Chapter 30: Evolution Through Death

The abomination loomed in front of Arc, its body coiled for another assault. Vargus' grin deepened, revealing jagged teeth caked in blackened ichor, as if the fight had merely entertained it. Every time Arc thought he gained the upper hand, the monster defied logic, coming back stronger—its once-weak movements now frighteningly refined.

Arc stretched his aching muscles. His enhanced body healed quickly, but not fast enough to keep pace with the brutal exchange. Each fight was testing his limits, and worse—it was testing his patience. His breath burned in his lungs, but rage ignited somewhere deeper inside him.

He wasn't just angry at Vargus for being unkillable—he was angry at the world that had birthed such horrors and left them to fester, hidden away from sight. This town, this experiment, all of it... it was just another forgotten nightmare waiting to wake.

"I need to end this, for good," Arc muttered under his breath, his fists tightening until his knuckles turned white.

But how do you kill something that can't die?

Strategy in Chaos

Arc's mind raced, calculating possibilities. Vargus was adaptive, endlessly regenerating, and learning from each blow. Every time Arc killed it, it got faster and smarter. But it wasn't invincible. He knew there had to be a way—a weak point hidden within its abominable design.

And then it clicked. The core binding.

The status panel had hinted at it—some kind of central node keeping the beast alive. If he could find it and destroy it, maybe… just maybe, the abomination could finally stay dead. But where was it?

Vargus gave him no time to think. It lunged again, its speed blinding, claws slicing through the air. Arc sidestepped and retaliated with a devastating uppercut, sending the creature staggering backward.

But as the monster stumbled, Arc saw something—a faint, flickering glow at the center of its torso. There. That had to be it.

A Plan Forms

Arc rolled his shoulders, a grim smile spreading across his face. "Alright, you freak," he muttered. "Time to finish this."

The beast roared, lunging forward with renewed fury. Arc charged to meet it head-on, his fists ablaze with raw power. They clashed again, the ground beneath them shattering from the sheer force of their blows.

Arc ducked beneath a wild swing, slamming his elbow into the monster's ribs with enough force to crack stone. Vargus staggered, but Arc was relentless—he unleashed a barrage of punches, each strike aimed toward the glowing core in the monster's chest.

Every hit pushed him closer, closer—until finally, he saw the flicker of the core beneath the abomination's hardened skin. It was buried deep, but not unreachable.

Breaking Through the Beast

Vargus roared in frustration, swiping at Arc with clawed hands, but Arc moved like water—fluid and untouchable. His mastery of countless martial arts combined into one unstoppable flow, each movement calculated to exploit the beast's weaknesses.

He weaved between Vargus' strikes, twisting the creature's own momentum against it. A bone-cracking palm strike sent the monster off balance. Arc followed with a spinning kick to the beast's ribs, sending it crashing through a crumbling wall.

Now!

Arc leapt forward, slamming his hand into Vargus' chest. His fingers dug deep into the flesh, searching for the core. The monster snarled, thrashing wildly, but Arc held firm. He could feel it—something pulsing beneath layers of sinew and bone, the abomination's life force.

With a roar of effort, Arc tore his hand through the beast's chest and grasped the glowing core. It burned in his hand, but he didn't let go. He squeezed, feeling the fragile orb crack beneath his grip.

A Death Too Long in Coming

Vargus convulsed violently, its monstrous form unraveling. The black ichor that held it together bubbled and evaporated as the core shattered, releasing a surge of dark energy. The abomination let out a final, gurgling shriek as its body disintegrated into dust.

For a moment, there was silence. Arc stood amidst the ruins, chest heaving, watching as the last remnants of Vargus faded into nothing.

It was over. Finally.

Or so he thought.

The Twist

As Arc turned to leave, a strange hum filled the air. His enhanced senses buzzed with warning just before a pulse of energy erupted from the ground. Arc spun around in time to see the dust swirl into shape, reforming—Vargus was returning.

"No... no way," Arc muttered, disbelief clouding his face.

But this time, something was different. The beast's form flickered erratically, as if it were malfunctioning. Its once-gleaming eyes dimmed, and the core—what little remained of it—pulsed weakly. It wasn't regenerating properly. Arc's attack had damaged it beyond repair, but not enough to stop the resurrection entirely.

A Final Choice

Vargus let out a low, guttural growl, its movements sluggish and broken. The abomination was still dangerous, but it was on borrowed time—its core hanging by a thread.

Arc exhaled slowly, calming his mind. He could end this now. But it would take precision. One mistake, and the abomination would fully regenerate again.

He knelt beside the faltering beast, feeling a strange mixture of pity and disgust. This thing—this failed experiment—had been created only to suffer. It was never meant to live, only to serve as a weapon. Just like him.

Arc placed his hand on the weakened core. There was no anger now, only resolve. "Rest, monster," he whispered, and crushed the core completely.

Vargus gave one final, shuddering breath—and then it was gone. For good, this time.

After the Storm

The silence that followed was deafening. Arc collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion finally catching up with him. His muscles screamed in protest, but his heart felt lighter. He had won. Not just the battle, but something more.

He stared at the broken remains of the beast, feeling a strange sense of closure. Another chapter closed, another nightmare put to rest. But there were still more fights ahead, more mysteries to uncover. And Arc would face them all.

Because this was the path of evolution. And he wasn't done growing yet.