God's Universe

Yes/No

It can heal itself?

He tightened his grip on the knives.

How the hell am I supposed to kill something like that?

The creature charged again.

This time, Logan managed to move aside, but one of its claws caught his chest.

Pain tore through him.

"AHH!"

He stumbled backward, clutching his chest. Warm blood ran between his fingers.

The beast turned toward him.

Logan's breathing became uneven. His stomach throbbed with every movement, and the wounds across his chest burned as blood soaked into his shirt.

He couldn't win a straightforward fight.

He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't fast enough. And unlike the creature, he couldn't heal himself.

If he continued trading blows, he would die.

Think, Logan. Think!

The beast began moving toward him again.

Logan glanced around the living room. A broken table lay near his feet. A few chairs remained standing by the dining area, and a ceramic vase sat on a cabinet.

None of them looked capable of hurting the creature.

But perhaps hurting it wasn't the only way to survive.

He needed time. An opening. Anything that would let him get close enough to strike somewhere vulnerable.

The beast suddenly lowered its body and charged.

Logan grabbed the ceramic vase and threw it at its face.

CRASH!

The vase shattered against the creature's mouth.

It jerked its head back, releasing a furious roar.

Logan blinked.

It stopped.

The creature's eyes locked onto him again.

It charged.

Logan grabbed a plate from the nearby table and hurled it toward its face. The plate shattered against its head.

The beast hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing forward.

Logan threw another object and moved aside just as the creature smashed into the furniture.

It wasn't much, but he had learned something.

The beast reacted whenever something struck its face, especially near its mouth. And when it charged, it seemed to commit its entire body to the attack.

It can't change direction quickly enough.

It was a guess, but he had nothing else.

Logan retreated toward the kitchen, throwing whatever he could reach. A book bounced off the creature's shoulder. A wooden chair shattered against its back.

None of the attacks caused serious damage.

They only made it angrier.

The beast eventually stopped reacting to the objects and lowered its body again.

Logan recognized the movement.

It was going to charge.

His legs trembled. Blood continued running down his chest, and he was beginning to struggle to remain standing.

One more time. I just need one more opening.

The creature rushed toward him.

Logan waited until the last possible moment before throwing himself aside.

The beast missed him, but its claws caught his sleeve and tore through the fabric. Logan stumbled, nearly falling beneath its feet.

He barely escaped being crushed.

The creature slammed into the wall.

BOOM!

Cracks spread across the concrete.

Logan stared at the damaged wall, then at the beast as it struggled to turn around.

An idea began forming in his mind.

It doesn't slow down when it charges. If I can make it lose its footing...

His gaze shifted toward the kitchen.

A bottle of cooking oil stood beside the counter.

He didn't have a plan that guaranteed success. He barely had a plan at all.

But he had to try something.

As the creature turned toward him, Logan retreated into the kitchen. He knocked the bottle off the counter, sending it crashing onto the floor.

Oil spread across the tiles.

The beast growled and started toward him.

Logan backed away, keeping his knives raised.

His heart pounded so hard that he could feel it in his throat.

Come on. Just charge.

The creature lowered its body.

Logan's eyes widened.

It was coming.

He waited until the last possible moment, then stepped aside.

The beast rushed past him.

Its feet struck the oil-covered tiles.

For a split second, it remained upright. Then its legs slipped, and its body lurched sideways.

It crashed shoulder-first into the damaged wall.

The impact sent another shower of debris across the room.

Logan stared in disbelief.

It worked!

But the creature wasn't dead.

It struggled to regain its footing, claws scraping against the floor as it tried to turn toward him.

Logan knew the opening wouldn't last.

He rushed forward.

The beast turned and opened its mouth, releasing another furious roar.

Logan drove one knife upward.

The blade struck inside its mouth, but the force of the impact nearly knocked it from his hand. He gritted his teeth and pushed with everything he had left.

Then he drove the second knife upward beside the first.

The blades penetrated deep into the creature's head.

Its body convulsed violently.

Logan held on, his arms trembling as the beast thrashed against him. One of its claws scraped across his shoulder, tearing through his clothes.

He nearly lost his grip.

"Just... DIE!"

The creature staggered backward.

Its red eyes flickered.

Then its legs gave way, and its body crashed onto the floor.

Silence followed.

Logan remained frozen, staring at the motionless beast.

He waited for it to move.

It didn't.

He had done it.

He had actually killed the monster.

A weak laugh escaped his lips, but it quickly turned into a painful cough.

"Ha... damn..."

He looked down at himself.

Blood covered his shirt. His hands shook so badly that he could barely hold the knives, and his legs felt as though they might give out at any moment.

He had won, but he had come dangerously close to losing everything.

The living room was a wreck. The front entrance had collapsed, cracks spread across the wall, and broken furniture littered the floor. Dust hung in the air, mixing with the metallic smell of blood.

"Mom..." Logan called weakly. "Liam... it's over."

For a moment, nobody answered.

Then Mary appeared from behind the damaged wall, pulling Liam along with her.

The moment Liam saw Logan, his face turned pale.

"Brother!"

He rushed toward him.

Logan tried to smile.

"See? I told you I'd be fine."

But the words barely left his mouth before his legs began trembling.

Mary reached him just as he stumbled.

"Logan! You're bleeding!"

"I'm okay..."

He tried to take another step.

Pain shot through his chest, and his vision blurred.

No, he wasn't okay.

His stomach felt as though it had been crushed, his chest was covered in deep wounds, and he could barely draw a full breath. The room began spinning around him.

Liam grabbed his arm.

"Brother, please! Stay awake!"

Logan tried to focus on his brother's face.

Mom is safe. Liam is safe.

That was all that mattered.

He had protected them.

But his body had reached its limit.

His knees gave way.

Mary caught his shoulder, but his weight dragged her down with him. Liam dropped beside them, calling his name over and over.

Logan could hear their voices fading into the distance.

Then a cold, mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.

[Congratulations. You have killed your first beast.]

[A compatible Evolution Core has been detected.]

[Host's condition is critical.]

[Do you want to consume the Evolution Core?]

[Yes / No]