Lucien was looking for where the voice was coming from but he knew better than to get distracted during a fight.
Three more creatures rushed him, their translucent forms rippling with murderous intent.
But where seconds ago they'd been death machines... moving so fast they were mostly just blurs... now Lucien could track every micro-movement in high definition clarity.
The closest creatures lunged in unison, their bladed limbs threatening swift dismemberment.
But to Lucien's enhanced senses, they might as well have been moving through molasses. They wanted to tear him apart, and it was clear they would succeed if he hesitated.
Fine.
Lucien was ready.
Instead of waiting for them to come, he charged. His body blurred through the arena as he met them head-on.
Fifty feet.
He growled instinctively, the rumble low in his chest, already lost in what he knew he had to do.
Thirty feet.
The beasts scrambled toward him, racing over each other as they closed the gap.
Ten feet.
Rational thought slipped away. His human senses went quiet, and only the hunger remained.
For blood.
[Looks like you are born for this after all.] The voice came again as it seemed to watch Lucien's action.
When he reached the serrated monsters, he swiped with his hands, and the world dissolved into predatory instinct.
His claws ripped through the first creature's throat in a spray of black blood that painted the ground.
His hunger only intensified as the blood sprayed over him, vast and ancient, drowning out everything but the need for more.
More blood.
More power.
More violence.
[Control it... Don't let the hunger control you.] The voice came again but this time Lucien ignored it.
The second creature's bladed limbs moved through the air, but Lucien's body was already moving, fast and hunger-driven.
He caught the killing stroke on his forearm, and crystalline scales erupted across his skin on impact.
They blocked the blow with an eerie twang. The creature leaned back, almost horrified, but Lucien didn't falter.
His newly evolved claws punched straight through its chest, until he grabbed whatever passed for a heart and ripped it out.
The more blood he let spill into his mouth, the more faster and smoother the mana moving through his system, the more hunger he felt drowning out the last scraps of humanity.
All he saw were translucent bodies. All he felt was rage.
The third creature tried to retreat, its awkward legs faltering. He caught it mid-stride, his hand digging deep into the soft spot on its neck. He grabbed something like bone and twisted, ripping its spine free.
The kill was messy. Blood ran down his arms as he snarled with pleasure.
Somewhere far off, a voice whispered through his mind, but a thick fog swirled through his head.
He could only see the horde of prey advancing, promising fresh blood and fresh evolution.
The human part of him tried to surface.
But the dark part had found its rhythm, and all it wanted was blood.
The kills blurred together in a frenzy of hunger. Each monster's death evolved him, sharpening him into something entirely other. Bodies fell. Blood splattered across the sand.
The voice said something again, but he wasn't listening.
The blood of kills five through eight hit his system like a drug mixed with raw bloodlust.
His tendons unravelled and reformed for explosive force, but it was the psychological shift that truly enthralled him. Each kill felt better than the last. His hunger grew with every drop spilled.
By kill twelve, he wasn't hunting just for the sake of survival. He was doing it because he was enjoying it.
The human part of him watched in horror as the monster enjoyed every second.
The thirteenth creature died brutally, its limbs shattering as Lucien tore it apart. Pain lanced through his broken ribs, but rage drowned everything but the need.
For kills.
For Blood.
For power.
Creatures fourteen and fifteen fell fast. His broken hand screamed as he ripped through translucent flesh, but the monster didn't care.
Sixteen tried to flank him. Seventeen died mid-lunge. By twenty-six, cuts covered his arms, and a deep gash in his side refused to close. His hearing caught the grind of broken ribs with every move.
[Careful, Lucien... Power corrupts... control yourself]
The voice echoed in his head, and he wasn't sure if it was real or a memory.
The world went quiet except for one lone creature scrambling toward him. It lunged, and instinct took over. He grabbed it by the neck, lifting it like it weighed nothing.
It clawed at his wrist, but crystalline patches shimmered over his skin each time it tried to cut him. Its shrill scream bored into his skull.
Given the pain racking his body, and how many had tried to kill him, he wasn't in a forgiving mood. His human side shouted from far away, but he barely heard it.
Before he could hesitate, he slammed its head into a pillar. Stone cracked. The creature went limp.
That should've been the end. No more monsters came but that didn't muffle the haze of bloodlust.
But his hunger didn't fade.
He swayed. Weakness crept in. His grip faltered. His vision blurred from injuries and concussions. His eyelids drooped.
The last creature lay there, its blood pooling beneath it.
His hunger roared, drowning out human thought. Lucien's fangs extended, and he bit into the translucent flesh.
And then he vanished.
[Wait where did he go... what happened?]
[Who dares interfere with the trial?]
[How... this can't be happening... I just awake...]
The voice slowly faded away.
[A.N: Sorry this is coming so late... this chapter might not make sense for a while but it will eventually come together]