The Predator

The grotesque form gradually took shape, the pale substance becoming translucent, revealing a massive skeleton within. The amniotic membrane contracted, enveloping the bones, slowly darkening and hardening into black sinew.

Claws extended, fangs bared, a void heart illuminated this hollow shell, and purple malice flickered in its empty eye sockets, transforming it into a deadly predator.

The black flame tentacle released the beast and retracted into the abyss. The predator roared with hunger, and several more tentacles emerged from the abyss, seizing the remaining goats from the ruins to begin their transformation.

At the same time, countless eyes emerged from the abyss, as hordes of void creatures descended upon the world.

The predator resembled a tiger skeleton wrapped in membrane, but with a short spine, no abdominal cavity, and only a heart within its chest. Its limbs were unusually muscular.

It bore the horned head of a demonic goat, with two rows of densely packed needle-like teeth, each capable of piercing bone. The semi-transparent membrane glowed with a malicious purple light as it crouched and approached Kai'Sa.

"Is this still the same goat?"

Kai'Sa's teeth chattered, the towering behemoth twice her height instilling a primal fear in her.

But Kai'Sa was not a girl who would freeze in fear.

She backed away while summoning her gauntlet blades.

The tips of the blades angled towards the predator's chest, where a pulsating heart glowed with sinister light through the gaps in its ribs.

Purple plasma bolts tore through the dim space, ripping the sinew, but it was quickly mended by a web of light, becoming even tougher than before.

"Is this why the Ascended corrupted by the Void learn blood magic?"

Kane realized they must not fight these predators in areas teeming with void creatures, as they could absorb the flesh and blood of weaker beings. They were not only invincible but grew stronger with each battle.

As if to confirm Kane's suspicions, the monster noticed the goat at its feet.

With ease, its powerful claws moved the boulders and it devoured the goat in one gulp. The flesh and bones were corrupted by void energy into a strange liquid, becoming part of the predator and strengthening its form.

The surreal sight shook Kai'Sa's worldview. The void creature, once a goat, had devoured another goat—a scenario she could never have imagined.

Tentacles from the abyss transformed other living goats into massive predators, while the swarm of void creatures crawled ashore, feasting on the goats' remains in the ruins.

Their presence was accompanied by a repulsive stench, their sharp teeth tearing through joints, their carapaces absorbing splattered blood, not even sparing the bones.

Kai'Sa began to understand the essence of the Void.

The scene reminded her of the krogan hunting the skarloc, though she had wept for the gentle giant, she did not hate the predators.

Animal predation on the surface was driven by hunger, not malice; but the void creatures killed simply because you were alive.

The Void was an implacable enemy of all life!

Her carapace mask descended, covering Kai'Sa's face.

She quickly approached Kane and said, "Sorry, our goat feast is ruined..."

Kai'Sa felt a pang of regret, though her mask would consume her tears, she rarely cried anymore.

To her surprise, Kane seemed to understand her distorted speech, or perhaps he guessed what she meant.

"Forget the goat feast, we need to escape!"

Kane watched the predators leaping towards them from the ruins, each stride covering more distance than his short legs could run in ten steps, and he anxiously knocked on Kai'Sa's helmet.

Kai'Sa crouched and lifted Kane onto her back, her thigh carapace plates opened, and she unleashed terrifying speed, fleeing from the abyss.

She raced up the slope, air compressed in front of her, forming a purple hemispherical shield as she charged into the tunnel, leaving a long trail behind.

The predators were quickly left far behind, even Kane's mental net could no longer detect them.

After a few minutes, Kai'Sa's speed gradually slowed; prolonged sprinting would overheat her body, as if she were in a high-temperature furnace.

The void carapace was not omnipotent; although most of the heat was absorbed by her second skin through sweat, the remaining heat, if not expelled in time, could still damage her internal organs.

"Don't goats eat grass? Why did it become such a ferocious predator..." Kai'Sa couldn't suppress her confusion and asked while running.

"I've taught you this, being flooded with far beyond the limit of void energy will make a creature lose consciousness instantly, its body taken over by the Void. Not just habits, even gender is lost."

Kane patted Kai'Sa's shoulder, signaling her to listen to his next words: "But now, these are not the focus. The important thing is I've discovered the connection between live sacrifices and the abyss."

"What is it?" Kai'Sa was surprised; part of her mind was still thinking about how to cook the goat. She noticed the details but struggled to connect them.

One's upbringing greatly influences them, and Kai'Sa's education had not developed her logical thinking.

"Those goats didn't fall by accident near the abyss; it was because those cultists deliberately chose the abyss's edge as the location for their sacrifices."

Kane's words triggered some memories in Kai'Sa. She began to think along this line, and the more she thought, the more plausible it seemed.

"It seems like that... The first abyss we saw also had a blocked skylight above it... Ah! I understand—those people are offering tribute to the Void, using live bait to draw out the monsters from the other side of the abyss."

Artificially creating monsters to cause apocalyptic disasters, the evil of this cult far exceeded Kai'Sa's imagination. She had once thought the cult members were truly sacrificing to ensure their safety.

Such heinous acts could only be committed by traitors! Despicable! Tui~

Kane looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of earth to see the precarious world above.

People danced under the crescent moon, tethered livestock... They didn't know what they were facing; their intentions were to escape the monsters, but everything they did was ringing the dinner bell.

"You're right, Kai'Sa."

"The cult is using this method to grow the power of the Void. If the number of void creatures below increases to a certain level, they will spread upwards, getting closer to the surface."

"Eventually, they will be attracted by the activities of people on the ground, breaking through the earth to devour the scattered villages, even towns, in the desert."

"History repeating itself."