A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"Geron? What happened brother? Void dammit Geron, speak!"

"I... I..."

"Geron! Snap out of it! What the hell happened?"

"Nikra... I saw it, sister. I have seen it all, and couldn't do anything to save her. He was too fast, too close, and now she is gone..."

"Save who, brother! Start making sense?!"

"Focus, Nikra... Reach out to our siblings and tell me what you sense. Tell me you feel the same void as I do!"

"N-no... This cannot be true. She cannot be gone... She swore she would never leave the Citadel without us... How?"

"Tarak has betrayed us, sister. We are all alone now..."

~Nikra and Geron, shortly after the death of the Fifth

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The claws on his toes scraped against the ground as Leo came to a halt just a step away from the ruined building. The desolate corners of the Wasteland crept into his field of vision, yet for now, he paid them no mind. Instead, in one fluid motion, he seized the edges of the shattered wall and pushed with everything he had, propelling himself to the top of the ruined structure.

Leo's claws immediately sank into the rubble beneath him, and he kept himself low. Though not an ideal position, it was still preferable to entering through the street. Not even True Stealth could hide him there, while here, the buildings at least offered covers in the form of broken walls and piles of debris.

A bird's-eye view would have been much better, but no... I have to see what happened to that bloody thing. If it's dead, then I need to know. Leo shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the lone row of standing buildings.

Carefully maneuvering through the ruins, the entire Tainted Wasteland gradually came into view, and it did not disappoint. What, not even an hour ago, was shielded from all three sides by walls made of buildings, now only a single row remained, leaving behind heaps of rubble and the occasional half-standing wall.

The scorched ground didn't change even a bit. However, Leo quickly noticed that the influence of the Wasteland had somehow managed to seep into the ruins and the adjacent road. Though not completely overtaken, it was a close call, and he was willing to wager that soon, even the very ruins he stood in would become part of the Wasteland's domain.

Fuck... Either I just stirred up a hornet's nest, or the buildings were somehow slowing down the spread of the Wasteland... And going by the fact that the last wall was completely untouched and free from the cursed land, the latter seemed like the more reasonable option.

Alright, so I might have fucked up a bit... Void damnit, Leo. You just had to release this hellhole on the entire city…

The only silver lining in this entire mess was the fact that, from what he was seeing, the population of the Wasteland had been reduced to half of its original numbers. Evidently, the Juggernaut kicked more Voidlings on its way to him than Leo initially expected.

Speaking of that bloody thing... Where are you?

The Juggernaut was powerful, Leo would give the beast that much. However, the fact that it didn't come to finish the job when he lay defeated on the street hinted that something might have happened to it. After all, there was no reason for the Voidling to leave perfect prey behind after demolishing an entire street to chase it.

Come on. Be dead, you dumb pile of muscles. Leo grumbled as he jumped onto another pile. Pieces of walls, floors, and furniture lay scattered everywhere, yet the Juggernaut was nowhere to be seen…

It wasn't until he was halfway through the third building that a flash of color caught Leo's eyes. He quickly dropped from his current position and watched as dark blood flowed out of a gap in a massive heap, glinting in the light of the evening sun.

Careful now…

Slowly, Leo climbed around the pile that concealed the source of the blood. As he peered into the gap, a wide grin spread across his face. There, barely concealed by the rubble, a massive, skinless hand tried to reach the end of the hole. It lay motionless, lifeless, and a single use of Identify confirmed the Juggernaut's demise.

So even you can't survive numerous buildings falling down on your head. Good.

Staying on the side of caution, Leo prodded the hand with a stick he had found amidst the ruins. Despite that, the hand stayed still, and neither Identify nor the upgraded Hunter's Pulse returned any signs of the Juggernaut still being alive.

Alright then. Like they say, you only live once.

With that single thought in mind, Leo thrust his hand into the gap, driving his sharp claws into the monster's bulging muscles. Devour activated immediately, and despite the Voidling having died some time ago, the dams broke open, and Essence spilled into his body in waves.

In comparison, while a single Cursed Human barely gave him a twentieth of his Essence reserves, the body of the Juggernaut already filled his soul to the maximum. Moreover, Devour never stopped drinking, hungry for more power. Leo even thought about stopping but quickly abandoned the notion. His ability had to have a reason for continuously draining the massive beast.

The answer to that question arrived in the form of a notification. Yet before Leo could read it, the ruins covering the Juggernaut's body trembled, a cloud of dust replacing the monstrous form.

Shit!

Nearly stumbling over his own tails, Leo swiftly spun around and retraced his steps back to the previous building. The ruined structure behind him shook once more, and the echoes of screeches filled the air.

