Chapter 02: A monster in the fortress

The footsteps were silent, very silent. She had managed to enter the fortress, the hallway was very quiet and dark. There is no light source.

The great fortress, once the shield of the kingdom, was today living its last days. The valley of solitude became a place where monsters live and no one dares to pass through its lands. In the darkness of the night, demons roam freely and the danger increases.

His red eyes looked down the long, dark hallway; he didn't move clumsily or out of pure instinct. He had a goal, and that goal was in the fortress, under which he was hiding.

---

My thoughts were confusing. Anger and the desire to kill suddenly invaded me, it doesn't feel bad, but I can't control it.

I remember seeing a fortress, the dark hallway must be part of the fortress. I moved in this direction because something was calling me. It was the first thing I noticed after waking up. The further I travel down the long hallway and its forks, the more intense the call becomes. A group of soldiers walked down one of the hallways.

The lights went out, the screams silent and the fear. There is no salvation, death is just a state. The bodies lying in a pool of blood, severed or pierced by sharp claws.

At the end of the hallway, there is a steel door. The contours and part of the door were in a state of rust. The time in which it was not opened must have been long. It only took one blow, the door gave way after the impact of the fist.

Inside, spiral stairs descended. The stone walls and metal and wood beams supported the roof. Acting quickly is your best option before being found by patrolling guards.

He jumped down the stairs. The sound of landing was loud, the accumulated dust rising.

Another hallway. He thought as he saw the long dark hallway. In the end, a large wooden door that was not able to stop him. Wood chips flew everywhere. In the middle of the large dark room, on a pillar, there is a crystal. It does not emit shine, it is not special to human eyes.

he slowly brought her hand closer to him. The crystal that remained asleep, woke up. The closer she got, the more intense the glow the crystal emitted.

---

My body began to change again. I am no longer human, I am something that should not exist, I am strong, I am powerful and one day I will take my rightful place. The demonic appearance slowly regained a human form.

A tall young man with black hair, his black eyes with golden pupils. A long black tattoo covered part of his back. Slowly, his clothes changed. Black pants and boots of the same color.

A black long-sleeved T-shirt, leather gloves with dark metal plating. A red blanket, tied around his waist. Dark chains rolled around her waist from one point to another. A human appearance of a monster.

"I didn't expect to regain my human form, no, it's not the same appearance or the same as it used to be."

[the overflowing energy of your body has adopted an ideal form while the synchronization process continues. The time he remained in the cocoon allowed his body to become sufficiently resistant and fit.]

Asshole, that was it. Looking at my body, my new body, I felt full of energy, it was a different feeling than what I was used to. The jewel was still in the same position, how was it able to call me? I'm sure it was very far from the fortress.

I took the crystal from the pedestal of it. Seeing it makes me feel strange, it's like it's part of me. The glass began to change slowly, the brightness of its interior melting the glass with my hand. Soon, it changed its shape into a taut, mud-like mass.

[The memory crystal is merging with your body. The ancient jewel has allowed your skills to return to their maximum level. You have successfully recovered your abilities]

"Things will not end quietly."

The sound of footsteps and armor filled the entire hallway. A group of five fully armed knights saw the destroyed door. It was the only entrance to the dungeons that had not been used for a long time.

"Get ready, the enemy is near!"

As he finished speaking, a black shadow walked out of the door. The knight was not able to see the enemy leave. As he turned his head, a hand grabbed him and…

BOOMM!

The knight's head was slammed against the stone floor. The floor cracked upon impact. It didn't take long for the surprised knights to regain their composure in the face of the sudden attack. They took their weapons and rushed against the enemy.

The spear was dodged, while the sword was blocked. The enemy quickly disappeared before reappearing near one of the knights. The punch to his face sent the knight flying. A gentleman who had pounced before his friend was hit, received the same fate.

Cain hit him with a right hand to the stomach before kicking him. The knight who was knocked to the ground had gotten up and was running to exact revenge. Cain dodged his attack before counterattacking, a light attack interrupting him. The knight did not miss the opportunity, his sword was covered in a blue glow.

The attack was caught by the hands of Cain. To his surprise, his hand froze. The sword attack had the property of freezing his rival. The knight who was trying to retreat was grabbed by his neck. One of his companions tried to attack with his spear, but was dodged and was kicked instead.

