Lord Of The Lost

William's expression turned ice-cold as he locked eyes with the grotesque monster before him.

His demon wolf instincts screamed of the immense danger this creature posed. Unlike the black magician he had faced before; mad, but rational enough to communicate, this thing had completely lost its sanity.

There was no reasoning here, no possibility of negotiation.

With a low growl, William stepped forward. "You're looking for Little Bob? Do you even know where he is?"

The monster didn't respond. Its tentacles shot out wildly, thrashing everything within reach, including William.

As he dodged, William's mind raced.

Why did this creature want Little Bob?

What fragment had it taken?

And what would happen if it found him?

Would they fight each other or merge into something even more monstrous?

Shaking off the questions, William's eyes narrowed. "Never mind. I'll kill you first."

Danger was part of any fight, but for the demon wolf, danger was fuel. The more perilous the situation, the greater the boost to William's physical and mental attributes.

Sizing up his opponent, William quickly gauged its strength. This monster was formidable, slightly stronger than the scar-faced thief he had faced earlier. But unlike Scarface, who wielded the devastating [Hand of the Madman], this creature lacked any specialized weaponry. Its raw power was impressive, but its aura paled in comparison to the beast Little Bob had transformed into.

As several tentacles lashed toward him like whips, William leaped high into the air, ten meters up.

With a sharp motion, he raised his leg, channeling dark energy into a single devastating strike.

[Slash]!

A massive black blade formed along his leg, slicing through the air with precision. Seven or eight tentacles were severed in one swift strike, falling to the ground with a satisfying thud.

But William's satisfaction was short-lived.

The severed tentacles twitched on the ground before springing back to the monster, reattaching themselves as if nothing had happened. Not a single sign of injury remained.

Landing lightly, William frowned. "Regeneration, huh? Energy attacks won't work on you."

His fists clenched, and he brought them together with a metallic 'clang'.

[Kill]!

This time, William relied on sheer physical force. The skill, refined from absorbing the combat techniques of countless extraordinary thieves, surged through his body.

The monster struck again, one of its massive tentacles lunging toward him with devastating speed.

William didn't flinch. He threw a right hook with explosive power.

Boom!

The tentacle, as thick as a tree trunk, shattered on impact, exploding into thousands of fleshy fragments.

The monster reeled, its rhythm disrupted.

William smirked, his fists glowing with confidence. "Let's see if you can regenerate after this."

What happened between Little Bob and the Black Mage? William couldn't waste time pondering. There was only one thing that mattered now, this monster had to die.

Now. Instantly. Without mercy.

William's fist shot forward like a cannonball. The tentacles burst apart, spraying blood and flesh in all directions. His dragon scale armor, already stained with the blood of thieves, now carried a fresh coat of gore.

The incomplete dragon jaw on his armor clamped tightly over most of his face, its ruby eye gleaming with an icy light. William moved forward in a straight line, undeterred by the towering figure before him.

The monster was five or six meters tall, a hulking abomination of tentacles and rage. By comparison, William's frame seemed almost insignificant. But his presence; unyielding and invincible, towered over even this monstrosity.

As the tentacles lashed out again, William's hand moved like a blade, slashing upward and severing them cleanly. His advance was steady, deliberate.

His lower body moved with the grace of a model on a runway, but his upper body was a whirlwind of destruction, fists, palms, knife strikes, each tearing through the monster's defenses.

Behind him, the battlefield was a sea of blood and writhing flesh. Severed tentacle fragments flopped like fish out of water, twitching as they tried to reunite. But the monster's fragmented nature, a side effect of its connection to the thieves' path, prevented it from reassembling fully.

Enraged by the pain, the monster launched all its tentacles at once.

William stopped in his tracks. He crouched slightly, fists clenched at his abdomen, his body coiled like a spring ready to unleash.

[Piercing Attack]!

In this moment, William reimagined his skills. He didn't need a weapon; his fists became the spear. His punch was the blade.

He aimed straight for the core.

Boom!

The attack exploded outward, shattering the tentacles into a rain of blood and gore. Pieces of flesh flew everywhere, painting the sky red.

In a single move, William was face-to-face with the monster.

With a roar, he leapt into the air, clasping his hands together overhead. He came down like a meteor, striking with all his might.

Bang!

The impact was devastating. The monster's body erupted like a grotesque blood bag, splattering viscera and chunks of flesh across the ground. It was as though a sack of writhing eels had been punctured, spilling its contents everywhere.

But even in this mangled state, the monster refused to die. Its vitality was horrifyingly strong, and it writhed in the pool of blood, letting out guttural, inhuman roars.

William stood over the creature, his frown deepening. Something wasn't right.

He removed his dragon scale armor, revealing his clean, white hands. But as he stared at them, he noticed something unsettling; beneath the skin, something seemed to be moving. It was as if tiny parasites were wriggling just beneath the surface.

There was no pain, but the sight was enough to set him on edge.

"This is… pollution," William murmured, his demon wolf instincts kicking in.

The contamination was dangerous, threatening to destabilize his extraordinary abilities. Thankfully, his infection was fresh, still manageable. With time and effort, he could cleanse himself of the corruption.

