Chapter 5 – Dion Vs The Jailer

Summoning every ounce of strength and ignoring the searing pain that coursed through his battered body, Dion swiftly lifted the wrapped chain from his bruised and bloodied form. The heavy chain, spanning a length of three meters, slipped off, leaving only one shackle remaining, still tethered to his wrist.

Dion lunged towards the man, executing a swift 360-degree turn to maximize the force behind his swing. With a resounding impact, the free shackle connected with the man's face, causing him to stagger backward, blood spurting from the deep dent left by the heavy shackle.

Seizing the opportunity, Dion closed the distance between them, his movements fluid and agile like a cat.

He positioned himself behind the stunned jailer. Acting swiftly, he deftly wrapped the chain around the man's neck, his grip tightening with unwavering resolve.

With a firm grip on both ends of the chain, Dion exerted pressure, seeking to strangle the very person who had held him captive for far too long.

Pain radiated from his injured, taut muscles but he disregarded it.

The man, who just woke up from his disorientation, grabbed and tugged onto the chain taking his breath.

Dion tried to hold the chain firmly, but his strength was no match for the man's raw power. With a violent motion, the man flung Dion, chains and all, as if they weighed nothing.

BANG–!

A thunderous impact reverberated through the cave as Dion collided against the wall, his body unable to withstand the force. More blood erupted from the broken vessels within him, staining the floor as he fell, face-first, onto the hard floor. Coughing up blood, he struggled to regain his composure.

Summoning his resilience, Dion rose to his feet with fierce determination, ready to face the man once again. Clutching the roughly folded chains, he lunged forward, his movements fueled by adrenaline and steadfast resolve.

However, Dion saw only a blur and he was sent flying by a kick that felt like a hammer slammed his chest. He could feel his chest had caved inward.

BANG–!

His back collided against the wall and he fell face flat again. The relentless agony threatened to overwhelm his senses, making it difficult for him to rise as swiftly as before.

He slowly stood up amidst the avalanche of pain.

'Brute force won't work even with the injury on him,' Dion thought.

When he looked at the man, he saw a glowing, grey eye. The man lost a quarter of his face including his eyes from Dion's previous attack.

"Kid, I will torture you until the creator calls you. You will beg for death," an eerie voice saturated with anger and hatred came from the man's mouth.

Dion calmed down and folded the chain neatly into three. Now, it has become approximately a meter long. Reckless charging and attacking are pointless and would cause more to him.

"You want to fight me with that? Delusional! I've already awakened my bloodline. Do you know what my bloodline is? A wolf known for strength," the man spoke with disdain and pride.

Suddenly, Dion felt his mind and thinking turned sluggish under a certain invisible pressure.

'Dammit! Eyes intent,' he cursed.

As Dion blinked, trying to shake off the disorienting attack on his mind, he found the man had vanished from his line of sight. A sudden chill slithered down his spine, accompanied by a gust of wind that buffeted his back. The ground beneath him trembled ominously.

Reacting swiftly, Dion swung the chain, but instead of the anticipated resistance or rebound, he felt it come to an abrupt halt as it struck something solid.

Turning his head, his eyes widened as he beheld the man gripping the other end of the chain. The man's malevolent gaze bore into Dion's own, brimming with derision. Blood oozed from the damaged half of his face, intensifying the malevolence that radiated from him.

"Pathetic," the man sneered, his words laced with contempt.

In a vice-like grip, he constricted his fingers around Dion's throat, lifting him effortlessly from the floor. Suspended in mid-air, Dion's desperate gasps for air were met with futility as the man tightened his grip, denying him the precious oxygen his lungs craved.

Kicking and flailing his legs in a futile attempt to free himself, Dion used his hands to pound against the man's arm, desperately attempting to break free from his suffocating hold. But his efforts proved fruitless against the overwhelming strength of his captor.

Right now, the adrenaline made him lose the feeling of pain from the previous torture. Fighting for oxygen became a priority.

As grogginess threatened to consume his mind and darkness encroached upon his fading vision, Dion's arms drooped lifelessly at his sides, his flailing legs gradually relaxing.

However, amidst the haze, an intense and unbearable itch began to torment his loose left hand. The sensation escalated rapidly as if his blood boiled like magma within the unshackled limb. Even the dizziness that had plagued him started to fade, replaced by the overpowering focus on the growing itch.

Lowering his gaze, Dion's eyes widened in fear as he observed black fur gradually sprouting from his left arm. Confusion and uncertainty flooded his thoughts, but amidst the chaos, he understood his priorities: he needed to breathe, to survive.

