The Flame of Virtue

"You think a lonely tiger can beat this army?" the man scoffed, his voice dripping with confidence. "You might as well sign your death certificate right now."

Akanni didn't respond. Words weren't necessary.

He stared at the army before him, eyes sharp, unblinking. Beneath the surface, something inside him stirred—a shift, a change that came with the storm brewing in his chest. He could feel it, that primal urge. The need to protect. The need to end this.

The soldiers around him, a mass of metal and armor, began to laugh, but they faltered when they saw the flicker in Akanni's eyes.

Maybe they thought they were invincible with the numbers and weapons. But they didn't understand. They didn't understand what it meant to push him to the edge.

The air grew thick with tension as Akanni's aura began to change, his entire presence seemed to warp, a dark weight pressing down on those around him. His eyes, once a calm brown, burned into a deep crimson, glowing with an intensity that seemed to reach into their souls.

His body tensed. His muscles expanded. He didn't need to speak, He didn't need to warn them. This was the Beast Folk's true power. This was their Primal Mode.

He was no longer just a beast… He was a monster.

The ground trembled beneath him, and the soldiers took an instinctive step back, their confident smirks turning to uncertainty. Akanni clenched his fists, his claws elongating, sharp, and deadly.

Then, he roared.

"GRAHHHHHHHH!"

The sound was deafening, a raw explosion of energy that tore through the air like thunder. The very earth beneath their feet buckled. The mines shook with the force of his voice. The walls cracked, dust falling like rain. It was as if the world itself had been rattled.

Rumble. Rumble.

The enemy soldiers staggered, struggling to keep their balance, their faces contorted with fear. Panic spread like wildfire. A few fell to their knees, their hands pressed to their ears as if to block out the sheer power of the sound.

"What the hell?!" one soldier yelled, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

"How can someone's roar be so strong?!" another screamed, losing his footing and crashing to the floor

But Akanni wasn't done. He stood, eyes glowing, scanning them like a predator watching prey. Every soldier, every man in that army knew it at that moment: they weren't fighting a Beastman. They were facing a force of nature.

Akanni's gaze met theirs, cold and calculated. There was no mercy in his eyes, only the inevitable. And that unavoidable thing was death.

Before any of them could make a move, Akanni was already upon them. He was a blur of motion, a flash of ferocity and raw strength. One soldier lunged with a sword, but Akanni was faster. He appeared behind him in an instant, gripping the man's face with a vice-like hand.

The soldier's eyes widened in terror as his sword fell uselessly to the ground. He clawed at Akanni's arm, but Akannis's Arm felt like stone. Akanni's grip tightened, his claws digging into the soldier's skull.

"Let go of me, stupid beast!" the soldier screamed in agony, his voice a strangled cry.

Akanni didn't flinch. He didn't hear him.

With a quick motion, Akanni threw the soldier aside like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into his comrades. They scrambled back, but it was too late. Akanni was already on them, a whirlwind of claws, fangs, and raw muscle.

One soldier tried to stab him in the side, but Akanni barely flinched. The blade slid off his skin like it was nothing. He moved with such speed, such power, that the soldier never even saw the punch coming. Akanni's fist landed like a sledgehammer, caving in the soldier's chest. The man didn't even have time to scream as he crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Another soldier rushed forward, swinging a heavy axe, but Akanni was already gone. He reappeared behind the man, grabbing the axe's handle with a single hand and ripping it from his grip. The soldier froze, eyes wide with fear, but it was already too late. Akanni's claws raked across his body in a blur, slashing through armor and flesh alike.

The soldiers around Akanni were starting to panic. They were trained for battle, yes, but nothing in their training had prepared them for this. Nothing had prepared them for the storm that was Akanni. They tried to regroup, and form ranks, but they couldn't even get close.

Akanni's speed and strength were beyond anything they had ever seen. His movements were like lightning. He sliced through them like a blade through paper—one soldier down, then another, then another. His roar reverberated in the air, his aura crushing their resolve.

The ground was slick with blood, the air thick with the stench of fear and death. There was no mercy in his eyes, no hesitation. This was not a fight; it was an execution.

But even as he tore through them, the pain in his body began to catch up with him. A gash across his chest. A cut to his side. He could feel the strain in his muscles, the burn of exhaustion creeping in. His body was pushed past its limits, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Not yet. Not when the fire burned so bright.

He gritted his teeth, ignoring the blood that seeped from his wounds. He wasn't done. Not until they were all gone.

The last soldier standing, covered in blood, trembling with fear, raised his sword. His hand shook as he pointed it at Akanni, his voice barely a whisper. "I… I'll kill you!"

Akanni met his gaze, his eyes unwavering. His chest heaved, every breath sharp and pained, but his resolve was ironclad. He was a man of few words, but when his eyes locked onto his prey, there was only one message: This ends now.

With a brutal speed, Akanni launched himself forward, his claws cutting through the air as he closed the distance. The soldier's sword never touched him.

In a heartbeat, Akanni was on him, his claws sinking into the man's chest, tearing through flesh and bone. The soldier's scream was cut off in an instant, his body crumpling to the ground in a heap of lifelessness.

Akanni stood over the corpse, breathing heavily, his body trembling from the strain of the fight. The battlefield was silent now, save for the sound of his ragged breaths.

But then, as he prepared to turn and finish this—CRACK!

A bolt of lightning splits the sky above, striking Akanni with an explosion of light and thunder. The force of it sent him flying backward, his body contorting in pain as the electricity coursed through him. His vision blurred, his muscles locking up as he struggled to remain on his feet.

Akanni gritted his teeth, but the pain was overwhelming. The air around him crackled, the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air. His body trembled from the shock, every nerve on fire. But he wasn't done yet.

As his vision swam, a voice came from the darkness—chilling, mocking, and all too familiar.

"Playtime's over."

Akanni's gaze snapped to the source of the voice. His eyes narrowed, his fury igniting once again. He could barely see through the haze of pain, but he could feel the presence of the person standing just beyond the shadows.

The voice was cold, sadistic, and dripping with malice. Akanni's heart pounded as the aura of this mysterious figure radiated with a calm, yet cruel intensity.

The shadows shifted, and for a brief moment, a figure emerged, stepping into the dim light. A woman, dressed in a sleek black uniform, with piercing blue eyes that glowed like ice. Her black hair was slicked back, framing her sharp features.

In her hands, she wielded a rapier—thin, deadly, and precise.

She smiled cruelly, the glint of amusement dancing in her cold eyes as she watched Akanni struggle.

"My, my. What an impressive display," she purred, her voice light but filled with menace. "But I'm afraid this little game has to end now, doesn't it?"

Akanni's fury intensified. He could barely stand, his body a mess of burns and injuries, but the rage in his chest fueled him. He wouldn't let this woman—or anyone—stand in his way.

His body trembled with the need to strike. To end this.

But the woman didn't move. Her rapier was poised in front of her, and in her eyes, Akanni saw the challenge.

He gritted his teeth and growled through the pain. He would make her pay.