章 8: The Beast

I'm sorry for the delay, I had medical complications, and only on Wednesday I was attended, it seems that I have problems in the internal organs [Heart, kidneys, lungs, genitals, livers, etc.], but until I wrote this I was attended and I just have to take the results to the doctor...

I just want to say one more thing, this chapter chatgpt sent me more red notices than ever in my life, but I loved it anyway~.

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Previous Chapter

Behind the fox mask, Merlin observed the audience while his fingers gracefully moved over the strings of the shamisen. With each chord, he felt as though he was weaving a musical spell that hypnotized their ears.

He knew this was his chance to earn some extra money and perhaps gather valuable information.

And so, with a beautiful melody playing in the background but dark thoughts in his mind, the curtain of this stage closed.

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Third Person Perspective

An hour had passed since the start of the Festival. During this time, Merlin remained calm with his legs crossed on the stage while playing different instruments with varying rhythms.

-'I'm tired, boss, tired of playing so much music, tired of capturing so many gazes...'

Complaining to a mini Merlin in his mind, Merlin continued playing without losing the rhythm of the music.

"I wonder: is it a man or a woman?" spoke a beautiful goddess with golden hair and small breasts.

"It doesn't matter, in times of war, any hole is a trench," responded a tall and handsome god with blond hair that looked as if sunlight had condensed into brilliant strands. He wore a green laurel crown on his head.

While the gods and mortals listened to the music, Merlin, seeing the blond god paying attention to him and looking at him like a delicious meal, could only thank the heavens for being cautious.

-God, I'm so lucky I manifested my tail. Now, if they find me, they'll think it's not me, as in my normal form, I don't have a tail... Just to be safe, use Plan F, and also change my voice through breathing and some muscle control' Merlin thought, appreciating his precaution.

With a fox tail discreetly waving, he continued his performance, aware that any slip could reveal a clue about his identity, which could endanger his body.

After playing for a while, Maria, the innkeeper and captain of the Hapi family, climbed onto the stage and began speaking with a radiant smile.

"Hello! Dear guests. I would like to thank you for coming here today. I hope you have enjoyed your stay and, of course, the wonderful music of our talented guest musician."

She said, gesturing towards Merlin, who slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Tonight is special, not only because of the music and everyone's company but also because we are celebrating an alliance that will bring prosperity to our lands."

Applause and cheers echoed through the room as Maria continued speaking.

"This alliance means more opportunities, more trade, and of course, more Valis for all of us. I want to toast to all of you, our friends, partners, and family. May this night be just the beginning of many more celebrations together!"

The guests raised their glasses and toasted, and the atmosphere became even more festive.

While Merlin stood up and went to the back of the stage to prepare and change, his thoughts never left his mind.

'Damn it! What a shame to have to pretend to be a woman, but it's all for my safety. Luckily, Maria is a trustworthy woman. Well, better said, she knows what will happen if she sends me to the front,' he thought as he entered a room where he proceeded to change.

Taking off his clothes completely, leaving only his underwear, Merlin approached two 'Goma' that he put on his chest, then controlled his thread with mana and passed it through them.

Looking at his body, his hand traced a wound on his side, almost nonexistent and seemingly about to disappear.

'Who would have thought, from feeling like the freest being in the world to having to dress as a woman so a god won't take away my freedom, and not just my freedom,' Merlin thought with an ironic smile as he finished dressing.

Merlin currently wore a tightly fitted kimono on the upper part, highlighting his "breasts," and loose on the rest of the body so his figure wouldn't be easily seen. Above all, he wore a new fox mask on his face.

Standing in front of a mirror, Merlin stared at himself while cursing.

'Damn, what I have to do to stay safe. Luckily, I used to wear a loose kimono, which covered most of my body and made it difficult to distinguish my gender. It's better now to pretend to be a woman so I can later walk as the usual Merlin on the street without any high-level adventurer kidnapping me for their god.'

Putting on the fox mask, he continued his thoughts. 'It's lucky I came prepared. Originally, I would have come as a man and simply changed my voice, but as I feared, a problematic god appeared. And not just any god, the god who terrifies even the manliest men in the world... Apollo, the "if there's a hole, it doesn't matter" god.'

