The Tiger Crushed by a Monster
"Are you insane?"
At Kang-rim’s request to be taught the incantation, Sua stared at him as if wondering what kind of nonsense she had just heard.
"What are you going to do if something goes wrong while using that?"
"I agree with Sua," Iris chimed in, echoing her sentiment. "We cannot gamble with Master's life."
Kang-rim intended to use Black Light, just as Tai, the leader of the Tiger tribe, had done.
There were two conditions to use Black Light:
1. The catalyst must be present within the body.
2. One must recite the incantation to break the seal.
Tai had been able to become a giant tiger monster because he satisfied these two conditions. And Kang-rim, too, met the minimum requirements. He carried the Yoryeok-seok, a precious artifact of the Gumiho tribe he had received from Sua, within his body.
Now, all that was left was to recite the incantation. If he succeeded, he would gain the means to oppose Tai, but if he failed, his life could not be guaranteed. Even if he succeeded, there was no guarantee that things would go well. That was why Iris and Sua were so vehemently opposed to it.
Kang-rim was not unaware of this.
"Then, do you have any other solution?"
However, the reality was that there was no clear solution. "He’s a monster who didn't even flinch when the three of us attacked him together. Do you think we can win against a guy like that with just our current strength?"
If there had been another way, he would have used it immediately. Kang-rim, too, didn't want to use his own life as collateral if he could help it. He didn't want to commit the contradictory act of risking his life when he wanted to live. If there existed a way to perfectly suppress Tai, Kang-rim would have chosen that method immediately.
But unfortunately, no such method existed.
"Tell me. If there is a way to surely defeat that guy other than this..."
"..."
"..."
At those words, neither Sua nor Iris could refute him.
"If there isn't, tell me quickly. We have to do it before he notices where we are." Kang-rim demanded again, looking at Sua. "Don't dawdle. If you don't want us to end up inside a tiger's belly together, speak up."
"...Are you truly alright with this?" Sua asked with genuine concern. "You don't know what the outcome will be, so are you really going to do it? What if you can't come back like Tai?"
"If I can't come back, I'll just live as I am."
"Huh?"
At the absurd remark, Sua almost let out a dry laugh. Iris, listening from the side, stared at Kang-rim with a look that asked what kind of crazy talk he was spouting.
Kang-rim didn't care at all about their shock. He spoke joyfully, as if a bright future awaited him.
"It wouldn't be bad to live the life of a monster if I become one. A Demon King who ravages the world with terror. That wouldn't be a bad life. I'm already a Demon King myself, after all."
"..."
"I'd like to build something like a Demon Castle, but since my body will grow larger, it would be better to build it big, right?"
"How can you say such a thing..."
Sua was dumbfounded, but Kang-rim was sincere.
"I'm saying it because it makes sense. Do you think I'm just saying it for no reason?"
"..."
"So, tell me quickly." Kang-rim demanded again. "I'll bear all the consequences myself, so just tell me."
"Ha, how did I fall for such a piece of trash..."
He was the man who had taken everything from her. Unable to endure being ravaged by this man, Sua had eventually chosen submission. She had offered not only her own life but her entire tribe as well. She had become a body that couldn't live without Kang-rim, to the point where she was willing to go that far.
If Kang-rim went wrong and lived as a monster forever, she would serve him for the rest of her life. And conversely, for the sake of the women he had taken, including Sua, this man would sacrifice himself without hesitation. Sua was genuinely curious about how this man, known as a heinous piece of trash who would sacrifice even the women who loved him for his own sake, had turned into a man with such a strong spirit of sacrifice.
Well, even if she asked, he probably wouldn't tell her.
"I understand. I will teach you. Instead..." Sua set one condition. "Do not die."
Nothing else mattered. "You must return alive. Don't make us spend our lives in tears. You know well what will happen to the remaining people if you die, don't you?"
Just keep that one promise. If you have decided to take all of us, take responsibility and live until the end.
"Yeah, I'll return alive."
Kang-rim readily accepted Sua's request. "I'll return, so teach me quickly. That guy Tai, he's already caught the scent. He's coming this way."
"I understand, I'll tell you. The incantation is..."
A moment later,
—ROOOOAR!
The roar of a monster echoed throughout the entire island.
'Where are you, you trash? Where are you hiding...'
Tai was looking around. The black pupils of the tiger monster, trampling trees as it advanced, were burning with rage. 'Just show yourselves. I'll chew you all up.'
Grid, the woman in silver armor who attacked him, and Sua. He would kill those three. He would kill them, and he would kill the others too. He would kill every single one of those who cooperated with the pirates.
He would kill, kill, and kill to avenge the grudge of his compatriots who had been ravaged by the pirates. He would pay it all back and regain his fallen honor. To do that, living as a monster for the rest of his life was nothing to Tai.
—Destroy everything.
Seol-hwa had said so. —You have already lost your honor. Even if you return, they will chase you out, calling you a disgrace to the Tiger tribe.
It was true. With what face could he return? If he had selected elite warriors, he should have achieved results, but instead of results, he had failed miserably. The warriors had been reduced to slaves of the pirates, and Tai himself had been remodeled into a body that could never fight again. A single failure had cut the strength of the Beastman Union in half, which soon led to the collapse of the union. Who would welcome the person responsible for such a thing if he returned? He would only hear the outcry to pay for his sins with his life. He would be exiled by his own kin as a disgrace.
Tai did not want that. He wanted to somehow restore his honor and make up for his failure. Because he had that desperation, he had easily fallen for Seol-hwa's coaxing. Although it was also because he had lost his reason after the Black Light was injected, making it impossible for him to think normally.
