Chapter 79 - 74 – Dog Arc (12)
The gym reeked of blood, shattered Shinrei, and madness.
Khael's vision flickered with red warnings from his Dragon Knight system, the glowing sigil only he could see.
Warning, host… Void synchronization 80%. Transformation into Voidborn imminent.
"(…Fuck…)," Khael thought, fists trembling as he looked at Matthew convulsing under the spreading black veins.
Kaen's voice broke the silence, filled with fury.
"Bastard!!! Who are you really!?"
The "professor" laughed, head twitching unnaturally as he stepped into the light. His flesh seemed to peel away like paper, revealing a twitchy figure underneath. His face was smeared in grotesque clown paint, a manic grin stretching ear to ear.
The figure spun on his heel and threw up a mocking pose.
"Clown Guy! Teehee~!"
Everyone froze in shock.
Andromeda's jaw clenched.
"…Fuck."
Beside him, Junjun bristled, barking with rage.
"Arf! Arf!!"
The clown-man's painted eyes rolled wildly, his voice shifting tones mid-sentence as he mocked the memory of the professor.
"Haha… that old fool? Already dead. I gutted him while he screamed, 'You can't defeat the Veinwalkers, they're the hope… blah blah blah…'"
His imitation of Lok's dying cry sent bile through Kaen's throat.
"You bastard…"
Ceyla's storm affinity flared faintly, her teeth gritted, eyes burning holes into him.
The clown spread his arms wide.
"You're all gonna die here today."
With a snap of his fingers, Shinrei pressure slammed into the gym like a falling mountain. The air itself screamed under the weight.
"Ugh…!" Kaen staggered but planted his feet, refusing to kneel.
Khael's dragon veins lit faintly, keeping him upright despite the crushing aura.
Ceyla collapsed to one knee, clutching her chest.
"…damn it…"
Andromeda, bloodied, slammed his fist into the floor just to keep himself upright.
"Urgh… bastard…"
Junjun whimpered, fur standing on end.
The clown tilted his head lazily.
"…But I'm not the one who'll kill you."
He pointed his jagged fingernail toward the writhing Matthew.
"This guy… your 'friend'... will be the one to end you all."
Matthew's screams echoed like a broken instrument, his veins pumping black Shinrei as the Void consumed him inch by inch.
The little dog barked and lunged at the clown, biting his sleeve with desperate teeth.
Clown Guy looked down at it with sheer annoyance.
"…What a bad dog."
Ceyla cried out, panic in her voice.
"No! Don't hurt her!!"
The clown raised his arm, Shinrei crackling.
Andromeda forced himself forward, veins popping in his temples.
"Urgh… leave the damn dog alone… you freak…"
Matthew roared, the Void pulling him into a monstrous silhouette.
Kaen stood tall despite his body screaming against the pressure. His fists glowed with burning Shinrei.
"I don't care who you are… clown, monster, whatever…"
His voice thundered with conviction.
"I will beat you!!"
The black void lashed out like a whip.
CRACK!
The little dog yelped, body thrown against the broken gym wall. It slumped, whimpering weakly before falling still.
"NO!!" Ceyla's scream tore through the room.
Kaen's eyes went bloodshot. His veins bulged as his fists glowed with searing Shinrei.
"You bastard!!!!!"
He lunged, fury consuming his step—
"KaeN!!" Khael's voice roared through the storm, sharp and urgent.
"Don't be baited! That bastard wants you riled up! Keep your head—!"
But Kaen's teeth clenched, his fury uncontainable. His body trembled with restrained violence.
The clown twirled on his heel, arms stretched wide, mocking applause filling the air.
"Hahaha~! That's it! Yes! More hate! More fire! That's what I want!"
Then—
BOOOOOM.
A wave of Shinrei and Void energy collided at the gym's center, blowing dust and debris into a swirling storm.
Everyone froze.
Matthew stood.
But this wasn't the same Matthew. His body was shrouded in shifting black veins, one eye glowing with Shinrei, the other swallowed in the Void. His breath came out ragged, inhuman, steam rising from his form. The floor beneath his bare feet cracked just from his weight.
The clown tilted his head back and laughed, voice warbling into static.
"Hooh? At last… seems like our main actor is finally set up on the stage."
Matthew's voice followed, broken and guttural, echoing in two tones.
"Urrrhh… Run… all of you… before… I—"
The Void surged, cutting off his words as claws formed where his hands once were.
Andromeda, still kneeling, spat blood.
"…Shit… he's synchronized fully…"
Ceyla pressed her hand to her mouth, staring at the unconscious dog, tears burning her eyes.
Khael's system flashed warnings only he could see:
Void Synchronization: 100%. Host is now Voidborn. Elimination probability: 89%.
Khael's fists tightened.
"(Damn it… if I don't do something… Matthew's gone.)"
The clown's painted grin stretched wider, his tone dripping with glee.
"Now… show them, Matthew. Show them how the Void devours everything you once loved."
The corrupted air pressed down like an ocean of chains. Ceyla could barely breathe, Andromeda's knuckles dug into the cracked tiles just to stay upright. The dog whimpered faintly, chest rising and falling, barely conscious.
But through that suffocating weight, two figures stood tall.
Khael.
Kaen.
Their backs straightened, their feet planted shoulder to shoulder.
Khael's eyes narrowed, golden slits shimmering faintly—his hidden dragon heritage stirring against the pressure.
"Kaen… since we're the only ones who can move in this storm… it's up to us. We need to defeat Matthew before the Void takes him fully."
Kaen rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck with a grin despite the veins bulging against his skin.
"Heh. Took you long enough to say it. Just tell me the plan—I'll smash him as hard as I need to."
Khael's jaw clenched. His system's warnings flickered in the corner of his vision:
Void Synchronization at 100%.
Target's recovery threshold: beyond human level.
Khael whispered low, only Kaen hearing.
"We split his focus. You hammer him head-on, force him to release power. I'll use… my other strength to bind his core."
Kaen's sharp eyes darted sideways. "Other strength? … Tch. You're hiding something from me, huh?"
"Doesn't matter," Khael muttered. "Just trust me."
Kaen smirked, lifting his fists, his aura flaring like wildfire.
"Fine. But if your 'plan' fails, I'll just punch until something works."
The clown man's laughter broke the tension.
"KUHUHUHU! Delicious! Two little fledglings standing in the storm of gods. How can you still move? Hoh… perhaps you're not as ordinary as you look."
His painted face tilted, one eye twitching in delight.
"Only those destined for blood and ruin can move through my pressure… That means—"
He licked his lips.
"You two will be fun to break in the future."
Matthew roared suddenly, his voice a monstrous symphony of Void and human agony. Black veins surged, his claws scraping against the ground as if preparing to leap.
Khael exhaled, low and calm.
"Kaen… get ready."
Kaen grinned savagely, fists lighting up with blazing Shinrei.
"Already am."
To be continue