Several minutes had passed since Marcus and the Vorathis Minx began their brutal clash.
Though the beast had learned not to swallow him after being injured, it hadn't given up on trying to sink its teeth into him. It still wanted to consume—to end the fight with one crushing bite.
At the same time, Marcus was after the beast's blood. No matter how many punches he threw or how deeply his fingers raked at the body of the Minx, all he managed to do was tear off fur or inflict shallow wounds that barely fazed the creature. Even with his enhanced strength, his fists weren't enough to harm the beast.
He had been tossed around like a ragdoll, nearly crushed to death beneath its massive paws, and came close to having his head split more than once. Yet, no matter how much punishment he took, his injuries—minor or severe—healed quickly, though each recovery ate away at his stamina.
Ironically, the creature's constant attempts to bite him turned out to be his lifeline. Each time it struck and spilled its blood on him, Marcus absorbed more of it, keeping him on his feet. Were it not for that steady supply of powerful blood, the fight would have ended long ago—his Berserk state was not sustainable for long durations at this level without it.
But the more blood he touched, the stronger he felt. His stamina recovered and the fire in his body burned hotter.
Ducking under a sweeping paw, Marcus slid beneath the towering beast. Once under, he gathered every ounce of strength he could muster in his hands and launched upward, driving his fist into the Minx's underbelly.
Unlike other parts of the Minx's outer body, its stomach was something more vulnerable than the rest of its body.
The punch landed clean.
Causing the Minx's massive frame to arch violently as it let out a painful roar, simultaneously spilling blood from its mouth. Its body reeled back in pain. Seeing how effective his blow was, Marcus didn't stop.
He followed up with a flurry of brutal strikes, each one hammering into the same spot with bone-cracking force. Five punches slammed into the beast before it regained its senses. With a sharp twist of its body, the Minx's tail whipped around and struck Marcus.
Crack!
The impact hurled Marcus across the field. His body tumbled through the tall grass like a thrown spear.
By the time Marcus regained his footing, a wave of dizziness hit him as his stamina had dropped below half. He staggered for a moment, shaking it off before charging at the beast once again, like a man possessed.
The Vorathis Minx was still reeling in pain and shock. It couldn't comprehend how the human it had deemed weak—tasty treat—was not only surviving, but inflicting genuine pain on its body.
It had hurled Marcus far away on purpose, both to catch its breath and to deal a crippling blow. Yet here he was again, still moving as though nothing could put him down. The beast even began to wonder was his flesh was like its own? Was he truly human?
And now, here he was, closing the distance again.
A flicker of uncertainty sparked in its glowing eyes. What once looked like an easy prey was now a wild, red-eyed madman, charging with reckless abandon.
They clashed again, but this time the Minx was cautious. With the vulnerability of its underbelly revealed, it did all it could to avoid letting Marcus slip beneath it again.
Unluckily for the beast, Marcus had no intention of repeating the same tactic. His objective had shifted. He needed more of the beast's blood to keep himself going, to replenish the stamina draining from Berserker mode.
So he took a gamble
He baited the beast, positioning himself perfectly in the path of its snapping jaws. By now, he had studied its patterns well enough to predict how it attacked, and was prepared to use this to his advantage.
The Vorathis Minx lunged forward with its fans bared, taking the bait.
It missed—yet again.
Before it could raise its head, Marcus's fist slammed into its snout with brutal force. The impact broke the beast's nose under its force and a stream of blood exploded out.
A generous portion splattered across Marcus's body—and within moments, the blood vanished into his body. Absorbed.
The red smears that covered him faded, leaving his skin clean and his body tingling with renewed energy.
Marcus's stamina surged back almost instantly—stronger and wilder than before. The blood he'd absorbed worked like fuel, burning through his veins with invigorating power.
But the Vorathis Minx was enraged. With a furious bellow, it lunged forward, smashing its massive skull into Marcus with the force of a speeding truck. The impact should have sent him flying.
But he held on.
His fingers clung tightly to the creature's thick fur, halting his momentum mid-air. The beast thrashed in surprise, lifting a claw to swipe him off—only for Marcus to slip aside at the last second, dodging yet again.
Before the paw could hit the ground, Marcus leapt on, grabbing hold of one of the beast's thick fingers. And then, with every ounce of strength he had in him, he pulled.
The wrong way.
Crack!
The sickening snap of bone breaking rang through the field, followed by the Minx's piercing wail. As it staggered in pain, one of its claws broke off from the now-crippled finger.
Marcus didn't hesitate, he snatched the broken claw and sprang into the air. He soared above the howling beast. Then, with gravity on his side and fury in his veins, he brought the claw down in brutal arcs.
Dum!
A deep hollow thud echoed… then a squelch.
The Vorathis Minx let out one last, shuddering groan as its eyes rolled up and its knees buckled. And then it fell—dead.
From the fatal wound, wisps of red—thin, ethereal threads that were invisible to most, rose into the air, streaming towards Marcus. They surged into him like breath returning to lungs, filling his core with an overwhelming energy that made him throw his head back and roar.
He wasn't just roaring in triumph.
But something deeper… something primal.
And then silence.
The [Berserker] trait faded and its boost drained from his limbs like a tide receding from the shore. His body turned heavy, far too heavy to bear.
"I don't feel too good," he muttered as he raised his hand to his face. "And yet, what is this happiness inside of me?"
A strange warmth coiled in his chest, deep and primal. Satisfaction, hunger, and triumph, all mingled into something almost euphoric.
Just as he was trying to understand all that had happened, he heard a loud and familiar roar. A roar that sounded like that of a Vorathis Minx. Marcus panicked, however, his body was too weak for him to move around now.
The feeling of death soon graced him once again.