Lord Of Beasts

Seeing the enraged ant beasts lock onto him and the A Rank, Ethan’s grin widened.

"Perfect."

His forced companion turned to him with a puzzled look on her face, as he casually rolled his shoulders.

"Here goes nothing."

’Beast Assimilation: Talon.’

His body sharpened instantly, and it almost felt like gravity had lessened. As for his vision, it widened as his eyes shifted into those of a hawk.

The A Rank stared in amazement.

"Get ready to run," Ethan said calmly.

Then, he inhaled deeply and used his newly acquired skill naturally.

’Beast Call.’

He pushed mana into it intuitively, feeling like he could control how much, and estimated that he used around 10 MP.

’That should be enough.’

Ethan had no gauge of how great the skill’s effects were, and since it was his first time using it, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

But he liked the thrill of a gamble.

Instantly, there was a strange feeling as something formed deep within his stomach. It began to expand and rise up his body like a giant burp he couldn’t suppress.

His chest tightened, and his throat burned, then it erupted...

"ROOOOAAAAARRRR!"

The sound had no form, but it felt right for it to be a form, especially when he recalled his first attempt at using his Title’s abilities. It tore through his body like something alive and primal, the sound blasting through the cavern and shaking the very air.

Even Ethan himself flinched at how loud it was, as it endlessly echoed through the tunnels.

"Holy shit."

That was much louder than he had expected, and for a brief moment, everything stopped. The Ant Troops, the newborns, his summoned beasts, and even the A Rank, they all froze and turned to him.

Ethan laughed dryly.

Not only had it drawn the attention of all the ant beasts in the Breeding Ground, but also many other ants from every tunnel in every direction.

They all locked onto him and rushed after him.

"Run!" Ethan snapped.

He didn’t wait or hesitate; he turned and bolted in the direction that seemed to have the fewest beasts. The A Rank followed suit, managing to keep up with him as she had previously.

And behind them, a tidal wave of ant beasts surged forward.

They completely ignored Wolfy, Spark, and everything else, focusing entirely on Ethan.

"Okay, that worked a bit too well!" he shouted.

But even as he ran, those satisfying notifications kept flooding in.

{Beast Eliminated!}

{Beast Eliminated!}

{Beast Eliminated!}

Wolfy and Spark were still going, destroying everything without any interruptions, the ant beasts rushing straight past them. The Beast Call seemed to have lingering effects and literally made him a beast magnet.

’I would’ve rather been a pussy magnet, but this will have to do.’

Even while running for his life, Ethan couldn’t miss the opportunity to joke to himself. And despite having dozens of beasts on his tail, he was elated.

’This is insane even for me, but if it works...’

He smiled.

’I can push one of my beasts to C Rank so soon.’

And that would change everything for him, giving him a fairly powerful beast to command as he pleased.

The A Rank kept pace, following Ethan despite his reckless actions, since she didn’t have any other option.

*You’re seriously messed up,* she signed quickly while running.

He grinned.

"I know."

But as they ran and the deeper they headed down this tunnel, the more uneasy they felt. There was a pressure, one that was different and heavier, and it wasn’t from any beast around them.

Yet they couldn’t exactly turn around.

The cavern roared behind them, hundreds of legs scraping stone and mandibles clacking. There was a living torrent of ant beasts surging through the tunnel, all of them locked onto him.

And as if this entire situation wasn’t overstimulating enough, something he couldn’t have ever predicted occurred...

-

Ethan was worried about what was to come down this singular, long tunnel. He found it odd that there had been no ant beasts in it to begin with, and his instincts were urging him to be careful.

He also had an army of beasts chasing him and knew that it was only a matter of time before they caught up, and when they did, he was screwed.

But now there was another unexpected variable.

It seemed as though after witnessing his abilities, from Beast Summoning to Beast Assimilation, and even Beast Call, something inside the A Rank had stirred.

At first, it was subtle, a slight hitch in her breathing as she stared at him.

But this was entirely different.

Her body jerked unnaturally, like something inside her had pulled a string, and her movements suddenly became smoother. It was as if keeping up with him had suddenly become effortless, as she studied him closely.

Ethan didn’t notice immediately.

He was too focused on not dying, but she certainly did.

Because she wasn’t fully there anymore, almost like she had been pushed aside in her own body and something else had stepped forward to take control.

The whites of her eyes slowly bled as red spread from her irises like ink in water until there was nothing left. There was no white or pupil, just a deep, suffocating blood-red.

That was the only physical change.

But everything else was also completely different, her body flooding with immeasurable power.

Her head tilted slightly as she studied Ethan in an almost predatory manner, before whispering into his ear.

"A lord’s vessel in such a place, and so weak at that..."

Her voice was wrong.

It was deep and layered, like multiple voices were speaking at once.

"Just what are you, boy?"

Ethan felt it.

A chill ran straight down his spine.

The voice he heard when he received his Title, in the Tower, and now in this gate, was hoarse and powerful.

But this?

This was different; it felt malicious, darker, and... evil.

’What the fuck?"

Ethan moved as far from her as he could in the narrow tunnel, but carried on running, simply because he couldn’t stop.

The stampede behind them hadn’t let up and was only getting worse, more ants flooding in, some of which were larger and stronger.

Still, he was both unnerved and filled with curiosity.

’Is that why she doesn’t speak, because her voice is like that? And what the hell is she even talking about?!’

His first assumption was that maybe she was linked to Detective Holt, and that’s why she seemed to know his Title, but that didn’t make sense to him.

And what did she mean by a vessel?

"What are you-?"

He turned to face her and froze mid-sentence as he locked eyes with her blood-soaked crimson eyes. She had a twisted and ominous smile on her face, like something straight out of a horror movie.

It was nothing like the timid girl from before.

What hit him harder than anything, though, was her aura that spiked the moment their eyes met. It was heavy, oppressive, and made it clear that she was something far beyond him.

Ethan’s instincts screamed danger, and at that moment, he thought he was done for.

After everything he had experienced in his life, and especially in the Tower, this was the closest he had ever felt to truly dying. It was like he was staring the angel of death in the face.

But what she did left him more baffled than anything else...