Neto stood, panting, his body battered,bruised and bleeding, his sword slick with blood. The huge minotaur lay motionless at his feet.
The dust was settling.
Neto stood amidst the wreckage, the ruined compound eerily silent except for the faint groan of unstable rubble.
His sword hung loosely in his hand, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him.
The ground still quivered from the force of their battle, and in the distance, the sound of shifting earth echoed faintly, a reminder of the incredible power they had unleashed.
Neto wiped the blood from his face, looking down at the beast.
Blood dripped from a dozen wounds, and his breaths came in ragged gasps.
The fight was over, but it had left the entire compound scarred beyond recognition.
In a span of less than 20 mins,the surroundings had been destroyed by the show of force.
"Still weak ,took almost all my energy and me going all out to kill that thing."
Holding the crystal in his hand.
"And it's only rank 5,this means I can barely scratch a rank 6.
If there were two of this together,I'd be outmatched."
As though the universe wanted to laugh at his predicament, he heard a sudden piercing cry that shattered the stillness, a sound that wasn't entirely human.
It echoed through the ruins, carrying with it a chilling sorrow and rage.
Neto's grip tightened on his sword as he turned toward the source of the sound.
Not far along Perched atop a jagged piece of debris was a beast, its body silhouetted against the pale light filtering through the broken ceiling.
It was smaller than the minotaur beast but no less intimidating.
Its humanoid torso was lean, wrapped in sinewy muscle, and its arms extended into powerful wings, feathers glinting with a deep bronze hue that mirrored the minotaur's fur. Its legs ended in talons, sharp and cruel, digging into the stone as it stared down at Neto with piercing, bird-like eyes.
There was something else—its face bore an uncanny resemblance to the minotaur, as though the two were cut from the same cloth.
The beasts's gaze dropped to the minotaur's lifeless form, and its expression twisted into one of anguish.
It let out a mournful, keening cry, its wings spreading wide as it descended to its brother's side.
It crouched low, talons clicking against the ground as it touched the minotaur's blood-streaked fur with trembling claws.
For a moment, Neto hesitated.
'A humanoid one again, rank 5 at least.
It's weaker than the last one, but in my state ,i can't take it on.'
The beast like Harpy didn't attack. It sat there, hunched over the minotaur, its shoulders shaking with raw, animalistic grief.
It muttered something in a language Neto couldn't understand, a melodic series of sounds that carried the weight of loss.
It seemed this was what the minotaur was so protective about.
The realization hit Neto —this creature wasn't just another opponent.
It was family to the other.
But the moment of peace shattered as the harpy's head snapped up, its eyes locking onto Neto's.
"Fuck"
The grief melted away, replaced by searing rage.
With a shriek that echoed through the ruins, the harpy launched itself into the air, wings beating with furious strength.
The wind from its flight sent a fresh wave of dust into the air, and Neto instinctively raised his sword.
It came at him like a storm. Weaker than the minotaur, yes, but faster, its strikes were precise and relentless. Neto swung his sword to block, but the force of the harpy's talons still sent him stumbling back.
Each beat of its wings stirred the air, forcing Neto to fight against both the creature and the environment.
The harpy's talons clashed against the blade, the force of the impact rattling his arms. He stumbled back, his feet skidding on loose rubble. The harpy was relentless, circling him like a predator, its grunts and screeches filling the air. Each beat of its wings sent gusts of wind whipping around them, stirring the dust and debris.
The harpy dove, its claws slashing at his side.
Neto twisted to the side in order to avoid the worst of the attack, but its talons still tore through his top, leaving shallow gashes in his skin.
He countered with a desperate swing of his sword, but the harpy darted out of range, letting out a sharp, mocking grunt.
It moved with a deadly grace, weaving through the air, its eyes fixed on him with predatory intent.
Neto's body screamed in protest with every movement.
His energy was waning, each swing of his sword slower than the last.
The harpy seemed to sense this, its attacks growing bolder, more calculated. It struck again and again, claws raking across his shoulder and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Ah fuck."
"What th-"
Neto coughed, tasting blood, and forced himself back to his feet.
The system was glitching and showing up warnings which was confusing.
The harpy hovered above him, its chest heaving, its breath rasping in low, guttural huffs.
It wasn't as strong as the minotaur, but Neto was running on fumes, and it knew it.
His Hp was the lowest it had ever gotten
The harpy lunged again, wings propelling it forward with terrifying speed.
Neto braced himself, waiting until the last possible moment before sidestepping its attack.
As it passed, he swung his sword in a wide arc, the blade gleaming as a rip went into the harpy's side.
A spray of blood stained the ground as the creature let out a screech of pain, its flight faltering.
But as his attack connected, so did it's, it's claw had scrapped at his abdomen ripping at it .
It crashed to the ground, one wing dragging limply at its side.
But even wounded, it refused to give up.
It staggered to its feet, letting out a series of sharp, defiant grunts as it prepared to charge again.
It came flying towards him and met his attack head-on, driving his blade forward with all the force he could muster. The sword sliced at it's chest ,which it dodged barely.
It's claws scraped at his face.
His body was failing him ,loss of blood ,the injuries.
He barely had one more move in his body.
<[KAINOS] Has forced partial evolution>
"Huh?"
The system was glitching more then suddenly
Neto gasped as a sharp, tingling sensation began to spread across his right arm, radiating from his fingertips like icy fire.
His skin rippled, shimmering as though caught in the reflection of a disturbed pool. The first patch of metal emerged, smooth and dark, swallowing flesh and bone with an eerie inevitability.
It wasn't just replacing his arm—it was consuming it, devouring what made the hand human.
Segments of sleek, blackened steel cascaded upward, interlocking with seamless precision, each plate clicking into place with the certainty of a predator's teeth.
Hues of iridescent blue bled into the shifting metal, weaving through the grooves like living veins.
The glow wasn't static—it pulsed and swirled, ebbing and flowing in sync with his pounding heartbeat, as though the arm itself was alive.
The sensation intensified, a low, thrumming vibration reverberating through his body, spreading out from the core of the transformation.
He clenched his teeth, half in pain and half in awe, as the metallic sheen crawled higher, encasing his forearm and elbow in sleek, segmented armour that flexed with an almost organic grace.
His hand distorted, bones snapping with a sickening crack, fingers elongating and sharpening into obsidian-like claws.
The tips glowed faintly blue, as if coursing with liquid energy, the movement was unnervingly smooth, unnervingly natural. The grooves and crevices of the armour deepened, catching light in a way that gave the limb an otherworldly depth, as if staring into it might reveal an infinite expanse of machinery and power.
The transformation slowed as it reached his shoulder, the pulsing blue light fading into a steady glow, painting his surroundings in ghostly hues.
Neto stared at his arm—his new arm. It felt alien, yet he could feel the energy coursing through it.
Neto could feel a destructive output of this arm.
The harpy was in the air with its injuries, gliding in a circle.
All of this had happened in less than 3 seconds.
The harpy flew up the shrieked as it came crashing down towards him.
Neto's arm glowed with an intense, pulsating blue as he clenched his metallic fist, the energy coursing through it vibrating with barely contained fury.
The harpy screeched, its razor-sharp talons slicing through the air as it dove toward him. Without hesitation, Neto pivoted, planting his feet firmly into the ground, the raw power of his transformed arm humming like a storm ready to erupt.
And he punched