Kaden leaped towards Marwen who was swinging around his chain. By unleashing a Fire Blast just as he reached Marwen's range, he was able to deflect the annoying chain away for a bit. Yet, Marwen was no weakling. Kaden still remembered the time he had seen him act. Even if he was using an unusual weapon like chain, he was well versed in martial arts.

Marwen stepped aside in a weird way. I looked as if he was taking steps in place, but he seemed to fade and move in whatever direction he wanted. By this method he avoided Kaden's initial attack and then replied by spinning around and delivering a kick at Kaden's head. Not only that, his foot was glowing golden light.

Kaden quickly moved his head aside, but there was a glancing hit. It burned, yet not like flame would. Kaden was pretty resistant to flames. It was something else.

After the quick moves, the chains returned around Marwen.

"Beast or man, we are all subjects of gods!" Marwen shouted. "What happened in past was their will! That you survived was also their will! Yet, you have clearly rejected your purpose. You are damned!"

"I reject gods", Kaden replied. "Their influence is stain upon this world. I have discovered that they are parasites. As consequence of your actions, I have been allowed to see that and be free. Not that there was any gods will involved. It was Sanctus and his personal desires. His disregard for those below him and callous ways to benefit Sacronan's war efforts. You do not even know whose orders you follow or don't care. There are consequences to that."

"Blasphemy!" Marwen shouted in reply.

Kaden rushed at Marwen once more without caring about his objection. Rather, he cared about mocking him and all that he was. Then destroy him completely. If he could still think of something as his soul was being torn apart, he wanted it to be of failure, his mistakes and be consumed by doubts.

Marwen was troublesome opponent. Even without his weapon he was able to fight close and even mid range. He his kicks and punches could send forth that golden light that caused burns. Kaden was pretty sure it was some sort of blessed mana.

Due to such reasons, being anywhere close to Marwen was difficult even with Kaden's strength. While Kaden was able to connect attacks, no one of them were major ones. Marwen was able to diminish the power of these attacks. Either with simply moving out of the way or blocking Kaden's fire with that golden mana he used. While at this, Kaden had to deal with Marwen's quick attacks.

Since Marwen was so troublesome, Kaden decided he had to alter his tactic. He he directed Life Well at Marwen and kept it there.

Marwen immediately noticed the effect, but he was able to shield himself from it. At least as long as he had mana. Kaden had core. He would last far longer and Life Well itself was feeding him some back too. It was a very efficient spell. Its only downside was the concentration required to keep it directed in single spot. Due to this, Kaden could only bombard Marwen with simpler, but weaker, spells like Fire Balls or Wind Blades.

Kaden had stepped away from Marwen. Now he would force Marwen to attack and he would defend instead.

Yet, it wasn't much easier, but Marwen was somewhat weakened and would stay that way. While at this Kaden would mostly retain his strength.

"You have already lost", Kaden mocked Marwen.

Marwen didn't show much reaction as he jumped forward. He avoided Kaden's Wind Blades mid air and landed next to Kaden. There he tried to kick Kaden while protecting himself with his chain. Kaden had expected such moves and prepared to use his talons to tear open the warrior monk. Even so, Marwen did one those strange movements and stepped aside from Kaden's attacks. With some annoyance, Kaden prepared to strike again. Yet suddenly he felt the chain tie around his right front leg, the one he had used to attack Marwen.

"Shit", Kaden cursed as he felt Marwen yank him off balance.

Kaden suddenly found himself on the ground with Marwen leaping up in some acrobatic manner and was falling towards his head with his leg glowing golden light.

Kaden's plume flashed and along with it, he released a powerful Flame Burst. This pushed away Marwen, who took some damage from the fire, but was able to put it all out. Kaden took a burning gash just next to his neck, but since thats not where it was aimed, it was not immediately critical.

Kaden ignored the burning pain from his wound and lauched himself at Marwen with help of his wings. Marwen replied with glowing punch.

Kaden decided to ignore it. He pushed forward and received another burning gash from just at the side of his beak and it continued along his neck until it reached his shoulder. For this sacrifice, Kaden was able to finally reach Marwen. He pushed him to ground on his back and was on top of him.

*Screeech*

Kaden screeched as he attempted to bite Marwen to death with his powerful beak. Struggling Marwen managed to avoid the deadly bite by pushing Kaden away. Kaden was still able to bite on Marwen's shoulder.

Marwen fought back and left more searing gashes along Kaden's body. It wasn't the time to give up so, Kaden ignored it and took Vengeance out once more and struck it to Marwen.

One could have expected the fight was over with that. Marwen was clearly in pain, but he refused to scream. The green glow started to spread in Marwen's body, but the golden glow resisted it, but with Vengeance stuck in his body, it was slowly losing.

"Just die!" Kaden screamed and bit again and again tearing Marwen's flesh. "Die! Die! Di*hacckk*"

Marwen grabbed Kaden's neck with his free arm. The grasp was strong like some metal clamp. Kaden couldn't tear it off. He had to keep Marwen down and ensure that Vengeance stayed Marwen's body. From the grasp, Kaden felt the searing burning. He couldn't breath.

