Only moments remained before Skalias would catch me. With a surge of effort, I darted to the side, slipped beneath his belly, and grabbed onto one of the spikes on his leg, propelling myself toward his head.
I seized the shaft of the spear still lodged in his wounded eye and tore it free with all my strength, drawing a fresh explosion of pain and fury from the beast.
Landing deftly on the ground, I felt a sharp flare of pain in my chest broken ribs stabbing into my organs. But the pain quickly faded into a distant hum, dulled by the battle's brutal rhythm. I widened the distance, moving into the monster's blind spot, vanishing from his sight. Then, striking my shield with the spear, I drew his attention once more.
The lizard immediately locked onto me, curling into a deadly wheel and charging at full speed. But this time, I did not hesitate I lured him straight into the ranks of enemy soldiers. They saw the beast barreling toward them and tried to scatter, but I was faster. Weaving between them, I dodged blows without wasting time on counterattacks. Skalias tore through their formation like a massive millstone grinding grain to dust.
Staying within his blind spot, I allowed the enraged beast to rampage through the enemy ranks. He devoured any he could catch in his jaws, trampled others beneath his feet, crushed yet more with the sheer weight of his body. I skillfully evaded his gaze, letting the monster blinded by fury unleash his destruction on our enemies rather than on me.
I quickly made my way back to our forces, who were still engaged in a fierce skirmish with the centaurs.
"We can't run," Heron said grimly. "We must destroy both the centaurs and Skalias. The centaurs are already beginning to retreat. Soon, he will turn his rage on us."
"We could blind him," I suggested. "Then maybe we'll have a chance to escape."
"It's risky. Deprived of sight, he might still be able to hunt us by sound. But we have few options. Do it. We'll keep him distracted," Heron said firmly.
The battlefield was a butcher's yard, littered with the mangled remains of centaurs. Their shredded bodies were hurled aside by the monster's blows, leaving bloody chunks of flesh in their wake. The few survivors fled in terror but even so, there were still too many.
Heron quickly ordered the Spartans to spread out across the field, leaving wide gaps between each warrior. This way, the lizard could not crush dozens of men at once. Their task was deadly: hurl spears, distract the beast, and give me a chance to strike his remaining eye.
When the last of the centaurs vanished, Skalias finally turned his mindless fury toward us.
Carefully, step by step, I circled around him, staying out of his sight. The earth trembled underfoot. The beast charged toward the Spartans with terrifying speed.
Life or death.
The lizard crushed and devoured our warriors, tearing them apart like rag dolls. I watched as my brothers-in-arms struggled to wound him, but the monster's stone-scaled hide was nearly invulnerable.
It was time to act.I lunged forward, pouring all my strength into the attack. Like an arrow, I soared through the air just as the beast lowered his head to seize a Spartan. My spear drove straight into his eye, sinking almost halfway up the shaft.
Skalias roared in agony and struck me with a massive paw. I was hurled to the ground before I could recover. His colossal foot slammed down on me, pinning me to the earth, holding me immobile.
His jaws snapped shut over me. I barely managed to thrust my hands upward, grabbing onto his fangs. My muscles screamed under the strain as I wrestled with the monster, struggling to keep his jaws open.
"Raaah!" I roared, feeling my tendons and muscles tear under the inhuman pressure. The monster forced his jaws tighter, and sharp teeth sank into my shoulder. My flesh tore, and warm blood poured down, staining the ground.
Yet still I fought on.
The bones in my left arm gave way. I felt them shatter under the pressure as the lizard's fangs drove deeper. One of his teeth pierced the side plate of my armor, missing my heart by mere inches. His jaws closed tighter and tighter, almost enveloping me completely.
Strength was leaving me. All around, the battlefield drowned in crimson blood, mingled with the black, viscous ichor of the beast.
*
[Talent]
🔥🛡️ Mortal's Will — [Hidden Effect].You were born a human one of the weakest among all races. Yet through perseverance and the fire of your spirit, you have surpassed mortal limits. As long as the flame in your heart burns, you are unstoppable.
*
My broken, battered body was suddenly filled with new strength, as if summoned from the void.
Lungs that had been ready to give out greedily drank in air. My shattered arm, with a sickening crunch, snapped back into place, bones knitting together as if obeying my will to survive.
"AAARGH!" I roared, with inhuman fury.
My hands forced open the jaws of the beast, giving me just enough space to rip free from under its crushing paw. In a single, explosive motion, I leapt upward and, before the creature could react, seized the spear and drove it deep into its skull. The monster bellowed one last, agonized cry then fell silent, collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The battle was over.
Weak and barely standing, I slid down the lizard's massive body, until Heron caught me.
"Damocles," he said, his voice low.
Judging by the look in his eyes, I must have been in a sorry state. I dreaded to imagine how much of me could even be put back together.
Kaaw.
I heard the croak of a raven and saw it land nearby, as if to witness my death. It had been a good fight. Now, at least, I knew the depths of my true strength. Though it seemed... I would not fight again.
POV: Heron One-Eye
I had seen horrors and wonders beyond the grasp of other mortals. I had survived countless wars and battled beasts others would only glimpse in their darkest nightmares. I did not fear death. I honored only duty: to defend Sparta from threats within and without.
At the age of twenty-five, still a young man, I chose to join an elite unit dedicated to hunting monsters. From childhood, all I had known was struggle and by then, I thought I had seen much. But service in the monster-hunting corps was a trial far beyond anything I had imagined.
Every month, someone died. Their place was filled by new blood. Year after year, I fought and survived until I alone remained of those I had first stood beside.
My heart hardened, blackened like scorched stone. I allowed myself fewer and fewer moments of emotion. The final blow came during a hunt not for an ordinary beast, but for a monstrous bear, driven mad by some foul corruption.
Our spears pierced its hide, but it seemed to feel no pain and it tore through us like paper.
When it reached me, it ripped away my shield, and its jaws clamped down on my arm. I swung helplessly in its mouth, like a rag doll. Summoning the last of my strength, I drew my sword and drove it into the monster's eye.
I do not know how I survived. Perhaps the gods left me alive not as a reward, but as punishment.
I was the sole survivor of my entire unit.
When I returned to Sparta, my wounds miraculously healed, I stood before the Council of Elders and told them the truth of what had occurred. For my valor, they appointed me commander of a new division, entrusting me with the training of young Spartans.
For the first time in years, my heart stirred. I felt as though I had become a father, guiding and shaping those placed under my command. I cared for each of them and I mourned each loss, though I strove to never show it.
Perhaps I no longer even knew how to weep. The last tear I shed fell when I lost all my childhood brothers-in-arms those with whom I had grown up. That night, I howled in agony and terror.
It was then I vowed to become a true Spartan: One who would carry out his duty to the very end, with honor, as a man should.
***
Author's Note
Now we must decide what kind of power Damocles will possess.Here are my options:
1. Pantheon (League of Legends) —A force centered around willpower, where indomitable spirit becomes the core of his abilities.
2. The Power of Death —Damocles would no longer be truly alive, resembling the undead described in earlier chapters.
3. Pure Physical Strength —His abilities would be based entirely on his physical attributes and their progressive development.
4. Primarily Magical Power —His strength would come mainly from mystical or arcane forces.
5. I'm open to suggestions —Feel free to propose your own ideas.I have a general direction for the plot in mind, but I'm developing the story as we go.
I'll also make a few changes to chapters already written. I saw a few things to tweak thanks to your comments, thank you!