The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

It was the last day of the mission, and Bahamut had decided to make the most of it. He wanted to push himself very far. He had two things that would help him break the final wall into Tier 2: the Primal Dominion and his Chimera traits. The primal drive’s main focus was to manifest emotions in reality, and the most powerful form was manifesting brutality, which he’d begun. It was made of seven movements, and he managed to get three of those movements. The last four were beyond him at the moment. If he couldn’t perfect the three moves and break past them, then he would have to forget about the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh moves.

Different from his primal drive was his chimera abilities, a vast array of abilities he didn’t know of. He could feel that the chimera was more than just being multiple beasts as one being. It had more to give, but becoming the known version of a chimera was the beginning. The known version was, of course, multiple beasts as one. He started as a hybrid and is currently a tribrid.

His plan for the day was to combine both. The system was guiding him on a standard and disciplined path, but he was Bahamut. That name held a lot of meanings, and one of them was a ruler. A powerful ruler. A ruler didn’t always follow the norm. He created his own path.

He was still young and new to some things, but with these paths opened for him, he was going to make use of both. Most would choose to focus on one, perfect that, and move to the next. That was the normal and best way to do things. But he wasn’t normal. He wasn’t disciplined... his titles spoke of it.

And he was a chimera, cub or adult, he was still a chimera. He could adapt and evolve. One thing most people failed to notice about chimeras was the fact that they were multiple beasts as one, proving how powerful their adaptability was. If they could adapt to multiple beasts in them, then they could evolve to integrate the various aspects of the beasts they were.

That was a chimera. Bahamut didn’t know if he would be living his life with multiple beasts roaring and crying inside his soul and mind, but he’d discovered that those beasts didn’t need taming. They had to be conquered. And he was going to do that today.

...

Bahamut stood in the midst of the open field of Elder Silvia’s residence, which had become his training field. Despite all the destruction he’d caused there, the place still looked as new as it was; no crater, no cracks. He stood there, barefoot and shirtless, his grip tight around the hilt of Iron Fang planted beside him. The massive blade stood half-buried in the earth, its weight anchoring him to reality... grounding him before what he was about to attempt.

His blindfold hung loosely around his neck. His eyes were open, sharp, and focused.

"Let’s see what happens," he muttered.

[Warning: Unstable Integration Detected]

[Recommendation: Maintain Controlled Hybridization]

"Shut up."

He stepped forward in a slow and deliberate pace, exhaled, and let go...

BOOOOM!!!

His aura exploded outward. It was raw, wild, violent, malicious, and layered. Fur burst across his arms, crimson and gold clashing unnaturally. His spine arched as something beneath his skin moved, muscles reshaping, bones shifting. His tail lashed out... metallic, segmented, before splitting, reforming, trying to decide what it wanted to be.

Fox, lion, scorpion, wolf, eagle, bear, wyrm, everything... all at once.

His body trembled violently.

"GHH!"

Veins bulged across his neck as his teeth clenched, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth.

"More...!"

He forced it, forced all of them, every beast, every instinct, every trait.

"COME OUT!"

CRACK!

Something inside him snapped. It was neither bone nor muscle, but something deeper.

"!!"

His body froze, then...

PFFFT!

Blood sprayed from his mouth as he dropped to one knee, coughing violently. His vision blurred instantly, the world spinning as pain exploded through every fiber of his being.

Rejection.

"Ghk! Hah!"

His body convulsed, trying to tear itself apart from the inside. His skin flickered, fur appearing and disappearing, scales forming then breaking, feathers sprouting before dissolving.

Too much. Way too much.

His system screamed.

[Critical Failure Imminent]

[Forcefully Stabilizing Host]

"DON’T!"

Bahamut slammed his hand into the ground.

BOOM!

The earth cracked beneath him. His breathing was ragged now, uneven, his chest rising and falling as if he’d just run through hell itself.

"Not like that," he growled.

