Chapter 125: Pride of the Beast
Arriving just as the last traces of Haku's terrified face disappeared into the writhing black mass, Siaer's voice shattered the eerie silence. "Release him now!" Her hooves struck the ground with such force that the earth cracked beneath her.
"In a moment." Labrys turned his grotesque skull toward her, his molten eyes flaring briefly. "The brat needs to learn his place."
"I said release him!" Her antlers glowed intensely, spores drifting into the air.
"Look at me!" His booming voice sent vibrations through the ground. "I will deal with this as I see fit!"
Siaer's eyes darted over his body, finally catching sight of the wounds marring his chest and stomach. Large patches of charred flesh revealed glimpses of his bone beneath. Her eyes shifted lower, narrowing as she leaned closer.
Labrys quickly shifted, hiding his injury. "Enough of that!"
Siaer sighed, straightening. "Fine. Just make sure this doesn't go too far. If it does, it's on you."
Turning back to the oozing substance now retreating into his warped hoof, Labrys growled, "I know what I'm doing. Give me a few minutes, and he'll be crying for mercy, begging to be let out."
Her antlers swayed as she tilted her head, studying him with thinly veiled doubt. "To force you into such a state…"
"He didn't force me! I just couldn't see it coming."
Siaer rolled her eyes, her lips twitching into a faint, hidden smile as the image of Labrys's charred crotch flashed in her mind. Clearing her throat, she said, "Well, let's call this a teaching moment. Consider it training. Let's see how the companion of that monster handles the dark side of the elements."
Labrys's voice dropped, dark and foreboding, heavy with malice. "Such a lucky brat, to be taught by me." His skeletal jaw clicked as it stretched into something resembling a grimace. The spores from Siaer's antlers began crawling across his wounds, their healing properties fighting against his aura to repair the damage.
----
The first thing Haku noticed when he awoke was the unsettling absence of scent. For someone like him, that detail alone was enough to send him into a panic. His eyes snapped open, and his breath quickened as his claws dug into empty air.
"I can breathe?" he muttered, his voice oddly clear, ringing out in the strange stillness. His chest rose and fell freely, yet his body felt submerged, as though suspended in a thick, invisible ocean. The world around him blurred and shifted, making it impossible to focus.
"Where am I?!" Panic gave way to confusion as he frantically twisted to look around. His claws scraped against nothing, finding no purchase. "Am I Dead?!"
Scanning his body for injuries or damage, he suddenly paused in shock. His flames had turned an eerie mix of black and grey. His coat looked sickly, dull and muted like the rest of his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, there was only void: black, white, and shades of grey stretched endlessly in every direction.
"This has to be that old bull's attack… that black gooey stuff," he grumbled, his voice thick with frustration. He tried to move, instinctively stepping forward, but his limbs only flailed uselessly, sending him nowhere. He growled, the sensation of floating without progress grating against him. "So I'm stuck. Perfect."
His blue eyes darted around, scanning for anything—a landmark, a clue, anything to ground him in this alien space. But there was nothing. No walls, no ceiling, no floor. He was utterly alone, adrift in a monochrome wasteland.
"Great!" His roar echoed, shattering the oppressive silence. "This is just the best!" His sarcasm was as sharp as his teeth, but even he couldn't mask the underlying anger. "First time I do something on my own, and I end up like this. Way to go, Haku! Embarrassing. Absolutely pathetic!"
Shaking his head furiously, he clenched his teeth, his chest tightening. The shame burned worse than any wound. His voice cracked as he snarled, "This isn't fair! They were supposed to train me, not kill me! When Darius finds out about—what was that?!" His ears perked as something flickered at the edge of his vision.
Whipping his head around, his eyes narrowed, trying to focus on the faint movement in the distance. The void shifted ever so slightly, as though something had stirred.
Squinting, he finally locked onto something. "A cloud?"
At first, the movement was hard to notice—an unnatural twisting of black and grey in an otherwise still space. The motions were small, but they gradually intensified.
"It's growing," leaning closer, his sharp instincts bristled. Forcing a bit of mana into his eyes to sharpen his vision, he suddenly flinched back, panic flooding him. "It's not getting bigger, It's getting closer!"
