CHAPTER 33: THE BIRTH OF A MONSTER
The afternoon sun burned red across the empty field behind the school after the rain.
Max stood there, his fists trembling, his breathing hard and uneven. His eyes were filled with rage and pain as he looked at the group of boys in front of him. The bullies. The same ones who had ruined his life and forced Grace to reject him.
He could still hear their laughter in his head, the way they had cornered her, threatening to spread lies if she dared to speak to him. And she listened. She obeyed them out of fear.
Now that he knew the truth, the humiliation was too much to bear.
"Come on," one of the bullies said with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "The fat idiot wants to fight. Let's show him what happens when trash like him forgets his place."
Max's body tensed. Heat gathered around his palms. He was shaking, but not from fear this time. His anger burned like fire in his blood.
"You think I'm still the same loser?" Max muttered, his voice trembling. "You think you can just treat people like nothing?"
The bullies laughed, not taking him seriously.
Max raised his hand. A spark flared between his fingers. Then another. His mind focused, and he tried to channel everything into one attack. The air cracked around him as small bursts of combustion appeared.
He thrust his palm forward.
A small ball of flame, no larger than a tennis ball, shot through the air and hit the ground in front of them. The explosion was tiny, barely enough to make them step back.
The bullies stared at him in disbelief.
"That's it?" the biggest one sneered. "That's your power?"
They rushed him.
Max tried again and again, but the flames were too weak. He could only create small balls of fire that fizzled out after impact. He was just a level 0 F ranker, while the bullies were already level 5. The difference was too large.
A punch hit his face. Another slammed into his stomach. He fell to the ground as their kicks came one after another. His head throbbed, and his arms barely shielded him from the next hit.
Grace was standing a few meters away, crying. She wanted to move, to help him, but her legs would not obey her. Fear froze her in place.
"Stop! Please stop!" she shouted. "You've done enough!"
But they ignored her. The bullies kept punching and kicking, laughing as Max groaned and curled up on the ground, trying to protect himself. His cheek pressed into the dirt, and he could taste the blood on his lips.
"Pathetic," one of them spat. "You should never have tried to act like a hero."
Then something strange happened.
One of the bullies stopped suddenly. "Hey… what's that?" he muttered.
They all turned to look.
On the ground near them, a faint trail of slime glistened under the sunlight. It was thick, almost glowing with a greenish hue, and it moved slowly across the ground like it was alive.
"What the hell is this?" one of the boys said, stepping back.
The trail led from the direction of the old warehouse the same abandoned building that had been closed for years. The same one Darius had investigated earlier.
The slime twisted, forming patterns on the ground, and from it, something began to emerge.
A centipede.
But it was not normal. Its body was long and translucent, almost ghostly, with hundreds of glowing legs like blades of light. Its antenna twitching with strange intelligence as it hissed, its body crawling toward Max.
The bullies stepped back, their confidence breaking. "What the hell is that thing?"
Grace covered her mouth in fear. "Max… get away from it!"
But the creature ignored everyone else. It moved straight toward Max, who was barely conscious on the ground. It slithered up his body, the slime spreading over his skin, and then its legs began to sink into his back.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Max screamed as fire and lightning coursed through his spine. The centipede's body merged into him, its energy fusing with his bones and nerves. His back arched as the creature fully connected it's legs into max spinal cord.
His skin began to glow. A tattoo marks started to form on his face and body.
His muscles twisted and reshaped. His fat began to melt away as his arms became thicker and his veins pulsed with raw energy. His chubby stomach reduced, hardening into firm muscle and abs.
Grace watched in horror and awe as Max rose slowly from the ground. His eyes were glowing white, and his body was surrounded by an invisible force that lifted him slightly above the dirt.
The students who had gathered around began recording with their phones, whispering in fear and excitement.
"What's happening to him?"
"Is he awakening?"
The air trembled.
Behind Max, a shadow began to form; the ghostly image of a giant centipede. Its body rose high, the upper half visible like a massive spirit coiling upward into the sky merging with Max's back while the lower half stayed on the ground .
It moved as he moved, its many legs twitching in the air like blades ready to strike.
The bullies, though shaken, prepared themselves. One of them raised his arm, forming spikes of stone around his fists. Another created whips of water. A third began to gather wind around his legs.
They attacked all at once.
But every attack vanished before reaching Max.
Invisible slashes tore through the air, cutting their attacks apart mid-flight. Lightning strike split, stone spikes shattered, and gusts of wind were sliced cleanly in half.
"What the hell is this?" one shouted in terror.
The next moment, the same invisible force slashed through them.
Each bully screamed as thin cuts appeared across their bodies. Every wound exploded seconds later as if their blood itself was filled with gun power.
They tried to run, but more invisible slashes rained down on them from every direction. The giant spirit behind Max was moving, its countless legs slicing through the air so fast that the eye could not follow.
Screams echoed through the field.
Blood spattered the ground. Explosions followed each slice, bursting in red light and smoke.
Max floated in the center of it all, calm and terrifying. His face showed no emotion. The glowing eyes stared forward as if he was watching insects being crushed.
Grace's heart raced. She ran toward him, tears in her eyes.
"Max! Stop! Please stop! They've had enough!"
Her voice trembled as she reached him. "This isn't you. You're not like this."
The invisible energy pulsed once more, and then it began to fade. The centipede spirit slowly dissolved into light as Max's feet touched the ground again. His breathing slowed. His muscles stopped tightening.
Grace stood in front of him, shaking. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to reject you. They forced me. They said they'd ruin my life if I didn't listen. Please, Max. I'll make it right. I'll be with you if you just give me another chance."
Her voice broke as she reached for his hand.
But Max looked at her with cold eyes. The glow had faded, but his expression was darker than ever.
"You're too weak-minded" he said. "You let others decide how you live. You let them use you. You're no good for me."
Grace froze.
"I don't need someone who runs away when things get hard," he said in a low voice. "I don't need pity. I don't need you anymore.... I've moved on."
He turned away from her, his steps slow and steady. The crowd was silent, watching him like they were seeing a monster rise from the ashes of a loser.
Grace fell to her knees, crying.
Max stopped for a moment, his shadow stretching long across the ground. His voice was quiet but sharp enough for her to hear.
"I'm disappointed, Grace."
He began walking away.
But before he could leave the school grounds, a powerful gust of wind tore through the air above him. The clouds scattered, and a figure descended from the sky.
Golden wings spread wide, glowing like divine fire.
It was Darius.
He landed with a heavy thud, the ground cracking beneath his boots. His eyes glowed faintly golden, scanning the boy in front of him.
Students gasped, whispering his name. Everyone knew him.
"The Lord Of The Sky.....Eyes Of The Dragons....The Conqueror Of Mysteries ".
He looked at Max, studying the faint energy still swirling around him. The air smelled like burnt blood and cooked meat. The invisible pressure from Max's awakening still lingered.
Darius tilted his head, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. "So this is the source of that strange energy," he said quietly. "You're the one who devoured it."
Max turned slowly, meeting his gaze. The glow in his eyes flickered faintly.
Darius took a step forward. "Tell me, boy," he said. "What are you?"
Max did not answer.
The wind blew between them, carrying the faint smell of smoke and blood.
Darius's smirk widened slightly. "You don't look like a human anymore."
The students stood frozen in silence, their phones still recording.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The tension was thick, like the calm before a storm.
Then Max's eyes flared white again, and the faint image of the centipede's spirit flickered behind him.
Darius's smile faded. His wings spread open, feathers glowing with power.
The sky darkened slightly, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
And then everything went silent.
The monster and the hunter stared at each other.