Forgot about that bloody thing turning into dust... Still, should be worth the scare if what I think just happened. Leo huffed as he climbed through the debris, finally reaching the end of the ruins. One last leap was all it took to safely land on the same street he came from.

Diving back into the tall red grass, Leo brought back the dismissed System notification.

You have successfully devoured a Cursed Juggernaut, LVL: 11. Devour's special ability managed to consume: 1 Might and add it to your strength. May your future hunts be even more fruitful.

Worth taking a peek, so fucking worth it...

A single addition to Might may not be much in the long run, but at this point, every single attribute counted. Besides, Might was Leo's weakest side, so raising it even by one point changed a lot, especially considering all the percentage boosts he possessed for this attribute.

Forty-five percent... I don't even have half as much for Grace, and this should be my main attribute... Whatever, maybe it's for the best. Can't have Might lagging behind too much, and I don't want to spend points there if I don't have to for now.

Dismissing the message, Leo looked up at the setting sun, its dark red rays bathing the world with its dying light. It was only a matter of time before the star would disappear behind the horizon, plunging this part of Earth into nightmarish darkness.

All around, shadows had already begun to grow stronger, and even Leo's meager senses managed to pick up the change. Not even his true affinity could help against what was coming... The night was slowly waking, and whoever remained outside would have to face its wrath.

Time to go.

As this simple thought settled in Leo's mind, a sudden wave of clarity surged through him, washing away all worries, tumultuous thoughts, and needless emotions. It felt as though a switch had been flipped in his soul, and in that moment, the primal instinct of the beast he had become resurfaced for the first time since Prime's Rage had deactivated.

For a fleeting moment, Leo entertained the thought of resisting, of suppressing those instincts and shoving them back into the hole they crawled from. However, before he could do that, the echoes of Nikra's past words reverberated in his mind.

'Those new instincts will coexist with your own consciousness, for they are now yours. Live with them and, as you said, adapt...'

It was normal to fear the unknown, to run from problems that scare us. But Leo couldn't... no, shouldn't run anymore. These instincts, though they shook him to the very core, were now an integral part of who he was. And denying a part of oneself never ended well…

Adapt or die... Isn't that right, System? You really like proving the truth of those words... Leo mused with a wry chuckle.

Like an animal, he dropped to all fours, his claws sinking into the ground. A surge of primal instinct roared within him, fueling his every move. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged towards the building across the road, running like a devil was on his heel.

As one unit, Leo and the instincts of a Night Hunter guided his body up the building's wall, digging new handholds with each move. Even his tails assisted in the climb, and he couldn't help but take notice of how easily they responded to his instincts' commands.

Like an army of voices inside my head, all fighting for the same goal.

It should have made him stop, make him end this madness, but Leo didn't want to. He and the nature of the Night Hunter still had a long way to go, but if he didn't embrace it now, they would be always at war from this point on. This, Leo knew deep inside his soul.

'Live with them...'

Even when the first Cursed Human walked into their path, it stood no chance against their combined might.

They descended upon the beast like fallen angels plummeting from heaven, blades extended and ready to cleave through flesh... The Voidling's head began to fall, but they were off within a blink, disappearing from sight before the monster's body even collapsed.

This was the power of an entity focused purely on two goals. Surviving and completing its assigned task. Not even the roars of the waking Nightmares in the background could push them off course, and with each passing second, Leo learned more and more about the creature he had become.

Before long, a familiar area came into view — the street below still stained by the blood he had spilled this morning. And as Leo stopped at a roof's edge, Night Hunter's instincts slowly backed off, returning full control to its rightful owner. But despite that, they didn't disappear just like after the deactivation of Prime's rage. Instead, he could still feel them lurking underneath the surface, ready to surge forth at a moment's notice.

Good to have you with me. I swear that one day we will become one, just as you showed me... A primal roar immediately responded to Leo's thoughts, and he didn't even attempt to stifle the laughter that escaped his throat. True Stealth would take care of it anyway.

Talking to a bestial part of myself... Man, now I'm definitely going mad. But after what I just experienced, being mad might not be so bad.

The instincts of a Prime Night Hunter are stirring, and you have answered their call, welcoming them into your soul. The first and hardest part of Synchronization is behind you. What you do next depends wholly on you, User. Will you complete this process, or will you be fighting shadows until the end of time?

Snorting, Leo dismissed the message. I won't leave things half-finished, System. Now that I'm aware of what lies beneath the surface, there's no need to resist. This is a part of me, and I have no intention of discarding it. Nikra's story taught me enough about that…

So no System, this is not a choice. Leo shook his head lightly, gazing at the sun disappearing behind the horizon. Not when there is only one option to choose from.

Well done, Nikra's Legacy. I will be waiting.