Frantic, Haku thrashed his limbs in a desperate attempt to flee. His paws swiped uselessly, making him look like a floundering fish. "Darius, you better avenge me! This is all your fault!"
Resigned to his fate, he gave up struggling and turned his head to face the oncoming mass. The dark cloud now obvious, twisting and writhing as it surged closer. Its size was massive, filling more and more of his vision. The oppressive, twisted feeling that had consumed him earlier with Labrys's attack returned, amplified a hundredfold.
"I shouldn't have had the phantom bite his dick before it exploded," he muttered, his voice eerily calm in the face of his doom. "Yeah... that was probably too far." His tone softened, strangely reflective, as he transformed back into his animal form, ready to face his death.
The cloud was nearly upon him now, its surface a chaotic swirl of shadow and despair. It was alive with wails and cries that sent chills through him. He could feel its pull—an overwhelming force intent on consuming him entirely, body and soul.
Closing his eyes, Haku took a deep breath, steadying his pulse even as his fur bristled. 'This sucks.'
The moment of calm shattered as the cloud hit him. Sensation disappeared, swallowed whole by the suffocating mass. For an instant, there was silence—then, pain slowly erupted across every fiber of his being, searing and unrelenting, as though his very existence was being unraveled.
The first sensations were small, like the bites of countless fleas gnawing at his skin. But it didn't take long for the sensation to escalate. The tiny bites became jagged claws, ripping and tearing at his flesh.
From the outside, the cloud appeared still, its edges shifting in muted grey while its center pulsed black, beating like a twisted heart. Around it, arcs of black flame erupted sporadically, flaring in rhythm with its steady growth.
'It's gonna eat me alive!' His mind screamed as his imagination ran wild, conjuring images of his skin peeling away, his muscles dissolving into nothingness. He could feel his body unraveling, the sensation of his mana draining and his life force slipped further into the abyss.
And yet, amidst the horror, a warped sense of humor broke through the torment. A twisted grin formed on his face, despite the agony. 'If Darius were here, he'd probably forget I needed help the second he saw this crap.'
Whatever Labrys had unleashed, it wasn't just an attack—it was something otherworldly, something entirely alien to Haku. And that knowledge, ironically, felt almost amusing. He could practically see Darius's eyes lighting up in fascination at the sheer strangeness of it, likely oblivious to Haku's suffering.
Relief began to creep through his shredded body, but it was the kind of relief he dreaded. His nerves had finally given out, leaving him numb. The pain faded, replaced by a deep, hollow stillness. 'This is it,' he thought as his vision began to dim, his mind fogging with resignation.
Just as the fog began to claim him, a violent jolt erupted within his core, like lightning striking through the void.
'What was that?'
His instincts flared to life as he tried to spread his senses, desperate for answers. But before he could fully process the shock, something familiar surged through him—an all-too-recognizable force igniting within his depths.
Haku's thoughts raced as the realization hit him. 'The Celestial Beast Soul Mantra is responding on its own?' His meridians pulsed, the mana within them gaining speed as the mantra began to cycle without his input.
Outside his body, the blackened cloud responded violently. Its Devouring force grew stronger, as if enraged by the sudden intruder. The once erratic wails and swirling chaos now seemed deliberate, like a beast narrowing its focus on it's opponent.
'The mantra is reacting to this foreign element... Darius told me when I first broke through, an intense Devouring force came from my body, so strong it nearly killed me.' A flicker of hope ignited in Haku's chest, cutting through the overwhelming dread. Gritting his teeth, he began to manually guide and aid the technique, his focus sharpening. "Brother said the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra was an ancient cultivation technique, even Wu Chen couldn't claim to know all its secrets. And right now, I can feel it... it's offended."
The sight was grotesque yet surreal. Haku's mangled, skinless body sat eerily still within the void, the violent deterioration of his muscles and organs halting abruptly. Despite the state of his decay, there was an undeniable calm to him now.
'Let's see who's stronger—my cultivation technique or Labrys's attack.' He could feel the battle raging at the edges of his being, the two devouring forces clashing. Though his mantra held the attack at bay, it was tenuous at best. His wounds remained grievous, and the foreign force was relentless.