Sigh

'God, what one has to do to avoid a fate worse than death. Luckily, I learned to manifest my semi-human part,' Merlin thought, looking at his tail for a moment. He remembered the moment he learned it was a bad idea to keep his 'impulses' under control.

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Merlin's Point of View

||4 Days Ago||

[The content below may include gore, abuse, graphic descriptions, and a lot of blood. Discretion is advised, and if you're like me... Enjoy it~]

Like any other day, after training a bit, Merlin headed back to Melen, earlier than usual as the sky signaled rain, but also because he felt uncomfortable.

It started 4 days after his Reincarnation. His body seemed to reject him, pushing him to act in ways he didn't fully understand.

His body felt similar to when, as a teenager, you had your first kiss with the girl you liked and your friend couldn't control himself no matter how hard you tried, only managing to control it once you got used to it or grew up.

Adding to that, he constantly suffered mood swings, which increased the more time passed.

The only solution he found to avoid it was to keep doing something, concentrating on it at all times...

But that didn't work today. Even though he trained all day, his mind couldn't focus on the training, and different thoughts kept coming to his mind.

One moment he was happy, the next sad, one moment training, the next wanting to fight a monster, one moment crying, the next wanting to dance, one moment wanting to fuck, the next just wanting to die.

One moment he even imagined himself on top of Babel with all of Orario around him on fire, and the next on top of the same Babel but with all of Orario surrounded by flowers.

At these moments, Merlin's mind was like a cup being filled with drops of "water." Every day a drop would fall into the cup, and the cup contained the "water."

Merlin had started feeling this sensation four days after reincarnating. Although he managed to suppress it and live his daily life calmly, guided by the 'reason' and 'thoughts' of his past life, he managed to suppress his 'instincts' and live comfortably.

But this time was different. The cup was already full, and with the shouting around him, his discomfort wouldn't stop and increased every minute.

-'I don't know why I feel uncomfortable. Some possible symptoms are; Emotional dysregulation, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Adjustment disorder, and maybe others I'm not seeing.

Emotional dysregulation; as I am unable to maintain emotional stability.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID); although I find it unlikely, I don't dismiss it entirely, as it's hard to realize if I have a new personality by myself. But I don't think so because I remember everything well, I just feel disconnected from myself, and I don't think I am the other personality; that would be a tremendous plot twist.

Adjustment disorder: it's possible, but I have already adapted to the new world, and I feel comfortable. Besides, it would be strange, as my class has environmental adaptation, and I don't think it's something psychological, since a class is something more 'magical,' after all, it was given to me by an omniversal god.'

With his experience as an astronaut, Merlin knew that his discomfort was not just physical but also psychological.

The drastic changes in his body and mind since his reincarnation had triggered an internal storm he couldn't ignore but also didn't know how to solve.

While walking deep in thought, Merlin saw smoke in the distance. Frowning and snapping out of his thoughts, Merlin started walking cautiously.

Finally reaching the area where the smoke was coming from, beside a road, Merlin saw a burning carriage. What he saw next brought unpleasant memories flooding back.

On the side of the road, he found a burning carriage surrounded by the bodies of people.

Beside the carriage was a group of bandits, robbing the bodies and looting the carriage.

But what caused the traumas of Merlin's past to return was what was at the center of a group of men.

They were bandits abusing the bodies of two women who were dead and trying to take advantage of one more, who had a bleeding eye.

"No! Stop! Don't do it!" - Shouted the girl with the bleeding eye. She had white hair, pale skin, her only visible eye was a dull blue, and she had a fragile body.

The poor girl struggled and fought as best she could, although she clearly could no longer see out of one eye.

When Merlin saw the girl fighting, and the two women dead after suffering the worst, with the girl about to meet the same fate, memories buried deep in his mind surfaced.

With them came the rage... an infinite rage, but more than anything... rejection.

Rejection towards the world.

And so, in an act that had nothing to do with him, it wasn't for justice, it wasn't for love, it wasn't for revenge... the Beast was unleashed, and solely out of rejection towards the World...

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[General Point of View]

"Stay still, you damn bitch!"

Shouted a bandit as he punched the girl in the stomach, sending her flying until she hit a tree.

Cough.

