A sudden chill ran down Vayu's spine. When he looked at Ruru, she was in far worse condition. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, her breath uneven, then her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the ground. Vayu reacted instantly, he quickly bent down and caught her, helping her to stay standing. "What is that?" Vayu asked, his voice low but urgent. Ruru's teeth chattered as she answered, "That's a hybrid shapeshifter who had lost sanity… and this one has absorbed an enormous amount of demonic energy."
Vayu didn't hesitate to say "We're running"
He tightened his grip around her and began walking back as fast as he could manage. But the moment he looked up his blood ran cold. Horned rabbits had appeared at the top of the slope. Dozens of them, they stood unnaturally still, blocking the path, their eyes fixed on him. Sweat trickled down Vayu's forehead, slow footsteps echoed behind them. The figure inside the cave emerged at last. At first glance, it resembled a rabbit—but only barely as it was far taller than any normal horned rabbit not just that it was taller then Vayu, its body was thick with muscle. Its ears were long and pointed instead of being round, sharp at the tips. Claws extended from its fingers and its teeth were zigzagged, uneven, made for tearing rather than chewing. Bulging veins crawled across its head, making the skull appear swollen and stretched, making it look hideous. Its neck was thick, its posture hunched, its presence alone pressed down the air around it.
The moment the creature stepped out of the cave, its gaze slowly settled on Vayu, then it turned its head toward Ruru. A flicker of greed passed through its twisted eyes but when it noticed how Vayu was holding her—protectively, a sharp and vicious rage ignited in its stare. It took a single step forward, then— Vayu saw its figure blurred. Before Vayu could even react, an overwhelming force clamped around his throat. He was still supporting Ruru, holding her close—but in the next instant, both of them were lifted off the ground as if they weighed nothing at all. Vayu's hands moved on instinct, clawing at the grip crushing his neck. Ruru slipped from his arms and fell hard to the ground. The creature looked down at her—then back at Vayu a hideous smile twisted across its face then with brutal force, it swung Vayu and slammed his face into the ground. The impact echoed through the forest, his body went limp, unmoving, blood pooling beneath his head as the life seemed to leave him entirely.
Ruru's eyes widened in shock, she stared at Vayu's motionless body his head looked like someone had crushed a watermelon, her mind refusing to accept what her eyes were seeing. A broken cry escaped her lips as tears streamed down her face. Then the creature turned toward her step by step, it advanced. Ruru tried to stand up her legs refused to obey, she tried to run—but her body wouldn't respond as terror rooted her in place. Desperate, she scrambled backward on all fours, her breath hitching, her vision blurred with tears. Ruru kept retreating until her back hit solid stone, this downhill wasn't just a slope—it was a naturally formed basin, small, enclosed. The cave was at its very center like the eye of a trap, there was nowhere left to run.
Her sobbing grew louder and more frantic, she grabbed the small stones scattered around her and threw them one by one. They bounced harmlessly off the hybrid demonic rabbit, drawing no reaction at all. It continued forward then it stopped slowly, deliberately, it sat down in front of her its eyes were calm, empty and completely devoid of emotion that terrified her more than its rage ever could. It reached out and grabbed her leg, Ruru screamed and tried to pull away, clawing at the ground, but the grip was unyielding and strong as Ruru wiggled beneath its grip. The creature leaned closer, sniffing her, as if it was savoring her fear. Then its mouth opened rows of sharp, uneven teeth gleamed faintly. Ruru kept struggling beneath it, kicking, twisting, desperately trying to free herself. A piercing scream echoed through the basin. Pain tore through her as the creature fed on her flesh and her cries filled the hollow valley, her body trembling uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face as blood stained the ground beneath her.
The hybrid rabbit's expression changed as Greed, Satisfaction and Joy. Slowly, it lifted her other leg as its mouth opened again. "CHOMP!" but this time— and no scream followed only silence. Ruru's movements stopped completely not because she was dead— but because of what she saw. A fox-man had sunk his teeth into the hybrid rabbit's shoulder and he was chewing. For a moment, reality refused to make sense. In any normal situation, the hybrid rabbit would have sensed Vayu long before he came close as its instincts were sharpened by demonic energy, but it hadn't sensed him at all because it believed Vayu was dead, even Ruru thought he was dead.
