“Say, Kaela.”

  ”Yes?”

  ”We’re not in Nether’s capital, are we? I thought this was supposed to be a smaller, neighboring town.”

  ”That’s right.”

  She nodded, confirming my thoughts.

  “…Then why, pray tell, is 'the' king here?”

  ”Hah, I’d love to know the answer to that, too.”

  The identity of the one emitting the crushing torrent of essence was undoubtedly him.

  Uneducated as I may be - this much I know.

  I scanned the battlefield.

  Things were in control. Until now, at least.

  After we escaped the jail, we were swarmed by troops. Kaela engaged in fistfights, while I cut and chewed on my opponents.

  It was fortunate that all of Nether’s forces have been immobilized by the pressure, but they were bound to come to it in due time.

  I walked over to Kaela with an inquisitive gaze.

  ”Ya think we can run?”

  ”No chance. He’ll be a dozen times faster than us.”

  As I thought, escape won’t work. What options are even left?

  I tugged on the collar of my black cloak which I scavenged from one of the men I killed, feeling as if a suffocating knot were tied around my neck.

  My thoughts raced. My heart raced, too.

  Well, anything’s better than waiting for impending doom.

  And so, I’d decided to act. Futile or not; I at least wanted to go out knowing I’ve done everything in my power.

  ”I know it’s rude and whatnot, but since we may very well die here, I’ll be straightforward: what’s your cultivation level, Kaela?”

  “Apex, just about. Only broke through recently.”

  Her response came without hesitation. It was to the point that I had to question whether she even cared about revealing her cards in the first place.

  Apex, huh? Far from weak, though I surmised as much already. Still, it’s not enough to put up even a semblance of a fight against this powerhouse of a king.

  As for me… It’s complicated.

  Humans followed a straightforward path of ascension, and while I technically also fell somewhere on that scale, my cultivation level didn’t reflect my true strength.

  Being a Threadripper, there were a lot of things I could do to empower myself beyond the set limits.

  But, if I had to guesstimate, my innate essence placed me roughly between Second and First Tier.

  In other words, I’m just above average.

  People started out as mundane, and after first awakening their essence, they would be classified as Third Tier.

  Next came the Second and First Tiers - a level where people of mediocre talent tended to plateau, unable to break through to the Apex.

  Apex, then, was reserved for the exceptionally talented individuals, like Kaela.

  As for our current opponent - he was a level beyond even that.

  Exalted. The realm of true masters. I’ve heard that some humans succeeded in climbing even higher, but those monsters aren’t even worth worrying about, cause if one were to show up… WelI, I may as well kill myself to spare them the effort.

  The gap was just that insurmountable.

  “To summarize, we have an Apex and a Second Tier… And we’re up against an Exalted. Hah, ain’t that just wonderful?”

  I could only let out a salty laugh at the absurdity; Kaela’s reaction differed.

  ”Wait, hold up. Are you telling me you’re, like, super weak? But that can’t be right - I’ve seen you fight.”

  Ouch.

  Though my self esteem was mortally wounded by the cold hard facts, I mockingly wiggled a finger in the air, accompanied by a few clicks of the tongue.

  ”Tsk, tsk. Think harder, my dearest of friends. Why would the human standards apply to me in the first place?”

  She responded with a tilt of her head.

  ”That makes sense, I guess. But, Ori…”

  “Yeah?”

  ”Why the hell are you so laid back at a time like this? Shit’s serious!”

  “You’re one to talk - have some shame, will you? I can feel your excitement oozing out.”

  My retort gave her pause, after which she mumbled out some words, laced with embarrassment.

  ”O-oh… I-I didn’t, uhh… Didn’t know you could sense that.”

  I smiled mischievously, happy to see Kaela flustered for once, before continuing with a shrug.

  ”Well, now you know. But, that aside - I think I’ve cooked up a plan. Ah, but don’t expect anything grand… It’s more of a last ditch effort.”

  “...You aren't just joking, right? Really mean it?”

  Kaela’s eyes lit up with hope.

  Sadly, I’ll have to cut her excitement short.

  “Yes, really. So listen up: Imma need you to run away, as far as possible at that. I’ll fight the scary guy on my own.”

  Though I spoke with confidence, I truly doubted if it could be done.

  But mama didn’t raise no bitch. I’ll make it work... Or die trying. Either way, it’s better than the alternative.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  It seemed, however, that Kaela wouldn’t allow me to do as I pleased.

  Why’s she look so pissed? I’m giving you an easy out, my friend - what more could you want?