The girl, who had taken the hit, still decided to survive, trying to get up even though she failed in the attempt.

"Tough one, huh? Well, I love it. Soon you'll end up like the other two, so stop struggling and accept your fate."

As the man crouched down to grab the throat of the girl who had managed to stand up by leaning against a tree.

A pair of hands, with long nails and marked veins, dropped from a branch, grabbing the bandit's head.

Crack!

Huh?

That was the last thing the bandit uttered, now with his neck twisted after his head did a 360° turn.

Wasting no time, Merlin leaped from the tree onto the other two unsuspecting bandits, covering their mouths with his hand.

From the sleeve of his clothing, multiple threads with a transparent aura began to emerge, entering through the noses and mouths of both bandits. The threads quickly traversed their insides and emerged from within, transforming the bandits into grotesque... human porcupines.

Crack!

"What?"

"Nani?"

The other bandits shouted as they quickly realized the situation, and before their eyes appeared...

The Beast.

With blood-dripping threads extending from his wrist, now attached to two dead bandits, with white hair illuminated by the moonlight, and a pair of beautiful long ears of the same color with violet tips. He wore a tattered robe that fluttered in the night wind.

Behind him, a tail could be seen moving, white with lines resembling violet flames.

[image]

Merlin, now in his beatified form and completely out of control, swayed his tail while the campfire's flame projected the shadow of nine tails.

"Ahh! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

A howl, sounding more like a scream, echoed through the forest as Merlin let out his most violent thoughts.

All the reason and accumulated thoughts from his more than 22 years as a human had unconsciously suppressed his semi-human side, relegating his instincts and body to the background.

The "reason" and "thoughts" of being born into a new world had prevented him from acting with the natural impulsiveness of his new condition.

In his past life, as a human, he could suppress his instincts, something common in his species. After all, humans are not beasts.

However, Merlin had forgotten, or had not realized, that he was now a Renards, a Half-beast.

His "impulses," which could previously be contained by reason, were now an essential part of his existence.

Denying these impulses went against his very nature, against what he now represented; a race that seeks survival, where the strong help the pack and others to survive, the strong sharpen their fangs to protect their own.

Suppressing his Renards side was like chaining what built him as a person, rejecting his existence and denying his new self, chaining it deep in his mind and preventing it from emerging.

And like any emotion held back for a long time, when it was released, it came out with tremendous force, simply triggering him, and the beast emerged wilder than ever.

Howls

Now, giving free rein to his wild and violent instincts, those that had been accumulating while chained, Merlin had lost all reason.

Only a bloodthirsty beast remained...

The Fox was loose in the forest of Melen

Howls

Different howls echoed from the forest, all different from one another, and they did not seem to come solely from animals. Yet they all sounded like they were responding to Merlin.

The howl caused many bandits to panic, but quickly the bandit leader took control of the situation, shouting.

"Attack!"

Following their leader's command, a man moved swiftly and attacked Merlin.

Merlin quickly heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and, without thinking, moved his hand downward, a transparent aura surrounding them.

"Damn beast, from that distance you couldn't strik..."

Crunch!

That was the last thing he said when a human ball with a transparent aura attached to a thread crushed him against the ground.

Crunch!

An explosion echoed in the forest clearing, the sound of bones breaking and limbs flying through the air as blood soaked the ground.

Without wasting time, Merlin began to walk toward a group of bandits while swinging the thread attached to both bandits like a human wrecking ball.

Cutting through the air.

As he walked, using the centrifugal force of both bodies and his own with a flip, he smashed another two bandits against the ground, causing the earth around them to crack.

Crunch!

Annoyed, Merlin began to spin and released both threads, which flew in a line, striking a group of incoming bandits, killing and injuring some.

Crunch!

Fiu

An arrow flew and lodged in his thigh, hindering his movements for a brief moment, which another bandit took advantage of to attack.

"Die, beast!"

With a sharp whistle, the bandit attacked Merlin, who, unable to move entirely, turned his body to take the least damage possible.

Quickly, he put his hands on the ground and, with his legs, grabbed the bandit's head and slammed it against the ground.

Rolling on the floor, Merlin pulled out the lodged arrow and drove it into the bandit's eye.

Crunch!

