Lord Of Beasts

Mark’s enormous body lay in the middle of the ruined compound.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

The giant was sprawled across what remained of the facility, his immense body partially surrounded by burning rubble. Smoke drifted around him, while flames continued to consume the last remnants of the Gate-farming operation.

His chest rose and fell slowly but steadily.

’He’s alive.’

That alone was enough to make Ethan release a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

If Mark hadn’t suddenly lost consciousness, however, the situation could have become considerably worse. His body had continued adapting throughout the battle. Every attack from Kaela and Elara pushed him further, making him larger, denser, and harder to defeat.

Restraining the giant monster wasn’t exactly an option either.

Elara had tried with her mana constructs only for Mark to shatter them with ease. Maybe if Liora had been here, it might have been a different story, but who was to say that subduing him wouldn’t have had alternative consequences?

If his evolutions had continued much longer, the two A Rank Titled would no longer have been able to hold back.

And once that happened, things could have gotten ugly.

A full-blown battle between two A Rank Titled and an increasingly powerful monster in the middle of a destroyed compound was hardly something that could remain unnoticed. Even though they were surrounded by empty land, a commotion of that scale would be felt around the country.

There was also the more immediate problem.

Someone could have gotten seriously hurt... or worse.

Thankfully, that hadn’t happened.

For now, the battle was over, a strange silence settling over the three figures.

During the craziness of what they had just experienced since arriving at this compound, it was easy to forget about something as mundane as clothing. But now that it was over, it was hard not to notice that everyone was practically naked.

Well, almost everyone.

Elara’s crimson armour had protected her from the flames and debris throughout the battle, leaving her remarkably clean compared to the other two.

She looked around at Ethan and Kaela.

Then at Mark.

Her expression became slightly awkward.

"Don’t say anything."

Kaela looked down at herself.

Most of her already-scarce clothing had been scorched during the explosions and subsequent battle. Her leather jacket had somehow survived far better than it had any right to, while her cargo shorts had essentially been reduced to underwear.

The thin layer beneath the jacket had been even less fortunate.

Kaela tugged at what remained of it.

"This is bad even for me."

Ethan quickly looked away, not wanting to incur the wrath of the crimson-eyed woman glaring at him. He also had more immediate problems, since his own clothes hadn’t survived at all.

The flames surrounding him concealed most of the issue for the moment, but Ethan knew exactly what would happen once he ended Partial Assimilation: Spark. He would be standing in the middle of a destroyed compound while completely naked.

He glanced toward the surrounding ruins.

’Where’s the plant dude when you need him?’

The thought almost made him laugh as his attention turned to Mark, who remained unconscious. His body was still gigantic, his muscles and metallic exterior making him look more like a living statue than the person Ethan had known.

Yet beneath all of that, Mark was breathing.

That was what mattered.

Ethan released another quiet breath.

Kaela walked over and casually leaned on Mark’s enormous leg.

"He’s fucking huge. I wonder how big..."

"Hey! You can find that out when he wakes up if you want."

She laughed, amused by how defensive Ethan was about his brother.

Elara then chimed in, eyes locked onto Ethan, "You realise you still have a lot of explaining to do."

He smiled.

"And what’s with that weird mark on your neck? Is that a new beast?" Kaela questioned, a dangerous look in her eyes as she imagined what kind of creature it was.

"Nope. I got bitten by a vampire," was his completely serious response.

They laughed, thinking he was joking, but upon realising he wasn’t, they laughed even harder.

"You’re a vampire now? Vamp-Beast Man, haha!"

Kaela was loving it.

"Turn me too!" Elara was oddly eager to join him, leaning her neck towards him.

Ethan and Kaela gave her a questioning look.

"Can’t a girl want to live her vampire fantasies?"

They laughed.

"You’re basically already there, Ms Blood Demon."

"Those red eyes too."

She pouted cutely before taking off the hoodie she had been wearing and holding it towards Ethan.

"Here."

He took it gratefully and wrapped it around his waist just as the flames around him fizzled out.

’It was almost like she could sense I was about to be out of mana.’

It wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was better than nothing.

Kaela glanced over.

"What’s the point in hiding it, Beast Man?"

"Don’t start, dyke on a bike."

Kaela grinned.

"I might have to switch teams for your giant buddy over there."

"Be my guest, you already know his name’s Big Mark."

Ethan smiled.

’I always have to wingman my bro.’

On that note, his gaze returned to Mark, remembering the problem of getting the giant out of here. They couldn’t exactly carry him in that state. Even between the three of them, moving a body that enormous through the wreckage would be a nightmare.

Kaela shook her head.

"I’m definitely not carrying him."

Elara considered the problem.

"I could try displacing him with me, but with his size, it’ll be tough."

Ethan stared at Mark’s enormous body.

"How far would you be able to go each time? You’d tire out before we get far enough, and then we’re back to square one."

Kaela cracked her knuckles.

"Fuck it!"

She grabbed onto one of his giant toes, and just as she was about to start dragging him, she suddenly paused.

"Something’s happening."

Mark’s enormous body began to tremble.

The metallic sheen covering his body faded as his muscles shrunk, his shoulders narrowed, and his limbs contracted. His entire body began rapidly returning to its original proportions, crackling disturbingly as it did.

Kaela stared.

"Well, that’s convenient."

Ethan watched in amazement as the giant slowly became the man they had known.

Within moments, the man was lying unconscious in the middle of the rubble, back to normal - at least externally. Ethan crouched beside him, holding the hoodie around his waist so as not to let his little friend slip out.

"Mark?"

There was no response.

But his breathing remained steady.

Ethan nodded.

"Good enough."

He then signalled for Kaela, the strongest physically, to carry him. She eagerly obliged, carrying him away from the worst of the burning wreckage.

They settled him a considerable distance from the destroyed compound, far enough away that the heat was no longer oppressive and the possibility of another collapsing structure hurting them was minimal.

The three of them sat there for a while, staring at what they had caused.

Smoke climbed into the sky.

What had started as the simple spontaneous visit of an old friend had gone completely off the rails, yet somehow things had worked out in their favour.

"We had some fun, at least."

They couldn’t deny that, laughing to themselves.

Elara then reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone that didn’t so much as have a scratch.

"You should make some calls."

Ethan nodded, accepting the phone and calling the man who was quickly becoming his favourite contact...

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