The thing made my stomach twist the second I saw it. A wolf's head, but the body of a centipede — too long, disgusting and weird, with red legs writhing like they were still on fire, crawling straight out of hell.
Every time it moved, I heard its bones crack — that dry, popping sound crawled straight into my teeth. It made me clench my jaw without even thinking.
Black fur, slick and shiny, and blood dripping from its mouth as it chewed on something soft and red. Human flesh — a girl's body in our academy uniform, chest torn open, ribs shining through the blood.
Then I caught another one, just a few steps away — chewing on what used to be a superhuman.
Same academy uniform, same bright color now drenched in red.
Half the body was gone, ribs showing like white knives.
I didn't even flinch.
Not fear. Just… acceptance.
That's how it is now — they fight, they die, and I devour what's left.
"Rest in peace," I muttered, though I didn't feel anything.
Peace doesn't exist here.
You fight, you bleed, you die — and someone else walks away stronger.
And for the first time, I didn't feel sad about it.
Because, I wasn't the one being eaten.
And I was damn tired. The Foxfire Step drained too much stamina.
"Damn… it burns a lot," I muttered, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "Not bad for speed, but it drains too fast."
My heart was still racing, my body hot like fire was running inside my veins.
"It's not like anyone's waiting for me to save them anyway," I said under my breath. "So… let's rest for a bit."
I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing slow, trying to refill my stamina and quiet my heart.
"Now shall we start." I tilted my head left and right with a pop.
I stretched my fingers.
I gripped the hilt of the dagger tight, the edge still stained dark from before. A small smirk tugged at my lips.
"Venom Fang."
The poison crawled down my arm like a living thing, coating the blade. Its color turned dark green, glinting faint under the dull light breaking through the leaves.
I jumped down from the branch, dagger in my hand. The wind hit my face as I dropped. It was sharp, kind of dry. I could see the ground coming up closer fast.
I bent my knees when I landed. The ground cracked a little under my boots. My hand didn't loosen from the dagger.
One on the left.
One on the right.
Both watching me. Both waiting. And I am watching them too, our eyes were locked.
They moved weird, bones twitching under the skin. I could tell they were fast. But not faster than me.
I smiled a little — not because it was funny. Just because I already knew how this would end.
Still, if one jumped, the other would follow. So I needed one of them to stop looking at me.
I took a breath and whispered, "Foxfire Step."
Heat rushed through my legs. My skin felt light, like I could just float off. Then everything slowed down for a second. Just one long blink.
I moved. The ground ripped behind me, fire chasing my steps like a tail.
A flame flickered beside the one on the left — my FireFox Mirage.
It swung at it hard, claws cutting straight through my mirage.
Then boom — the clone exploded, flames crawling up its arm. It screamed, loud enough I felt the heat on my face.
Good. That worked. It took a step back, just what I wanted.
Before it even finished screaming, I was already gone again, heading straight for the one on the right.
I gripped the dagger with both hands, tight around the hilt. My eyes locked on its head.
The fire still burned under my feet when I dashed forward. The air tore past my ears. I aimed straight for its eyes — always the weak spot.
I smiled a little. "Just what I wanted."
I'd aimed for its eyes on purpose. Things like this always protected what mattered most. And when it raised its claws, there was a small opening.
I let go with one hand, lifted it fast. Poison gathered at my fingertips, thick, glowing green.
"Thorn Bullet."
The thorn shot out before the word even finished, cutting through the air and straight into its left eye.
It screamed — more like a twisted howl — and stumbled back, all its legs dug into the dirt, trying to hold steady.
That's when I saw it — the top of its head, wide open.
"RockSkin."
I jumped, dagger raised high, both hands tight on the hilt. The wind hit my face midair.
When I came down, the BoneCrawler jerked up fast. Its claws flashed — Bone Slash. The blades cut across as I drove the dagger down, both of us moving at the same time.
The hit landed first. My blade sank deep into its skull. The ground cracked under its weight.
Pain ripped across my side — hot and sharp — then faded before I could even breathe.
I looked down, saw a thin gash on my stomach, the skin dull and rough like stone.
No blood came out, just a faint line.
"Good," I muttered through my teeth. "RockSkin held."
I was close enough to feel its breath hit my face — hot and foul. Smelled like something rotting inside.
My blade hit bone hard. I felt the impact, the shock crawling up my arm, and I heard the sound of bone cracking.
My grip almost slipped, but I clenched tighter around the hilt, not letting it go.
I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. The thing's skull was thick as hell. The dagger didn't want to go in. My arms shook a little, my jaw tight, then I heard the crack.
It stopped moving.
I pushed the body off and stepped back. My chest felt tight, heat still sitting in my throat.
I looked at the corpse, chest still heaving. The smell was awful, but it didn't bother me this time. I used to gag at blood. Now I only felt steady. Calm. Like my body was learning faster than my mind could catch up.
"Yeah," I muttered, half-smiling. "Guess I'm not the same anymore."