Chapter 227 Anxiety
Zayne had tasted live flesh once before, uncooked, completely raw flesh that had been part of his body a moment ago. Elein had to go through that, she was the one who had been Zayne's victim when he transformed.
For a short period of time, he acted like a true beast, as his mind was completely consumed by emotions and everything was ruled by instincts. This had happened several times before, and each repetition was more powerful than the last.
So, Toruf had no idea what effect eating the heart of the Arisen Grade monster would have on Zayne.
'Wait... What's going on?' Toruf was puzzled, 'I just wanted him to regain energy and get a little stronger... Considering how strong his body is and the fact that he's going to pass the Chaos Trial, he could handle it, however, a few bites are the maximum.'
Toruf gulped, 'However... He's not going to stop, he doesn't feel any recoil... but, how is that even possible?'
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
With a hungry look and bloody teeth, Zayne continued to sink his elongated fangs right into the heart, gradually eating it. He had already devoured several times more than Toruf expected, and he wasn't going to stop there.
'Come on... We're capable of more! This may be happening sooner than it should... but that's why we're here, because you'll always take a chance! An enthusiastic voice sounded in Zayne's head, but he wasn't paying attention to it at all.
The red aura emanating from his body was gradually changing him. Zayne's black hair became much longer, his pupils became vertical, and his muscles swelled and became as strong as steel. His fangs and claws were no different than those of a most dangerous wolf, capable of tearing its prey apart.
"Shit... It looks like our little fight went too far..." Toruf muttered in disbelief, watching as Zayne devoured the last piece of heart.
"Zayne... Do you realize what I'm saying?" Toruf was alarmed, then he thought, 'I don't know why, but considering he hasn't become Awakened yet, this shouldn't have happened to his body... Could it have manifested in him even earlier than now? In that case, he's a real monster...''
Zayne straightened his back and turned his head to the side just as he stretched his shoulders, emitting a loud bone-crunching sound. It was as if he had been moving much slower than he was capable of all this time and his body had stiffened because of it.
"I need to knock you down... so, I'm going to do it..." Zayne said calmly, in complete control of his thoughts, "If you didn't want to let me anywhere near Chaos Trial, then giving me such a gift was an obvious mistake."
Toruf got a puzzled look, "Wait... You're so calm... Has this happened to you before? Answer me, this is very important."
Zayne sighed, "Yeah, a few times, and I still don't know what to do about it..." Zayne looked at his long claws, "However, I won't say it scares me, that would be a lie. In fact, the last time I was able to savor that feeling, arrogant but so desirable."
"Agh...?" Toruf was puzzled when suddenly Zayne disappeared from his sight.
Then, a scarlet flash flashed next to Toruf, leaving three long cuts on his body, from which blood immediately gushed out.
Toruf's eyes went wide as he unknowingly reactivated his defense skill, returning the damage to Zayne.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
Red pulses traveled through Zayne's body, causing him to feel intense pain. However, his instincts told him what to do, and he bent his body at a strange angle, touching the ground with his hands.
Thus the momentum was directed into the ground, and Zayne received only a fraction of the total damage.
'Damn... He realized how my skill works so quickly... Looks like I found a real treasure in this dark forest today.' Toruf internally muttered as he prepared for his next attack.
His defense skill didn't just return the damage received to the attacker, it had a specific process and method to make it possible. His body reflected impulses into his opponent, causing him to gain full power, like a recoil, so these impulses could be gotten rid of. In a variety of ways.
Zayne's hands flared brightly with blue flames as he had already used most of the moves from his dance. His physical strength now wouldn't be as great as when he first moved, but he was much faster, and Toruf noticed it.
"Wait... You're still using the same skill, right?" Toruf asked, surprised.
Zayne nodded, "Yeah... Except for the scarlet wings that give me a short acceleration, this energy is a continuation of the same skill. Soon it will be even more."
