Rudy Lunged.
His spine snapped and stretched, fur ripping through skin like flame through cloth. Muscle bulged grotesquely beneath his now golden, mottled flesh.
His hands twisted into claws, long, jagged things meant to rip bodies apart. His jaw jutted, fangs glinting. A lion's face now sat twisted atop a human torso, and his eyes, feral and blood-red, locked on Dune with murderous hunger.
But Dune didn't move.
He watched. Silent. Calm. Almost bored.
His sword came up in a flash, a diagonal slash meant to maim, not kill. It grazed Rudy's chest, leaving a red-hot line across his ribs.
Rudy roared in pain, but Dune had already stepped around him, carving another shallow cut across the beast-man's back.
The lion-form charged again, faster this time. Rudy leapt, claws aiming for Dune's throat.
But Dune ducked low.
Steel hissed and blood followed.
Rudy screamed as Dune's blade tore across his thigh, nearly taking the leg with it. He stumbled, rage boiling.
"You little shit!"
Claws came down, again and again, a storm of strikes meant to overwhelm. Trees splintered. Dirt flew.
Rudy's claws slashed toward his chest. Dune tilted his body just enough for them to miss, the sound of tearing air whispering past his ear. Rudy spun with surprising speed for his size and lunged again, this time going for the kill.
Still, Dune didn't retreat.
He stepped in.
His right hand caught Rudy's wrist mid-strike, and in the same breath, Dune's left hand shot up and struck the inside of Rudy's elbow, twisting the arm the wrong way with a precise, brutal snap.
The sound was sharp. Bone split skin.
A jagged white bone pushed out from Rudy's forearm, fresh blood pouring.
Rudy roared in fury, snapping at the air as if the pain only fueled him.
Dune didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the broken arm by the wrist and with a sharp, clean motion, plunged the exposed bone into Rudy's throat. Blood erupted in a thick spray, coating both of them.
Rudy staggered, gurgling, eyes wide, not in fear, but rage.
"You fucking—!" he tried to shout, but his voice drowned in blood.
Dune met his furious glare with silence. Then, hand still on the ruined arm, he twisted his grip and ripped.
Muscle tore and a moment later, the entire limb came free with a wet rip.
Dune let it hang for a moment, blood dripping from his fingers.
Rudy stumbled back, panting, one arm missing, his claws twitching with rage.
"You… bastard!" he bellowed, spitting blood to the dirt. "You think this is over?!"
Dune stood still, his expression unreadable, the forest eerily quiet behind him.
Dune's boot slammed onto Rudy's leg, pinning it down with unrelenting force. Rudy screamed, spitting blood as he tried to twist away, but Dune's other foot flared with green light.
A Nebastep platform burst beneath Rudy's shin, detonating with a sudden, sickening crack.
The leg shattered instantly, bone splintered, skin tore, and flesh erupted into a burst of blood and screams. Rudy writhed on the ground, veins bulging from his neck as he howled like a dying animal.
"FUCK YOU!" he spat, tears mixing with dirt and blood. "You sick, twisted bastard—!"
"Look who's talking." Dune stood above him, unflinching. He tilted his head slightly, almost curious. Rudy's voice was breaking from the agony, but he kept shouting, curse after curse, spit flying, his body thrashing like a worm in fire.
Then suddenly… he stopped.
Dune's brow twitched.
"What?" he asked, voice calm. Too calm. "Out of breath already?"
Rudy grinned, blood dripping from his teeth. "No… I was loud enough."
Dune's eyes widened. He turned, a flash of understanding hitting like thunder, but it was too late.
Behind him, a bull one of the giants emerged, black as night, eyes glowing deep red. Its horns pulsed with massive, unstable Neba energy.
A second later, it charged.
"Shit—!"
Dune dropped into motion, forming Nebasteps in midair, platforms exploding beneath his feet as he tried to escape, but Rudy, even mangled, lunged with his one remaining arm and caught Dune by the leg.
"You're not going anywhere," Rudy hissed.
The bull's blast hit.
Everything turned white.
A colossal explosion cracked the ground open, blasting the cliff's edge into dust. Dune and Rudy were launched off, tumbling through rock and flame.
They plummeted down, before slamming into the ravine below with thunderous force.
Darkness swallowed the world.
Pain woke him.
