The second-to-last floor feels like a descent into hell itself. The air is thick with heat, the walls glowing faintly from the molten veins of machinery that snake through them. Every step I take echoes in the vast chamber, the sound swallowed up by the oppressive silence that hangs in the air. I know I'm close now—*too close* to the end to turn back. But as I step forward, something stirs in the shadows ahead.
The creature reveals itself slowly, as if enjoying the suspense. My eyes widen as it lumbers into the light—a hulking, grotesque fusion of human, machine, and animal parts, twisted together into a nightmare of flesh and metal. It towers over me, easily three times my height, its body an unnatural mass of bulging muscles, twisted wires, and jagged metal plates. Its arms are the most horrifying—each one ending in a massive hammer, fused directly into the bone. Spikes jut out of its shoulders, its chest heaving with each breath like a grotesque parody of life.
The creature's eyes glow a sickly yellow, locking onto me with a gaze that promises nothing but death.
For the first time in a while, I feel a flicker of uncertainty. I've fought monsters before, creatures that tore at me with claws and teeth, but this… *this* is different. The sheer size and power of this thing—it's overwhelming.
But there's no turning back.
I flex my claws, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline flood my veins, and step forward to face the Demonic Monster.
The battle begins in an explosion of violence.
The creature charges at me with terrifying speed, its massive hammer-arms swinging down with a force that shakes the entire floor. I dodge to the side just in time, the impact sending a shockwave through the ground that nearly knocks me off balance. The floor cracks under the weight of the blow, splintering like glass beneath its crushing force.
I barely have time to recover before it swings again, the other hammer-arm slamming into the ground where I was standing a moment ago. I leap backward, my enhanced reflexes barely keeping me ahead of the deadly strikes. The sheer power of this thing is unlike anything I've faced before. Every movement it makes feels like the ground itself is being torn apart.
I try to counter, lunging forward with my claws extended, aiming for the exposed flesh between the metal plating on its chest. But the creature is faster than it looks. It swings one of its massive arms in a wide arc, catching me off guard and sending me flying across the room. I slam into the wall with a sickening *crunch*, the breath knocked from my lungs as pain explodes through my body.
I stagger to my feet, my vision swimming as I try to focus. The Demonic Monster lets out a low, guttural growl, its yellow eyes glowing brighter as it stalks toward me. I dodge another strike, barely avoiding the crushing weight of its hammer-arm as it pulverizes the floor. Debris flies everywhere, sharp shards of metal and stone cutting into my skin, but I push through the pain.
I'm faster. I have to be.
I dart around the creature, using my speed to stay ahead of its massive blows. My claws tear into the exposed flesh on its back, ripping chunks of muscle and metal free, but the creature barely seems to notice. It swings at me again, and this time, the impact catches me full force.
The hammer-arm slams into my chest with the force of a freight train, lifting me off the ground and hurling me across the chamber. I crash into the wall, my body crumpling like a rag doll as the breath is torn from my lungs. Pain surges through me, sharp and unrelenting, and for a moment, I can't move. The world tilts around me, the edges of my vision darkening as I struggle to catch my breath.
Before I can react, the creature is on me. It presses its massive body against mine, pinning me to the wall. I can feel my bones cracking under the pressure, my ribs groaning as they threaten to snap. My claws scrape uselessly against the metal plates of its chest, but I can't break free.
The weight of it is crushing, suffocating. My vision blurs, and for a brief, terrifying moment, I feel the icy grip of death closing in. I've faced death before, stared it in the eyes and laughed, but this… this is different. This time, I might not make it out.
But then something *snaps* inside me. A burst of fury, of primal survival instinct, surges through me like fire. I can't die here. Not now. Not when I'm this close.
With a final, desperate roar, I force every ounce of strength I have left into my limbs. My claws sink into the creature's chest, digging deeper, tearing through muscle and metal with a savage determination. The creature growls, but I don't stop. I won't stop.
I push harder, my claws tearing through layers of flesh and steel, until finally, I reach it—the creature's heart. A twisted, pulsating mass of muscle and metal, beating with a grotesque rhythm.
With a final burst of strength, I rip the heart free from its chest.
The creature lets out a deafening roar, its massive body convulsing as I tear its heart from its chest. Blood—thick and black—pours from the wound, coating my hands and arms as the creature stumbles backward. Its hammer-arms swing wildly, crashing into the walls and floor as it struggles to stay upright, but it's already over.
With a final, shuddering breath, the Demonic Monster collapses to the ground, its massive form crashing down in a heap of metal and flesh. The sound echoes through the chamber, the ground trembling beneath the weight of its fall.
I stand over its lifeless body, my chest heaving, my entire body screaming in pain. Blood drips from my wounds, pooling on the floor beneath me, but I don't care. I've won.
The heart—still warm in my hands—pulses weakly for a moment before going still. I drop it to the ground, watching as the black blood seeps into the cracks in the floor. The battle is over. The monster is dead.
But as I stand there, covered in blood and gore, something stirs inside me. It's not relief. It's not satisfaction. It's… hunger. That same, insatiable hunger that has been gnawing at me since the beginning.
I glance down at the creature's body, my hands trembling. The hunger demands more. It always demands more.
Without hesitation, I kneel down beside the monster's corpse, my claws digging into its flesh. The taste of its blood fills my mouth, the power surging through my veins as I devour the twisted remains of the Demonic Monster. My wounds begin to heal, my strength returning with each bite, but the hunger—it never truly fades.
It never will.