Now his mind was no longer clogged, he aimed at the man's face.

The weighty chains attached to his right hand hampered its strength, so he clenched his left hand and gathered enough power.

In a sudden burst of determination, Dion raised his clenched left fist and slammed down onto the man's face. Staggering backward, the man's grip on Dion's neck loosened, causing him to crash onto the floor.

'My left arm is now powerful. That's it.'

Dion looked around to find the key to unlock his right hand. But he saw it at a distance, close to the man's feet.

'Screw it.'

"Your body is already changing but you have no bloodline. Death should have been normal instead." The man looked at Dion with confused eyes. Then his one eye narrowed and turned sharp with the grey, eerie glow. "But that's all."

Ignoring the man's cryptic words, Dion swiftly rearranged the chain on his right hand, ensuring it remained a manageable meter in length, just as before.

His left arm still had issues of furs slowly growing but he had to make use of the power now. Taking a deep breath, Dion remembered one sentence Professor Ivy said offhandedly — weak beings make use of feint and deceit to win against stronger beings.

"Bring it on," the man roared at Dion.

Dion felt his thinking slowed for a moment but his focus returned instantly.

That's when he saw the man sprinting towards him at a superhuman speed. Although the man was faster than a regular human, he wasn't leaving blurry afterimages in his trail like before.

'It was all a mind illusion.'

Dion immediately swung his chain at the man who was trying to go around him.

The man's eye dilated in shock. He was too close to Dion to dodge smoothly and unharmed.

The man raised his arm to shield his face against the incoming chains.

Although he emerged with only bruises on his arm muscles, the force disrupted his movement tempo, providing Dion with an opening.

'That's it. Feint, deceit…'

Seizing the opportunity, Dion swiftly followed up with a powerful punch aimed between the man's legs, utilizing the newfound strength of his superhuman left arm.

'...and weakness!'

The blow landed with precision on 'little jailer', causing the man's eyes to widen in shock, his eyelids trembling, and his jaw-dropping. Even his legs turned into jelly.

Cringing in pain, the man dropped to his knees, both hands instinctively covering the area of impact.

'One chance to settle it all.'

A sharp and ruthless gleam flashed past Dion's eyes.

Without hesitation, he hastily furled the long chain with his free left hand, molding it into a makeshift ball form within his palms.

Gripping the furled chain tightly, Dion raised it with unforgiving intent and brought it crashing down upon the kneeling man's face. The impact sent the man sprawling onto the floor.

Driven by a surge of adrenaline, Dion rushed towards him, delivering another forceful bash, utilizing his superhuman left hand as the controller. The man's head caved in, blood spurting and oozing from the fissures that formed on his ravaged face.

Dion recoiled in shock and disgust, his mind reeling from the macabre and bloody scene before him. Using his hands to crawl backward in a scurry, he distanced himself from the lifeless body. His retreat was halted by the rough wall, and he found himself pressed against it, consumed by a wave of shock and fear.

He took his first life in a horrendous way. Despite the man being his tormentor and jailer, the act of taking a fellow human's life sent him spiraling into a state of unease and trepidation.

But the tingling sensation emanating from his left arm made him remember another problem.

When Dion turned to his arm, black furs were lengthening from his pores, making his left arm look like an ape. His heart instantly froze. He was too engrossed in the battle and the adrenaline made him ignore it.

The expanding of his arm and muscle tearing jolted him to reality.

'Sh*t! I'm turning into an animal. What do I do?'

The furs kept multiplying and his muscles continued bulging.

His breathing became loud in desperation. Both eyes constricted and dilated in fear. His heart thumped with anxiety.

'Damn! Damn! Damn! Right, the bag of this man had a thing called a healing potion.'

Like a dying man who found a life-saving straw, Dion rushed at the bag. The hellish pain could wait. He ignored everything.

When he opened the bag, he picked up the green bottle and uncocked it.

'He said they could heal,' Dion thought and gulped down the entire content without remembering the taste.

A cooling sensation washed over Dion as all his pains vanished. He watched as his wounds shrunk and closed before his eyes. His caved-in bones rearrange themselves until they are normal.

The miracle happening in front of him was still sucking all his attention until he felt the itchy feeling on his left-hand multiply.

Dion sharply turned to his left arm and saw many needle-like furs. The potion multiplied the transformation. His hope shattered.

'It did not work…' Dion thought in shock.

His eyes couldn't tear off from his transforming arm.

Pain was beginning to run through his left arm as the bones began to elongate and widen. They made creaking noises.

He could feel his head spinning.