Dune's body trembled as his eyes opened, his breaths shallow and uneven.
A massive horn was impaled in his chest, the curved tip sticking out through his back. Blood soaked the earth. His legs both shattered. His ribs crushed. The weight of the impact had mangled everything.
"Heh…" he coughed, blinking sweat and blood from his eyes. "Fuck…"
He tried to pull the horn free, teeth clenched, hand slick with blood, but then he heard it. A scrape. A breath.
Rudy was crawling towards him.
Dragging what was left of himself across the broken ground, Rudy inched forward, eyes wild with hatred. Dune's fingers brushed the base of the horn, but Rudy reached him first.
With a feral growl, he slammed the horn deeper into Dune's chest.
Dune gasped, the pain blinding. Blood sprayed from his lips.
Rudy's claws, still sharp, plunged into Dune's gut. Again. And again.
"You can take it…" Dune choked, voice barely above a whisper, a bloody grin on his face. "The core… just take it…"
"I don't give a shit about the core!" Rudy roared. "I just want to watch you die, slow. In agony."
But Dune laughed. It was soft. Hollow. Mocking.
"This? This isn't pain," he whispered. "You're weak, Rudy. This was your first time fighting someone equal to you… and look at you now. No arm. No leg. Begging for a win."
He leaned up, lips inches from Rudy's neck.
"Pathetic."
And with one sudden motion, he bit into Rudy's throat.
His teeth tore through flesh and muscle, blood exploding in his mouth. Rudy screamed, flailing as Dune ripped out a chunk of his neck, then kicked him, even with a broken leg, sending him sprawling.
Rudy gagged, choking, his voice no more than a wet whisper.
Dune stared, breathing heavy as the man twitched and slowly stopped moving.
Then… silence.
Dune collapsed beside him, eyes fluttering, blood still flowing from the horn in his chest.
"Heal… heal…" he whispered, slipping into unconsciousness.
But suddenly… Rudy's eyes shot open.
"What the hell? Why isn't this guy dying?"
But it wasn't fully Rudy anymore. The man was almost gone, replaced by something primal, savage. His body burned with green Neba, glowing with unnatural intensity. His skin turned darker, his body swelling and morphing, as massive horns sprouted from his skull, his arms elongating with claws as sharp as daggers. His mouth twisted into a grotesque snarl, revealing razor-sharp teeth. And then, he let out a roar, a roar that shook the very earth beneath them.
Dune gasped. He could barely catch his breath, his body screaming for rest, for healing, but it didn't matter. This… this was worse than anything he had expected.
Suddenly, Mindya appeared beside him, her expression unreadable. She had watched the whole fight, silent, eyes locked on the carnage between Dune and Rudy. Dune's vision was blurred, but he saw her approach Rudy's mangled body.
"What happened to him...did Rudy lose control… but he's not even Zeten?" Dune muttered, his voice a raspy whisper. His mind was blurry, struggling to process the monstrous figure before him.
The beast-like creature, or what was left of Rudy, towered over them. But then, in a terrifying moment, it lunged at Mindya.
With a scream, Mindya clashed with Rudy, she landed the first hit, throwing him to the ground with such force that it sent him crashing. Her eyes were wild with emotion, rage, fear, confusion, but also something new.
Strength.
The blade was formed in her hand, a massive weapon with teeth like a serpent's, gleamed in the faint light. She grabbed it, her hands tight around the hilt, as her entire body trembled with determination.
Without hesitation, Mindya leapt onto the beast-like Rudy. She slammed down onto him, driving the jagged blade into his chest with ferocious strength, pushing the weapon deeper, forcing it into his heart, until his monstrous form trembled one last time.
"Die, you bastard!" she screamed, her eyes burning with unrelenting fire. She didn't stop. She stabbed again and again.
Finally, Rudy's monstrous body stopped twitching, and Mindya pulled the blade free. Blood gushed, staining the ground beneath her as she knelt, panting heavily, her face an expression of utter exhaustion, but also triumph.
Dune watched her, his heart still racing as the adrenaline left his body. A heavy sigh left his chest as his body finally gave in. The relief was almost too much.
Dune's vision blurred again, but this time… it was relief. The world around him seemed to fade, darkness closing in as he whispered,
"Heal… heal… damn it…"