The battle with the thieves had left him weakened, his three-dimensional attributes in less-than-perfect condition. That momentary vulnerability had allowed the pollution to take root.

If it spread, if it wasn't dealt with, the consequences could be catastrophic.

William tightened his fists, his resolve hardening. For now, the monster still had to be finished. But he knew this fight had come with a price; a reminder of the darker forces at play.

William's gaze sharpened as he analyzed the writhing monster before him. His hand moved swiftly, pinching a card between two fingers, a rare-level [Rashomon], the original artifact.

[Rashomon], at its rare level, had the incredible ability to create up to five excellent-level copies. William was holding one of those copies now. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the card flying like a dart, embedding it directly into the monster's grotesque body.

The power of [Rashomon] was nothing short of extraordinary; it could seal extraordinary characteristics. But its use came with strict conditions:

1. The card had to hit the target.

2. The seal only worked if the target was already incapacitated.

Even then, [Rashomon] didn't strip extraordinary characteristics; it merely suppressed them. The artifact functioned like a demon's gate, locking the abilities away and severing the connection between the host and their extraordinary traits. It was as if cutting off the nerves in your hand, you couldn't use it, but it was still there.

If an opponent had pushed their extraordinary characteristics to their limits or used advanced rituals, they could potentially break through [Rashomon]'s blockade. Only pure, unattached extraordinary qualities could be permanently sealed.

As the card sank into the monster's flesh, a massive gate manifested on its body. The gatekeeper; a demon with gnashing fangs, appeared and slammed its jaws shut like the blade of a guillotine.

Immediately, the monster's body fragments began to lose their vitality, twitching weakly before falling still. The seal had worked.

Or so it seemed.

Before William could take a breath, the gate reappeared, this time bulging unnaturally as if straining under immense pressure.

Bang!

The demon gate exploded into pieces, unable to contain the monster's overwhelming energy. The creature reformed, its terrifying presence returning in full force.

"[Rashomon] couldn't seal it?" William muttered, his frown deepening.

He wasn't eager to absorb this monster's extraordinary characteristics, it felt like tempting fate. But now, he realized there was no other choice.

"Looks like I'll have to end this myself," William said coldly.

Reaching into the original [Rashomon], he withdrew all the stored extraordinary traits, drawing their immense power into himself.

Then he raised his fist, the force of his resolve radiating through his body.

Boom!

His fist smashed down onto the monster, a devastating blow that shook the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of his strikes echoed like a pile driver, each one more powerful than the last. The earth trembled beneath him as he hammered the creature with relentless force, over and over again, pouring every ounce of his strength into the assault.

More than ten crushing blows later, William finally stopped, his breath ragged, his fists bloodied. The monster lay in pieces once more, its body shattered beyond recognition.

This time, William wasn't going to give it a chance to get back up.William's gaze sharpened as he analyzed the writhing monster before him. His hand moved swiftly, pinching a card between two fingers, a rare-level [Rashomon], the original artifact.

[Rashomon], at its rare level, had the incredible ability to create up to five excellent-level copies. William was holding one of those copies now. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the card flying like a dart, embedding it directly into the monster's grotesque body.

The power of [Rashomon] was nothing short of extraordinary, it could seal extraordinary characteristics. But its use came with strict conditions:

1. The card had to hit the target.

2. The seal only worked if the target was already incapacitated.

Even then, [Rashomon] didn't strip extraordinary characteristics; it merely suppressed them. The artifact functioned like a demon's gate, locking the abilities away and severing the connection between the host and their extraordinary traits. It was as if cutting off the nerves in your hand; you couldn't use it, but it was still there.

If an opponent had pushed their extraordinary characteristics to their limits or used advanced rituals, they could potentially break through [Rashomon]'s blockade. Only pure, unattached extraordinary qualities could be permanently sealed.

As the card sank into the monster's flesh, a massive gate manifested on its body. The gatekeeper, a demon with gnashing fangs; appeared and slammed its jaws shut like the blade of a guillotine.

Immediately, the monster's body fragments began to lose their vitality, twitching weakly before falling still. The seal had worked.

Or so it seemed.

Before William could take a breath, the gate reappeared, this time bulging unnaturally as if straining under immense pressure.

Bang!

The demon gate exploded into pieces, unable to contain the monster's overwhelming energy. The creature reformed, its terrifying presence returning in full force.

"[Rashomon] couldn't seal it?" William muttered, his frown deepening.

He wasn't eager to absorb this monster's extraordinary characteristics, it felt like tempting fate. But now, he realized there was no other choice.

"Looks like I'll have to end this myself," William said coldly.

Reaching into the original [Rashomon], he withdrew all the stored extraordinary traits, drawing their immense power into himself.

Then he raised his fist, the force of his resolve radiating through his body.

Boom!

His fist smashed down onto the monster, a devastating blow that shook the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of his strikes echoed like a pile driver, each one more powerful than the last. The earth trembled beneath him as he hammered the creature with relentless force, over and over again, pouring every ounce of his strength into the assault.

More than ten crushing blows later, William finally stopped, his breath ragged, his fists bloodied. The monster lay in pieces once more, its body shattered beyond recognition.

This time, William wasn't going to give it a chance to get back up.