—The only way to restore your honor is to kill all the pirates. The same goes for those who cooperated with them.
Destroy all the islands that had become the pirates' dens. Eliminate all the beastmen who had become traitors. Eliminate Sua, Akelon, Kau, and Levi as well.
—Kill Grid at all costs.
And eliminate Grid, the source of all things. Seol-hwa whispered that only that was the only way for Tai to make up for his failure and restore his honor. —Then, even if you return, no one will curse you.
At that command, Tai moved. Following the command, he decided to devastate Fox Island first. Tai did not consider this to be wrong. What was the big deal about massacring them when it was to restore his honor? Since it had already become a den of evil, purification was the answer. This couldn't be wrong. So he would kill them all. Kill them all. Kill them all. He would kill everyone who blocked his path.
—ROOOOAR!
It was then that the roar of a monster was suddenly heard.
[...What is this?]
An ominous black energy soared high into the sky. It was the same energy Tai felt when he was injected with Black Light. But it was the same, yet the concentration was completely different. It was so thick that Tai couldn't breathe properly.
What on earth was happening? When such doubts arose, something appeared before Tai's eyes.
'What. What is that?'
For a moment, Tai was terrified. Because he was terrified, he stepped back. It was a shameful thing as a warrior, but his head was screaming at him. Don't fight. Run away. This guy is not an opponent you can handle alone. Tai began to tremble so much that he even forgot Seol-hwa's suggestion to annihilate everything.
'Could it be Sua?'
Tai had such a thought. Because the only ones who could become monsters through Black Light were himself and Sua. But, was that monster that appeared before his eyes really Sua? That monster with a hideous face? That monster whose entire body was covered in black armor? That monster staring at him with black eyes from which a chilling energy flowed? Was that monster without a tail, that monster that didn't look like a Gumiho, truly the existence that Sua had transformed into?
'It doesn't matter who became a monster.'
Tai, who had barely managed to compose himself, immediately took a combat stance. 'It ends anyway if I just bite its throat!'
Tai, who had made such a resolution, lunged. The moment Tai, with his maw wide open, tried to bite the monster's throat,
Tai's vision was reversed.
[...?!]
What had happened? Only after falling to the ground did Tai realize that he had been hit by a punch thrown by the monster and sent flying. With a single punch, all his teeth were shattered to pieces. Tai, with blood overflowing from his mouth, was greatly shocked. What shocked him even more was...
'It's not regenerating?'
The broken teeth were not being restored. The reason he had been fine despite Artria's onslaught, fine even though the inside of his mouth had become charcoal while fighting Sua's familiars, and fine even when Iris stabbed a sword into his cervical spine, was because he had transcendental regenerative power. Originally, Tai didn't have such an ability, but he had gained it after being injected with Black Light. So the broken teeth should have regenerated. They should have, but it didn't happen. As if blocked by something, new teeth wouldn't grow. The same went for his cracked jaw.
Why was this happening all of a sudden? Tai couldn't pay attention to this question. Because the black monster had begun to pour out an onslaught.
Tai became a rag from the continuous punches thrown by the black monster. Even if he wanted to respond properly, Tai couldn't come to his senses from the barrage that didn't even allow for a counterattack.
'Who do you think will lose?'
Tai, who had barely managed to block the barrage by swinging his forepaws, leaped far back. Tai opened his maw toward the front.
—ROOOOAR!
A tremendous shockwave that shook the heavens and the earth erupted from Tai's mouth. The place where the shockwave from the tiger's mouth passed left nothing behind except for deep gouges. The black monster crossed its two arms in an X shape. The black monster that collided with the shockwave was pushed far back.
Tai did not miss that moment. He leaped into the air with all his might. He leaped and landed on the monster's back. Tai swung his forepaws toward the defenseless back of its head. If he swung like this, the monster's head would be crushed. No matter how sturdy the armor was, it was useless in front of tiger claws.
Tai, who had been thinking that, stopped just like that.
[...What, is this?]
He couldn't move. Not only the forepaws he had swung toward the guy, but his body wouldn't move either. Tai, who had been bewildered by what was happening, immediately realized the reason.
[Th, this is...]
Thick black tentacles connected to the monster's back like vine plants, and the nine spear blades attached to the ends of those tentacles pierced Tai's entire body. The black monster threw Tai with all its might in that state.
Splash!
Tai, who had been thrown, fell into the sea. Tai, who had quickly surfaced, saw a large shadow fall immediately after. The black monster, which had appeared while creating a large splash, grabbed Tai's neck with one hand.
—ROOOOAR!
It repeatedly slammed Tai's head into the sea, pulled it out, and slammed it back in. Kang-rim continued the water torture until Tai went limp.
—Gurgle...
The black monster, judging that there was no longer a need to slam him, lifted Tai with its right hand. The tiger that had devastated Fox Island until a little while ago had become like a drowned rat. The monster, which had clenched its fist toward the tiger that had become soaked fur, plunged its fist into Tai's body.
It pierced through the fur, tore through the muscles, broke the bones, and grabbed Tai's heart. In that state, the monster began to absorb him.
'My power...'
His power was draining away. The power bestowed by Seol-hwa, the power inherited from his ancestors, was being sucked into that guy. Should he stop it? He couldn't put strength into his front legs. His jaw wouldn't move. As his power drained, Tai's vision gradually darkened.
Was he dying like this? But, why did he feel so liberated? And,
Why was the voice of that detestable man heard from the monster's mouth? Before that question could be resolved, Tai lost consciousness.