The battlefield was drenched in blood, the air thick with the scent of death and the relentless sounds of combat. Alex, his body now bound by a state of vampirism, felt the weight of his brute strength surging through him. Each movement was precise, each strike powerful, yet something gnawed at him. His transformation, though complete, was still new, and with it came a strange, nagging discomfort.
Meanwhile, Jack, Ciara, and Pete were fighting a different battle—one of survival. They were pushing themselves beyond their limits, using ki in desperate bursts to hold off the beast. But ki came at a cost, and the signs of overuse were clear. Jack's normally sharp movements were starting to slow, Ciara's breath came in short, ragged gasps, and Pete's energy flickered like a dying flame.
Jack, his foresight ability flashing warning signs, shouted out to his comrades, his voice tinged with urgency. "You're burning yourselves out! Stop now, or it'll be too late!"
But the beast wasn't waiting for any drama to unfold. Its eyes blazed with fury, and with a guttural roar, it lunged toward Ciara. She barely managed to dodge, but the creature's claws tore through the air, slicing at her.
"Is that all you've got?" the beast mocked, its voice a deep growl. "You can't even protect yourselves."
The creature moved like a shadow, faster than any of them had anticipated. Jack and Pete were struggling to keep up, their ki reserves rapidly draining. With each desperate strike, their movements grew more sluggish, more predictable.
The beast sneered. "I'm not like you. I have no limits."
It swiped at Jack, narrowly missing him, but the force of the blow sent him stumbling. His energy was fading. He couldn't rely on Ki much longer. Pete tried to retaliate with a ki blast, but the beast dodged effortlessly, the attack exploding harmlessly into the sky. Its savage grin only widened.
"You're so weak!" the beast taunted, moving in for another attack. "Your power doesn't even compare to mine."
Ciara, eyes burning with defiance, stepped forward to strike, but before she could swing, the beast was upon her. Its claws raked across her chest, sending her crashing into the dirt. She gasped, her energy nearly depleted, her strength fading. She could feel the life force draining from her body, each use of ki costing more than the last.
Jack's eyes widened in alarm. He had to do something. He tried to get to her, but the beast was already moving again, aiming its deadly claws at the fallen Ciara.
In that instant, Alex reacted. Seeing the beast target Ciara, the last straw was snapped. His vampire instincts surged to the forefront. He charged forward, a burst of speed pushing him ahead of his comrades. But this time, it was different. He wasn't just moving—he was attacking, and his strength was raw, untamed. He threw a massive punch, expecting it to land.
The beast, however, had already anticipated him. It sidestepped the punch effortlessly, its movements fluid, its grin mocking. With lightning-fast reflexes, it countered with a crushing swipe to Alex's ribs. The force of the blow sent him sprawling backwards. The beast's grin widened as Alex struggled to rise.
"Pathetic," the beast sneered. "You're nothing but another human ready to be squashed."
Alex staggered but managed to regain his footing. He swung again, faster this time, but the beast was quicker. It dodged his strike and countered once more, sending Alex crashing into the ground with a crushing blow. His ribs ached, his blood spilling from his mouth as the weight of the battle settled on him.
"Is this your best?" the beast roared. "I am the end of everything. You'll never win."
Despite his growing frustration, Alex didn't notice the change happening at his feet. Blood from the battlefield, from the fallen soldiers and beasts alike, began to pool around him, gathering in a silent, almost sinister manner. It wasn't obvious at first, but slowly, the blood began to creep closer to him, as though drawn by an unseen force. His punches, though weaker, became slightly stronger with each strike.
The beast noticed the subtle shift, but it was too caught up in its taunting to recognize what was happening. It lunged toward Ciara again, its claws raised to strike. That was the final click.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Alex shouted, his voice a growl of fury. Without thinking, he surged forward, tapping into something deeper. A foreign energy—though chaotic—began to surge. His power, once restrained, exploded outward in an unrestrained burst.
But as quickly as it came, the surge of energy overwhelmed him. His body wasn't ready for such a force, and the strain was too much. His vision blurred, and his body faltered. The raw power that coursed through him was too chaotic to control. In the end, it knocked him out cold.
Meanwhile, Jack, exhausted and unable to keep up, found himself cornered. The beast's grin stretched wider, its eyes gleaming with malice. It lunged at Jack with lightning speed, its fangs bared. Before Jack could react, the beast sank its teeth deep into his shoulder, biting through armour and flesh with brutal force.
Jack cried out in pain, the sensation of the beast's fangs sinking into his flesh sending a wave of nausea through him. He fought to pull free, but the creature's grip was ironclad. The beast's laughter echoed in his ears, its voice thick with sadistic pleasure.
"Now you'll know true suffering," the beast hissed, its jaws tightening around Jack's shoulder. But then it stopped as if reacting to the familiar scent
Far from the battle's chaos, the Goddess of Death observed from the shadows. Her eyes lingered on Alex, watching his collapse with a sad, knowing expression. A single tear slipped from her eye, gliding down her cheek like a quiet farewell.
She turned away, her form dissolving into the ether, her presence fading from the battlefield.