Primal Fury and the Lone Survivor
The desperate cries of the fairies calling for help against the monstrous Earth Spirit echoed in my mind as I raced home, and the horrific scene I witnessed stirred up those bitter memories from my past life.
Animals massacred for sport, their bodies riddled with bullets and sprawled across the grassland plain. Rich spoiled brats snapping photos and videos on their phones, laughing like it was all a game. Taunting the cops that they’d call their lawyers as they were dragged away—and me, powerless, just glaring at them while cleaning up the corpses.
After that day, I couldn’t stomach meat without vomiting. The revulsion, the metallic tang of blood, the rotting stench—it all came flooding back. And now, here it was again, thick and nauseating.
Even if this spirit was like a force of nature, a mindless disaster, I was livid at the senseless slaughter. Amid the forest’s earthy scent, the reek of blood assaulted me from the devastation ahead.
There lay a wolf pack, crushed like a child’s broken toys. The very wolves I’d seen on my first day reincarnated here. We hadn’t started off on good terms, but over time, we’d reached a wary coexistence—just nodding at each other when our paths crossed.
Like the other animals caught in the wolves’ path, they’d been swept up in the attack. Tiny scraps of torn hide and burst bloodstains marked the pups’ final traces.
Not far off, the innocent, family-like fairies writhed in agony, bleeding out.
The sight nearly snapped my sanity, but I clung to reason by a thread, balancing human intellect with feral instinct. Rage boiled over, propelling my body forward.
Our sizes differed like adult versus teen, but I couldn’t give up. I didn’t want the fairies dying like those wolves. This time, I had to protect them.
“Uoooooooh!!!”
With a guttural roar, I snatched another fallen tree from the debris. Before the spirit could fully recover, I charged.
Swinging the log like a club again, the spirit countered as if expecting it—whipping its massive arm and summoning conical stones from thin air, hurling them at me.
Magic? I rolled aside from the projectiles, blocking with my log. A glancing hit seared with stinging pain, but I didn’t stop.
Finally closing in, I swung upward in a devastating uppercut.
WHOOOOSH!!!
The accelerated log whipped up a gale, smashing into the spirit’s head with ferocious power.
KABOOOM!!
It toppled fully to the ground. (Aaaargh!!!!)
More irritation than agony in its frantic telepathic screech.
I pounced atop it, unleashing a barrage of punches with all my might.
Compared to the boxing I’d watched as a human, this was primal, reckless fury—but the raw power in my fists guaranteed destruction.
The spirit fought back from the ground, flailing arms and firing magic.
Incoming boulders and sweeping limbs. Too late to dodge—I trusted my gorilla toughness and braced.
THUD!! BOOM!
A direct hit rocked my skull, vision blurring and doubling. But I hauled myself up.
“Ptoo!”
Blood streamed from my head and nose; I spat out a broken tooth amid the clot. My fists never stopped.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!!
“Uoooooo!!!”
Each downward hammer carved craters into its chest. Ripping chunks tore rock and earth apart. The flying dirt felt like spurting blood.
As I poured my red-eyed hatred into the fallen spirit, a frantic voice pierced my ears.
(Kong, stop! Get away from there!!!!)
Alpha’s desperate cry.
Her tiny voice reverberated in my skull, snapping reason back. Then I sensed it.
Sinister mana gathering ominously in the spirit’s pinned body. Survival instincts screamed too late—I leaped clear.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
Sure enough, jagged rock pillars erupted where I’d been. A split-second slower, and I’d have been impaled.
Sensing my escape, the pillar crumbled. From the rubble, the spirit emerged anew.
Smaller now, matching my size—but thorns bristled across its body, furious from the beating. Intimidating as hell.
No more close-up punches. But as a civilized beast, I’d just use tools (logs) again. That wasn’t the real issue.
It regenerated endlessly, no matter the damage. It had been nearly shattered moments ago, yet here it was, pristine. Now even more armored, like plated stone.
Realizing my hide was tougher than expected, it shifted to mass and magic to crush me. Fine—I’d adapt cleverly too.
One thing humans excel at over beasts: throwing. And in this gorilla body, I’d give it a shot.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Smaller but denser, its movements grew sluggish. Ranged attacks for this rockhead. Grass-types shred rock-types.
I hefted a log, mimicking a throwing stance—body limits be damned. The spirit froze, unease flashing like ‘No way…’
And sure enough, gorilla strength sent the log hurtling.
FWOOOOOSH!!!!
More pillar than spear, but dead on target.
It tried dodging, but its stiff, slow bulk just lumbered awkwardly.
CRASH!
The impact boomed like a collapsing building, cracking its armor. Shards rained down.
It worked. And focused on hardness, its regen lagged.
Time to chisel that rock into my statue.
I hurled logs relentlessly, each splintering the boulder amid echoing cracks through the forest.
It fired magic back, but my circling dodges and barrage made hits impossible.
(Uwaaaaaah!! Stop!!!)
Armor shattering, it shrieked—a compliment like ‘This fight’s bullshit!’ I redoubled, toying with the mighty-yet-sluggish foe.
But spirits earn their name—it wore me down, wounds accumulating.
Stab. Stab-stab.
Cleverly sprouting thumbtack thorns from the ground. Not metal-deep, but my footpads shredded. Spikes and stakes tore flesh everywhere.
