Absolute Cheater

The chamber vibrated with pressure, a heavy sound that pressed on Asher's mind. The braziers burned brighter as the cultist spoke, feeding power into the chained creature on the altar. The beast jerked violently, its jaws snapping against the bindings, chains starting to crack.

Asher looked over the room. Two dozen cultists stood ready, disciplined and armed. Their masks were shaped like predators—wolves, snakes, boars, vultures. Together, their presence formed a wall between him and the altar. Behind them, the half-formed beast strained like it was about to break free.

The leader lifted his hand. At once, the cultists drew their weapons—blades of black steel and chains dripping with a foul, metallic smell.

"You've defiled the Hollow Vein," the leader said. His mask showed sharp teeth carved into a grin. "You won't go any further. Your blood belongs to the Maw. Your soul will be its food."

Asher tilted his head, cloak settling around him. His scythe rested on his shoulder, faint red light still glowing along the blade. His voice was calm but firm.

"The Maw has taken enough. I'm here to end it."

The braziers flared, their fire leaning toward him.

The leader shouted. "Kill him!"

The cultists attacked together.

Chains snapped through the air like whips, tipped with sharp hooks. Others rushed in with blades aimed at his throat, chest, and legs. Asher swung his scythe down in one arc, cutting the first chain in half with sparks flying. He twisted aside, avoiding a hooked blade, then turned and sliced through two cultists in one motion. Blood sprayed, and the bodies collapsed.

The beast roared from the altar, its chains groaning as it fought to break free.

The other cultists didn't hesitate. They closed in, their attacks overlapping from all directions.

Asher crouched lower and touched the ground. Blood rose at his command, forming into glowing threads that wrapped around him like a shield. When the cultists struck, their weapons slowed and weakened against it.

His scythe moved again. One slash took off a head, another ripped open a chest, a third cut through an arm. Every kill made the crimson light around him grow stronger.

The leader snarled. The runes on his mask glowed as he raised both arms. The braziers roared, and chains of fire shot out, twisting toward Asher.

The chained beast screamed, pulling harder. One chain snapped, links falling to the floor.

Asher shifted his grip on the scythe.

The flaming chains were almost on him. The cultists attacked harder. The beast was close to breaking free.

And Asher smiled.

The flaming chains shot across the chamber, twisting around each other as they tried to grab him. Asher swung his scythe and cut through the first one, sparks and fire scattering across the floor. Another came from the side—he dodged and countered, slicing it apart before it reached him.

The cultists didn't slow. They closed in tighter, stabbing and slashing. A blade scraped across his shield of blood, but it slowed and bent away before reaching his skin. Asher stepped forward, cutting two men down with a single strike.

The beast at the altar roared louder. Another chain broke free, and its jaws snapped at the air, dripping with black saliva.

The leader pointed at Asher. "Hold him! Feed the Maw!"

Four cultists leapt at once, their chains wrapping together to form a net. They tried to trap him, pulling in from all sides. Asher spun, his cloak whipping around, and his scythe cut a circle through the air. The net split apart, the cultists falling back with severed arms and broken weapons.

Blood sprayed the floor, and Asher raised his hand. The spilled blood floated upward, twisting into more glowing strands that coiled around his weapon. His scythe gleamed brighter, its edge pulsing like it was alive.

The leader hesitated for the first time, seeing the crimson light surround him.

The beast roared again, thrashing. Half its chains were broken now, and its body writhed, eager to be free. Its many eyes opened wide, all of them staring straight at Asher.

He adjusted his grip on the scythe and stepped forward, calm and steady.

The cultists wavered, fear starting to crack their discipline.

Asher spoke, his voice flat:

"Move, or die with it."

Asher moved first. His scythe came down in a heavy arc, cutting through two cultists before they could even raise their chains. The others shouted and charged, but he was already in motion, cloak snapping behind him as he slipped past their swings. His weapon cut in fast, clean strikes—one to a throat, another through a chest, a third across a mask that split in half with the head beneath it.

The floor was slick with blood now, every drop drawn into the glowing strands circling him. The shield of crimson around him pulsed stronger, making it harder for the cultists' blades and chains to even touch him.

The leader growled and forced more power into the braziers. The crimson fire twisted into a giant whip, snapping toward Asher with enough force to split stone. Asher raised his scythe and blocked, sparks and flame scattering across the chamber. The floor cracked under the impact, but he pushed back and cut straight through the burning chain, leaving only fading fire in the air.

Behind them, the beast ripped another chain apart. Its massive body rose higher from the altar, half unbound now. Its jaws gnashed wildly, drool and blood spraying as it roared. The sound shook the walls.

The remaining cultists tried to pin Asher in place, circling him and striking together. Their blades clashed against his shield, some getting through close enough to scrape his cloak, but he didn't stop. His scythe flashed again and again, cutting them down one by one. Each kill made the blood around him surge, the crimson glow brightening until the chamber itself seemed to pulse with it.

Soon, only the leader was left standing between Asher and the beast. His mask glowed bright with runes, and chains of flame coiled around him like armor.

The half-born monster gave a final pull. The last of its chains snapped, and it rose to its full height, dozens of eyes and jaws glaring down at both men.

The leader spread his arms. "Yes! Behold the Maw's child! Now, die in its birth!"