Norman took a step forward, adjusting his gloves with a casual ease, as if the devastation around him were nothing more than background noise. His gaze flickered briefly to the wreckage Ronny had left in his wake, a trail of shattered stone and twisted metal.
"I said my work is done here," he muttered, his voice devoid of emotion, a flat monotone that betrayed no hint of the carnage. "Don't die. I need my payment."
A deep, guttural growl" a sound that resonated from the very depths of the earth, rumbled from the rubble.
Then—
Two piercing red eyes, glowing with malevolent intensity, emerged from the settling dust, like embers in a dying fire. Ronny stepped forward, his body cracked and distorted, raw energy radiating from him in waves. His smirk, already a grotesque display of arrogance, twisted into something far more sinister, a predatory grin that promised violence. The damage he had sustained—the melted flesh, the burning poison—seemed to have no effect, as if he were fueled by a primal rage that transcended physical pain.
He rolled his shoulders, the sound of grinding bone and shifting metal echoing through the pit, shaking off the pain as if it were a mere inconvenience.
"Heh." His gaze locked onto Norman's with something close to amusement—and beneath that, a simmering fury. "Then stay aside. You think I need your favors?"
The air grew heavy, thick with tension. The pit trembled, the very stones vibrating with the raw power emanating from Ronny.
Norman, instead of taking offense, merely shrugged, his expression unchanged. "Fine." He stepped back, crossing his arms, a lazy smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Go on, then."
Uren, seizing the opportunity, his face pale and drawn, took his chance.
His magic flared, a burst of ethereal golden light illuminating the pit.
Invisible chains, shimmering with magical energy, snapped into existence, latching onto Ronny's limbs, forcing him down, binding him with an unseen force. At the same time, Meave, barely holding herself together, her body trembling with exhaustion, lifted her staff, its faint violet glow flickering, and sent out a pulse of magic—a desperate, last-ditch attempt to weaken him, to drain his remaining strength.
And Ash—
He moved, his body a blur of motion.
A solidified poison blade, black and gleaming, formed in his hands, pulsating with deadly energy. He lunged, his body screaming in protest, every muscle aching, but he forced himself forward, driven by a primal need to end this.
Ronny turned, his massive frame slow and sluggish, caught in the magical restraints—too late.
The poisoned blade sank into his chest, piercing his hardened flesh with a sickening thud.
For a fraction of a second, everything stilled.
Ronny's expression barely changed, his red eyes flickering down at the sword embedded in his chest, a flicker of surprise, quickly replaced by something far more terrifying.
Then—
A sound.
Low. Deep.
Laughter.
It started as a chuckle, a low, guttural sound, but quickly grew into something monstrous, a chilling, turn into echoing ragging roar that filled the pit.
Ash barely had time to react before Ronny's body convulsed, his muscles rippling with raw power.
"Beast Will—Great Bull full throttle"
His body grew, expanding beyond its already monstrous proportions. Muscles bulged, his already massive frame becoming something truly colossal. His skin hardened, turning into something like living steel, thick and impenetrable. Horns extended, curving wickedly, pulsating with raw energy, radiating heat. His mouth twisted into a grotesque grin, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Then, with sheer brute strength, he yanked the poison blade from his chest—like it was nothing, a mere splinter in his hide.
Ash barely had time to step back before Ronny exploded forward, his movements a blur of monstrous power.
The ground shattered beneath him, the stone cracking and splintering under the force of his charge.
The world became chaos, a whirlwind of dust and debris.
Ash was launched into the air from the sheer force of Ronny's charge, his body twisting violently before crashing into the pit's stone walls, his vision blurring from the impact, his bones screaming in protest.
Uren tried to cast another spell, his hands moving in intricate gestures—But Ronny's massive hand swung, a brutal, sweeping motion, and Uren was swatted away like an insect, his body rolling across the ground, motionless, his magic extinguished.
Meave barely had time to lift her staff, to summon another burst of energy, before Ronny's foot stomped down, a thunderous impact that shook the very foundations of the pit.
The force of it sent a shockwave through the arena, making her collapse back to the ground hitting her face directly, blood splattering from her lips, her body broken and battered.
Ronny— He was unstoppable, a force of nature unleashed.
He turned, breathing heavily, his monstrous form looming over the battlefield, a titan of raw power. His red eyes gleamed with something feral, something utterly terrifying.
Then— His gaze fell upon Kelly.
She stood frozen at the edge of the pit, her small frame trembling, her eyes wide with terror. Small. Helpless.
A wicked grin stretched across Ronny's monstrous face, a predator's smile.
Ash saw it, his vision clearing, his heart pounding with dread.
"NO—"
"Not her "
But it was too late.
Ronny moved, a blur of monstrous power, his movements impossibly fast for his size.
Kelly's eyes widened, her small face contorted in terror. She turned—tried to run—But she was too slow, too small, too vulnerable.
His massive hand snatched her from the ground, lifting her effortlessly into the air, her small form dangling helplessly.
A flash of memory, brief and agonizing, flickered in Kelly's mind. She remembered asking Ritso, her voice small and hesitant, "When can I call Papa… Papa?" Ritso, her expression softening, had replied, "I think… I think after we reach above. When we're safe."
She struggled, kicked, thrashed—But there was nothing she could do, no escape from the monstrous grip.
Ronny grinned, his teeth bared in a feral display.
And then—He bit down.
The sound—A sickening crunch, the sound of bone breaking, flesh tearing.
Silence fell over the pit, a heavy, suffocating silence.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow, time itself stretching and distorting.
Kelly's body jerked, her small frame trembled violently—then went limp, her struggles ceasing.
Her lower half—gone, ripped away by the monstrous bite.
Blood poured from the wound, thick and dark, staining the stone below.
Her hands—small, trembling—reached out, her fingers grasping at empty air.
Not for Ronny. Not for uren or meave. Not for anyone but.
For Ash.
Her lips moved, forming a silent word.
No sound came out, but the shape was clear. Ash saw it, his heart shattering.
Tears welled in her eyes as Her body fell, the upper half of her small body, a broken doll, hitting the ground with a soft thud.
Ronny tossed what was left of her aside like discarded meat, a twisted chuckle escaping his lips, a sound that echoed through the pit, a mockery of life itself.
At that same moment, Ritso, her heart pounding, burst into the audience seats, her eyes wide with panic. She had asked the Oni, the one Kelly had stumbled past, "Where did she go?" He had gestured towards the pit, his expression grim, his eyes filled with dread. Ritso's eyes widened, and she ran, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the scene unfold. She saw Ronny's massive hand, Kelly's small, terrified face, and then… the sickening crunch, the tearing of flesh, the crimson spray.
Ash—Something broke inside him, a dam bursting, a flood of rage and grief washing over him.
His body shook, trembling with an uncontrollable fury. His breath came ragged, a harsh rasp in the silent pit. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white, his nails digging into his skin.
His mind—A storm. A void.
He could still see her, her small, broken form, her terrified eyes.
Still hear her, the silent echo of her final word.
That desperate, unspoken word.
Papa.
That very moment something broke inside him, his body relaxed eyes on half corpse of the child he sworn to protect.
Then the very air around him shifted, the poison coursing through his veins turning black, a dark, viscous liquid that pulsed with malevolent energy. His vision darkened, the edges of his sight blurring, as if he were plunging into a black abyss.