Throne Of The Forbidden God

Eat or Be Eaten

"Bring them all to me!"

Ravian’s shout echoed, bouncing off the damp stone walls. His pair of red eyes glinted in the darkness, challenging a dozen predators that were now crawling closer. The ground beneath his feet cracked, unable to withstand the overflow of energy boiling within his Hell Meridians.

"One prey has fallen. Nine targets remaining to complete the mission," the System’s voice sounded cold in his head. "Don't just bluff, Host. Show that you are worthy of the title Successor of Hell."

"Shut up!" Ravian hissed.

One of the Shadow Predators lunged, its body seemingly merging with the darkness. Its speed was twice as fast as the previous attack. Ravian tried to react, swinging his fist toward the shadow.

BOOM!

An explosion of black energy erupted from his fist, hitting empty air. The power was too immense, sending Ravian’s body flying backward from his own momentum. He slammed hard against the cave wall, causing rocks to crumble.

"Damn it... what is this?" Ravian coughed, wiping black blood from his lips. "It feels like trying to control a storm with my bare hands!"

"Your new body is an uncalibrated killing machine," the System replied flatly. "You possess the strength of a dragon, but your coordination is still like that of the crippled youth you take such pride in."

"I’m not proud of that!" Ravian scrambled to his feet, his feet treading the ground cautiously.

Three predators jumped simultaneously from different directions. Their fangs glistened, aiming for vital points in his neck and chest. Ravian tried to jump to evade, but he pressed down with his legs too hard.

Whoosh!

His body shot upward like an arrow, his head nearly hitting the high ceiling of the abyss. He landed unstably, staggering the moment his feet touched the ground again.

"Control your emotions, Ravian. Don't let the energy control you," the System warned.

"Easy for you to say!" Ravian screamed in frustration. "My legs feel like they’re rigged with explosives! Every step feels like it wants to shatter the earth!"

One predator managed to land on his shoulder, its fangs sinking deep into Ravian’s flesh. Pain pierced through him, but strangely, he didn't feel weak. Instead, he felt his rage burning hotter, fueling his meridians with even more energy.

"You bite me?" Ravian grabbed the monster’s neck. "How dare you touch me!"

He didn't punch. This time, he squeezed. With the raw strength of his Demon Bone Structure, he crushed the predator's neck like snapping a dry twig. The monster's body exploded into a black mist that was instantly absorbed into the pores of Ravian’s skin.

"Two prey down. Eight remaining," the System gave its mechanical report. "Warning: You are wasting too much energy. If you don't learn efficiency, you will run out of breath before the final target dies."

"Just shut up and watch!"

Ravian tried to use the martial arts techniques of the Arkana Clan that he had secretly learned back when he was still a servant. Flowing Cloud Punch. He tried to move his hands gently, but the hellish energy refused to be gentle. Every movement he made always ended in an undirected, destructive explosion.

"The trash techniques of the Arkana Clan are ill-suited for the energy of the Forbidden God," the System mocked. "Why are you still using loser methods for the power of a god?"

"Because this is all I know!" Ravian smashed the head of a third predator trying to lunge at his legs. "I have no teacher, I have no sect! I only have this rage!"

"Then let your rage lead. Stop thinking like a human. Think like a starving predator."

Ravian fell silent for a moment. He looked around. The six remaining predators began to form a circle; they seemed more cautious after seeing three of their kin destroyed. They were no longer monsters underestimating their prey; they were facing a threat.

"Think like a predator... eat or be eaten..." Ravian muttered the principle of the abyss.

He abandoned his upright martial arts posture. His body lowered, his fingers clawing at the ground. He stopped trying to restrain the flow of heat in his meridians and let it flow freely through all his nerves.

"Fourth target approaching," the System whispered.

This time, Ravian didn't wait. Before the monster could jump, he had already moved. He didn't think about technique; he only thought about one thing: Destroy.

He blurred forward. His speed was so extreme that he left a black afterimage in his previous position. He appeared right in front of the predator and slammed his palm into the monster's chest.

CRACK!

The predator's chest caved in. Ravian didn't stop there. He grabbed the monster's tail, swung it through the air, and slammed it toward two other predators trying to flank him.

