Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

The pain of having your limbs torn one by one. The pain of being beaten to a bloody pulp.

The coldness and stillness that came with death. Quite literally nothing in Zaroth's life had felt more excruciating, more painful…

No, there was one time…

One time that he felt rage, a thirst for vengeance burning so bright that the flame still raged inside him.

The revenge for his mother and to put an end to the gods.

It was enough. That fire in him that made him disregard all the pain in the world. No matter how many times he was slain, he would be brought back by the rune only to face the elf again.

At the beginning, even with the help of all of his beasts, they were powerless, unable to put even a single scratch on the vile being.

And yet, with each death Zaroth suffered, he grew stronger, fiercer, more relentless.

His beasts responded in kind, moving as if extensions of himself. They didn't need to wait for commands. They simply knew what Zaroth wanted them to do and did it.

Eldros called forth the unholy eye over him, slowing down the elf's movements.

Luna unleashed her menacing flames; Nightshade used her shadow, as did her master. Silverfang roared, the Serpent attacked with his body.

"It's all meaningless!" The elf shouted with all his might, taking the hits unfazed.

"No matter what you do, you will fail to slay me! I will break your spirit and claim the Fragments in your body!"

Zaroth met the eyes of the elf unfazed.

Unlike the madness of the elf, there was no emotion on his face.

Each death took a piece of him, fighting unimaginable suffering.

Yet it was worth it, for it also brought him one step closer.

The Bloodthorns in the area began to bloom, absorbing each drop of blood that spilled from his body.

He lost count of the times he fell only to rise once again.

The elf's smile slowly disappeared, being replaced by caution.

That caution turned into creeping dread.

With each life, Zaroth got a step closer. And his beasts hungrier for blood.

The end was nigh.

*****

The field turned mesmerizing; all Bloodthorns in sight had blossomed into breathtaking flowers, having drunk lakes of blood.

With a dumbfounded expression, the elf panted on the ground, lying in the pile of his remains.

"How?"

He asked, unable to understand.

"You died, thousands of times… How are you still standing? Why do you remain unshaken?!"

Zaroth gazed ice-cold towards the defeated being, his gaze as tough as a monument.

"Because."

He spoke, taking a step closer.

"Something as simple as this… something as weak as endlessly dying will not stop me from fulfilling my desire."

Stepping over the body of the elf, he didn't feel satisfied, all his emotions having long ago been dulled by the agonized pain of death.

"Preposterous!" the elf bellowed.

"No matter who you—"

The elf's words were cut short as his head fell from his shoulders.

The words of the system resounded in Zaroth's mind a second later.

[Fated One has been defeated]

[Fragment has been consumed]

[Fragments in soul: 3/7 (Harmonization incomplete)]

[Your name resonates throughout the divine realms]

[All Gods tremble in terror]

"Halfway there." He mused, exiting from the statue.

There was a large path remaining before him…

Yet he knew that was the end. For this encounter had given him the last thing that he needed to achieve his goal of slaying the gods.

Being killed so many times, the need for all of his desires was gone. Except one: attaining godhood and slaying those that had tortured his mother.

"Zaroth…"

Upon exiting the statue with the head of the elven leader in hand, he heard his name being called out by Vera.

"Job's done." He said, throwing the head towards Sira and Night.

A deal was a deal. They wanted the elven leader slain, and now he had given them his head. They had nothing else to do with him. And they didn't bother; the look Zaroth gave them was enough to tell them he wanted them gone from his line of sight.

"Prepare to kill the rest of the Fragment bearers." He said to Ari and Vera, leaving them alone.

With a flick of his finger, he called forth Luna and rode high on her back.

'How do you feel?' she asked her master, worrying about his well-being.

He hesitated before answering.

It was liberating in a way. He had attained unshaken confidence; he knew that should all the gods decide to confront him right this moment, they would not stand a chance… Of course, he would not be that lucky, meaning he would simply go to them.

"Dead… and alive." He answered, gazing at the one that made all this possible—Luna.

In his eyes now it was obvious why she wanted to kill the gods. Before he had resurrected her, she had been under torture, suffering the pain of death for so long…

It was only natural she wanted to slay the ones that created the thing that caused her torment.

'I am glad that you saved me,' she admitted.

A subtle smile crept upon his lips. "Well, you saved me several times up until now… so the feeling is mutual."

Once their moment was done, they rejoined Vera and Ari, continuing on their journey.

"Things happened much faster than I expected," Vera admitted.

Zaroth couldn't help but laugh, yet his eyes lacked the usual warmth they had carried until then.

He suspected that she had driven his path to here, leading him to die so many times… Yet he didn't resent her for it.

For he was now finally free. No matter how cunning a person could be, he wouldn't fall for their manipulations. No matter how powerful an enemy could appear, he would be able to kill them—even the gods themselves.

"Ah…" he muttered, gazing at the burned continent.

"I have attained it, Mother… freedom. Nothing in this world can hold me back from doing what I want."

Leaving the continent behind, Zaroth continued on his journey with Luna, his other beasts, as well as Vera and Ari.

Not out of necessity, not because he was pressed for time, nor because someone needed help or aid of any sort.

This was simply what he wanted… what he desired.

And he was going to fulfill it.

For he was living for his desires.

For he was the only Undead Beast Master to ever live. The only person who had ever tamed multiple Mythical beasts under his rule.

For he was the anomaly that would slay the gods.

For he was the one and only, Zaroth.

[End of volume three: Death Reborn]

[End of novel: Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires]

— A/N —

I want to express my utmost gratitude to every reader who read my work up until the very end. I've strived to create a memorable story that explores the depths of human desire, the ways people could let their emotions control them, and how those desires can ultimately break or consume a person.

I know some things could have been executed better, and I wouldn't argue over it. It's only natural, as this is the first work I have ever completed. But hey, that's what makes perfection, right? Failing only to rise and try again for as long as it takes.

Once again, thank you for reading my novel with all its ups and downs, and I hope to see you in my other novels!

Have a nice day!