The knight who was still hanging in the air widened his eyes at the sudden attack. He spat out a mouthful of blood, Cain's face stained red. His chest was pierced by his sharp claws.

"unhappy".

The scream of one of his companions who jumped to attack. With his spear emanating a green glow, ready to pierce the enemy. Cain, noticing what he was trying to do, turned around and used the meat shield knight.

No!

His spear pierced the armor with relative ease. His head was grabbed by two hands. With a turn, the sound of his neck breaking was heard. The body hit the floor at the same time as his friend's.

The knights' attacks were not enough. His head rolled on the floor as his body fell. The last knight standing tried in vain to hit Cain.

"reinforcements must be arriving"

He tossed the corpse aside, his attention focused on the hallway. A ball of energy formed in his hand.

BOOMM!

An explosion shook the entire place. The fire spread quickly, preventing passage.

Cain passed through the fire and appeared in front of the knights.

"fight!"

The fight quickly resumed. The attacks came and went. A magic circle formed at Cain's feet. A large explosion shook the hallway. The waves of fire consumed everything in their path. One knight hit the ground with his head shattered, while another succumbed to his injuries.

The large explosions constantly shook the walls and ceiling. Blood stained the walls and floors. In Cain's hands, two spheres of energy formed before being shot at the walls.

The fortress continued to suffer attacks. Huge cracks formed in the walls and holes in the walls. Cain's attack was the final blow. One of the walls was completely destroyed, the roof began to give way.

The soldiers, knights, and magicians in the fortress were completely alarmed, while others were still engaged in combat against the invader.

Screams filled the hallways, many escaping the imminent collapse of the fortress. The rumblings in the sky continued. While the sound of the collapse of one of the sections of the fortress kept them company.

"Look for the survivors and don't let anyone escape."

At the order of a knight, several soldiers and knights jumped into the rubble to search for the survivors. Some of them were still alive and others had died long before the fortress collapsed.

The bodies of the soldiers were in a bad condition. Missing limbs were very common.

From the rubble. The sound of an explosion took the knights and soldiers present by surprise. Cain's form had changed, his appearance was the same as he had when he arrived at the fortress. Thorns grew from his arms and sharp claws pierced the heart of one of the soldiers.

"GO DEAD!"

A knight jumped against Cain. The magicians who were still standing prepared their spells. More knights continued to arrive while others were killed.

A beam of light hit Cain directly as he faced several knights. An explosion followed the attack. The soldiers escaped before he hit the target. Cain, who was in the middle of the attack, let out a mouthful of blood. Several knights rushed towards him. It didn't take long for Cain to get up and resume the fight.

A knight with long crimson hair exchanged attacks against Cain. It was obvious that there was a difference between his strength levels. Cain easily dodged the young knight's attack.

The long claws of his hands grabbed his arm and he slammed his knee into her abdomen. The knight coughed up blood. A fiery arrow grazed Cain's face, a magical archer was hiding in a destroyed wall.

A group of knights with their weapons drawn ran against him. Cain's form was even more menacing and gloomy than before. His crystalline crimson eyes landed on the knights. After emerging from the cocoon, his power rose to new levels. But he still had the same skills that he learned during his time as an adventurer.

A sword began to generate in his hands. When one of the wounded knights brandished the sword, his head rolled on the ground. The clash of swords left sparks, the magicians were the first to suffer.

Wounds formed on Cain's arms. There were some powerful knights and magicians. The fight went on too long and fatigue was beginning to show.

The average strength of the knights in the fortress was C, some of them were B rank and the most powerful one was B+ rank.

While Cain was at rank A. Two knights including a mage began the last offensive. Cain, standing in the middle of the circle, was not afraid, his face stained with blood.

The knights launched as soon as possible. His swords flashed, Cain easily dodged the first attack, the second was blocked, and the third attack was evaded after a jump, each attack failing to be able to cause him considerable damage. The wizard's spells struck fiercely.

He disappeared into thin air, the bewildered wizard searching for where he had gone.

ah!

One attack was enough. The black sword pierced through his chest. His heart was destroyed, blood dripped from her mouth and his chest. The two knights, seeing their companion die, launched themselves for the last time.

It was not enough to kill him and they paid the price of defeat. Both bodies fell to the ground. Cain was no exception, his body was full of wounds. The rest escaped when they saw that his forces were not enough to defeat him.