The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

[Move 2: Crush Palm]

[Condenses emotional force into a single point of impact. Results in overwhelming blunt destruction.]

Bahamut stopped, turned, and raised his hand. His expression darkened slightly as he remembered the ghoul. That face, that sickening voice...

"That girl is mine..."

Something snapped inside him. His palm trembled with energy... intent gathered there. It was invisible but heavy. Bahamut thrust his palm forward.

BOOOM!!!

The air itself collapsed. A massive shockwave erupted, blasting forward and carving a trench through the ground. Dust and debris shot into the air as the earth caved inward from the sheer force.

Elder Silvia, who was watching him, took a step back.

"No element... Just force..." she whispered with a shocked expression.

Bahamut, oblivious to Elder Silvia’s shock, exhaled slowly.

"This is insane."

[Proceed.]

[Move 3: Feral Drive]

[A temporary state where emotion enhances all physical attributes beyond normal limits. High strain. Short duration.]

Bahamut frowned as he tried to comprehend it, but the system didn’t wait for him.

[Activate.]

His heart pounded faster and harder than earlier. His vision sharpened, and the world slowed around him. He became faster, stronger, and sharper. His muscles tightened, the veins bulging slightly as his body surged with power. His breath turned heavier, but controlled. Bahamut clenched his fists and looked at them, at the power outlining them.

"This... feels good."

He took a step, and the ground cracked beneath him. But before he could do more, his body stopped abruptly and relaxed. The pressure vanished.

Bahamut blinked in confusion.

’That was short... what happened?’

[Your current capacity is limited.]

Bahamut exhaled as he nodded his head, then stretched his arms.

’That’s three...’

[Remaining Four Moves: Locked]

[Requirement: Emotional Construct Formation]

"So I need to build something with it?" Bahamut asked.

[Yes.]

"Later then..."

His body suddenly trembled, but not from exhaustion. From his skin, a dark, viscous substance began to ooze out. It was black and thick, impurities forced out of his body. It dripped down his arms, his chest, and his back.

Bahamut looked down.

"What the hell is this?"

[Residual impurities expelled due to forced internal refinement.]

Instead of feeling weak, Bahamut felt light, refreshed, clean, and stinky. The dark substance smelled so bad that he could literally see the smell.

But he still felt clean, as if something heavy had been removed from his body. He clenched and unclenched his fists as the rising sun bore down on him. He felt stronger and sharper. His hair spilled over his face, covering his eyes that were glowing like light bulbs. He could feel it. He was close, very close to leaving the Circle of Initiation.

He could tell that by the time he managed to complete all seven moves of the techniques, he would be officially in the Tier 2 realm, and he would be forming his elemental cores.

Elder Silvia, who had been watching him for all this while, finally flew down and landed in front of him. Her blue eyes stared with interest at him. Bahamut, sensing her, slowly raised his head, but his hair still covered his eyes.

"What did you just do?" she asked.

"I got serious..." Bahamut responded with a silent tone. Elder Silvia’s expression didn’t change despite the stench and his rugged look. But inside, she knew this boy was becoming something dangerous.

...

Elder Silvia didn’t speak immediately. She simply stared at him with narrowed eyes. She was calculating, watching every twitch of his muscles, every shift in his breathing, every faint ripple in his aura.

"You didn’t use an element," she finally said.

Bahamut shrugged lightly, rolling his shoulder as if nothing had happened.

"Does it matter? I am not Tier 2."

"It matters," she replied flatly. "Because what you just did shouldn’t be possible at your level."

Bahamut smirked a little.

"Guess I’m just built different."

Silvia’s eyes narrowed slightly at that, but she didn’t rebuke him. Instead, she stepped closer.

"Your body... It’s stabilizing faster than it should, your physical output is rising, and now you’re using a force that doesn’t align with any known affinity."

She paused.

"Do you even understand what you’re becoming?"

Bahamut didn’t answer immediately. For a brief moment, his expression dimmed.

"I don’t need to understand it," he said calmly. "I just need to use it."

A dangerous answer. Elder Silvia knew it, but instead of correcting him, she turned away.

"Go clean yourself. You stink."

Bahamut blinked.

"You could’ve just said that from the start."

"Leave."

"Alright, alright..."

...

The moment Bahamut stepped into the residence, the smell hit him properly.

"Okay, yeah. That’s bad."

Ren, still lounging in his small bunny form on a cushion, lifted his head slightly.

"You smell like something crawled out of a grave and died again."

"Shut up."

...

The bathroom wasn’t anything fancy, but it was spacious enough. Stone floor, a wide basin, and a steady flow of clean water. Bahamut stepped in, stripping off what little he wore before stepping under the stream.

The moment the water touched his skin, it started. Dark liquid, thick, and oily. It began to seep out of his pores again.

"Ugh..."

He scrubbed his arm, and more came out. He washed his chest... More. His back, even more.

"How much of this crap is inside me?"

He scrubbed harder. The water around him slowly darkened, swirling with the black substance as it washed off. Minutes passed. Then more, and more. It didn’t stop. Each time he thought it was done, another layer seeped out like his body was purging something buried deep within him.

His expression shifted from annoyance... to curiosity.

"This technique..."

He clenched his fist under the water.

"It’s not just making me stronger."

It was changing him, refining him, breaking something down, and rebuilding it.

An hour later...

Bahamut finally stepped out... Clean. He rolled his neck, flexing his fingers.

"Yeah... this is good."

As he walked out into the main area, he immediately spotted Sel. The elven boy sat near the open window, a long spear resting across his lap. A cloth moved steadily in his hand as he cleaned the weapon with careful precision.

The blade gleamed faintly. Bahamut leaned against the wall, watching him for a moment.

"Since when did you start using the spear?"

Sel didn’t look up.

"Since this morning."

"That doesn’t answer my question."

"It does."

Bahamut clicked his tongue.

"What happened?"

This time, Sel paused, just for a second, then he continued cleaning.

"Training duel."

"With who?"

Bahamut’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Don’t tell me..."

"Apollonia."

Bahamut straightened immediately.

"You fought her?"

"Yes."

"And you’re alive?"

Sel finally looked up; his expression was calm as always.

"Barely."

Bahamut stared at him.

"Details."

Sel sighed softly, setting the cloth aside as he adjusted his grip on the spear.

"She wanted to test something."

"That sounds like a bad idea already."

"It was."

"What happened?"

Sel leaned back slightly.

"She didn’t hold back."

Bahamut winced.

"Of course she didn’t."

"She used her full combat style. Speed, aerial control, light constructs... everything."

"And you?"

Sel’s gaze shifted slightly.

"I lost."

Bahamut blinked.

"That was fast."

"It wasn’t."

Sel tapped the spear lightly.

"I lasted longer than expected."

Now that caught Bahamut’s attention.

"Oh?"

Sel’s lips curved faintly.

"And I learned something."

Bahamut smirked.

"Let me guess... that spear?"

Sel nodded.

"She said my dual blades are too predictable. Too clean. Too... controlled."

"That sounds like you."

"She told me to pick something that forces me out of that."

Bahamut looked at the spear again.

"So now you’re a spear guy."

"For now."

"You’re gonna stab people from a distance now?"

Sel gave him a deadpan look.

"I always stabbed people. Now I just do it better."

Bahamut snorted.

"Fair enough."

A brief silence settled between them.

"So..." Bahamut said, crossing his arms.

"Did she beat you badly?"

Sel didn’t answer.

Bahamut grinned.

"She did, didn’t she?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, she definitely did."

Sel picked up the spear again.

"Do you want to be next?"

Bahamut’s grin widened.

"Anytime."