Lord Of Beasts

After Titan vanished into the night sky like a shooting star, there was silence, the kind left behind after something incomprehensibly powerful had just passed through.

The arena... or what remained of it... was still.

Cracked earth, collapsed stands, and the entire vicinity of the stadium had been destroyed.

At the centre of it all, Kaela lay in a massive crater, her body half-buried in fractured stone. And in Ethan’s arms, Elara was unconscious.

Two A Ranks.

Two monsters, who had moments ago been shaking the city with their clash, had been casually defeated by a single man.

And he wasn’t even at full strength.

Ethan exhaled slowly, still staring up at the sky where Titan had disappeared.

’Now that’s an S Rank.’

The thought lingered, heavy.

It wasn’t a myth or just a figment of his imagination of what they could do. This was undeniable proof that these beings were beyond comprehension.

And it only made the Lord Of Beasts hungrier for power.

-

A handful of Titled still remained scattered across the ruined arena, those either too strong, too curious, or too insane to have fled with the rest. All of them had used some form of defence similar to the Barrier Bastion.

Be it the Verdant Warden with his plants, or another who grew in size and shielded some others, almost all the remaining onlookers were capable in their own Titled.

And yet among them, Ethan stood out.

Not because of his strength, but because of what he had just done.

To jump in and intervene as well as speak directly to the S Rank, he seemed crazy and had unknowingly drawn the attention of quite a few watching eyes.

But that didn’t matter right now.

Because this night would be remembered as the debut of the Blood Demon, the A Rank thought to be weak who turned out to be one of the most frightening. As well as the night that the power of S Ranks was burned into the minds of all who witnessed Titan in action.

Then, reality came crashing back in.

Sirens, shouting, movement.

Black-suited personnel flooded the arena from every direction, moving with precision and urgency. They had already closed off the perimeter and evacuated as many people as they could.

But there were still hundreds of casualties and hundreds more injured.

Some were just people trying to escape, trampled and caught in the aftermath. Others lived nearby, completely oblivious to what was happening until the barrier around the stadium couldn’t be maintained and ended up being caught in the crossfire.

And that didn’t even account for the damage: tens of millions in destruction, if not hundreds.

Yet it could have been much worse.

Kaela and Elara, despite everything, had tried their best to contain their battle, and so had Titan.

Ethan glanced around at the shattered remains of the stadium.

’If they went all out from the start...’

He didn’t even need to finish the thought.

Everyone else around them was like ants caught beneath the feet of two rampaging elephants. And then a mammoth stepped in and crushed them both.

Ethan lowered his gaze back to Elara.

Her blonde hair, once neat and silky, was stained with blood, and her face marked with exhaustion and pain.

His grip tightened slightly.

”I’m sorry,” he muttered quietly.

That was all he could say as a series of black suits approached him.

”Sir, we can provide immediate medical attention if you would just-”

Ethan turned sharply, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity that made the man instinctively step back.

Then he exhaled slowly and carefully set Elara on the ground.

”Help her,” he said quietly.

The medics moved in immediately, checking her vitals and stabilising her condition.

Ethan didn’t stay.

Instead, he turned and headed towards the crater Kaela was in.

A few nearby Titled stiffened, some stepped back, and others simply watched in amusement, because no one in their right mind would approach her like this.

Who knew when she’d wake up?

Or, more importantly, what she’d do when she did?

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He stepped into the crater, crouched down, and began removing the large piece of rubble before hoisting her over his shoulder. She was heavier than Elara, solid muscle packed into a frame built for combat.

Still, he carried her without complaint.

’She’s ridiculous,’ he thought.

Even unconscious, she felt like a loaded weapon as he laid her down beside Elara to also receive medical attention.

Two A Ranks, unconscious beside each other despite fighting wildly moments prior.

’Things really got out of hand.’

Ethan then watched as the black suits dealt with everything efficiently. It was alarming how impressive they were as they handled evacuations, medical aid, and containment.

They also gathered statements and details.

Meanwhile, news of the incident had already begun spreading, which was inevitable with the size of it and the number of deaths.

But the Association was faster.

The story?

”Breaking News! There was B Rank Gate Break minutes ago in East Rutherford, New Jersey that was quickly dealt with by the S Rank Titled Titan.”

There was no mention of an underground fight club or two A Ranks nearly levelling part of the city.

It was just another ”incident.”

Ethan watched silently as the black suits worked, and at one point was approached by one of them with his phone.

He blinked, genuinely surprised as he took it.

”How did you even know this was mine out of thousands?”

The man smiled faintly.

”We have our ways.”

’That’s not creepy at all,’ he commented internally.

Eventually, the area began to clear, and Ethan was one of the few to remain, refusing to leave without his A Rank companion. Across from him, she lay on a stretcher, receiving treatment.

Then, her fingers twitched before slowly opening her eyes.

He rushed over, leaning forward slightly.

”You awake?”

Elara didn’t speak.

Instead, she weakly raised her hands, trying to sign something.

Ethan gently lowered them.

”Relax,” he said softly. ”We’ll talk later.”

He paused.

”Let’s just go home.”

The black suits hesitated briefly, but they couldn’t do anything to stop him. Not because of Ethan, but the Blood Demon who had stood against the Riot Valkyrie and even fought Titan.

Her status had changed, and with it, her treatment.

That’s when the atmosphere suddenly shifted...

-

As Ethan helped Elara to her feet, he noticed someone behind them staring ominously. He hadn’t even seen where they had come from, and it was like something straight out of a horror movie.

Standing there, bruised, bloodied, but very much conscious, was Kaela.

It was a miracle that she was even alive.

After that impact, every bone in her body would have shattered, her internal organs ruptured, and the damage likely irreversible. Yet here she was, and though clearly not in great condition, she was moving.

The black suits stiffened while Ethan was in awe.

’Her recovery is something else.’

Everyone was wary that another fight might begin between the two A Ranks, who even in their current states were still frightening.

But Kaela just grinned.

”That was fun,” she said, stretching slightly despite the visible strain on her body. ”Let’s run it back another time, Blood Demon.”

She emphasised the name with clear amusement.

Elara surprisingly didn’t step back.

Instead, she nodded calmly.

Ethan stared at her.

’It wasn’t even her fighting.’

And yet something had changed.

There was a quiet confidence there now, a steadiness that hadn’t been there before.

Kaela’s grin widened slightly, then her gaze shifted to Ethan.

”And I’ll see you around, too.”

There was no hostility or threat, just acknowledgement.

Then she turned, walking toward a sleek motorcycle that one of the black suits had brought over. She swung onto it effortlessly, revved the engine, and shot off into the night without a helmet or hesitation.

It was the perfect exit, almost as dramatic as Titan’s.

Ethan watched her go, then at Elara.

Then they set off, and let’s just say their exit was nowhere near as cool.