With every moment, the mantra's power grew steadier, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment. For the first time since the ordeal began, Haku found his resolve. This wasn't just survival—it was a test of dominance.
Gathering all of his concentration, he began to wholeheartedly chant, his techniques Mantra echoing through his mind. 'Sacca-viriya parivitakka, samadhi-kaya anupubbikatha. Dhāraṇī agni-manasikara, saṃsāra-vajra vidyā mokkha. Paragate dhutaṅga kammaṭṭhāna, samvattanika bhavaṅka vipula.'
'Siddhi-kiriyā padhana pāramitā, upadhika samyojana shanti. Karuṇā-maya vimokkha, abhinya dāna anatta sāra. Bodhi-sankhāra vipassanā, anicca dukkha anatta śūnyatā.'
As he chanted, the second verse—the reward for reaching the second layer of the technique—it brought an unexpected surge of power. His core trembled, a flicker of blue igniting at its center, faint but unyielding.
Haku repeated the Mantra without pause, ignoring the pain coursing through his body and the oppressive force of Labrys's attack. He looked like a gaunt specter, his skinless body surrounded by faint blue light, his bone tail twitching with sharp, hollow clicks.
Lost in the rhythm of the Mantra, he failed to notice the subtle shift in his core. The once lifeless, ashen sphere now flickered with dark blue fire, its growing light driving back the grey miasma from his dantian.
Even more surprising, his technique began to gain ground. The relentless battle at the edges of his being tipped in his favor. His mantra's power was no longer simply holding back Labrys's Devouring force—it was fighting it off.
His wounds, once tearing apart at an agonizing pace, had halted their pace. Slowly, they began to reverse. Muscle and sinew reformed, knitting together steadily.
----
Outside the void, Labrys tilted his monstrous head, his molten eyes narrowing. "He's doing something…"
"What do you mean, doing something?" Siaer scraped the ground with her hoof, the grating sound calming her rising impatience.
"I don't know how, but one second, he was on the brink of death—"
"You said you wouldn't—!"
"I meant brink of pull him out." Labrys snapped, his gaunt muscles tensing. "But then he did something, and now… not only has he stopped my shade, but he's pushing it back."
Siaer's ears twitched, her annoyance giving way to alarm. She stepped forward, her antlers lowering. "Let me see." Without waiting for consent, her glowing antler brushed against one of Labrys's horns.
The moment her mind linked with his domain, her turquoise eyes widened as she took a sharp breath. "How is he doing that? Hold on…" she blinked as she focused deeper. "Labrys, I don't think he's just pushing it back."
His skeletal sockets flared, "what are you seeing?"
Instead of answering immediately, Siaer's form stiffened. Her connection to Labrys's domain deepened, and she whispered, almost in disbelief, "He's… consuming it."
The bull's molten eyes burned brighter for a brief moment before his consciousness plunged into his domain.
----
Seated in the lotus position, Haku's paws rested calmly in his lap as dark blue flames rippled around him, casting faint shadows that danced across the void. His breaths, deep and steady, exhaled tendrils of fire, his entire form now a radiant beacon of burning mana.
'I'm getting stronger!' His thoughts roared with triumph as his core pulsed with renewed energy. The Celestial Beast Soul Mantra no longer required his full focus, allowing him to examine the steady growth within his dantian. 'If this keeps up, I should break through a minor layer in no time! This place is amazing.'
His faint laughter rippled through the void like a distant echo, but it struck a sour chord with Siaer and Labrys. Both observed him, their thoughts in sync as Labrys fumed. 'He's using me as a stepping stone! Does he think I'm food?!'
Suddenly, Haku felt a tremor in the cloud surrounding him. Its movements shifted aggressively, a surge of hostile energy breaking the rhythm. His grin widened. "Still haven't given up? Fine! Show me what you got!"
Diving back into the mantra, Haku's flames surged, their dark blue light pushing back against the oppressive grey void. Like a blazing sun defying the encroaching night, his cultivation roared with defiance, consuming the energy assaulting him piece by piece.