Standing up, Merlin tensed his threads and launched them toward two trees, propelling himself toward another bandit.

With a swift soccer kick, he tore off the bandit's entire jaw and destroyed his howl.

Crunch!

Landing in the middle of the group of bandits, Merlin stood on one leg and began to spin like a beyblade, with the thread from his wrist slicing multiple enemies around him in two.

Fiu

Dizzy, moving his head in all directions, Beast Merlin twitched his ear, causing an arrow to pass over it.

Still unable to walk properly, he put all four limbs on the ground and started running towards the tree where the archer was.

Crunch!

Using his claws, he climbed up to reach the bandit and dragged him down from the tree with him.

A dry crunch echoed as Merlin landed on the bandit, breaking the ground around them and snapping the bandit like a twig.

"Damn fools! Attack in teams and surround him!"

Shouted the bandit leader, grabbing a sword.

Surrounded by enemies, Merlin lowered his upper body and lifted the lower part while placing all four limbs on the ground.

Leaning forward, he tensed his muscles, causing the wound on his thigh to start bleeding.

"Damn beast! You're no different from those horrible monsters!"

Cutting through the air!

Ignoring them, Merlin propelled himself forward, grabbing a bandit's head and tearing it off along with his spine.

Touching the ground and jumping, Merlin wielded the spine like a mace, smashing another bandit in the head with it.

Collision

With the spine, Merlin stopped a sword, and quickly using his tail as a resource, dodged a spear coming from behind.

"Ah"

Crunch!

The unexpected movement caused the spear to pierce through his comrade's neck, killing him instantly.

"What...!"

Gravity brought Merlin down, landing with one foot on the spear. With his other foot, he quickly delivered an initial kick to the shocked bandit's face, causing him to die with his neck twisted backward and a look of... surprise.

Touching the ground, Merlin rolled quickly and with one hand propelled himself toward a bandit, slashing his jugular with his claws.

Crunch!

Without wasting time, Merlin continued running and used his claws to pierce through a bandit's chest, pulling out his still-beating heart.

"Hey!.. Give it back!"

Still holding the heart, Merlin spun on his axis and threw it into a bandit's mouth, causing him to choke.

Cough!!!

"I choh, ayu..."

Without giving him time to recover, Merlin quickly kicked the bandit's spear, piercing through him along with the heartless bandit.

Crunch!

Cutting through the air

Blocking a sword with his palms, Merlin used his tail to strike the bandit in the groin.

Crunch!

"Ahhhhh"

Ending the poor man's suffering, Merlin took the sword and then with a swift motion, decapitated him.

As this massacre unfolded, the bandit leader, enraged, started to move after analyzing Merlin.

'Damn it, with each passing moment, it's as if the beast is adapting to the environment, using the trees, the terrain, and my own men with their weapons to its advantage. I need to kill it quickly, I can't be left without bait.'

Sensing danger, Merlin jumped, dodging an arrow, and landed on a tree branch with all four limbs clinging to it.

Ignoring everything around him, Merlin focused on the bandit leader, sensing where the greatest threat was coming from.

Smiling

This did not intimidate Merlin, but rather made his appearance take on a wilder aura, now with a transparent aura around him and his bloodseed going out of control.

To his eyes, the leader was no longer human, nor a prey; he was a huge sharpening stone that would break his limits, though in this state he didn't know why, but the sane Merlin did.

At this moment, it is possible to break the limit that prevents him from continuing to train his skills, something essential that every human gains over time… Experience.

Looking at the leader, Merlin howled as smoke came out of his mouth and the moon above him gave the illusion of having a reddish hue.

[image]

"¡¡¡GRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!"

His mere presence and the brutality of the previous acts make multiple bandits have goosebumps.

The shock was so great that several bandits tried to escape, but all attempts at retreat ended when the leader of the bandits, with just one swing of his sword, cut off the heads of two bandits.

"Damn trash! Whoever abandons the fight will die by my sword or I'll send them myself to the Red Light District of Orario for that toad to catch them!"

Ignoring everything, Merlin leaps onto a bandit, slashing his throat with his claws.

Throwing himself to the ground and wasting no time, he rolled using the dead bandit as a shield against another volley of arrows.

Crunch!