  ”No way I’m letting you do that! You might think you look all badass, sacrificing your life to save mine, but I’m not some damsel in distress who needs to be saved… Haah, and plus - the king will catch up to me, regardless of how long you hold out.“

  What? Why on earth would I sacrifice myself? Hate to break it to ya, but I’m a massive piece of shit.

  Before she could spiral any further down the path of ridiculous accusations, I stopped her in her tracks:

  ”Who said anything about sacrifice? What, you think I suffered through Mal’s mind numbing torture just to go and get myself killed right afterwards? Fuck no! Uhh, well, I still might not succeed… But you can bet your ass that I’ll be clinging on for dear life.”

  “Huh? Then why would I run away..?”

  She let out a dumb sound, utterly lost.

  ”I need you to understand, Kaela; I’d rather pull you down into hell with me than go out alone - and I mean that wholeheartedly. But right now, it’d be better for me to fight alone. Simple as.”

  Finally, her head cooled off enough to hear me out. Over the next minute, I hurriedly laid out my plan.

  Though, calling it a plan might be a bit generous.

  All the while, the pressure kept intensifying.

  I could only be thankful for Kaela’s unhinged thirst for battle in this moment - with Voracity on at full blast after fighting the huge wave of Nether’s warriors, I would’ve long since lost control and jumped for her throat, but fortunately…

  …Uhh, at least in this context-

  -Kaela was as crazy as they came. She showed no fear, neither before mine nor the king’s presences.

  After a a brief discussion, she eventually agreed to do as I asked and dashed away.

  Her destination was in the exact opposite direction of the king’s.

  ***

  I suppose now’s a good time to mention that I didn’t just make Kaela run for nothing; if she succeeds, a massive tide might just turn this hopeless battle around.

  With her gone, I was left alone on the battlefield.

  That is, as far as allies go.

  Just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard a plethora of mantles begin to ruffle with movement.

  I looked around.

  The warriors finally regained control, their bodies adapted to the pressure, and started shakily rising one by one.

  ”Heya, folks. Back to your senses? Well then… Entertain me until your King shows up, will ya?”

  Without waiting for a response - not that I actually expected them to say anything - I dug into the depth of my soul to draw out the beast sleeping within.

  My biggest weakness, and the reason I never went all out even with my life on the line, could also be a deadly tool in the right moment.

  Just like now.

  I quickly shot a glance backwards, ensuring that Kaela had distanced herself enough.

  Perfect.

  The never ending, hushed whispers of Voracity called out to me, now stronger than ever:

  ‘Eat them. Consume them. Take their essence. It’s all yours.’

  Hmm, I really didn’t wanna do this…

  Letting Voracity do what it wished was a dangerous move. If, unable to control my emotions, I allowed it to take my mind and sanity over, I’d lose my sense of self outright.

  The only way to return to normalcy would be an absolute defeat - a powerful blow to the head or a full depletion of my essence reserves was the bare minimum.

  And would ya look at that? Today’s my lucky day.

  After all, the King of Nether was right around the corner. I had no doubt in my mind that such a monster would suppress me in seconds.

  And so, I let the pull of hunger to permeate my mind.

  The changes were instant. My demeanor took a sharp turn, as if I'd become a different person entirely.

  If before, a passerby would have thought me eccentric, I now must've looked like a genuine lunatic.

  I responded to Voracity’s calls with glee:

  “Heh. Of course it’s all mine. Who would dare stop me, after all? Hehe. Heh… Ahahahaha!!!”

  A flood of ecstasy struck me like a hammer, causing me to clutch my stomach as I shrieked out an eye watering laugh.

  My hunger grew deeper still when the warriors of Nether instinctively stepped back, a dread settling in their hearts.

  But by now, I could barely even notice any of that. Only one thing remained on my mind - a single order I could not refute.

  'Devour them.'

  “Heh. Don’t have to tell me twice.”

  ***

  I killed, and killed, and killed. Yet the bodies never piled up.

  In fact, even the humans Kaela and I took down earlier had all but disappeared. Or rather - they’d been absorbed. It had to be done, out of necessity more than anything else.

  Nether’s warriors, after all, were most proficient in their mastery of flames; no matter how much essence I’d stolen from Malrik, it wasn’t enough to shield me from their incinerating attacks.

  The solution? A surprisingly straightforward one, almost rudimentary in its simplicity:

  Whenever my flesh was turned into worthless heaps of scalding ash, I discarded it outright, instead opting to weave the deceased warrior’s flesh into my own.

