Lord Of Beasts

Kaela and Mark were fighting almost entirely with their fists.

There were no elaborate abilities, complicated combinations, or sophisticated displays of mana. Their movements were surprisingly simple, almost like a brutal martial-arts exchange between two extraordinarily skilled fighters.

But there was absolutely nothing ordinary about the strength behind those movements.

Every punch carried enough force to destroy rows of walls. Every collision produced shockwaves, while every missed strike devastated whatever happened to be behind the intended target.

Elara watched as the two continued trading blows below her.

They looked like people, moved like people, and fought with techniques that resembled those of ordinary people. But there was nothing human about the force behind their movements.

They were monsters in human form.

And somehow, that sight was even more incredible than the battle against the A Rank Boss Monster. That creature had possessed overwhelming abilities. Its attacks had devastated the battlefield, while its destructive mana had been capable of annihilating cities.

But Mark and Kaela were different.

They didn’t need enormous or flashy attacks.

Their bodies were the weapons.

Kaela caught Mark’s fist.

Mark caught hers.

For a moment, they were locked together, their muscles tightening as they fought for control. Kaela’s violet aura remained close to her body, while Mark’s dark green aura pulsed around him.

Then both pulled.

BOOM!

They separated violently.

Kaela was thrown backwards while Mark was sent in the opposite direction.

Neither stayed down.

Kaela laughed.

Mark simply charged again.

They collided, and this time Mark gained the advantage.

His fist slammed into Kaela’s stomach.

THUD!

Her body folded.

Mark followed with a second punch.

Kaela didn’t block it.

She let it hit.

KRAAAM!

The force launched her across the battlefield.

Elara’s eyes widened.

’She’s really not even trying to defend herself anymore.’

Kaela crashed through several pieces of broken terrain before finally stopping.

For several seconds, there was nothing.

Then Kaela stood slowly.

She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.

Then she smiled.

The blood was already disappearing.

Her violet aura hugged her body like a second layer of skin.

Elara was amazed by Kaela’s recovery.

The damage from Mark’s punches wasn’t merely healing quickly.

It was reverting in an instant.

Kaela’s body was restoring itself faster than Elara had ever seen before, and the more punishment she took, the more natural that recovery seemed to become.

There was something deeply unnatural about it.

Most fighters protected themselves because damage accumulated.

Kaela had somehow turned that principle on its head.

She could afford to endure attacks that another A Rank would desperately try to avoid.

If anything, it only made her stronger.

But beyond her insane healing factor, which had always been impressive, were her movements and reactions. Her body was faster, stronger, and most importantly, more precise.

It was as though she had started to consciously master the Valkyrie’s instincts that only appeared when she ran out of options.

She was evolving.

Elara watched from above, unable to hide her amazement.

’I guess I helped her get stronger with that attack.’

That Giant Crimson Flash.

The attack that had completely destroyed Kaela’s body.

At the time, Elara had thought she had gone too far. But Kaela had found something inside that destruction, something that had allowed her to step beyond the limits she had previously believed were impossible to break.

And now Elara was seeing the result.

The Riot Valkyrie was already an absurdly powerful A Rank, and she almost seemed to restrict herself because of it.

But not any more.

Below her, Kaela charged again.

Mark met her.

Their fists collided.

BOOOOOOM!

The shockwave tore through the battlefield.

Kaela followed with a kick.

Mark caught her leg and swung her around.

Kaela used the momentum to twist her body and kicked Mark directly in the face.

CRACK!

Mark released her.

She landed several metres away.

Neither paused.

They charged at each other again, both relentless in their onslaught of attacks.

Mark’s fist came from above.

Kaela raised both arms.

THOOM!

The ground beneath her feet shattered.

She pushed upward, driving her fist into Mark’s stomach.

BOOM!

Mark was launched backwards.

He twisted in midair and landed on his feet.

His dark green aura surged.

The battle against the A Rank Monster had already pushed his body beyond its previous limits.

Now Kaela was doing the same thing.

Every time she hit him, his body learned and countered, but every time he hit her, she recovered and became more accustomed to the force.

Their abilities almost seemed to cancel each other out.

Elara continued watching from above.

’It’s a battle of attrition now.’

And her purple-eyed companion naturally had the advantage since Mark had just defeated an A Rank Monster. Though at the same time he had survived its city-destroying attacks and adapted to abilities that should have overwhelmed him.

There was no question that he was terrifyingly powerful.

But Kaela wasn’t a pushover, and had defeated plenty of A Rank creatures, most notably that fearsome Lightning Dragonfly.

The two collided with their fists again, both of them hearing up.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion was so powerful that it even threw Elara off balance from above.

’They’re like stubborn bulls that keep butting heads to see who’s stronger.’

For a moment, the two remained locked together.

Then Kaela let out an exhilarated laugh.

”This is fucking amazing!”

Mark said nothing.

His dark green aura deepened, his muscles tightened, and he pushed forward.

Kaela pushed back.

The ground beneath both of them collapsed.

CRASH!

They separated.

Then charged again.

The next exchange was faster.

Then faster still.

Mark’s movements became increasingly difficult to follow as his body adapted to Kaela’s speed.

But Kaela was building up as well.

Her reactions sharpened, her speed increased, and her strength continued climbing.

Not to mention her regeneration.

She wasn’t merely recovering from Mark’s attacks anymore, but had totally become accustomed to them. The damage disappeared so quickly, it was as though she hadn’t sustained it in the first place.

Elara watched silently from above.

’A fight between these two monsters could go on forever.’

Neither of them seemed to have even unleashed all the power they possessed, yet the battlefield was already being destroyed around them.

And this was only the beginning.

The longer the battle continued, the more dangerous they became.

But there was one important difference between them.

Kaela could continue fighting like this almost indefinitely, but Mark couldn’t rely on the same certainty. She could recover from seemingly anything, but there was only so much he could constantly adapt to.

His body could learn from pain, force, heat, pressure, mana, speed, and strength. It could change itself to survive increasingly powerful attacks, and even granted him elite battle instincts.

But even an ability as monstrous as his had to have a limit.

Be it time or a ceiling he couldn’t go beyond, he wasn’t invincible.

Or so they hoped...