!Fiu! x5

Stepping on the dead body's back, he performed a flip and placed himself behind another bandit who was coming to stab him.

With his legs around the enemy's head, he shoved his hands into his mouth and opened it like Godzilla.

Crunch!

Falling to the ground and standing up, Merlin stopped for a moment, motionless, as he watched the white-haired girl running away in fear with a bleeding eye.

She felt his gaze and turned around; their eyes met for an instant before she continued running.

Observing the bandits retreating around him, Merlin, with his previously white hair now red, with two ears covered in blood and a tail moving with the wind, dripping blood.

He moved his hand, now with long nails and visible veins, and turned his head towards the bandits, preparing to attack again.

[image]

Without wasting time, Merlin, supported on three limbs, began to run towards the leader of the bandits.

"Protect the leader!" – shouted a bandit as Merlin ran through them, and the threads cut the men as if they were paper.

Reaching the leader, Merlin lunged at him with his claws aimed at his jugular, but in a surprising display of skill, the bandit leader intercepted the attack with his sword.

"Damned beast! Do you think that I, an old member of Evilus, a level 3, will lose to a mere animal?"

Zuis!

That was the sound of the sword slicing through Merlin and sending him flying through the air.

Performing a flip in the air, Merlin landed on his feet, but the force of the blow pushed him backward.

Crack Crack

Crack!

That was the sound heard as cut threads fell from the wound, and beneath them, a little blood was visible.

Without giving him time to rest, a bandit attacked him.

"Use your skin as a carpet, beast!"

Cutting the air

Briefly moving his head, Merlin dodged the sword and quickly knocked the attacker down with a headbutt like Zidane.

Cough, blood!

Grabbing the falling sword, Merlin controlled it and drove it into the bandit, leaving him bleeding on the ground.

Crunch!

Without taking his eyes off the bandit leader, Merlin began releasing threads everywhere. They attached to the trees at an astonishing speed, creating a massive net.

Fiu!

Controlling his tail, Merlin caught an arrow flying from behind and spun it back towards the shooter.

Fiu

Crunch!

After returning the arrow, Merlin jumped and landed on a thread, then jumped to another while using a thread to pull a piece of wood from the fire towards him.

Releasing the wood, the dry leaves quickly ignited, and the surrounding trees began to catch fire, while the bandits screamed.

"Damned beast, it wants to kill us all!"

"Doesn't he realize that the fire won't stop?"

Enraged, the bandit leader shouted, drawing his men's attention and calming them down.

"Calm down! If the fire gets out of control, I'll put it out! But first, kill the damned beast, because before saving you, I'll throw you into the fire myself!"

Calming down, the bandits began to try cutting the threads, while a few fired arrows.

Merlin, watching from a thread bridge, jumped onto a thread and grabbed it with all four limbs, then used his tail to pull the thread back, tensioning it and turning it into an arrow.

"Watch out!"

Before the archer could say more, Merlin released his tail, soaring through the air and slicing through multiple enemies' necks.

Crunch!

Without wasting time, he terrified another thread and, with the force of the launch, shot towards the bandit leader.

Cutting the air

Crash!

Performing a flip, Merlin used the bandit leader's force to launch himself onto another thread and gain speed, this time flying towards the archers.

"!!Eh!!…"

That was the last thing an archer said while drawing his bow, as he watched his own body shooting an arrow and hitting a comrade in the eye.

Not missing a beat, Merlin ran on all fours along a rope and landed on another bandit, throwing him into the fire.

"Aaah! Help! I'm burning!"

Falling to the ground, Merlin quickly rolled on the floor while a spear landed in his position.

Grabbing the spear and using it as a pole vault, he jumped and grabbed a thread, performing a flip to land on it and start running again.

"Damn useless fools!!"

Tired, the bandit leader jumped onto a thread, exerting force with his leg as he lunged at Merlin while swinging his sword.

Cutting the air

Ducking, Merlin dodged the bandit leader, who crashed into a tree due to lack of control over his strength and unfamiliarity with the ropes.

'Tsk, the damned beast that adapts to the terrain seems to have already learned to walk on ropes, which allowed it to adapt faster. Well, since I can't climb, I'll make it come down, and the best method is the one that attracts all kinds of living beings, regardless of the species- the old reliable one.'