The fight had devolved into a death match of which one of them would die first as both of them had the other in deadly hold.

Kaden twisted Vengeance and tried to keep biting. He could see the sickly green glow spread like veins in Marwen's body. He would die soon, but he needed to die quicker. Kaden started to release Flame Bursts one after another.

Marwen's chain tied itself around Kaden tightly and tried to crush him. One after another spell after another, each leaving behind a burning patch.

This struggle continued for a while until Marwen's spells started to lose their power. Not that Kaden was in much better state. Eventually the sickly green glow reached all parts of Marwen's body and it started to drag out Marwen's soul. He was done.

Marwen's hold finally loosed from Kaden's sizzling neck. Tendrils from the Vengeance were wrapped around his soul. There were still golden glowing motes within Marwen's soul which resisted the vengeance mana. Yet, as time passed, the tendrils and whatever apparitions vengeance mana conjured around Marwen tore of each of those golden motes away.

"AAAARGHH", Marwen finally started to scream.

The vengeance mana started to burn Marwen as he was dragged towards Vengeance. The screaming in the outside world finally ceased and Kaden slumped to the ground. His wounds were severe.

Kaden was breathing hard. In fact, not just hard, he was coughing out blood. He wanted to laugh, but every time he attempted to, pain assaulted him.

"I need to heal", Kaden thought.

He had placed his trust in his body and its endurance. Human would have died doing what he had done.

Yet, luckily there was a source of sustenance, mana and repair material, just in front of him. With Marwen's body mostly burned, Kaden didn't waste time. He started eating. Eventually he activated Life Well after he was done enjoying the taste. He felt like he needed to get even the slightest bit of efficiency he could to heal.

There was a passing thought whether he could concentrate Life Well or its Devour portion within his stomach. That way he could enjoy the meal and still consume it with greatest efficiency. He decided to explore that posibility later. Enjoyment and efficiency need not be separate!

He also noted with an afterthought, a thought he should have probably thought before starting, that the mana filters he had set up were actually working. Kaden was pretty sure that Marwen was full of that glowing golden mana. Whatever it was, would be harmful. None of it was entering him. Feeling more safe, Kaden continued eating.

While Marwen's body could surely offer sustenance, the healing process would take time. There was even need to push out whatever remained of the golden searing mana Marwen had used. Some amount of it was still sticking to him.

"I need to change my way of fighting", Kaden cursed in his mind.

Even if it was effective, it had also been extremely reckless. Kaden was pretty sure his mental state had been altered since his evolution. Beastlike behavior was more brutal and direct. That was something he needed to get handle on. To do otherwise was likely going to end in his death.

Once Kaden was done eating, he stored the rest away for later consumption. He wasn't in state to fly away yet, so he passed time listening both Juren and Marwen scream inside Vengeance.

The blade had not changed again, but it seemed there was indeed far more mana inside it. This was good. The more he stuffed mana in it, either by killing people with it, even more so the targets, or growing himself and using his mana along with the blade to empower the attacks, the stronger the blade would grow. Kaden put away the blade and stood up.

"I need to get away from here", Kaden thought and walked away. That he at least could do. Flying was not possible yet. "I should heal enough in a few days to fly. Most of the damage is on the front of my body where Marwen was able to attack."

Kaden looked at his feathers and they were a mess. His beautiful plumage! Kaden cursed loudly... or at least tried to.

"ddamghrrrit", Kaden said. His throat hurt to speak. Even if he tried to ignore the pain, all he could get out was some distorted screeched resembling some words.

"Shit", Kaden thought as he sensed his neck and throat more carefully. There was some heavy damage there. It was clear why his speech was impeded. There were positives, though. "I should be able to heal it, but it will take some time."

He had no idea how long that would take. The glowing mana had gone deep. While it was there, such deep damage would take time to erase.

"Well... my targets for the time being are dead", Kaden though to himself. "I don't need to talk to people for a while. Cari, however, I still need to speak to. I must go to beast territories and spread the godless mana system there. Perhaps I shall pass newly evolved Lower Cari and I'm just learning to speak or something. I can convey my desires with intent anyway. Looks like fate, if such thing truly exists, has pointed me my next destination."

It didn't really change Kaden's plans much, if at all. Kaden hid away to rest and heal what was neccessarary and leave.

-----

Some days later, after Kaden had already left the area, a group of soldiers came to see why no one was respoding in the fort. That even the group that the church had sent was quiet and there were no reports.

"What happened here?" A soldier asked and looked around.

Things were progressing in a very similar manner as when Marwen and his group had come.

Officer was walking around and checking the craters. "Obviously a fight. Between people much stronger than us. Could this be some secret attack by the Saint Empire?"

"Captain! Look at this!" Another soldier shouted. He had picked up something from the mud. A yellow feather.

"... or perhaps not people afterall ... beasts!" The officer said as he gave a good look at the feather. "Quickly! Report this. Send this feather to be examined! Beasts might be up to something!"