Dominic walked over, rage burning in his eyes, and grabbed the thick, armored arm of the Iron Fisted Monkey. With a roar, he yanked it off the ground and swung it in a powerful arc, slamming the beast into the cracked, bloodied earth. Bones cracked. Dust and blood burst into the air as the monkey howled in pain and agony, limbs flailing against the impact.
But Dominic didn't care.
Before it could recover, he pulled it up slightly and delivered a crushing blow to the side of its head. His knuckles dug into the fur-covered iron skull. The creature screeched in raw, primal pain. But it wasn't finished.
Just as he pulled back for a final, killing strike, the Iron Fisted Monkey lashed out, its massive iron fist slamming into the side of Dominic's face like a thunderclap. Blood exploded from his mouth. He stumbled backward, spitting red liquid, his vision shaking. His boots dragged through dirt as he staggered.
He could barely keep his balance.
"Damn! Didn't see that coming," Dominic muttered, wiping blood from his lips. "I guess I have to be a bit more careful now."
He forced himself upright, breathing heavy. His glare rose to meet the creature's as it shakily climbed back to its feet, growling low with fury. Then his eyes shifted—the two other Iron Fisted Monkeys had stood. All three now faced him, their glowing yellow eyes fixed on him with murderous intent.
A crooked grin split his blood-stained face.
"OK. Let's do this again."
He cracked his fists. Shadowy tendrils licked off his body, and he flexed his arms, steel-willed and fearless.
He launched himself at the first monkey, fist swinging like a comet. But the beast raised its iron arm just in time, blocking with a dull clang. Sparks flew. The impact jolted through Dominic's arm, stinging his knuckles.
He recoiled, but only slightly. Pain was nothing. He'd fought worse. The Lekar was far stronger than this being .
Suddenly, his heart began to race.
Shadows coiled tighter around his limbs. His breathing slowed. The blood on the ground around him began to tremble.
It was coming again.
His vision blurred for a second. And then sharpened—unnaturally. He could feel the darkness consuming him, emotions swirling, sharpening. A storm inside his body.
The shadows burst out like a second skin, wrapping him in a living mist. His eyes glowed with that furious, violet fire.
One of the monkeys—a second attacker—leapt toward him with a wild shriek.
But to Dominic, the movement was molasses.
Too slow.
He spun gracefully to the side, shadows swirling with his motion, and forged a long, wavy sword of pure darkness. It pulsed like a living creature in his grip.
Without hesitation, he brought it down.
Slice.
The head of the Iron Fisted Monkey severed cleanly. The body followed in chunks. Blood sprayed, soaking the earth, the nearby trees, and his chest.
He didn't even flinch.
He had killed a Lekar the same way. This was nothing new.
The system had him now. He no longer controlled his body — it moved according to battle instincts, calculated trajectories, angles of dismemberment. He had lost total control of himself again.
The third monkey screamed and lunged, claws slashing through the air. Dominic barely turned to face it — his sword struck first. A quick jab to the gut. The steel slid into the flesh.
But the Iron Fisted Monkey didn't fall. Not yet.
It roared, powering through the pain, and kicked out fiercely.
It thought it landed a hit.
But Dominic's body shimmered — he dissolved into a mass of shadows just before impact.
Then he reappeared — right behind the creature.
A slow, deathly smile curved across his lips.
With no warning, he drove the sword diagonally from the nape of its neck down through the rib cage. The sword sliced with surgical brutality, tearing apart muscle, bone, and the creature's heart.
It dropped like a fallen tree.
Now two were down.
The last monkey — the first one he'd attacked — growled and prepared itself, knowing now what it was facing.
Dominic stared at it, eyes locked, his face twisted in a mix of fury and grief.
These beasts were sent to kill him. And Lady Fares. LadyFares? His harem… His queen? Someone who was expertly good in bed?
A scream of rage tore from his chest. His body exploded with shadows, black energy spilling out in waves. His skin darkened, his veins glowing crimson underneath, and the earth beneath his feet cracked.
He became a silhouette of pure hatred.
The final monkey sensed the shift and didn't wait. It dived forward with monstrous speed. A sheer power of its own. But to Dominic?
It was crawling.
Every punch, every motion — he read them all. As if they'd already happened.
He moved faster than it could register.
In a blink, he grabbed its massive iron arm and squeezed. Bone and metal cracked beneath his grip.
With a grunt, he ripped the arm off in a single, monstrous wrench. The monkey howled in agony. Its blood sprayed across his face, but he didn't blink.
Then came the killing blow — his fist plunged through the creature's chest, straight into its heart.
It froze. Its eyes searched for something in him but it was completely useless. It was dead now.Then it collapsed in a heavy thud.
The forest went silent.
The shadows dispersed slowly from Dominic's body like smoke from a battlefield. His breath came in shallow gasps.
Then… his legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees. Tried to rise… and fell again.
"Damn… I lost control again," he said through ragged breaths. "I think I need to stop using this Massacre Domain. It kind of makes me animalistic."
He looked up — three corpses lay broken before him, limbs strewn, blood soaking the roots of the trees. The very Creatures the Ghosts feared.He had slain three of them alone.
He had become something else in that form. Deadlier. Stronger.
But also… something darker. He knew if he didn't learn to control it soon, it might devour his sanity.
[Ding!! You have Leveled Up!!!!]
[Level 4 Attained]
[Strength: 2000/2000 EXP]
[Speed: 2000/2000 EXP]
[Agility: 2000/2000 EXP]
[Durability: 500/1000 EXP]
[IQ: 2000/2000 EXP]
[Charm: 2000/2000 EXP]
The system interface hovered before his eyes, glowing softly.
He exhaled and let a small, tired smile through his lips. He was getting stronger. That was certain.
With effort, he rose to his feet. Muscles aching. Bones sore.
But his mind was sharp now.
He was going to find General Coris. He needed her to answer some vital questions. Why she betrayed her own people. Why she betrayed her own best friend? Who was sponsoring her actions or was she acting on her own instincts? He needed to get more information from her and prove to Lady Fares that she was not a friend as she thought she was. Lady Fares was his harem now and he had to protect her.