The goblin moved—
And this time—
Elios moved faster.
Not clean.
Not controlled.
But enough.
The distance between them collapsed again, steel meeting steel in a harsh clash that echoed through the cave.
The goblin adjusted—
trying to redirect—
trying to regain control—
But it was too late.
Elios didn't stop.
Didn't step back.
Didn't think.
His body pushed forward—
relentless—
unstable—
driven by something deeper than thought.
Another strike came—
He forced through it.
The blade in his hand moved—
rough—
unrefined—
But fast.
Too fast.
It cut.
Not shallow.
Not partial.
Clean.
The goblin's head separated.
For a moment—
its body remained standing.
Then—
it collapsed.
Heavy.
Final.
Silence followed.
The goblin didn't move again.
Its body lay still on the cold stone, blood spreading slowly beneath it.
Elios stood over it.
Barely.
His chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath dragging through him like it weighed more than it should.
"…Hah…"
His grip loosened.
Then tightened again.
His body trembled.
Not from fear.
From everything.
The fight—
the strain—
the pain still running through him—
And that thing.
That power.
Elios looked down at his hands.
They didn't feel the same.
Not heavier.
Not lighter.
Just—
wrong.
"…What…"
The word came out faint.
No answer followed.
Only silence.
Then—
A sound.
Movement.
Two goblins.
At the edge of the cave.
They had come late.
Seen enough.
And now—
they were running.
Elios' eyes sharpened.
Not thinking.
His body moved.
He switched the blade to his left hand—
Bent down—
Grabbed the fallen weapon of the goblin at his feet.
His fingers tightened around it—
He didn't aim.
Didn't think.
He threw it upward—
And his leg followed.
A sharp kick.
The weapon shot forward.
Spinning.
Fast.
Unstable.
It pierced through one goblin's back.
Clean.
The body dropped instantly.
The second—
didn't stop.
It ran.
Disappeared into the darkness.
Gone.
Elios stood there.
Still holding his blade.
Still breathing.
Still—
standing.
He slowly shifted the sword back into his right hand.
Then—
he drove it into the ground beside him.
The metal sank slightly into the stone.
And Elios lowered himself.
Not gracefully.
He just sat.
Right there.
"…What… was that…"
His voice was barely there.
His head dropped slightly.
His body felt empty.
Not like before.
Not hunger.
Something else.
Like everything had been used—
and something more had been taken with it.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Tried to steady his breathing.
But the memory didn't leave.
The way his body moved.
The way it responded—
without him thinking.
Without him choosing.
"…That wasn't…"
Not just strength.
Not just speed.
Something else.
Something—
wrong.
A sound broke through.
Distant.
Then—
closer.
Many.
Elios' eyes opened.
His head lifted slowly.
The cave ahead—
shifted.
Movement.
Not one.
Not two.
A lot.
Too many.
The sound grew louder.
Feet against stone.
Claws scraping.
Voices—
low—
sharp—
building.
Elios stared into the darkness.
And then—
they appeared.
A horde.
Dozens.
More.
Filling the passage.
And at the front—
The one that escaped.
Its eyes locked onto him.
And behind it—
everything moved.
Elios didn't stand immediately.
For a second—
he just looked.
His breathing slowed.
Not calm.
Not steady.
Something else.
"…So…"
The word didn't finish.
Because they moved.
All at once.
The horde surged forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
Elios pushed himself up.
His body resisted—
for a moment.
Then—
it gave in.
Not to him.
To something else.
That feeling returned.
Violent.
Unstable.
His muscles tightened—
his senses sharpened—
his vision narrowed.
Everything focused.
Too much.
Too fast.
"…Stop…"
He didn't mean to say it.
But it didn't matter.
Because he wasn't in control anymore.
The first goblin reached him.
Elios moved.
Faster than before.
The blade cut.
Clean.
Another came.
He turned—
Struck—
Another fell.
Then another.
Then more.
They didn't stop.
Neither did he.
His movements weren't clean.
Weren't controlled.
They were—
instinct.
Raw.
Brutal.
Every step forward—
another body fell.
Every swing—
another life ended.
Blood filled the air.
The cave echoed with impact after impact.
But Elios didn't hear it.
Didn't feel it.
Didn't think.
He moved.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The horde pressed in—
but broke against him.
Not because he was stronger.
But because something inside him—
had taken over.
Something that didn't hesitate.
Didn't tire.
Didn't care.
Time lost meaning.
The cave filled with bodies.
And still—
he moved.
Until—
nothing moved back.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Final.
Elios stood there.
For a moment.
Just one.
Then—
his body gave out.
The blade slipped from his hand.
His legs collapsed beneath him.
And he fell.
Into the bloodsoaked stone.
Unmoving.
Unaware.
Unconscious.
End.