"Damned parentless beast, don't run like a cockroach and face me head-on if you really think you're strong!"

That simple provocation worked on Merlin, who was now just a more intelligent beast than the rest, but more than anything due to a past with his parents that made him angry when he remembered it.

"Grrrr…"

Angry, Merlin turned around and leaped at the leader, who, smiling, gripped his sword firmly and swung it.

Cutting the air

The sword passed over Merlin's ear, which he controlled by lowering it, while the sword sliced through the hairs on his ear.

Crash!

With a quick movement, he struck the bandit leader, who barely flinched at the damage.

"Damn beast! I already said I was a level 3 and almost a level 4. If it weren't for my god returning to the heavens, I wouldn't be facing a level 3 body."

Enraged, Merlin began throwing multiple punches at the leader's chest.

The leader arrogantly remained still while Merlin threw punch after punch.

Thump, thump, thump!

Tiny shockwaves traveled with each punch, as Merlin continued to strike in what seemed like desperate attacks of a cornered animal.

The trees burned in the background, casting an orange glow over the scene, while the few remaining bandits were clueless about what to do.

"Ah, do you see, damned beast? You are nothing compared to me; you're just another semi-human out of its mind. In this scenario, I am the protagonist! I am above you, mere mortal!"

The bandit leader, holding Merlin's fist with his palm, countered with a punch to the stomach. Merlin, unable to dodge, took the full force of the blow.

Crunch!

Cough!!!

Coughing blood, Merlin was sent flying towards the fire, as threads fell from his stomach and the aura around him weakened.

Surrounded by flames, Merlin stood up and quickly passed through a wall of fire, leaping towards the leader's neck.

Crash

That was the sound of Merlin's claws clashing against the leader's neck. Without losing time, the leader grabbed his sword with both hands and swung it at Merlin.

Cutting the air

Jumping, Merlin dodged the leader's first swing, twisting his body in the air to avoid the second attack.

Crash

Without wasting time, Merlin hooked two threads onto the leader's palm and pulled him, sending him flying a few meters but with little apparent damage.

Standing, the bandit leader began adjusting his clothes.

"I've survived worse monsters in the dungeon than you… I fought a woman who looked like a toad and lived. I fought a blonde dwarf and survived. I've seen legends fight and still survived. A common beast like you will never kill me."

Grabbing the threads with his hands, the bandit leader began to spin and then released them, sending Merlin flying through the air while spinning.

Crunch.

That was the sound of Merlin's body landing on all fours on a tree, but his right hand was twisted in an odd direction.

"Grrrgg!"

Ignoring the pain, Merlin landed on the ground with an acrobatic jump, landing on a burning branch and propelling himself towards the leader, using the threads on his way to increase his speed.

Crash

He impacted the leader with a powerful kick, which made him stumble back a few steps.

Dazed, the bandit leader began shaking his head from side to side, as the blow rattled his brain, though he had no external injuries.

"Protect the leader!" – shouted a bandit, who was trying to put out the fire, as he watched Merlin go for the leader's eyes.

The few remaining bandits, numbering less than ten but eager to survive and knowing that if their leader died, they would follow, attacked Merlin without thinking.

"Kill the beast!" – yelled one of the bandits, throwing a spear at Merlin.

With a quick move, Merlin caught the spear in mid-air and returned it to the thrower, impaling him through the abdomen.

This gave the bandit leader a few seconds to quickly recover and attack Merlin.

Crash

With the few threads remaining, Merlin quickly used a lot of mana to reinforce them, which prevented them from being cut. However, the force bent them and sent Merlin flying once again.

While flying, Merlin used the same threads to cut a burning branch above the bandit leader, dropping it on top of him.

Boom

Crunch

Continuing to fly through the air, Merlin crashed against a burning tree, which collapsed on top of him, while the fire intensified around him.

'Total silence'

The few remaining bandits watched the result of the fight with anxiety. Although their leader had died, so had the beast.

"Leader, your sacrifice will always be remembered. I will sing songs in your name…"

"What are you saying, idiot? Run, the fire will end up consuming everything!"

As the four remaining bandits fled, the wind began to blow harder and stirred the flames.