But something shifted. 'Why's it still getting stronger?' His brow furrowed as he felt the cloud's energy swell, pressing against him with a new, overwhelming force. Bit by bit, it pushed back, no longer a simple battle of will but a crushing wave of sheer quantity.
Undeterred, his focus sharpened. As the pressure continued to grow, repeating the Mantra kept his will unbroken. Even as the struggle increased, he continued to chant, his words keeping him calm as he slowly began to feel his strength wane, the onslaught from the cloud proving that his quality couldn't overcome the mass.
Just as the scales began to tip, his core began to spin violently, syncing perfectly with the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra. Then, without warning, a deafening cry erupted from within his dantian. It wasn't just a sound—it was a presence. Though Haku had never heard it before, he instinctively knew it for what it was: the roar of a true dragon.
---
The roar thundered across the domain, reaching Siaer and Labrys. Both guardians flinched, their minds wrestling against the primal instincts of their origins. Their very souls quivered under the weight of the sound, an ancient authority pressing down on them.
Labrys's bones trembled with fury and awe as he roared into the air, "The pride of a king?! How?! Siaer! Do you feel that?!"
Siaer remained still for a moment, her words unnervingly calm when she finally responded. 'Do you remember when you stepped on the flower Eldrina gave our lord, and I helped you cover it up?'
Labrys's gaunt frame shuddered. 'What of it?'
'I'm calling in that debt,' Siaer's words echoed in Labrys's mind, calm but firm. 'You are not to tell anyone about what you just witnessed.'
Labrys hesitated, the faint glow in his sockets dimming for a moment. 'You know Barrond can see everything—'
'Not in here.' Her voice sharpened like the edge of her antlers. 'Now swear to me. Or I will tell Barrond about the flower... and how you ate it in a panic.'
Labrys's hoof scraped the ground, cracks spreading beneath him as he agreed, '…Fine. I swear. But what's got you like this? It's been over six centuries, and you've never used that against me.'
Siaer's antlers swayed, faint spores drifting from them like dying embers. 'That wasn't the pride of the king of beasts." Her tone carried a weight Labrys wasn't used to hearing. 'That was the pride of a god.'
She pulled her antlers back, breaking her view of Haku's struggle. Her expression unreadable, she turned away, her senses spreading throughout the area.
Labrys took a step closer as his sockets burned brighter. "What should I do?"
Her senses stretched out like roots seeking the faintest disturbance. "Keep him in there as long as you can. And make it hard for him." She paused, her tone softening but carrying an edge of conviction. "If he intends to inherit that pride, he's going to have to suffer for it."
"And you? Where are you going?"
"We have more guests. These humans just keep coming the more you kill them. I'll never understand their species."
Without waiting for a response, she bounded away, her massive antlers blending into the surroundings, leaving Labrys standing amidst the exploded ruin. He snorted, his focus drifting back toward his domain. 'Inherit a god's pride, huh? Don't die too quickly, kit.'
---
Within Labrys's domain, Haku had been reveling in the lightened pressure, assuming the opposing force had weakened. Taking advantage, he focused entirely on devouring the foreign energy. Yet just as he was gaining confidence, the pressure surged back with renewed intensity, crushing his temporary relief.
"This cloud messing with me?" Haku growled, flames licking at the edges of his jaws. "Fine, I won't stop until I've devoured every last bite of you."
Determined, he began chanting the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra aloud, his voice steady and unwavering. As his technique cycled, a transformation began. His body became a blazing figure of dark blue fire, like a fox-shaped Buddha. Around him, lines of ancient script appeared, glowing faintly within his flames, shifting and moving in sync with his mantra.
His voice vibrated through the void, its words carrying an undeniable weight. The space around him seemed to ripple as the lines of script expanded, flowing like rain, intertwining with the raging flames.
The battle between the two forces was mesmerizing. One filled with vibrant, raw energy, radiating life, and the other a void without color, oppressive and consuming. They clashed fiercely, each side gaining ground only to lose it in the next moment, a never-ending struggle for dominance.
In the vast silence of the domain, Labrys watched from a distance. Despite his disdain, he couldn't deny the spectacle before him. 'Using my attack as a meal…'