The Lord’s Raids

Renald IBARA

"Huh!? I'm still alive?" I muttered, barely able to believe it. I was so frozen with fear, I hadn't even realized I could move.

"Damn idiot! Get over here and help me!" Lord Akumu's voice cut through the chaos, strained as he struggled to fend off the beast with his Odashi. The massive blade was barely holding under the relentless force of the creature's attacks.

And I just stood there. Watching. Waiting for death to take me?

"Damn it, I'm pathetic!" I cursed myself.

With a guttural scream, I lunged forward, axe in hand, and threw everything I had left into a single desperate swing. My weapon bit into the creature's thick hide—but it wasn't enough.

"Too weak... not even a scratch."

That's when I heard it—a sound I never wanted to hear, especially now. A terrible clicking noise, a grim rhythm like the ticking of a clock counting down my end. It echoed in my mind, cold and mocking, as if the world itself was laughing at my hopelessness.

The force of impact sent painful vibrations through my arms, nearly making me drop my axe. I wanted to pull back, to retreat and regroup, but before I could even take a step, the monstrous rat grabbed me by the arm. Its grip was iron, and in one swift motion, it lifted me off the ground, dragging me toward its grotesque maw, which stank of decay and blood.

"Is this how it ends? Am I going to be devoured like some helpless prey?" My thoughts spiraled into panic.

With my free hand, I beat at its face in vain, knowing it wouldn't do a thing to stop it—but I had no choice. My instincts took over, fighting for survival, desperate to avoid the razor-sharp fangs now mere inches from my body.

The beast seized my axe in its jaws and snapped it like it was nothing. Wood and metal fragments scattered across the ground as it let out a bone-chilling roar, so powerful it seemed to shake the earth beneath us.

"Lord Akumu! Help me! Do something!" I screamed, my voice cracking with terror.

The beast, almost amused by my feeble attempts, lifted me even higher, and then slammed me down with a force that shattered my very bones. My skull cracked against the ground, and I could feel my muscles tearing, my insides crushed by the brute strength of the blow.

Pain overwhelmed me, everything blurring together—was the world spinning, or was it just me? I couldn't tell anymore. I just knew that I wanted it all to end.

The creature wasn't done. It lifted me again and slammed me back into the earth like I was nothing more than a rag doll. Each time, I could hear my bones snapping, my flesh tearing, my own blood pooling beneath me. It was a horror I couldn't escape.

Just when I thought it would finally tear me apart, a roar even louder and more menacing than my attacker's ripped through the battlefield.

The beast froze, its grip on me slackening. In a fit of rage, it tossed me aside like garbage, its attention drawn to the new threat.

I flew through the air, crashing behind the barricade. I bounced off the hard ground, rolling until I was stopped by a large stone. Every inch of my body screamed in agony. My mind barely registered the pain anymore; it was too much to process.

As I lay there, broken and bleeding, a strange voice whispered in my ear.

[Congratulations, you have awakened your skill.]

[You have acquired the skill "Regeneration."]

My mind, hazy and slipping into unconsciousness, grasped at those words. Regeneration…?

But it didn't matter. Darkness was creeping in, and no matter how hard I fought to stay awake, I couldn't hold on. The world around me faded into nothingness.