Chapter 12: The Beast King’s Challenge
The forest trembled as two apex predators lunged at each other.
Kael'thir moved like a shadow, his claws ripping into the dirt, his body a streak of obsidian-black scales as he closed the distance.
The Beast King, a towering titan of fur and muscle, met his charge with impossible speed for something its size.
The air between them crackled with raw power.
Neither slowed.
Neither hesitated.
Both knew—
This was not a battle for survival.
This was a battle for dominion.
Only one would leave this place alive.
And Kael'thir would not lose.
The first impact shattered the trees around them.
Kael'thir struck first, his claws lashing out—
But the Beast King was fast.
It twisted, dodging his strike with frightening reflexes, its massive form weaving through the trees like a hunting serpent.
Kael'thir barely had time to react before—
Boom!
A massive claw smashed into his side.
Kael'thir's body was thrown backward, his form crashing through the thick trunks of ancient trees, sending splinters and dust exploding into the air.
The force was immense.
His ribs cracked.
Pain flared through his chest.
But pain was irrelevant.
Kael'thir's tail lashed, his claws digging into the ground to halt his momentum.
The second he stopped—
He lunged again.
The Beast King did not relent.
The moment Kael'thir regained his footing, the titan was already moving.
A blur of black fur and slashing claws, its presence overwhelming, its strength monstrous.
Kael'thir met it head-on.
Claw against claw.
Fang against fang.
The ground beneath them shattered with every exchange, the force of their battle sending shockwaves through the valley.
Kael'thir twisted, dodging a killing blow aimed for his throat, his tail snapping out—
A direct hit.
His tail struck the Beast King's knee joint, sending the massive creature stumbling for the first time.
Kael'thir didn't hesitate.
He moved in for the kill.
But the Beast King was not prey.
Not like the raptors.
Not like the burrowing serpent.
It had ruled this land for decades, perhaps centuries.
It had not done so by being weak.
Just as Kael'thir lunged for its throat, the Beast King countered.
Its body twisted with shocking speed, its jaws snapping toward Kael'thir's exposed side.
Kael'thir barely managed to shift in time.
Rip!
Fangs sank into his shoulder.
Pain exploded through him.
Kael'thir snarled, his vision flashing red as the Beast King's jaws clamped tighter.
It was trying to crush him.
To break him.
No.
Kael'thir's claws lashed upward, slamming into the side of the Beast King's head.
The titan recoiled, releasing him.
Kael'thir landed on unsteady feet, his shoulder bleeding heavily, his body aching.
But he was still standing.
Still fighting.
The Beast King exhaled heavily, its slitted eyes locked onto him, its muscles coiling for another charge.
Kael'thir grinned.
Good.
The fight was not over.
Not yet.
And he was not done hunting.
The battle raged on.
Neither side gave an inch.
Kael'thir moved like a storm, weaving through the trees, his claws carving deep wounds into the Beast King's flesh.
The titan fought like an avalanche, relentless and crushing, its attacks shaking the very forest with every strike.
Both of them were bleeding.
Both of them were injured.
But only one of them was growing stronger.
Kael'thir's core burned.
The mana surging inside him was reshaping his body mid-battle.
He could feel it—
His wounds were healing faster.
His strength was adapting to the fight.
He was learning.
Becoming more.
And the Beast King wasn't.
It had reached its limit long ago.
Kael'thir had not.
And that was the difference.
That was why it would die.
The Beast King charged one last time.
A final, desperate attempt to end the battle.
Kael'thir saw it.
Felt it.
Anticipated it.
The titan had begun the battle faster than him.
But now—
Kael'thir was faster.
The moment the Beast King lunged, Kael'thir was already moving.
He darted low, weaving beneath the monster's crushing claws—
Then he struck.
His fangs sank deep into its exposed throat.
Not just piercing flesh—
Tearing it apart.
Blood flooded his mouth, thick and hot with mana.
The Beast King stiffened.
Tried to move.
Tried to fight.
But its body was already failing.
Kael'thir did not let go.
Not until he felt its heartbeat slow.
Not until he felt its strength fade.
Not until he knew—
He had won.
The titan collapsed.
The valley was silent.
Kael'thir stood over its corpse, his body trembling, his breath ragged, his wings twitching behind him.
This was it.
The moment his instincts had been waiting for.
The final kill.
Kael'thir lowered his head.
And he devoured.
The world trembled.
The moment his fangs tore into the Beast King's flesh, the mana exploded into him.
More than any kill before.
More than the Ravager.
More than the Burrowing Serpent.
This was a ruler's mana.
It did not simply flow into him.
It merged with him.
His core expanded violently, stretching, breaking, reforming.
His veins burned.
His bones ached.
His body was being rebuilt.
Stronger.
Faster.
And then—
His wings erupted with power.
Not just twitching.
Not just aching.
They unfurled.
Wide.
Sharp.
Powerful.
Kael'thir felt light for the first time.
The ground beneath his claws no longer felt like a prison.
His body no longer felt too heavy.
He had transcended something.
A threshold had been shattered.
He was no longer just a grounded hunter.
No longer a beast tied to the dirt.
Kael'thir exhaled slowly.
Then, for the first time—
He spread his wings fully.
And the sky answered.