THE RISE OF WHITE CONQUEROR

Chapter 80: Fight again

"GLUTTONY!"

Kelly didn’t recognize the name, nor did he know where it came from. The word simply tore itself out of him, shouted on pure instinct. What happened next made his breath catch. From the point where his hand was buried, he felt it, the raw energy being violently pulled away. It was unlike anything he had ever sensed before, overwhelming yet strangely soothing, as if something deep inside him was being fed. At the same time, the beast began to change.

Its massive body withered unnaturally. The jaws that once promised death grew brittle and cracked. Its claws fell away one by one. The skin sagged, shrinking tightly over bone, its fur losing all its lustre. The blue in its eyes drained, leaving behind hollow, lifeless sockets. In mere moments, what remained was a grotesque husk, something so far removed from its former self it barely resembled a living creature. Horrified by the sight, Kelly instinctively pulled his hand back and staggered away. But it was already too late. He stared at his own trembling hands and muttered, voice barely above a whisper.

"What is happening to me...?"

Kelly could feel it raw, unfiltered energy coursing through his body. For the first time since the battle began, a strange sense of bliss washed over him, warm and intoxicating. Then, before he could even begin to understand it, the sensation vanished, sinking deep into him, leaving no trace of where it came from or where it went.

"Where the fuck did it go...?"

He barely finished the thought before his consciousness slipped away. His vision dimmed, his body gave in, and the world went dark. When he opened his eyes again, what greeted him left him reeling with confusion. The space stretched endlessly in every direction, drowned in darkness. The only source of light was Kelly himself. His body looked whole, uninjured, yet strangely translucent, as if he were nothing more than a projection of his true self. It reminded him of that moment long ago when the black orb had struck him, when he had first been dragged into this alien world. Staring at his faintly glowing hands, he muttered in confusion,

"A dream again... after killing that fucker, did I lose consciousness?"

As his voice echoed into the void, another point of light slowly ignited in the distance. It grew brighter with time, illuminating the dark like a solitary beacon. From within that glow, a shape began to form vague at first, then increasingly distinct, and when it finally emerged, Kelly froze. What appeared before him was something he never expected to see.

"How are you still alive?"

Kelly’s dazed expression vanished in an instant as Crow’s broken form resurfaced in his mind. The grief twisted into rage, thick and suffocating. Killing intent seeped out of him as he muttered coldly,

"No worries. I’ll enjoy killing you again."

The beast stood before him, identical to the one he had just slain. Yet utterly hollow. Its face showed no emotion, no awareness, as if it didn’t even understand where it was. Kelly began moving toward it without hesitation, murderous intent flooding the space between them. Only then did he notice it: the beast’s body was far less transparent than his own, its form denser, more anchored. He ignored it and kept walking. The moment the beast sensed Kelly’s intent, something within it stirred. Recognition flashed across its eyes, followed by pure hatred. Its body tensed, memories resurfacing, and with a low, furious growl, it lunged at him.

"Grrrhhh"

Seeing the obvious change in the beast’s expression, Kelly braced himself as well. This time, remembering the pain of their last encounter, he reacted instantly. As the claws slashed upward toward him, Kelly ducked low and drove an uppercut straight into the beast’s torso. The impact sent it lifting slightly off the ground, but the one most stunned was Kelly himself.

The force behind his punch felt... weak. No, familiar. It was close to what he used to feel back on Earth. Panic flickered through his mind

’don’t tell me my strength dropped because of the injuries’

but the beast’s reaction told a different story. It, too, seemed noticeably weaker. As the fight dragged on, Kelly quickly realized the truth. There wasn’t an overwhelming gap between them anymore. Yes, the beast was still stronger, but only slightly. More importantly, it wasn’t using any skills this time. Every strike was crude, driven purely by hatred and the desire to drag Kelly down with it, predictable. Kelly exploited that mercilessly, beating the beast down repeatedly, slamming it into the ground whenever it overextended.

Slowly, the beast began to fade. Its form lost definition, growing more transparent with each exchange. At the same time, Kelly felt something within him swell his strength steadily increasing, surging in response. Excitement, coursed through him. Killing the thing he hated most and growing stronger while doing it, who wouldn’t enjoy that?

"Die, you bastard..."

With a shout, Kelly threw his final punch. The beast shattered, its form breaking apart into colourful embers that scattered into the void.

"And this time, stay dead."

But his relief barely lasted a heartbeat. As the beast vanished, so did the sense of release. What followed came without warning. an overwhelming surge of hatred, raw and suffocating. Bestial instincts, murderous intent, emotions that were never meant to belong to a human flooded into him all at once. Kelly collapsed to his knees. It felt as if he were drowning in those emotions, submerged in something thick and dark. His willpower eroded rapidly, every thought stained with crimson. His senses burned, his mind filled with hatred toward everything and nothing at the same time. Only then did Kelly realize it he was losing himself. Yet he couldn’t stop it.

The negative emotions were too vast, too heavy to bear. His body felt paralyzed, his thoughts slipping away one by one. Soft whispers crept into his mind, insidious and relentless, ’Just give up’, ’No one cares about you anyway’, ’Give up’. With each word, his resistance weakened. His consciousness dulled, surrender inching closer. Just as he was about to give in...

"Cawwww!"