Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Her fist connected with his stomach.

Mark could feel his internal organs screaming and tearing.

Had she moved that fast? Had he not moved out of the way? Had he not blocked the attack on purpose? 

He couldn't tell.

"I'll kill you... I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Cough-

A drop of blood made its way down his chin.

'When was the last time...'

Fighting an enemy he didn't hate.

Fighting an enemy he didn't necessarily want to kill.

Lin?

Yarnha?

'Mm... It's been happening a lot on the outside. Then... What about...'

The Corrupted Dark Elves? No. He was happy killing those. The Warriors and the Berserker too.

'Then was the last time...?'

Looking back, there were only two answers he could think of right now.

The Typhoon Wolf that, in its death, craved revenge against the cowardly Leader of the Pack.

The Boss monster that, in its death, decided to continue fighting instead of remaining underwater and slowly dying to the Corruption Magic it had been inflicted with.

Both had, for different reasons, gained the white-scaled Monster's respect.

Gray & Levi.

Shivers moved up and down the Monster's body.

Gray & Levi.

The last two Monsters he felt this way about inside the Dungeon.

The last two Monsters he had been able to Revive.

'Then... Is that the key?'

She ran forward, and he jumped back.

The white-scaled Monster dodged as it wondered.

'If the Link to Revive them isn't simply about killing them... If it's about...'

Don't let them leave-

I want them with me-

I WON'T LET THEM LEAVE-

Mark felt the sudden urge to throw up, but managed to keep it in check as he dodged.

"FIGHT BACK! FIGHT BACK, MONSTER!" Ani shouted as she threw more and more ferocious punches and leg kicks.

Kill her-

Her strength-

Take it for yourself-

Kill her-

Devour her-

Revive her-

'I want to see them again. All of them. I need to grow stronger. I need to...'

Three diagonal slashes were drawn on the Commander's bare stomach.

'Kill her.'

Her fist was about to collide with his stomach.

He grabbed her by the wrist.

Mark landed three hits on her stomach, twisted her wrist, bringing her to ground, and punched.

His fist landed on the ground, cracking it.

She had moved her head in time, dodging the hit.

Only then did Mark notice.

How come she hadn't-

Her shin connected with his head, launching him away.

She pushed herself off the ground.

'How come she didn't free herself...?'

Her strength was much higher, so doing so shouldn't have been an issue.

And yet, she had been brought to the ground.

[Your Health Points are dangerously low!]

[Your Endurance Points are practically depleted!]

"SHUT UP!" Both shouted at the same time.

Ani took a step forward, stumbled, and fell to one knee.

The white-scaled Monster, despite using all the Mana Points it had recovered, could barely stand too.

"You killed him... You killed him...!"

The exhausted Mark didn't take a second to think.

"I did."

She clenched her teeth and ran forward.

He remained in place.

A fist approached his face.

He grabbed her by the wrist and twisted it.

Her back hit the ground a second later.

The way her wrist was grabbed, the amount of pressure, the technique... It was familiar.

It was practically the same.

It annoyed her. Angered her.

It filled him with disgust.

You've been limiting yourself against him, haven't you-

'I'll be using that...' Mark thought to himself as his eyes narrowed.

He jumped back as her leg swept the ground below him.

"You killed him. Ha! Looks like you learned something in doing so, huh? That fucker's techniques... That fucker's techniques... I could never..."

'It's not the technique that's special, is it?'

"I could never... Get out of..."

'The instant I grabbed her wrist, her body became extremely light. Practically no resistance. Is that how it is? You wanted to beat him without using your strength? Fighting using technique only? If so... Then...'

She launched herself forward.

Her clenched fist moved towards him.

He grabbed her by the wrist again and threw her against the ground.

"I could never... Beat him..."

It was obvious. So obvious that Mark noticed.

Her punches were much slower than before. They held less power. Less animosity.

"I could... Never..." Ani's voice started shaking as she pushed herself off the ground. 

A lazy leg kick that, by the looks of it, wouldn't have damaged him was thrown.

Still, Mark jumped backwards. The Monster's heart melted further.

"He was always... So far in front of me... You killed him... Before I got the chance to..."

The white-scaled Monster lowered its gaze slightly as the Commander's eyes started tearing up.

"I bet... You had trouble killing him..."

"I did."

"I bet you struggled to beat him."

"I did."

"You even needed that Elf with you, huh? That's how strong he was!"

"He was really strong."

"He was... And now... Now... I'll never get the chance... To prove myself..."

She clenched her fist, and Mark knew she was coming.

He stared at her arm, her stomach, her body.

The expression on her face, the tears that had started going down her face, he didn't want to see.

In strange way, he thought of those tears as hers. Her secret.

They were fighting.

They were about to kill one another.

He wanted to Devour her.

He wanted her strength.

Those tears were hers.

He respected her too much to look at her crying face.

'Fuck...'

Fighting the way the Commander had. The way Lin had.

Mark felt that it would give him an advantage.

Her body which was used to limiting itself against Lin, had done the same against Mark now.

He wanted to use that fully.  Stealthily, and secretly.

Cowardly.

But she had noticed.

What he wanted to use as a cowardly tactic, became a way for her to grieve.

She was grieving, as if fighting her comrade one last time.

Why did Mark go along with it? He wanted to Devour. He wanted to grow stronger. He needed to do so. 

Why was Mark allowing her to grieve? Why was he going along with it? Why did it melt his heart?

Why allow her to grieve?

Perhaps because he needed some of that too.