SSS-Ranked Evolution: Worlds Unbound-Chapter 39: The Final Form.

"Get a grip of yourself friend!" Von shook some sense into him but out of anger, Ren pushed him away from him, his hazel eyes now burning a bright golden colour, filled with many emotions that wounded his heart. Filled with anger and hate, his teeth barred as the pounding of his own heart resonated in his ears.

"We let her die! We could have saved her!" his eyes were on fire, tears threatening to spill again, but some force held them in his eyes, giving them a watery look. Von, who felt the same pain he did, turned to the ground, not being able to look at his friend.

"There is no victory without sacrifice..." his voice barely above a whisper, loud enough for Ren to hear, easy enough to get him enraged.

"No one needs to die to win! No one deserves to die! I—she might still be alive! We can—" hastily, he turned to the burning palace and took his first few steps closer. Von’s eyes widened in disbelief, and in the same haste, grabbed his arm before he did something foolish.

"She. Is. Gone." Now looking into his eyes, he could see Ren was about to break and judging from how he felt and reacted to loss, he guessed Ren was still very young. Very young and innocent in this cruel world, "let her rest. We need to get going." Von pulled him closer with so much love and hugged him. Ren’s hands clenched into fists, and he bit into his lips to prevent himself from crying, drawing blood from his lips.

He had lost a friend, he hadn’t even known her for long, but it hurt so bad. Was it because he had a connection with beasts? Could he feel their pain as much as he could feel his? Their heartfelt moment was interrupted when the earth shook and dread settled on top of them like a thick blanket.

Something was coming. And it was big.

The sky wept shadows, thunder rolling like a funeral dirge as the beast towered over them. Its grotesque form pulsated, a writhing amalgamation of twisted flesh and countless skull-faced heads, each one grinning with a malice that froze the air. The creature’s bodies melded together like liquid nightmares, its limbs long and sinewy, tipped with claws that seemed to pierce reality itself. Tentacle-like appendages writhed from its torso, their movements slow and deliberate, as though savouring the terror they brought. Its breath was a cacophony of wails, the cries of the monsters it had absorbed echoing in its guttural roar.

One of the skull-heads twisted downward, its hollow eyes glowing with a sickly crimson light as it spoke. "I have burned your home. I have slaughtered your kind. Now, I will devour what remains."

Its voice was like broken glass grinding in their ears, shaking the very ground they stood on. Before either Ren or Von could react, one of its massive hands shot forward, moving deceptively fast for something so monstrous.

The boys dove, but the shockwave from its impact flung them like rag dolls. Ren tumbled across the dirt, the air knocked from his lungs as the ground cracked beneath him. He landed hard, his vision swimming, his body aching. Nearby, Von rolled to a halt, his torn attire fluttering in the wind.

A familiar growl called. Luna, her once-glowing fur matted with dirt and streaks of blood, limped toward him. Her golden eyes burned with concern, her body trembling as she lowered herself beside him. Ren’s heart twisted at the sight of her. She had given everything—too much—for him.

His gaze flicked to the distance, where the reaper loomed, each of its heads twitching and snapping in different directions. It radiated pure malice, its form constantly shifting, the sheer weight of its existence distorting the world around it. The monster was a walking apocalypse.

Ren gritted his teeth, his hands curling into fists as he forced himself upright. He could still hear Dalia’s voice in his mind, see her gentle smile and her grateful eyes. She had given her life for this. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let it be in vain.

Von stood now, his stance steady despite the exhaustion etched into his face. His aura shimmered, tendrils of raw energy wrapping around him like a protective cloak. The kunai and ninja stars he had summoned hovered in the air, vibrating with lethal intent.

"Friend!" Von called, his voice sharp despite its hoarseness. "This thing... it’s the end of the line."

Ren nodded, stepping forward with Luna limping at his side. His exhaustion melted into resolve, his heartbeat steadying as adrenaline flooded his veins. "We fight till the last drop of blood." he groaned, his voice low but firm. His gaze locked onto the reaper’s central skull. "You’re going to pay for everything. You’re going to die!"

The reaper moved again, its gargantuan frame lumbering forward. Each step it took cracked the earth, sending tremors through the battlefield. Its heads twisted and snapped at each other, their guttural snarls creating a deafening chorus. One head, larger than the rest, opened its jaw impossibly wide, a thick, black mist pouring from its maw.

Von acted first, launching his kunai and ninja stars with a flick of his wrist. They sliced through the air like meteors, glowing with his energy, each one aimed for a critical point on the reaper’s body. The beast snarled, its tentacles whipping forward to block the assault. Some kunai struck true, embedding themselves in its grotesque flesh, but the creature didn’t slow.

Ren surged forward, summoning the last reserves of his strength. His sword, dulled and battered, hummed faintly as he raised it. The weight of it felt unbearable, but he tightened his grip, his resolve stronger than ever.

The reaper retaliated, its massive hand sweeping across the battlefield. Ren ducked just in time, the force of the swipe tearing trees from the ground and sending debris flying. He sprang up, slashing at one of the tentacles that lashed toward him.

