Chapter 15 - Death Grip

For a moment, victory seemed close.

The three-headed boar staggered, its massive body swaying as the hound's relentless attacks tore into it.

Its movements were slower now, and its snarls were weaker. Nex dared to believe this fight might actually be over.

But then, the tide turned.

The boar let out a deep, guttural roar, one that rumbled through the ground like distant thunder. Its three heads reared back, mouths gaping wide.

Thick, green mist gushed out, pouring across the battlefield like a rising tide.

The air grew heavy. The earth beneath the beast sizzled and blackened as the poisonous fog spread.

[Warning: Toxin detected in the body.]

[Warning: Toxin detected in the body.]

[Warning: Toxin detected in the body.]

The Mod's alert confirmed what he already knew.

"Damn it," he muttered, putting on his tactical mask.

His vision blurred as the poison cloud thickened, swallowing everything around him.

The sounds of battle faded. The hound's growls, the clash of fangs and claws, gone.

Then, CRACK.

A sharp, shattering noise echoed through the fog.

His heart sank. His Capture Capsule had broken.

"Figures," he muttered. "Too much to hope the hound would finish the job."

As the toxic mist slowly thinned, a massive shape emerged from the haze.

The boar's three heads thrashed, jaws snapping in blind fury. Blood dripped from its wounds, but its glowing red eyes burned brighter, wild with rage. It locked onto him.

Then it charged.

Nex barely had time to react before the beast lunged, its bulk barreling toward him like a runaway train.

He activated Fenrir.

Power surged through his body, his muscles bulged, his senses sharpened, and raw energy pulsed through his veins.

With a burst of speed, he leapt high into the air, landing squarely on the monster's back.

His knife flashed as he struck, slashing at the writhing heads beneath him.

Each cut ripped through thick flesh, spilling hot blood. The boar shrieked in pain, bucking wildly in an attempt to throw him off.

But he held on.

Snarling, the beast tried a new tactic.

All three heads snapped forward, unleashing another wave of sickly green mist.

The moment he saw the fog spewing out, he knew he couldn't stay on its back any longer.

He launched himself off just as the poison erupted around him.

Rolling as he hit the ground, he came up gasping. The toxic fumes lingered in the air, but he had escaped in time.

Still, his body burned, his lungs aching from even the smallest exposure.

"I can't let it keep this up," he thought, wiping sweat from his brow.

He moved.

Darting around the battlefield, he kept just out of reach, using his enhanced speed to dodge each attack.

Again and again, the boar spewed out its deadly fog, but Nex stayed ahead of it, forcing it to waste its strength.

The beast grew more frantic. Its charges became sloppy. The green mist, once thick and suffocating, now faded faster each time it was released.

The poison was running out.

"Now we're even," He smirked, his grip tightening on his knife.

Finally, he saw the signs of exhaustion.

The once-monstrous boar, bloated with strength, had begun to wither. Its hide, once stretched taut over its hulking frame, sagged slightly.

Its heads snapped weakly, no longer with the same vicious energy. Each movement was sluggish.

"A few more hits and this thing is done," he muttered.

The victory was within reach.

Or so he thought.

The boar let out an earth-shaking roar, louder than anything before. Its burning red eyes flared violently, rage pushing past exhaustion. All three heads snarled in unison, their jagged teeth bared like serrated blades.

And then, it lunged.

Faster than Nex could react.

He barely had time to register the attack before the beast slammed into him, a living battering ram of raw power.

The impact sent shockwaves of pain through his ribs as he was thrown backward.

The world spun before he crashed hard against the ground, the air ripped from his lungs.

Before he could recover, the full weight of the monster bore down on him, pinning him in place.

His knife slipped from his grasp, landing just out of reach.

"Damn it!"

Nex gritted his teeth, his arms trembling as he pushed against the beast's massive bulk. Even with his enhanced strength, the weight pressing down on him was unbearable. It was like trying to hold up a collapsing mountain.

"Damn it, this thing's heavier than it looks!"

His vision blurred and his limbs burned from exertion.

And then he saw the worst of it.

Above him, the boar's grotesque heads loomed, mouths gaping wide. A thick, noxious vapor swirled in their throats, preparing to unleash another deadly cloud of green poison.

"Damn, this thing has still reserves!" Nex's pulse spiked in panic. "No... I can't avoid this!"

The mist came pouring out, thick and suffocating. The air shimmered with toxicity, and the acrid stench made his eyes water before it even reached him.

The moment it touched his skin, he felt it. A slow, creeping burn.

It sank into his lungs, coiling around his insides like invisible chains.

[Warning: You are now in an abnormal state of continuous poisoning.]

The Mod's voice rang out, calm and detached.

Nex coughed violently, his throat raw from the poison's assault. His limbs grew heavier, his body growing weaker by the second. Every movement was sluggish, like he was sinking into quicksand.

His grip on the boar's massive form began to slip.

But still, he refused to let go.

"Not yet..."

His teeth clenched as he forced his body to move. "I'm not done yet!"

A roar rumbled from deep within his chest.

If his body wouldn't move on its own, then he'd force it. Because if he stopped now…

He was dead.

Nex's gaze flicked to his pocket, where the venom crystal lay, his emergency weapon, the one thing he had saved for a truly life-threatening situation.

"I should've used it earlier…" he muttered bitterly."I underestimated this thing..."

His grip trembled as exhaustion crept in. Just as doubt began to cloud his resolve.

A shadow moved.

From the corner of his eye, something dark shot forward like a whip.

In an instant, thick tendrils lashed out, coiling around two of the boar's heads like a serpent's death grip.

The creature let out a strangled, gurgling roar, thrashing wildly, but it was too late.

SNAP.

A sickening crunch echoed through the battlefield as both heads twisted at unnatural angles, their necks breaking under the merciless grip.

The boar's remaining head shrieked in agony, its body convulsing violently as it struggled to make sense of the sudden assault.

Nex's eyes widened.

Amidst the clashes, he had nearly forgotten about this nightmarish thing on his right shoulder.

The tendrils, those grotesque, worm-like limbs, had burst from his right shoulder. They writhed unnaturally, oozing a thick, dark fluid as they pulsed and curled, still hungry for destruction.

He saw a chance to end this fight. His fingers fumbled into his pocket, pulling out the venom crystal.

The boar's remaining head turned toward him, its bloodshot eyes filled with rage and pain. It bared its teeth, snarling.

It was coming for him for a last-ditch.

Nex didn't hesitate.

He threw the crystal straight for the beast's gaping mouth.

The boar lunged, jaws snapping, swallowing the crystal whole before it could react.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then its eyes bulged.

The effect was immediate. A violent tremor rippled through its body as the venom coursed through its veins. The boar thrashed, its remaining head whipping around in frantic confusion.

A strangled gurgle escaped its throat as it staggered, its legs buckling beneath its massive weight.

Then, in its wild, uncontrolled movements, it rolled off Nex, freeing him from its crushing grip.

Nex gasped, his lungs burning as he sucked in precious air. His limbs felt like they were made of lead, but he forced himself up, stumbling backward to put as much distance as possible between him and the dying beast.

His chest heaved. His vision blurred. But his gaze never left the writhing monster before him.

The venom was strong, strong enough to bring down an elephant.

But this wasn't just any beast.

And if it didn't die soon…He wasn't sure if he had the strength to finish it off.