My Tribrid System: More than a Monster

Chapter 74

BANG—!

A massive, ancient tree gripped by the werewolf’s powerful claws smashed directly into the Aberrant, splintering into thousands of jagged shards upon impact.

Despite the wood shattering, the sheer momentum was enough to force the monstrosity backwards, its heels digging deep furrows into the earth.

It was at that exact, high-tension moment that Van had just boldly declared the werewolf was, in fact, Ray.

”What?!”

Trisha, who for the longest time had remained a stoic observer, caring about nothing but studying the intricate patterns of the battle between the two titans, finally snapped her head around to stare at Van.

Her usually cold eyes were wide with a rare flicker of disbelief at those words.

”Are you mad? Do you know what you are even saying? Ray is dead! We saw him fall! How can he be... be that thing?” Kai shouted in a fit of grief-stricken anger, his eyes flaring as he glared at the inventor.

”That ’thing’ is my childhood best friend. I can feel it in my gut. I know it is him,” Van clapped back, refusing to back down as he equally glared at Kai with a fierce, unwavering intensity.

”Ho—How are you so certain about that?” Chloe asked, her voice trembling and thin as she shivered in the presence of the two warring monsters.

Van turned to face her for a brief second before shifting his focus back to Kai, his mind working at lightning speeds.

”Think about it logically; why was it that during all the time we spent struggling in this place, that creature didn’t appear earlier on?

Why did it only manifest after the Aberrant had chased us into this clearing? It appeared out of nowhere and suddenly began defending us against the monster. Does that seem like a coincidence?”

”It still doesn’t make a lick of sense how that beast is Ray,” Kai snarled, his mind struggling to bridge the gap between his human friend and the three-metre-tall predator.

”... Chloe. What did you call that creature just a while ago?” Van asked, shooting the girl a pointed, inquisitive stare.

”A... A werewolf?”

”Exactly. And if my memory serves me right from the old archives, werewolves are mindless beasts. They are creatures of hunger wanting to devour humans, yet this specific werewolf is actively protecting us. Not only that, it spoke to me. It spoke as if it knew me personally.

No, it was more like someone who knew me was residing inside it.

And who knows me better than Ray? Also... just look at its fur,” Van said, extending his arm and pointing toward the center of the chaotic fray.

The others turned their gaze to the brutal clash occurring between the werewolf and the Aberrant.

The fight had evolved beyond a normal exchange of blows; the duo were now moving across the treacherous terrain like deadly dancers.

Blue and red sparks flew with every thunderous clash of their claws, lighting up the dimming forest.

The ground cracked under the weight of their movements, and massive billows of dust spiraled into the air with every heavy hit.

Beneath the chaos of the clash, the Aspirants strained their vision to focus on the specific patch of fur Van was indicating.

”I don’t understand. What are we supposed to be looking at?” Trisha asked, speaking for the first time since the two titans began their duel.

”The werewolf’s fur—look closely at the highlights. There are distinct streaks of silver running through the brown,” Van shouted aloud over the roar of the battle.

He then turned to face Kai squarely. ”What is the exact colour of Ray’s hair?”

Kai paused for a heartbeat, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.

”Silver.”

”Exactly. And look again at its lower body; it is still wearing the tattered remains of the Aspirant Corps’ uniform pants. What other evidence do you possibly need to realize that... that is Ray?!” Van exclaimed, his voice thick with a mixture of hope and desperation.

A heavy silence fell over the group, broken only by the seismic bangs of the combat occurring in the background.

”If... if that really is Ray, then how on earth did he turn into this?” Kai asked.

He could feel his hands shaking, no longer just from exhaustion, but from a cocktail of fear and profound worry.

”I don’t know and, honestly, I don’t care about the how right now,” Van replied.

A small, determined smile finally crept onto his face while his hands remained squeezed into tight, white-knuckled fists.

”... All I do know is that Ray needs my help, and I intend on helping him defeat that Aberrant no matter what it takes.”

Trisha remained silent, staring ahead at the carnage for a few more moments.

Her head eventually turned toward the cluster of half-crumbled buildings lining the edges of the clearing, her eyes cold and calculating.

”I want to kill it,” she said flatly.

”Excuse me?” Chloe, who was standing closest to her, lifted an eyebrow in shock.

”I said; I want to kill the boss-class beast of this world so as to close the gate for good,” Trisha replied firmly, her voice devoid of hesitation.

”What?” Van uttered, his mouth hanging open as he turned toward the girl as if she had just suggested something utterly suicidal.

”What is going through your head right now? Have you completely forgotten its rank? It is an Advanced-rank monster.

And you are dangerously low on MF. How do you plan on accomplishing that?” Kai asked with deeply furrowed brows.

”It doesn’t matter. I will do it. If I don’t, the gate will remain open, and we will all eventually die here anyway,” Trisha replied, clenching her hands until her nails bit into her palms.

”Even if you somehow are able to defeat it, how do we locate the beast in this vast, sprawling world? We haven’t seen it once in the many hours we have spent trapped here,” Van countered, his voice sharp with logic.

”I will manage,” Trisha replied simply, her tone icy as she began walking away with a calm, predatory grace.

”Trish! It’s an Advanced rank!” Chloe shouted at the girl’s retreating back, her voice cracking as if trying to emphasize the dire importance of the threat one more time.

”Doesn’t matter. It’s just an Advanced rank,” Trisha replied over her shoulder, her pace never faltering.

The others’ mouths froze in collective shock at her dismissive words.

’Just?’ How could she call an Advanced-ranked beast ’just’? To any normal Aspirant, that was pure, unadulterated insanity.

Clenching his hands tightly, Kai began grinding his teeth back and forth in a fit of indecision as he stared at Trisha walking away into the ruins.

His gaze alternated between Trish’s departing figure and Van for a few frantic moments.

Van noticed the conflict in the leader’s eyes and just flashed him a reassuring smile.

”I know you want to help her, Kai. You can go. I will be fine, honestly. After all, Ray is right here fighting for us.”

”Damn it. Don’t you dare go anywhere,” Kai snapped, his sense of duty winning out.

”Figure out where the Aberrant’s heart is located and relay the information to us and Ray immediately. I will go help that stubborn fool before she gets herself killed.”

Van nodded with fierce determination as a resolute smile crossed his face.

”Sure. Take care of yourself out there.”

Kai gave a curt, professional nod and, with that, he turned around, chasing after Trisha’s silhouette while leaving Van and Chloe behind in the relative shadow of the debris.

”Now, let’s figure out the Aberrant’s weakness and help Ra—” Van’s words were cut short as he turned back toward the main engagement, only to see a massive body flying through the air like a discarded toy.

Then—

WAM—!

The form smashed into the hard ground with a sickening thud, kicking up a thick, suffocating blanket of dust into the air that stunned Van for a long, agonizing moment.

As the dust slowly settled down, the true horror of the situation was revealed.

He could see the werewolf lying in a critical, heart-wrenching condition.

Dark blood poured from several deep, jagged injuries scattered across its torso.

One massive hand was clearly broken, the bone shattered and the limb barely hanging on by a few strands of muscle.

Even worse, one eye had been ripped clean from its socket in the previous exchange.

Blood cascaded down the side of its face in thick waves, almost turning the natural brown and silver fur to a gruesome crimson.

”What the hell? RAY!” Van shouted in pure, unfiltered dread.

He watched as the werewolf remained unmoving on the ground while the heavy, rhythmic footsteps of the Aberrant approached at an alarming, unstoppable rate.