Luna leapt into the fray, her body crackling with faint sparks of lightning. Despite her wounds, she moved with precision, biting, clawing and throwing lightning bolts at the tentacles that threatened to overwhelm Ren. Von, still in the distance, unleashed a second wave of attacks, his movements swift and deliberate as he directed the barrage of kunai and stars.

But the reaper was relentless. It reared back, its heads all opening their jaws at once. A horrifying screech erupted, the force of it flattening the ground and sending waves of pain through their bodies.

Ren faltered, blood trickling from his ears as he tried to steady himself. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to focus, to move.

"If you think a little scream is going to keep us down, think again!" he gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse but defiant. Von joined him, standing shoulder to shoulder. Together, they stared up at the monstrosity, battered but unbroken.

The reaper’s central head tilted, its empty sockets locking onto them. "You will die." it hissed, its voice dripping with venom.

Ren tightened his grip on his sword. "Not in your wildest dreams."

The battle had begun.

The reaper hissed, its skull-heads snapping wildly, and the writhing tendrils surged forward again—faster, sharper, more relentless than before. They tore through the air with deafening cracks, splintering ancient trees and pulverizing crumbling walls.

"Here they come!" Ren yelled, already moving, not wanting to be smashed to bits.

He ducked and rolled, his battered sword flashing as he sliced through a tendril that came inches from skewering him. Von twisted to the side, leaping off a shattered pillar and hurling a kunai into the beast’s writhing mass.

The reaper roared, its heads twisting toward them in unison. Its tentacles moved like living whips, hammering the ground with bone-shaking force. Dust and debris clouded the battlefield, but Ren didn’t stop. He darted forward, dodging and weaving between the monstrous appendages, closing the distance toward the towering creature.

"Friend, the heads!" Von shouted from behind him, his voice strained but urgent.

"I know!" Ren growled through gritted teeth.

Their plan was simple: take out the heads, and the reaper would fall. But the monster seemed to anticipate every move, its tentacles lashing out in an impenetrable wall of flesh and fury. No matter how fast they moved, it kept them just out of reach.

"Fuck." Ren swore under his breath as he narrowly avoided another tendril, the wind from its strike whipping past his face. A second one slammed into the ground beside him, spraying dirt and rocks as he stumbled back.

Von landed beside him, panting. "We can’t keep this up. It’s not letting us get close."

Ren’s mind raced as he scanned the battlefield. The ruins of the Forgotten Land of the Tigers surrounded them—toppled stone columns, moss-covered statues, and shattered walls. A massive tree loomed nearby, its roots snaking across the ground like veins.

He glanced at Luna, who stood several feet away, her fur bristling as she growled at the beast. Sparks crackled faintly around her tails.

Ren’s eyes lit up. "We need a ranged attack."

Von followed his gaze to Luna and nodded, catching on immediately. "Clear a path for her, huh?"

"Exactly. If she can hit it with her lightning, we might have a chance to sever one of the heads. But we’ll have to keep those tentacles off her."

"Got it," Von nodded, gripping his kunai tightly. "Let’s do this."

The two barely had time to act before a tendril slammed into the ruins they were hiding behind, shattering the ancient stone into rubble. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Attack!" Ren shouted, diving to the side.

Von leapt in the opposite direction, flipping mid-air as another tendril shot past him. The boys hit the ground running, charging toward the reaper with everything they had.

But the monster was ready.

One of its heads lunged forward, its jaw unhinging grotesquely as it spewed a torrent of green acid.

"Watch out!" Von warned, his hand flanking, telling Ren to move.

Ren threw himself to the ground, the acid narrowly missing him. He felt the heat of it as it splattered against the dirt, eating through the earth with a sinister hiss.

The boys dodged frantically as the head spat acid again and again, each strike leaving smouldering craters in the ground. Ren’s heart pounded in his chest as he rolled behind a fallen statue, the acid scorching the air above him.

"Now or never!" Von called out, his kunai glowing faintly as he summoned a barrage of them into the air.

"Go!" Ren yelled, throwing an energy sphere at the head alongside with Von’s attack.

Von leapt forward, releasing the kunai in a deadly arc. They streaked toward the reaper like shooting stars, slamming into its first head. The beast howled in fury, its tendrils flailing wildly as the head recoiled.

"Luna!" Ren shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos of the fight.

The wolf sprang into action, her tails crackling with energy. She darted forward, weaving between the debris with stunning agility. With a sharp growl, she reared back, her tails glowing brighter than ever.

"Strike!" Ren gave the command and oh was she ready.

Luna unleashed a bolt of lightning so fierce it lit up the entire battlefield. The energy slammed into the stunned head, severing it with a deafening crack.

The severed head crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, black ichor spraying in all directions.

The reaper screamed—a horrific, guttural sound that sent Ren and Von stumbling back. The remaining heads twisted and writhed, their howls shaking the very air as the monster recoiled, its tendrils drawing back to protect itself.

Ren gritted his teeth, steadying himself against the force of the scream. He glanced at Von, who was breathing hard but standing firm.

"One down, many more to go." Ren muttered, his voice cold with determination and heavy with fatigue. The reaper had been enraged, and the emotion was evident on all the faces.

"You will pay with your lives!"