Crunch

Suddenly, a huge hand grabbed the large branch on top of the leader and began to lift it. It was the leader, who at this moment had minor burns all over his body, was bald, without a beard, and with his upper body exposed while the flames still covered his pants.

He was straining, lifting the massive branch over him in the pose of Atlas.

"Damn traitors! When I find you, I will kill you all!"

As the bandit leader lifted the massive branch, on the other side, a hand emerged from the remains of a burning tree. Gradually, the debris began to clear as Merlin crawled across the ground.

Crunches

Looking ahead, the leader saw Merlin rising through the flames, in a deplorable state, much worse than the leader's current condition.

"Damned beast, you're a damned lizard and on top of that, you adapt."

Merlin was surrounded by flames on all sides. His robe, given to him by Real and worn since the beginning, was in flames. As he moved with the wind behind him, his right hand was dislocated and hanging.

Despite being surrounded by flames, he had no visible burns, but was covered in blood everywhere, and his eyes were completely white.

At this moment, Merlin was in a state of half-consciousness and semi-awareness. His bewitchment state was still active, but the wild aura around him was much calmer, though he still didn't seem fully awake and aware.

Crunch

Burning branches fell around him, breaking on the ground and spreading more fire around.

'Step, step, step'

"After all, I was right that you were a monster."

With a dry smile, the bandit leader looked at Merlin with a hint of fear in his eyes. At this moment, Merlin was nowhere to be seen, and if anyone were watching from the outside, they would help the heroic leader to destroy this "monster."

Covered in fire that combined with his blood boiling from the heat of the flames, creating a reddish aura around his figure and making the fire take on a reddish hue, it was like Naruto with 4 tails unleashed.

[Image]

Standing face to face, Merlin and the leader, both in silence, readied their weapons. The leader took his sword, and Merlin began to gather debris around him with threads.

Total silence

Crunch

And with the sound of a tree falling to the ground, and flames consuming the forest and the remnants of the stage around them.

The human who is a beast and the beast who is human... began to fight.

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[Third-Person POV]

In a forest with its trees ablaze, flames covered the trees while drops of water fell from the sky. The moon was obscured by dark clouds.

Clash, clash

In a part of the forest surrounded by flames, a reddish figure with a tail and a pair of ears could be seen clashing head-on with a bald man without eyebrows.

Clash, clash

After striking the leader in the head, Merlin delivered another blow to his groin.

Using his knee, the leader blocked Merlin's blow, and the hit to his face barely fazed him. Quickly, he grabbed his sword and swung it towards Merlin.

Zuis

Ducking, Merlin avoided the sword, which sliced through the fire behind him. He then quickly darted into the flames and began to camouflage himself within them.

Without speaking, the leader grabbed his sword and swung it in a certain direction, where the only thing visible was Merlin's robe with a piece of earth and a violet flower surrounded by a mana aura.

'It's a decoy.'

The bandit leader quickly crouched and dodged a group of threads heading towards his eyes. Grabbing them, he tried to draw Merlin towards him.

Not falling for the same trick, Merlin swiftly released the thread and darted towards another group of flames while re-hiding.

Grabbing his sword, the bandit leader started sniffing the air, trying to catch Merlin's scent. However, the blood of over 40 of his followers still lingered in the air, though most had already been consumed by the flames.

Briefly moving his head, the leader dodged a group of threads and then swung his sword in the direction from which they came, slicing a body in two.

Crunch

Passing beneath the body as it was being cut, Merlin launched an attack towards the leader's neck. The leader moved his head back and slashed his sword towards Merlin.

Throwing himself to the ground, Merlin dodged the sword, falling on his right side and causing his bones to make a painful sound.

Crunch

"I've got you!"

Lifting his foot, the bandit leader stomped towards Merlin, who barely managed to dodge, but the ground around him was completely destroyed.

Hiding among the flames, smoke, and debris, Merlin began to run around the bandit leader, while his right arm was surrounded by threads holding him up.

Removing his foot that was stuck in the ground, the bandit leader grabbed his sword and covered his eyes.

Hearing a sound to his left, the leader quickly looked and attacked.

Crunch

"Damn beast, you finally die."

