Time to leave. With the thought, Alphonse blasted a path through the never ending ocean of ants. Thick goo and parts of the exoskeleton stuck to his armoured body like glue. Light appeared. He stomped his foot onto the ground as he shot out of the ant tunnel.

Landing with a thud, he continued his run. Shielding his face from the indomitable sun, activating his tiger's scales. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Is it just me or is it getting worse? Maybe it’s my imagination. Shaking his head, he continued walking until he was met with a wide open space. Climbing some trees on the outskirts, he gathered a bunch of coconuts and sat patiently in the middle of the open space. He was waiting. Waiting for a beast-like man wearing enormous gauntlets.

Alphonse guessed it took a few hours before the crunching of twigs and foliage entered his ears. It seemed like the man wasn’t worried about the noise he was making. His gauntleted arms lay behind his head, like he was taking a stroll through the jungle.

“Damn, you look like an amalgamation of monsters, Alphonse. It’s rather unsightly.” The man laughed. He spat out the piece of vine that he was chomping on. “I really thought you would continue to run. Are you sure you don’t have the form of a rat?”

“You seem rather confident you can kill me.” Alphonse said. But he couldn't hide the uncertainty in his eyes. “Besides, it seems like you know where I am all the time, anyway. What good would running do?”

“That’s true. Although I was surprised when you leapt into the volcano chasm. Thought you died for a while… until I sniffed your scent running around the jungle.” The man nodded to himself.

“Who’s the actual beast here?”

“Maybe you’re right.” The man laughed. He adjusted his head to the side. “Time to die. He’s getting impatient.”

The gauntleted-man disappeared from the spot. Alphonse struggled to see him, before a giant fist sent his body hurtling through the air like a kite with its strings suddenly torn away. With his heightened constitution, he bore the impact, instead of a river of blood leaving his mouth without his permission. This time, it was only enough to fill a pen cartridge. However, the pain was still there. He tried to take a deep breath, but a sharp pain halted the process.

His eyes turned serious. Alphonse bolted forwards, he couldn’t stand still. At least a moving target was harder to hit… maybe. He heard a crash and in the next split-second; he was sent tumbling to the ground. Digging his hands and feet into the dirt, he stopped his body. Another crash was heard. Alphonse wasted no time. The moment he heard it, he activated [ Flicker Steps ], sending his body rocketing to the side in an afterimage.

The gauntleted-man stood where he was. Another crash was heard and Alphonse leapt to the side. He could only rely on his beast-like hearing and the instincts that screamed at his mind. He scrambled to his feet as a sound scratched at his eardrums once more.

[ Devour ]

With a thought, a black hole opened up on Alphonse’s stomach. White, savage teeth emerged from his belly as an intense hunger pervaded his entire being. His eyes turned as black as purgatory, the countless lives he had taken screamed within. Humans and beasts alike. Alphonse watched as the man’s arm disappeared within his own stomach.

The gauntleted-man’s eyes widened an energy pulsated from the bottom of his feet, travelling all the into his palm. An intense power ripped at Alphonse’s insides. Blood spilled, cascading like a waterfall, but Alphonse held on desperately.

Then, chomp. His stomach clamped down faster than he could see. The man’s arm was torn away, like a mythical beast eating its long awaited meal.

Mahir Stein, human consumed

| 43.2 Strength added

| 26.8 constitution added

| 19.2 dexterity added

| 15.5 intelligence added

| 8.7 wisdom added

| 6.4 charisma added

Trait extracting…

Epic trait successfully extracted.

Expert Aura Control: You can expertly control the aura energy around your body. Shape it to your heart's desire.

“You fucker!” Mahir’s voice exploded… and so did his aura.

It blasted Alphonse off of his feet. The energy attempted to break away from his exoskeleton. The air swirled like a storm. Alphonse realised something. Mahir was like a predator that had just been wounded by a prey that he could have crushed with a single hand.

Mahir’s blood stopped instantly, his hair stuck upwards, his eyes glowed a menacing light. He took a step, and a crater was left behind his foot. Dirt and rock sprayed outwards like a haze. He blasted forward. All Alphonse could see was a mushroom cloud of dirt as his body rag dolled through the air. He did not give Alphonse a chance to touch the ground as Mahir met with his body through the air. His fist swung down like a mallet.

An explosion sounded out within the jungle as Mahir pummeled Alphonse into the ground. He couldn’t breathe. He starved for air, a weak sound escaped his throat. Like a straw that was being squeezed shut.

Mahir’s hands clasped around his throat, completely sealing off any attempt at breathing. “You know, if you find the apostles early like this. It’s so satisfying watching them squirm.” His hands tightened. “You, a chosen one by gods. Crushed in my hands. It’s truly a euphoric sensation.”

Alphonse’s vision was blurring. Despite the excitable sun, all he could see was darkness. His sharpened fingernails clawed at Mahir’s arms. Stomach acid, mixed with blood, seeped out of his mouth, attempting to melt the man’s hands, but it was futile.

Why am I trying so hard? The thought scratched at his mind. He couldn’t explain it. The only reason he could think of was his past. Something was driving him forward. He didn’t want to die. Not here.

The strangulation was cut off. He gasped for air. His hazy eyes peered forward as a man stood between them.