Blood dripped from his lips, hitting the ground in slow, heavy drops.

"Not all at once."

His eyes sharpened again, focused, and cold.

"Three."

His aura shifted and compressed.

Lion, fox, scorpion.

The change was immediate.

His right arm thickened, muscles swelling as golden fur spread across it, veins pulsing with raw strength. His left side became leaner, sleeker, crimson fur lining his limbs as his movements grew lighter, sharper.

Behind him, a tail formed, segmented, and dark, ending in a curved, glistening stinger that dripped faint venom.

His breathing steadied, the pain didn’t disappear, but it became... manageable.

"Hmm... another form?"

Inside him... it was chaos, a battlefield. Three beasts stood before him. They weren’t illusions, but actual presences.

The lion roared first, massive, white, its mane burning like a silent sun. Its eyes held dominance. Authority.

The fox circled him, low and calculating, its crimson eyes gleaming with cunning and mischief.

The scorpion didn’t move. It simply watched in silence, waiting. Bahamut stood in the middle of them, bleeding and smiling.

"You’re not me," he said, his voice echoing strangely in that space.

The lion growled, the fox tilted its head, and the scorpion’s tail twitched.

"They always talk about control..." Bahamut continued, wiping blood from his mouth. "About taming."

He took a step forward.

"About balance."

Another step.

His aura flared.

Violent and unyielding.

"But I’m not here to tame you."

BOOM!

He vanished. The lion lunged. Bahamut met it head-on.

CRASH!

Claw met fist, the impact shaking the entire space as he drove his fist into its jaw. The beast roared, but he didn’t stop. He pressed forward, relentlessly.

"You’re power!"

He grabbed its mane and slammed it down.

"YOU DON’T GET TO RULE ME!"

The fox darted in fast. Its claws raked across his side.

SHIK!

Blood spilled. Bahamut twisted, catching its tail mid-motion and yanking it back.

"AND YOU!" He slammed it into the ground. "YOU DON’T GET TO OUTSMART ME!"

The scorpion struck, silent. Its tail pierced through his shoulder.

THUNK!

Bahamut froze, then looked at it. He smiled darkly.

"Finally."

He grabbed the stinger, ignored the poison burning through his veins, and pulled hard.

"YOU DON’T GET TO WAIT FOR ME TO FALL!"

BOOOOOOM!

Outside, his body exploded with energy.

The ground around him shattered as his aura surged wildly, then collapsed inward.

His form stabilized, lion strength, fox agility, and scorpion lethality. All aligned.

"Hah... hah..."

He stood slowly, blood still dripping, his body still screaming, but his eyes... were clear.

"Again."

He grabbed Iron Fang and lifted it. This time, there was no hesitation.

"First Movement."

He stepped forward.

BOOM!

He swung. The blade howled through the air, heavier than before, but his body moved with it this time, not against it.

"Second Movement!"

He twisted. Momentum carried through his core, his fox instincts adjusting the angle mid-swing.

SHHHNK!

The blade carved through the air with precision.

"Third!"

He stopped mid-motion. His body trembled, not from weakness, but from pressure, from the need to go further, to break, to cross.

"DO IT!"

His aura flared again, but this time... it didn’t explode. It condensed. The ground beneath him cracked, and the air warped.

The blade in his hand felt heavier, sharper, and alive.

"THIRD MOVEMENT!"

BOOOOOOM!!!

The swing landed. The earth split.

A deep trench carved itself into the ground, stretching forward as dust and debris erupted into the air.

Bahamut stood there in silence, breathing hard, bloodied, and shaking.

Then... he laughed, low and rough.

"That’s it."

He lifted the blade slightly, resting it against his shoulder. His body still hurt, his soul still burned, but something had changed.

He hadn’t tamed the beasts, he hadn’t perfected the technique, but he had taken a step.

A real one.

"Tier 2," he muttered.

A grin spread across his face, sharp and hungry.

"I’m coming."