Lord Of Beasts

Without hesitation, Ethan grabbed the cast on his right arm, with which he’d somehow still managed to ride a motorcycle, smoke, and eat.

Crack!

He tore it clean off.

His arm no longer throbbed with unbearable pain, and instead, there was only a faint discomfort. For an ordinary person, an injury like that would have required surgery and weeks in a cast, followed by months of rehabilitation.

Even after the bones healed, rebuilding the muscles and restoring proper movement would’ve taken even longer, if that was even possible. Yet Ethan had recovered in a matter of hours, which amazed Elara, who recalled just how mangled his arm had been.

He slowly flexed his fingers, then his wrist and elbow.

The scorched skin still peeled away in small black flakes, revealing fresh pink flesh beneath, but the muscles responded naturally, and the bones felt solid once again. It felt as good as new, at least physically.

But something still wasn’t quite right.

He closed his eyes and attempted to circulate mana.

Immediately, he felt resistance.

”Huh.”

The mana flowing toward his right arm slowed noticeably, almost as though something was clogging the pathways inside. It also felt numb, as if both his nerves and the mana channels had been fried.

So while externally healed, the finer internal structures still seemed to be repairing themselves.

Thankfully, it wasn’t painful anymore.

Though it did feel strange, like trying to move an arm that had fallen asleep.

’It’ll sort itself out.’

He wasn’t worried, and for now, the arm was perfectly usable, which was all that mattered.

Ethan then headed into the shower, and though he’d already cleaned himself back at the Association, he wanted to wash the day away. Hot water ran over his shoulders, and steam filled the small bathroom, the lingering stiffness easing ever so slightly.

His mind became quieter, and when he finally stepped back out, he felt genuinely refreshed.

Now, he could finally do something that had been sitting at the back of his mind as he glanced down at the new Association smartwatch he’d received. He could very well have refused it when it was given earlier, but he needed to give it a little more thought.

And now that he had, he came to a simple conclusion.

’I don’t feel like being the government’s, that old man’s, or anyone’s bitch.’

The watch was undoubtedly useful.

It contained maps, Gate alerts, communication systems, Association databases, and who knew what else. But it certainly tracked his location, and he had no idea what else it monitored.

’Kaela doesn’t wear one either.’

And as wildly as she behaved, she definitely wasn’t stupid.

As such, he didn’t hesitate or dwell on it, hating the feeling of being controlled or watched. But as he went to take it off, he realised that it wasn’t that simple.

”Seriously?”

The thing might as well have fused itself to his wrist, and didn’t have a visible latch, release button, or any obvious way to remove it.

”Now I definitely want it off.”

The material and technology were ridiculous, unlike anything sold commercially. Even trying to scratch it left no mark whatsoever. There was, however, a simple solution that never failed Ethan.

’Partial Assimilation: Wolfy.’

Warm mana surged through him, and dark fur rapidly spread across his arms, all while his fingers elongated into powerful claws and his muscles swelled. Within moments, he resembled a werewolf under a full moon.

Or, more accurately, a were-Fenrir.

His newly sharpened claws slid carefully beneath the edge of the watch, the metal groaning as he pried it loose with considerably more force than any ordinary human could have produced.

Pop!

The smartwatch came free.

Ethan examined it and couldn’t help but be impressed.

Even after everything, it was barely damaged, and he could only imagine how expensive they were to produce. He then looked across the room to find Elara still sitting on the ground, using her own version of Beast Recovery.

’Demon Recovery sounds even cooler,’ he thought to himself.

She still wore her own Association watch, and so he offered, ”You want me to help get yours off too?”

Elara lowered her eyes to the device and silently gave it some thought. She wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of being monitored either, but she also didn’t mind it as much as he did, nor did she want to be on the Association’s bad side.

Slowly, she shook her head.

Or rather, she tried to, as before, before she could answer properly, her crimson eyes suddenly deepened in colour. The familiar cold smile spread across her face as the Blood Demon seized control once again.

Even her posture changed as the warmth that usually surrounded her disappeared, replaced by something ancient and predatory.

Ethan recognised it instantly.

”Blood Demon.”

A crooked smile spread across Elara’s face.

”That name is really growing on me,” the possessed figure spoke as it slowly stood up.

It groaned, ”She’s becoming harder to control and that recovery technique she learnt from you isn’t half bad.”

It sounded almost... impressed.

Ethan immediately tensed and was already assimilated with Wolfy, so he was ready for action at any moment.

”What do you want? And give her body back.”

The Blood Demon simply waved a dismissive hand.

”Relax. I don’t have much time.”

It stretched Elara’s neck casually before continuing.

”She’s become a little feistier thanks to you. The more she grows, the harder it is for me to suppress her.”

Ethan wasn’t sure what he had done, but he was surprised that the demon didn’t seem annoyed. If anything, it sounded amused and almost proud as it spoke of Elara’s improvements.

The demon’s crimson eyes then drifted toward the Association smartwatch still fastened around Elara’s wrist.

”You’re right to take that thing off.”

It clicked its tongue.

”Mere humans trying to keep tabs on the likes of us.”

Ethan frowned.

”Us?”

The Blood Demon didn’t answer.

Instead, it casually pinched the watch between two fingers.

Crack!

The supposedly indestructible locking device snapped apart as though it were made of cheap plastic. It had crushed it effortlessly, and seeing that reminded Ethan just how terrifying this creature truly was.

Even now, he had no idea where its limits lay.

The Blood Demon tossed the ruined watch aside before staring directly at him. It seemed as though it hadn’t shown up just to remove the device, and also had something to say to him...