"Three targets at once. Total: Five destroyed. Five remaining."

Ravian panted. His red eyes now radiated a thicker aura of darkness. He was beginning to feel the rhythm. The pain in his muscles began to turn into a sensation of satisfaction every time he crushed an enemy.

"System, I need something faster! They’re starting to scatter!" Ravian shouted as he saw the remaining predators retreating into the deeper darkness.

"Initial requirements met. Granting temporary access to the movement technique: Hell Step," the System replied. "Feel the flow of energy beneath the soles of your feet. Do not press down, but pull the darkness around you to propel yourself."

Ravian closed his eyes for a second. He felt the black energy beneath his feet no longer rebelling. He imagined the shadows at the bottom of this abyss as water he could dive into.

"Hell Step... Activate!"

Flash!

In the blink of an eye, Ravian vanished from sight. He was no longer running; it was as if he were teleporting between the shadows of the rocks. He appeared behind one of the predators that was hiding.

"Die!"

With a single bare-handed strike infused with sharp hell energy, the monster's head was severed from its body.

Flash! Flash! Flash!

The next three predators fell within seconds. Ravian moved like a ghost, attacking from impossible angles. Every monster's death added to the strength he felt. He felt as if he were drinking the purest energy potion every time the black mist from the monsters' corpses absorbed into his body.

"Nine prey down. One target remaining," the System informed him. "And it seems the last one is no ordinary predator."

From behind the shadow of a giant stone pillar, a Shadow Predator twice the size of the others stepped out. Its eyes were not just red, but glowing like lava. The fur on its back stood sharp like iron needles.

"The pack leader?" Ravian smirked, baring a row of teeth that now looked sharper. "Good. I need a strong finish for this feast."

The monster growled, its voice shaking the dust on the cave floor. It lunged with a speed that rivaled Ravian’s Hell Step. The collision between the two created a shockwave that cracked the cave walls.

"Damn, he's strong!" Ravian held back the monster's fangs with both arms, which were now as hard as steel.

"Use your instincts, Ravian! Don't fight as an Arkana human! Fight as a Demon!" the System screamed.

Ravian felt the monster's fangs begin to pierce the skin of his arms. Black blood began to flow. Instead of being afraid, Ravian laughed. A hoarse, terrifying laugh.

"You're hungry, huh? Me too!"

Ravian opened his mouth wide. As the monster tried to bite his neck, Ravian beat it to the punch, sinking his teeth into the monster's shoulder. He savagely tore away a large chunk of the shadow-flesh.

Auuuuuuu!

The monster howled in pain, trying to pull away. But Ravian did not let go. He gripped the monster's head with both hands, concentrating all the hell energy into his palms until they emitted a blazing black fire.

"Eat... this!"

BOOM!

The large monster's head exploded in a burst of black flames and thick blood. The massive body thudded to the ground, twitching for a few moments before it began to dissolve into massive amounts of pure energy.

Ravian stood over the carcass, his body drenched in black blood. His breath came in gasps, hot steam rising from his mouth which was still stained with the monster's blood. The entire bottom of the abyss suddenly went silent, as if the darkness itself were bowing its head before its new master.

"Mission complete," the System's voice sounded heavier than before. "Commencing high-level essence absorption. Congratulations, Successor. You have just devoured your first life."

Ravian didn't answer. He felt an incredibly massive wave of energy begin to flow from the carcass beneath his feet, entering through his soles, crawling up his meridians, and gathering in the core of his soul.

"Ah... this... this feeling..."

He felt as if his soul were being forcibly expanded. Memories of Kaelan’s humiliation, Xuelan’s cold face, and the pain of being thrown into this abyss suddenly resurfaced, but this time they brought no sadness. There was only one desire left.

"More..." Ravian whispered in a voice that was no longer entirely his own. "I want... even more..."

He stared at his hands, now enveloped in a pulsing black aura. In the darkness of the Abyss of Soul Annihilation, a monster had been born, and he had just realized that the fastest way to become strong was to prey on everything.

"System," Ravian called out, his eyes now glowing entirely red. "Where are those cultivators' corpses you mentioned? I want to taste human essence."