Toruf was a little puzzled, then he remembered how strong Zayne had been at first, and how fast he was now. It was as if it were a continuation of one line, a series of actions linked to each other.
"Wait... Is this a dance?" Toruf asked with curiosity and slight concern in his voice.
Zayne tilted his head, "Oh, you seem to have guessed, though given your experience it's not surprising. Yeah, this is my dance as one of the Shattered Moon Order."
Zayne might not have said it so bluntly, but he saw no point in hiding it from Toruf. Toruf would have no trouble figuring it out through another question or attack, after all, that was their hallmark.
"Hehehehe, Zayne I changed my mind." Toruf smirked, "Given the circumstances and what I've seen, you actually have a chance to pass the Chaos Trial, however, now we're going to fight in earnest."
Toruf's eyes narrowed, "I doubt you realize how unusual your situation is. Damn, you're one of the Shattered Moon Order, though, you still don't know how to use your dance properly."
Zayne was puzzled, 'What...? What is he talking about? Does dancing have some hidden meaning?
However, Toruf didn't give him time to think as red electrical discharges passed along his horns, quickly turning into a sphere.
Zayne flinched, he had seen this attack before and knew how powerful it was, so before the sphere could explode his ring shone brightly.
The energy ray instantly reached Zayne, leaving him no chance to dodge. However, instead of piercing Zayne like the One-Eyed Golem, it collided with a dark sword blade.
Red sparks flew away while Zayne's sword heated up, first turning slightly yellow, then completely red.
"Fuck! It's hurt!" Zayne exclaimed as smoke began to emanate from his palms, then his strength came to an end.
The remaining energy from the ray threw him aside, leaving a serious but not fatal burn on his chest.
Step. Step. Step.
Toruf stepped forward confidently, he knew it wouldn't kill Zayne, so he didn't worry that for Zayne it could be the end.
"Come on! Get up! We're not done yet! Your aim is still the same! You have to knock me down! Knock me to the ground!" Toruf exclaimed with an excited expression.
Zayne's silhouette slowly rose to the ground as he glanced at his sword, then he shook his head and returned the weapon to the ring. The sword could help him cut Toruf apart, but not bring him to the ground. What he needed now was speed and complete control over his body.
Whoooooosh.
Zayne lunged forward, without using any skills, all he had now was the last movements of his dance.
Toruf smirked at the sight of a blue flash coming straight at him.
Toruf realized the front legs, bringing his hooves to the ground and making it shake.
However, it had no effect on Zayne, he easily kept his balance though his feet often touched the surface. Toruf had used an attack like this before, so Zayne was ready for it.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
At the same moment, Zayne went into a frenzy, starting to inflict to Toruf many wounds on different parts of his body.
Every second a scratch, cut, or sharp claw mark appeared on Toruf's massive body. He tried to return the damage he received, but Zayne could easily withstand it without using any special methods.
'I see... He's trying to exhaust me and damage my legs...' Toruf pondered with a calm expression. To him, such wounds were nothing more than scratches, so he could afford to take time to think about what was happening.
'Well... I think it's time to end this... I'll give him one opportunity, if he attacks my back correctly, he can bring me to the ground, otherwise my horns will pierce him, for real.' Toruf grinned. Toruf smirked before taking a deep breath.
The stripes on his body let out all the energy, disappearing and causing a shockwave that threw Zayne aside. Zayne quickly regained his balance, landing on his feet, he was ready to attack again.
However, Toruf did it first, electric shocks ran through his horns as he lunged forward. It was a different skill, no spheres appeared between his horns, but he became much faster.
What Zayne had to do now was to bounce to the side and knock Toruf off his feet with one powerful blow. Toruf canceled his defensive skill, so he would definitely succeed. However, he chose the other option, getting into a fighting stance and waiting for the attack.
'What a pity... Looks like we'll only have to meet next time in a few years... You've lost your ingenuity due to your arrogance.' Toruf inwardly muttered as his horns almost reached Zayne's chest. There were only a few meters left before the collision.