The last thought before pure, unadulterated pain consumed me was Rael, what have you done?
The pain hammered at my spine, tearing through muscle and bone. It wasn't just *on* my back; it was *from* my back, erupting outwards. I screamed, a raw, animalistic sound that tore at my throat, but it was lost to the violent tremor that seized my body. My knees buckled, sending me crashing to the damp earth next to the fallen wolf. The metallic tang of its blood, mixed with my own burgeoning terror, filled my nostrils.
I couldn't answer. My lungs burned, my vision swam with bursts of agony, and all I could see was red. It felt like my very essence was being ripped apart and rewoven, stitched with strands of pure fire. I clawed at the ground, my fingers digging furrows in the soft dirt, desperately trying to anchor myself against the overwhelming surge of transformation.
*Snap! Crackle! Pop!*
Every single vertebra felt like it was fracturing, then re-knitting itself with agonizing slowness. A tearing sound echoed in the otherwise silent forest, emanating from *me*. Something enormous, something *alien*, was pushing its way through my skin, forcing its way out.
Then, with a final, excruciating tearing sensation, two massive, leathery appendages unfurled from my shoulder blades. The pain, though still a roaring inferno, began to recede, leaving behind a profound sense of exhaustion and a strange, exhilarating lightness.
I gasped, sucking in ragged breaths, my body shaking uncontrollably. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, my muscles screaming in protest, and turned my head, trying to see the monstrosities now attached to my back.
They were colossal, easily spanning twice my height, their membranes taut and surprisingly iridescent in the dim moonlight. Even without seeing them clearly, I could *feel* them, an extension of my own body, throbbing with a dark, unfamiliar power.
Of course… Swit demons. I had created the Swit demons. A rare, almost mythical race, originally appearing like normal demons, but in reality were a mix of dragon and demon blood, capable of manifesting formidable abilities and physical traits based on emotional triggers and mana exposure.
Of all times… Why did the bloodline have to awaken in Akai, and not even in the first generation… FUCK
"It doesn't always happen on the first iteration… Dumbass!"
My mind raced, even as my body trembled from the aftershocks of the transformation. *Emotionally unstable?* Well, I had just murdered a sentient creature, witnessed my family's slaughter, and been slapped around by an entity of chaos. "Emotionally unstable" felt like an understatement. And the wolf's blood…
"Shut up, Akai! Do you want to attract more attention?!" I snapped, my voice rough, my body still quivering. The sudden onset of this transformation, the primal agony, had definitely kicked me out of my usual detached analytical state.
The system, the ever impartial observer, decided this was the perfect moment to chime in.
«---NOTIFICATION---»
[---Race: Swit Demon has evolved.---]
[---Current Evolution Stage: Stage 1 (Wings of Wrath)---]
[---New Passive Skill: {Demonic Resilience} has been obtained---]
[---Demonic Resilience: Grants increased physical defense and faster regeneration after exposure to bloodshed and high-stress combat.---]
[---New Trait: {Enhanced Bloodlust} has been obtained---]
[---Enhanced Bloodlust: Increases combat effectiveness and mana regeneration during prolonged combat. WARNING: May lead to uncontrolled aggression.---]
[---Current Bloodlust level: MAX---]
Suddenly, a low growl rumbled through the forest, deeper, more primal than anything I had heard from the first wolf. Then another, and another. The air thickened with the scent of predatory hunger.
He was right. The fresh scent of blood, particularly monster blood mingled with human blood was something that the strong noses of the monsters couldn't resist. My newly enhanced senses confirmed it: the thud of heavy paws on damp earth, the rustle of leaves, the glint of multiple eyes in the encroaching darkness. A lot of eyes.
"Shit," I breathed, pulling {Two Of A Kind} back from their tile forms, the sword's blade shimmering, the gun's core pulsing a faint blue. My new wings, still feeling alien and cumbersome, flexed instinctively, a strange, thrilling sensation.
Rael's voice echoed in my mind, a chilling whisper. *"Find the wolf den northwest of here. Take care of them."*
*Wolf den.* Not just a wolf. A *den*. This was more than one… Hell, most of these things weren't even wolves.
This was it. No more philosophical debates. No more internal monologues. Just pure, unadulterated survival.
Suddenly, a wolf ran out of the depths of the forest, a blur of silver and muscle. Its jaws, wide enough to swallow my head whole, snapped at my throat. I reacted purely on instinct, my new senses screaming at me. The sword became an extension of my will, a silver blur meeting the alpha's charge.
*SCHLICK!*
The blade bit deep into its shoulder, a precise cut aimed at the joint, just as I had learned from the first kill. The alpha shrieked, its momentum disrupted, throwing it off balance. But it was far more resilient than its lesser pack-mate. It snarled, and spitting black blood, it swung its massive head, its teeth tearing a ragged strip from my {Hooded Armor}'s sleeve… Well, at least it tried to, as immediately it bit at my armor, its teeth snapped.
Pain, sharp and immediate, flared across my arm, but at least I was happy enough that the damned wolf received some damage in return. I barely registered it. I didn't hesitate.
As the wolf staggered, I spun, bringing the gun up, its barrel spitting a kinetic blast that slammed into the beast's jaw. The sound of cracking bone was sickeningly satisfying. The alpha howled, a guttural shriek of agony, but it still didn't fall. Its eyes, now burning with insane rage, fixed on me.
More beasts started coming. A snail that was 3 meters long, a bear that had six feet, a monkey that could go invisible, I was seeing all types of things. My new wings twitched, an unfamiliar urge to unfurl and create distance, but there was no space to fly.
"System! Activate {Mirrored Rhythm}!"
[---Skill: {Mirrored Rhythm} Activated. Duration: 10 seconds. +50% reaction speed, increased motion sync.---]
The world snapped into hyper-focus. Everything slowed down, yet I moved with impossible speed. The bear lunged from my left, its claws aimed at my stomach. I twisted, flowing like water, and my sword quickly cleaved its leg clean off. Before its cry even registered, I spun, the gun spitting a rapid-fire sequence of kinetic blasts that tore through the chest of another charging beast.
The air filled with screeches of pain, wet thuds, and the sickening scent of fresh black blood. The {Enhanced Bloodlust} wasn't just a mental state; it was a physical augmentation. My heart pounded, my veins throbbed, and a savage grin stretched my lips. This wasn't Daniel the writer. This was Daniel, the killer.
*7 seconds remaining.*
I didn't just dodge; I weaved. I danced. My sword became a living extension of myself, deflecting, parrying, and carving through flesh and bone. The gun barked, each shot a precise strike, targeting joints, eyes, and the softer undersides of their bodies. My wings, though not used for flight, became a part of my fighting stance, providing stability, allowing me to pivot with impossible agility.
"Activate skill {Castle of Bondage}"
Still fighting, I didn't even have a chance to look at the still-manifesting castle, but once I did, I almost lost all hope, because it was the size of a sand-castle.