He dove into his Soul Sea, searching its depths like a diver chasing forgotten treasure.
And that's when he found it—
A second Sacred Beast Soul.
Not just any soul...
And this one was like Shivani's Beast Soul—capable of transforming him into a humanoid beast.
Powerful. Half-human. Half-bull.
FWOOOSH!
A sharp wind tore through the silence.
Dev's breath hitched.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but from awakening.
Inside his chest, the Golden Beast Soul pulsed wildly.
It was changing. Adapting.
CRACKLE—CLANG—CHHHKKK!
His armor shifted—the plates stretching and reforming, liquid gold turning into a hardened beast form.
"W-What's going on…?" he whispered, stunned.
He didn't have time to think.
THWAMMM!
A blade sliced through the air behind him.
WHOOSH!
Dev ducked, rolled, and came up fast.
Two trainees rushed at him—
Their eyes widened.
"Is that… a sacred-level transformation?!"
But before they could react—
SWISSH—SHHHK!
Dev disappeared in a flash—
And reappeared behind them.
THUD. THUD.
Two bodies collapsed.
SPLURT!
Blood sprayed across the concrete.
His speed, his power—it wasn't human anymore.
But then—
CRACK—CRRCHHH!
Tiny fractures split across his golden form.
"I can't hold this for long," he thought, chest heaving. "My body's not ready yet."
Without hesitation, he vanished into the forest.
TAP—TAP—TAP—FWSHHH!
He ran nearly three kilometers, his feet pounding over rock and dirt, until he reached a quiet mountain ridge.
There, under twisted roots and shattered stones—
He buried the sacred axe.
"If I take this back to base," he muttered, "they'll know. I'm not ready for that."
---
The Hidden Phase
For two months, Dev kept to himself.
In his room, silence.
No friends. No noise. Only plans.
He purchased basic-level beasts and raised them—slowly, methodically—until he had evolved six into sacred-level monsters.
But it took everything he had.
SLURPPP.
He devoured the flesh of three beasts.
Only five sacred beast points.
"Tch... still not enough," he muttered. "I'll eat the rest later."
His life ran on a secret rhythm:
15 days on Earth, pretending to be normal—playing games, avoiding attention.
15 days on Titan, deep in training—mastering Frost Body Martial Arts.
Each day, his punches grew colder.
Sharper.
More controlled.
But far away...
BOOM—CRACK—KLANG!
Munna was still hunting.
Still furious.
Still clueless.
---
The Letter
One morning, a gold-lettered envelope arrived for Viyan.
His heart skipped a beat.
It was from Dev.
"Dollar bhai wants to meet me?" he whispered. "That means... he trusts me."
He rushed to get ready.
By sunset, Viyan was waiting at Mentis Area, hiding behind old tanks.
FOOTSTEPS. THUMP… THUMP…
Dev emerged from the shadows.
"Dollar bhai!" Viyan called out.
Dev's voice was calm. Cold.
"When will Munna's investigation end?" he asked.
"I… I don't know yet…"
Dev stepped closer.
"Do you still want the axe?"
Viyan's eyes widened. "Y-Yeah… of course—but…"
"Ask your leader first. Meet me here again tomorrow."
Then Dev vanished into the mist, like smoke from a fire that had only just begun to burn.
---
Back to Base
Back in civilian clothes, Dev walked the corridors quietly.
Suddenly—
CLAP—CLAP—CLAP.
"Well, well, look who's here!"
Sagar. Munna's loyal mutt.
"The guy who can't tell an alien from a human," he laughed, loud enough for others to hear.
Dev didn't react.
Not yet.
He just turned and said, cool and steady:
"Mock me all you want.
In a few days, we'll be hunting sacred-level beasts together.
Don't try to skip out."
Sagar's smile faded.
Dev walked on.
---
End of Day. Beginning of Power.
The next morning:
WHOOSH—CRACK—HAA!
Dev trained like a man possessed.
His body moved like ice across steel—cold, swift, deadly.
CLACK—CLACK—THUD!
Each hit was sharper than the last.
Still…
Progress was slow.
But it was progress.
And at night…
It was time.
---
The Suspense Grows
Dev returned to Mentis.
This time, the silence felt heavier.
The air, thick with tension.
Under a flickering neon light, Viyan stood—nervous, fidgeting.
"What happened?" Dev asked, his tone low.
Viyan swallowed hard.
(SFX: GULP)
"A-A-Actually… Leader Shivani wants to meet you… herself."
Dev's eyes narrowed.
"Shivani…?"
WHUMMM—BOOMMM—
A deep hum filled the air.
Static buzzed around them like the calm before a storm.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…