The bear finished tearing through the severed arm with slow, deliberate bites, as if savoring every shred of resistance left in the flesh. Bone splintered between its jaws with brittle snaps. Tendons stretched, then gave way with wet, fibrous pops. Blood soaked deep into its matted fur, darkening it to a heavy, glistening crimson.
When it was done, it lifted its massive head.
Its muzzle was slick and red, breath steaming in the cavern's cold air. Thick strands of saliva and blood hung from its fangs before dripping to the stone below in heavy, rhythmic taps. Its small, predatory eyes shifted with unsettling calm, settling once more on what remained of Nagumo's broken body.
The taste lingered.
Sweet.
Unnaturally sweet.
Richer than the countless beasts it had hunted in the labyrinth's depths. There was something intoxicating in that flavor—something that stirred a deeper, more ancient hunger within its core.
Its lips peeled back, exposing jagged fangs as a low growl rumbled up from deep in its chest. The vibration traveled through the cavern floor like distant thunder gathering strength.
"GRAAAWWWW—!"
The roar detonated outward, slamming into the cavern walls and rolling into the endless dark beyond.
…
Nagumo barely felt the agony anymore.
His mind was splintering under the weight of it all. Panic drowned every coherent thought. His heartbeat pounded violently in his ears, drowning out everything else. Death stood directly in front of him—one more swipe, one more breath, and he would cease to exist.
'I can't let it end like this.'
His palms slammed against the cold stone behind him.
"Transmute—transmute—transmute—transmute—!"
The rock beneath his trembling hands rippled like disturbed water. Solid stone liquefied, warping and folding in on itself. The cavern floor softened and swallowed him inch by inch as if dragging him into quicksand. His body sank just as the bear's claws crashed down where he had been moments before.
The impact split the stone with explosive force.
Nagumo didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Blindly, desperately, he forced the earth to bend to his will. Layers of rock surged upward and outward, stacking and thickening between him and the monster. Each pulse of magic tore through what little mana remained inside him, leaving him hollow, brittle, and fading.
"I don't want to die!" he screamed into the suffocating darkness, voice cracking as stone folded over him and sealed away the light.
Behind him, the Abyss Bear roared in fury. Its claws hammered against the newly formed barrier again and again, cracking it, splintering it, sending fractures racing through the rock. It tore into the makeshift tunnel with relentless brutality—
Then it stopped.
Its nose twitched.
Another scent drifted through the cavern air.
It was similar to the prey it had been pursuing.
But sweeter.
Stronger.
More potent.
"I thought I heard something from this direction." The calm voice carried faintly across the cavern. "Guess I wasn't imagining it."
Sylas stepped into view, his shoes scraping lightly against the stone floor. His posture appeared relaxed at first glance, but his hands hovered near his sides, fingers slightly flexed—ready. His gaze swept across the destruction in a single, assessing motion. It lingered on the torn strip of black cloth dangling from the corner of the beast's mouth.
His expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
Guess it's barely beginning.
The Abyss Bear turned fully toward him, abandoning the fractured tunnel without hesitation. Its massive shoulders rolled as thick muscles coiled beneath dense, shadowed fur. It locked onto Sylas with absolute predator focus.
A chill crept up Sylas's spine.
"You wouldn't happen to let me pass?" he asked lightly, tilting his head just a fraction.
The beast did not understand his words.
And even if it had, it would not have cared.
All it saw was prey.
"…Yeah. Didn't think so."
Sylas rolled his shoulders once and inhaled slowly. A faint white shimmer began to radiate from his body, gathering like mist before condensing closer to his skin.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Let's do this."
"GRAAAAAWWWW—!"
The Abyss Bear charged.
Its killing intent crashed forward like a tidal wave.
"Ren."
Aura erupted from Sylas's body, wrapping around him in dense, luminous armor.
The bear's claw came down in a blur of motion.
Sylas raised his arms just in time—
BAM.
The impact detonated through him. His feet left the ground as though he'd been struck by a speeding truck. He slammed into the cavern wall hard enough to fracture stone, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact. Pain exploded through his ribs despite the protective aura.
"Guh—!"
He dropped to one knee, coughing blood onto the floor.
That thing hits harder than I thought.
The Abyss Bear lunged again, jaws yawning wide, breath hot and rancid with the stench of fresh blood.
Sylas rolled aside at the last possible second. The jaws snapped shut where his head had been, teeth clashing together with a violent crack.
"That was way too close," he muttered under his breath.
He forced himself upright, aura flaring brighter as he pushed more energy outward.
Instead of retreating, he rushed forward.
He slipped beneath another sweeping claw and drove his fist into the beast's foreleg.
CRACK.
The force echoed sharply through the cavern.
The instant his fist connected, he knew something was wrong.
The bear barely reacted. Its hide and dense muscle absorbed most of the blow as if he had struck solid iron. Pain ricocheted back through Sylas's arm, numbing his knuckles.
Before he could disengage—
Whoosh—
A set of claws tore across his chest, shredding his jacket and splitting open skin beneath. Blood sprayed outward as he was hurled across the stone floor, skidding violently before finally grinding to a stop.
"Crap—my vision…"
The cavern blurred at the edges. Dark spots swam in his sight.
The Abyss Bear reared up, towering over him. Its immense shadow swallowed him as both forelimbs lifted high for a killing strike.
Sylas exhaled slowly.
His presence began to vanish.
Zetsu.
The sudden absence of aura caused the beast to falter. Its instincts stumbled over the contradiction—it could see its prey clearly, yet it could not feel it.
That single second of confusion was enough.
Sylas rolled aside and surged to his feet as his Ren exploded outward once more. The descending claws smashed into empty space, splitting the cavern floor and launching debris into the air.
Warm blood trickled down his side from a deep gash left behind.
The bear turned again, rage boiling beyond restraint, and charged.
Sylas planted his feet firmly against the stone.
"Come on," he whispered. "Closer… just a little closer."
As the monster lunged, he gathered every remaining shred of aura into his right arm, compressing it, refining it—combining all four basic principles into a single point.
"Ko."
At the last possible instant, he stepped inside its reach.
His fist drove upward, connecting cleanly beneath the beast's jaw.
Nen surged through bone and into skull, detonating through brain matter in a catastrophic burst of force. The Abyss Bear released a broken, strangled roar as its massive body stiffened mid-motion.
Then it collapsed.
The cavern floor trembled as it crashed down, dust erupting into the cold air. A few final spasms rippled through its limbs before the movement ceased entirely.
…
Sylas remained standing for a long moment, his arm trembling uncontrollably from the strain. Blood dripped from multiple wounds, pooling beneath his torn and battered shoes. His Ren flickered and faded, leaving only the thin, steady protection of Ten clinging to his skin.
He staggered backward, breath ragged.
"…That," he panted hoarsely, "sucked."
His legs gave out, and he slid down beside the monster's corpse onto the cold stone floor. His gaze drifted toward the half-destroyed tunnel the beast had abandoned mid-pursuit.
Somewhere beneath all that stone—
Someone was still alive.
To be Continued…