Worse, prior punches ached my chest with every breath. Damn, cracked ribs.
As it flailed amid log piles, no more ammo remained.
I backed off, catching my breath. Pain twisted my face; every step agonized feet and fists.
I seemed advantaged, but no.
It spammed magic to whittle me—wounds bleeding, mounting. Meanwhile, it regenerated slowly but surely. Prolonged fight favored it.
I needed one massive blow to shatter its form. That’s when glowing dust rained from above—the fairies, aiding me.
They dusted my wounds with sparkling powder, advising: (Kong, spirits are made of mana—hit with mana attacks!)
(But you can’t wield mana well yet.)
(Use our powder!)
Exhausted yet squeezing out strength, they coated my wounds and fists.
(With our dust infused, your next hits will land true!)
(It might even cry!)
Grateful, their words recalled my unconscious sensation from earlier. Rage-fueled roar releasing oppressive mana. The boiling energy in my core had surged instinctively through emotion.
That’s it. Not conscious control—like moving limbs or breathing. Unconscious mana flow.
Mana’s like wispy liquid smoke—grasp it, and it slips away. Let unconscious instinct carry emotion-laden mana.
Insight struck; core mana stirred, aligning with my fury and duty.
Those emotions frosted my fists. Fairy dust ignited them in shimmering orange glow.
Ignoring throbbing feet, I advanced through logs to face the emerging spirit. Like a baby’s wobbly first steps—nervous but sure—I channeled mana into my legs and charged.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“Uwooooaaarrr!!!!”
Slow steps accelerated to runaway train speed.
Startled, it raised a stone wall to block. Futile against my burning rage.
I punched mid-stride. KABOOOM!!
Orange-glowing fist hammered like a battering ram, burrowing through.
Crashing bodily through the fissured wall, I faced its aimed spear.
(With that puny power, you dare…!! Die!!!)
Too fast to react—it thrust at my chest.
SPLURCH!!
I twisted, taking it in the left shoulder. Still, victory smirked on my face. A winner’s grin.
(Grraaah… You bastard! Should’ve aimed for the head!!)
CRUNCH!
Shoulder pierced, I snapped the spear with a punch, closing in. Mana-charged fist, full power—straight at it.
WHOOOOSH!!!
Thorns crumbled pre-impact from rippling mana. Arm plunged like a knife through cake, into its core.
SPLAT!!
Inside: soft clay, shock-absorbing.
I churned my arm, seizing the crisis’s culprit at center. It thrashed in resistance.
Yanking like uprooting veggies, out came its true form: spider-like stone and mana.
(W-Wait!! Hold on!!)
Panicking, it flailed to escape—but I gripped tight, intent on ending it.
One arm useless now. I gaped my jaws wider than a lion’s, thicker fangs ripping in.
CRUNCH! GRIND!! SNAP!!
(Aaaargh!!!! Emilia!!! Emilia!!! S-Save me!!!)
(Help! Ktonos-sama!)
It wailed unknown names; I ignored, savoring vengeance’s sweetness.
Each bite flooded me with purer, denser mana than mana stones—body growing real-time. I aimed to devour it whole, but…
(Th-This way I won’t die! I haven’t met her yet!!!)
(Where?! Lose gracefully and get eaten!!) (No!! You monster!)
Half-consumed, it severed its own leg, shrieking into a rippling spatial void.
(Where’d it vanish to?)
As I reeled, ragged-winged Alpha flew up, supported by friends.
(It fled to its spirit realm… ‘Escaped’ fits better.)
(So we won.)
Mana mastery let words flow naturally.
The fairies cheered, forgetting injuries. (Yaaay! We won!!)
(We fought together! Without you, Kong, disaster!)
(I won thanks to you all.)
How triumphant their first victory felt. Amid cheers, I beat my chest in celebration.
Uoooooooh!!!
DUM! Dum-DUM! DUM! DUM!
Drum-like thuds boomed through the forest, proclaiming our win to all.
Revelry faded; we headed home. Fight over—time for wounds.
Even with fairy magic, recovery’d take a week minimum. Hunting and patrols paused; ration stores it is.
Glancing around en route.
Battle-ravaged forest, corpses amid wreckage—still unsettling.
(Kong, don’t be too sad.)
(I’m fine.)
(Liar, your eyes look sad.)
Fairies saw right through me.
As I turned with their comfort, a faint… Whiiiine… whiiiine…
Ears perked in the silence.
Eyes wide, I traced the sound—to the wolves’ death site.
Hope flickering, I approached. There: a lone surviving pup, trembling in its cold mother’s embrace.
I knew it’d die alone. …Can’t ignore this.
Vocational instinct won. Gently scooping it up, I’d nurture till self-sufficient.
(Decided to care for this one awhile.)
(New family?)
(Cute puppy!)
(Dummy, it’s a wolf pup.)
Good reactions.
(Just till it can survive alone, then release to wild.)
(Isn’t this the wild?)
(Uh… true.)
(Then keep it forever?)
Speechless, but spot-on.
Why release a well-raised one? Could bolster family defense.
Gazing at the fainted pup relaxing in my arms, I reconsidered.
This is the wild. Tame it, adopt as family; else, let it go. Its choice later.
Thus, victory pride in hearts, we returned home.