  In this manner, in this endlessly long and arduous fight with my sanity and life on the line, the battle against Nether began in earnest.

  As for the remaining warriors…

  ***

  Nagi was a warrior of Nether. And not just any warrior, either.

  *Squelch*

  No - he was an elite amongst elites, trained to wield Nether’s exclusive branch of fire arts accessible only to the most shining talents of the country.

  *Crunch*

  A bright future, a knack for learning, a selfless disposition, a heroic sense of justice, an unshakable heart; Nagi had beep praised for having all of these time and time again.

  *Splat*

  Those words… Don’t they seem like a horrible joke?

  Nagi’s head spun in a fit of dizzying fear.

  And how could it not?

  The sight before him was never meant to be witnessed by a feeble human mind.

  A torrent of fire, and amidst it a single young man.

  The man was assaulted without pause, immense blazing flames turning him into a burning mass of flesh that barely resembled a person.

  “W-What… Is.. What… H-H… How is this happening?”

  Nagi’s chattering teeth, accompanied by a string of incoherent ramblings, perfectly encapsulated the utter horror of his opponent.

  The burning man screeched out a distorted laugh, dashing across the battlefield with the likeness of a demonic beast.

  He moved. Another warrior fell.

  Their agonized screams left nothing to the imagination - whatever that ‘demon’ was doing to them must’ve been painful beyond words.

  Yes, that thing… Cannot be human.

  It’s a damned fiend.

  Pushing through the all encompassing, primal desire to flee for his life, Nagi weakly lifted his eyes.

  Even the man’s body no longer resembled anything Nagi had seen before; tentacles of meat and gore tailed behind him, effortlessly intercepting any attack aimed at his back.

  The fiend lunged at the warriors, tore their necks out with his bare teeth, and slashed at them with his monstrous, blade tipped arms.

  Every time it seemed like he was losing ground, just moments away from demise, he shed his skin:

  Without any mercy for his own body, he tore the scorched limbs clean off - only to fuse with a dismembered warrior of Nether and make their bodies his own.

  On this battlefield, the numerous warriors only served as fuel for his strength.

  Nagi felt his view shift. It didn’t take him long to realize that, despite his best efforts, his legs had finally given up on him, succumbing to fear.

  “Ahh… Is this how I die?”

  Nahi cried out in a pitiful, cracking voice.

  *Shiver*

  Suddenly, as if in cue, the fiend sharply jerked his head. A penetrating gaze sent a cold chill down Nagi’s spine.

  “Aha, how truly wonderful. To think..!! To think that you’d sit down and wait for me on your own accord... Ahh, I’m so touched… Khahaha!!”

  He cackled at Nagi’s helplessness, wiping tears that never finished rolling down his cheeks under the relentless barrage of flames.

  Then, after seemingly getting bored of laughing, the fiend’s figure vanished.

  “Hu-? Argh!!”

  Before Nagi even finished exclaiming in surprise, a sharp clawed hand gripped him by the neck.

  Slowly, Nagi’s body was raised into the air. The fiend was clearly enjoyed his suffering, drawing the moment out.

  A surge of adrenaline rushed to his head, clearing Nagi’s thoughts for what would certainly be his last moment in the living realm.

  Mind clear, he gathered the last bit of courage to resist this force of nature, even if rationally he understood that none of his actions would matter. Nagi met the fiend’s eyes head, a determined expression on his face:

  “Fine… Even if I die today, I’ll at least leave a mark on your face, you monster!!”

  A weak strike landed on the fiend’s face, not even forceful enough to tilt his head.

  All of my life’s work, for this..?

  Finally, the last bit of determination drained from Nagi’s body. His limbs limply hung down, mind accepting the inevitable.

  ”…”

  ”…”

  A second passed. Then another one. And then several more. Yet still, he was alive.

  Suddenly feeling confused, Nagi just barely managed to glance at the one holding up so mercilessly…

  ”..?”

  However, the fiend wasn’t even looking at Nagi anymore.

  Instead, his gaze was directed off into the distance, the ruthless smile replaced with wariness.

  Nagi’s thoughts raced.

  Why did he sto-

  *BOOM!!!*

  Out of nowhere, a fist cloaked in white flames connected squarely with the fiend’s jaw.

  *Crash*

  His body rolled across the floor, eventually crashing into a tree with a deafening thud.

  And if front of the fiend, who was crouched up against the tree like a broken marionette…

  Was a man encased in radiant, pure while flames.

  It was, of course none other than ‘him’.

  The King of Nether had arrived.