with her movements, but tracking her felt impossible. Even if he focused entirely, even if he strained his eyes to their limit, he simply couldn’t see her move.

’This isn’t like Detective Holt.’

That man had been fast, terrifyingly so.

But this wasn’t speed; it was something else entirely and beyond Ethan’s current comprehension. It was something between movement and instant teleportation, but he had no idea how it worked.

”She feels totally different to him,” he muttered under his breath.

He couldn’t help but compare her to the only other A Rank he had met in person, and they didn’t even feel like they were of the same rank.

It was almost as if she were an entirely different species.

Detective Holt had been intimidating, someone he couldn’t even imagine facing with his current abilities.

But this was different; she was a literal monster.

And yet...

Ethan’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, something uneasy settling in his chest.

’This definitely isn’t the same girl from earlier.’

There was no way it was the silent, awkward A Rank who had followed him around anxiously.

’So then, where is she now...?’

-

Inside her mind, she watched helplessly.

The world before her flickered like a screen, showing her everything her body was doing in real time: every movement, every act of violence, every drop of blood spilt.

And she couldn’t stop it.

She was chained to a chair, her limbs bound tightly as cold metal restraints dug into her skin. The room around her was dark, undefined, shifting at the edges like it didn’t fully exist.

But the chains, they were real.

Or at least they felt that way.

”Why...” her voice trembled slightly as she forced the words out, her eyes fixed on the scene playing before her. ”Why did you do that to the B Rank... Darius?”

At first, when control had been ripped away from her, she had felt relieved that the powerful entity within her had stepped in. There were probably only a handful of people in the world who could handle her in that state.

But now?

Now she wasn’t so sure.

A dark, murky presence formed in front of her, coalescing into a shadowy figure that barely resembled anything human.

”You mean the guy with the stick?” it said casually, its voice layered and distorted, echoing unnaturally through the space. ”He didn’t know his place, so I put him in it.”

Her expression tightened.

”But-”

”To think I’m stuck with such a pathetic host,” it interrupted, its tone dripping with disdain. ”I do what I please because I can. That’s how things work. That’s how it’s always worked.”

She struggled against the chains, her body trembling as she tried to resist.

”But he was trying to help and-”

”I’m saving your ass,” it cut in sharply. ”So why don’t you sit quietly and let me enjoy myself?”

The figure raised its hand, and more chains appeared.

Even in this space in her own mind, she still wasn’t in control. They wrapped around her body, tightening, restricting, and binding her further.

Then one wrapped around her mouth, silencing her entirely.

Her eyes widened in panic as she tried to scream, but no sound came out. Beneath her, the ground shifted, softening as she slowly sank into it. She couldn’t resist as she was dragged into the darkness.

-

Back in the cavern, the massacre continued.

The A Rank, still wrapped in that suffocating red aura, tore through the swarm with ease, her movements relentless as hundreds of ant beasts threw themselves at her.

They were afraid, terrified beyond instinct, but they were bound by loyalty and couldn’t stop. That absolute need to protect their Queen overpowered all else as they continually charged at her.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Only to be crushed, swatted aside like actual insects, and ripped apart.

Every attempt at damaging the A Rank was meaningless while this dark being possessed her being. And yet, despite her terrifying power, Ethan saw something that made his heart drop.

She stumbled slightly before dropping to one knee.

His eyes widened.

”W-What?”

Dark blood began streaming from her eyes like tears, dribbling from her nose and ears. There was even a stream from the corner of her mouth, her breathing becoming heavier.

’How did I not see it?’

Her attacks had started to slow down, and she had even stopped teleporting around the cavern, just standing there and smashing them apart. Just like everyone, she had a limit, and it was much lower than one would expect with her abilities.

And though she had gotten rid of most of the ant beasts, crushing hundreds of them, the Ant Queen remained.

”No... no, no, no...” Ethan muttered under his breath, panic rising in his chest. ”Not now... not now!”

Darius was out of commission, and he had no chance against the B Rank Boss Beast, especially in his current condition with no MP.

If she stopped now, they were all done for.

Ethan clenched his fists, forcing himself to move, to stand despite the pain screaming through his body.

Then, he plucked up what courage he had and shamelessly shouted.

”Just hurry up and kill the Boss Beast!”

There was no pride in his voice, just pure desperation.

She turned her head slowly.

Her gaze locked onto him, and for a moment, Ethan felt death itself staring back at him.

Then she just laughed.

A deep, ominous sound echoed throughout the cavern, sending a chill down his spine.

”You owe me one, boy.”

Her voice carried a strange amusement, and being indebted to a devil-like entity was unnerving for Ethan. But anything was better than dying, as he watched her in amazement as she got up to her feet.

The red aura around her flared violently, and the air itself seemed to distort, similarly to when it was incredibly hot.

That’s when she unleashed the most powerful attack Ethan had ever seen in his life...