What the creature didn't know was this— Vayu still had around five hundred health. Till the time his body hadn't died instantly and as long as he remained in his shapeshifter form, he will regenerate. Bones cracked back into place an his flesh reformed, unimaginable pain surged through his body.
"So chewy," Vayu said calmly as he swallowed the chunk of flesh he had bitten off, standing there with blood on his mouth, Vayu smirked but the next instant— the hybrid rabbit twisted violently and smashed the back of its hand into Vayu and his body was launched through the air, slamming hard against the mountain wall. Blood sprayed as he hit the stone, his health dropping sharply—from 400 to 350.
"Ouch," Vayu muttered "That hurts"
Even as he spoke, his bones realigned and his skin stitched itself together, muscle reforming before their eyes. The hybrid rabbit stared at him with confusion flashing across its face. Then Vayu inhaled deeply and a sound of THUMP appeared continued with more THUMPS. The rhythm intensified, like a war drum pounding inside his chest. Vayu Had Used Overdrive. Every stat surged at once—tripling instantly and his fox-man form, already granting him a massive boost, making him something far more dangerous.
The hybrid rabbit looked at him— and suddenly its pupils shrank as Vayu vanished from his vision, the next moment—
SLAM!
The hybrid rabbit's head was driven into the ground with overwhelming force, its body twisting at an unnatural angle as its legs lifted helplessly in the air and the earth cracked beneath the impact, the creature sliding across the ground, stunned and broken. Vayu stood above it, breathing steadily his expression satisfied.
"That should keep you down for a while" he said lightly, but the very next moment the hybrid rabbit's legs swayed and using the remaining momentum, it forced itself upright. Its head was still twisted at an unnatural angle, without hesitation it grabbed its own head with both hands.
Crack.
Bone snapped as it twisted its neck back into place then it turned— locking its gaze on Vayu and charged. Vayu could see it coming. Even now, even in Overdrive, he was slower then the rabbit. But instead of retreating, Vayu chose to fight. The hybrid rabbit was faster and far stronger then him, but its movements were crude as it had no technique, no experience. Its attacks were wild, straightforward. But that didn't make them weak at all, every hit that landed tore, Vayu's flesh open and his blood sprayed freely. When Vayu struck back, the creature was only pushed a step or two. Vayu dodged constantly, but each mistake cost him heavily. Blood soaked into the ground and his regeneration struggled to keep pace.
With every passing second, his expression darkened, overdrive was gonna end soon and when it did, he would be far more weaker and then he would definitely die. He needed time to create an opening. Then— a punch slammed into his face and stars exploded across his vision. His neck snapped backward with a sharp crack and his body collapsed to the ground and his breathing stopped.
His health hit 200
Vayu had gotten hit intentionally, trying to act dead but the hybrid rabbit stared at him, waiting two minutes passed but Vayu didn't move convinced the Vayu had died this time, the creature turned away, its attention shifted back to Ruru. Her bleeding had slowed, her muscles had already begun repairing themselves, her skin was slowly regenerating. The hybrid rabbit grabbed her remaining leg and chomped again. A shrill scream echoed through the basin as it bit down, chewing greedily. Then— the creature's body suddenly lifted off the ground. Vayu had slammed into it with a full-powered drop kick, his heel crashing into the nape of its neck.
CRACK.
The neck bone shattered. Its head dangled uselessly but Vayu knew it wasn't dead he didn't stop as he grabbed its arm and twisted violently, folding the elbow backward, for the first time the hybrid rabbit screamed, even the scream was hideous and saliva sprayed from its mouth as pain overwhelmed his instinct. Vayu didn't hesitate and he broke the other arm then both legs joint by joint. He knew he could not kill it and could only buy time as long as the bones weren't aligned, the creature couldn't regenerate properly. That was all Vayu needed.
He grabbed Ruru, crouched low and jumped as they soared through the air.