Watching a head spin through the flames after moving his sword, the bandit leader had no time to react after dropping his guard for a brief moment, thinking the head was Merlin's.

With no time left and hearing the whistle of death, the leader tried to move his head, but it was too late...

Fiu

Crunch

And thus, in a blink of an eye... in an anticlimactic manner, the powerful leader, a being who could threaten entire cities outside of Orario, died in the forest to be consumed by the flames.

A reddish thread had pierced his ear, destroying the poor defenses of his eardrums and reaching his brain, killing him instantly as the same thread pierced him from one end to the other.

No matter how strong one is, the vital point of any living being is always the brain and the heart, but especially the brain, which only requires minimal damage to lead to death.

><<>><

POV Merlin

Regaining consciousness, Merlin began to sway as he looked around him, consumed by the fire.

Looking at the sky, he saw the rain falling more heavily, although the fire was still devouring everything around him.

Observing his right arm hanging and held together by threads, Merlin gritted his teeth while thinking:

'I'm going to need to open my wound to set the bones. Fortunately, this world has potions, but combining them with my medical knowledge from my past life, I'm sure I can save my arm.'

Stopping his observation of his arm, he looked at the multiple wounds around his body and continued analyzing them.

"I've lost too much blood. I don't know how I'm still conscious, but it might be a mix of my new race, new strength, and knowledge from my past life. However, I don't feel like thinking about this right now. I'll try to explore more later."

Observing his body, he realized he was completely naked, with nothing on him.

"What a package I've got. It's clear how uncultured Merlin is... Cough, focus! I need to cover myself with something."

Looking around, Merlin found nothing and decided to use his tail to cover himself. Then, with a sigh, he looked at some specific corpses and started moving.

"Well... my 'good deed' of the day has to end well."

...

[Half an hour later]

"And done."

With a proud smile, Merlin looked at the multiple graves around him as the rain continued to fall from the sky.

Ignoring the mountain of bandit corpses beside him, most consumed by the fire and now just a gift for the forest beasts, Merlin saw his old tunic along with the flower and the piece of earth. Upon picking it up and examining its condition, Merlin could only sigh.

"It's no longer useful; from the beautiful tunic, there's nothing left but a kind of scarf... all worn out, it won't cover my body anymore."

Placing the tunic on a grave next to the violet flower, he said:

"I'll leave you behind and, maybe, who knows, perhaps a lost traveler will find you and you can accompany him on many journeys as I had hoped you would with me."

Adjusting everything, Merlin turned around, exposing his bare backside, covered only by -Gladius Patris-, which he had found among some shrubs already extinguished by the fire.

With only his sword, nothing on his body but his dignity and multiple wounds, Merlin set off towards Melen.

Meanwhile, the tunic that had accompanied him since the beginning of his journey lay worn out on a cross, with a beautiful violet flower beside it.

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[End of Chapter: 8]

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Death Cutter: 47

[6698 words]

With this chapter, I could have calmly gone for 4 or 3 more chapters, and it could have been updated once a week, but I don't like having fights resolved across different chapters; it gives me anxiety. So, I did it all in one, and I'm happy with how it turned out, especially since it's my first fight scene.

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The fight itself might seem like a plot twist and has too many phases, but if you stop to think about it, most of it is possible if you read what was written about Merlin.

He's a genius due to his class, an astronaut from his past life trained in multiple things to become one, such as being trained to make precise decisions in seconds. He's a semi-fox, one of the most intelligent races with great sharpness. His mana control ability saved him more than it seems, with the mana skin "resisting" the multiple attacks from the leader. Adding to that, the leader wasn't entirely dumb, so thanks to that, he could win...

But don't get it twisted; Merlin could have won in other ways. No matter how strong he is, it was clear he wasn't harming the leader. He only won because he made a thread enter his brain through his ear. If you notice, he never inflicted damage except when he hit his head and moved his brain or when he moved him, but only because, even though the leader couldn't take damage, he could be moved.

The phases are just references; let me give you an example from Naruto's four-tailed form. In this story, it works because Merlin was surrounded by fire, which didn't touch him due to the mana skin, but the heat still boiled the blood covering his figure, causing it to evaporate and give the illusion of being covered in a reddish flame all over his body.

[6845 words]