Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger

Racheal sat in silence, the dim glow of the crystal recorder casting pale light across her face.

"Hey, Star… I know you must hate me for leaving so soon."

Elaine's voice drifted from the crystal, soft at first, carrying that same warmth Racheal had once leaned on. Racheal's eyes locked on the flickering image, her expression unreadable.

"I won't give you excuses," Elaine's voice continued. "All I want you to know is that my intentions were solely for you."

The recording faltered for a heartbeat before Elaine sighed, her tone shifting, sharper now. "Star I want you to know that I I chose to be a ruler for one sole reason…it's so I can finally end that cursed law that brands those born naturally with such a name as bloodborn. All elves are the same, no matter what. But those elders… they're just stuck-up bastards too afraid to accept change."

At first her rant carried a measured edge, but soon Elaine's breaths grew heavier, her words spilling faster, her frustration tangible. She railed against the traditions, against the suffocating pride of the elders.

Racheal sat through it all, her face a mask, until, without realizing, the corner of her lips curled. A smile, faint but genuine, broke through as if her sister's fire had reached across the void of death itself.

The recording stretched on for over an hour, Elaine's voice rising and falling in waves. But near the end, her tone softened. "Just know this, Star… I love you more than anything."

There was a pause, a rustle, as if she was speaking to someone else. Her voice came again, lower now. "I'm done. Not that I'll ever use it… I'd never abandon Star."

Then, silence. The crystal dimmed, the voice gone.

Racheal remained still, the device warm in her hands. Slowly, her grip tightened, her gaze hardening with new resolve. "You're right, Elaine," she whispered, her voice steady now. "Let's show those stuck-up asses what the Morningstars are capable of."

In that moment, her decision crystallized. No longer running, no longer resisting. She would accept the role the tree had forced on her. Not only for herself, but for the sister who had chosen to fight, even at the cost of everything.

****

Back in the present, Racheal slid the last cartridge into place. The machine hummed softly as she reloaded it, her movements steady, methodical. Sweat clung to her brow, but she didn't falter. This was the path she had chosen. She would master it, no matter the difficulty, no matter the cost.

Far from her quiet determination, chaos reigned in the forest.

A silver-white wolf tore through the underbrush, its paws pounding against the earth, breath ragged with panic. Moments ago, it had been asleep, sprawled like the undisputed predator it was. A B-rank sovereign of its territory. Then came the attack.

At first, it had scoffed, an ape, smaller, less hairy, radiating only the aura of a D-rank creature. Foolish. Prey that dared bare its teeth. The wolf's retaliation was swift, claws slicing the air—

—and then, darkness.

It woke with a snarl, the ape still standing before it. Confusion clouded its beastly mind, but instinct dismissed the blackout as a fluke. It lunged again.

Another void. This time, pain exploded across its skull. A concussion so heavy even its hardened body reeled.

The wolf staggered awake, instincts sharper now. Something was wrong. This creature wasn't prey. A protector stood in the shadows.

Still, arrogance lingered. It tried once more, jaws snapping as it moved to capture the strange foe. But its vision blurred again, another strike, another coiled fist cracking against its head, and another plunge into nothingness.

When the wolf's eyes fluttered open, fear laced its silver gaze. It saw him clearly now, the hairless ape, tied-back hair swaying, blue eyes calm as still water.

The wolf growled, throat rumbling with fury, trying to mask the dread clawing at its chest. It lowered its body, muscles taut, as if preparing to launch forward in reckless defiance, but at the last instant, it spun and bolted, tail low, crashing through the trees in a desperate flight.

The ape smiled. A slow, knowing curve of the lips. Then, without hesitation, he gave chase.

****

Leon gave chase.

There was a reason he didn't end the wolf where it stood. Each strike he'd landed before had been deliberate, it was meant to rattle, not kill. He was building something far more insidious than wounds, fear. Not because he enjoyed it, not out of cruelty. No, this was necessity.

His Overlord talent Mark demanded it.

The talent wasn't like others. To bind a creature, the being itself had to yield. Submission had to come from within. Forcing obedience wasn't enough, the mark would only take root in a will already broken.

So Leon ran the beast down, step for step, letting his presence press on it like a shadow it couldn't escape.

The wolf's silver coat suddenly shimmered. Radiant light coursed through its fur until its body glowed like a star bursting through the trees. Orbs of light bloomed into existence, circling it in a deadly halo as it fled.

Leon's lips curved.

"So, your beast art is light related. Tempting…" His eyes narrowed, the flicker of greed quick but fleeting. "But I have my priorities."

The orbs snapped forward, streaks of light cutting through the air toward him. Leon shifted, tier IV force flaring to life, swirling tight around his body. The beams met empty space, he was already gone.

He reappeared in the wolf's blind spot, leg coiling, then slamming into its side. Bone and muscle crunched as the beast crashed into a tree, splinters exploding outward.

"I've scared you enough." His voice was low and calm, yet heavy as stone.

His force domain spread, tier IV, invisible yet suffocating. The pressure slammed the wolf to the ground, its limbs trembling, body pinned as though the air itself had turned to iron.

Grey eyes met his, wild and shaking. Fear was there now, but not enough. Not yet.

Leon inhaled. When he exhaled, the violet void in his right eye unfurled.

The glow was unnatural, an abyss that drew all who gazed into it. The wolf's stare locked on for a moment too long, its mind slipping against the pull.

"Submit," Leon commanded.

The word wasn't just heard, it echoed inside the beast's skull, reverberating like a brand against its soul.

The wolf broke first. Its head turned, eyes lowering to the ground, the refusal to meet Leon's gaze the clearest sign of surrender.

A smile ghosted across his lips. The hunt was over.