WebNovels

Chapter 67 - Chapter 64: Pride of the Panther

As Denji carried Renji's unconscious body toward the infirmary, the crowd's cheers echoed behind him—chants of "Alpha Killer! Alpha Killer!" rolling like thunder. Yet Denji's thoughts were far away.

Could he be… the one Father spoke of?

Denji Vulcan was not just another academy prodigy. He was born into a bloodline of warriors—descendants of the Black Panther clan. His family's beast resonance was feared for generations, their power, speed, and instincts unmatched. Though Denji's branch was not of the main line, they were respected, for his father had once been the clan's third-strongest warrior.

Only two had stood above him—his elder brother, the clan leader, and his sister, who was renowned as the clan's spear. Denji's father, however, had earned his own legend. Prideful, fierce, and brilliant in combat, he rose quickly through the ranks of the Sky City military. Sky City—fortress of technology and progress—was humanity's shield against the Voidspawn. Its walls glimmered with superior barriers, its armies wielding weapons generations ahead of the rest of the world.

But glory has a price.

On an SS-rank mission inside the Voidspawn dimension, Denji's father faced a mutated octopus Voidspawn of terrifying power. Poison seeped into his blood, and though he fought on, treatment came too late. He was offered salvation: cybernetic replacements for his ruined left arm, his right leg, and his blinded left eye. But to him, accepting those artificial parts meant forsaking his pride as a warrior.

He refused.

He retired instead, retreating to a nameless village with his family. Years passed. The mighty warrior became a scarred, one-eyed cripple confined to a chair. Pride chained him even in defeat, for he would not return, would not crawl back to his old life.

His children learned to live ordinary lives.

All but one.

Denji, the youngest, saw not a cripple but a fallen titan. He swore he would restore the glory his father once carried. The name Vulcan, once spoken with awe and fear, would not fade into dust.

When Denji confessed this to his father, the old man laughed.

"My life is over, boy. But yours… yours is just beginning. I'll make you greater than me."

From then on, training became relentless. And Denji rose. By the time of his Awakening Ceremony, he shattered expectations—an S-rank (Bronze). The clan whispered. The city watched. Denji believed he had already arrived.

He scoffed at lower-ranked gates. The academy forced him to take missions for experience, but to him,F to D-rank hunts were dull, beneath him.

One evening, his father asked how the gate had gone.

"Too easy," Denji replied with boredom.

His father sat in his chair, scars crawling across his body like faded war-maps, green ember eyes burning beneath grey-white hair. He studied his son with the weight of a soldier who had seen too much death.

"There's pride in your eyes, boy."

"Pride?" Denji frowned.

"Yes." His father's voice was heavy. "Remember why you wanted power. It was never for yourself. It was to protect the weak… and to bring honor back to our name. Pride comes before the fall. Look at me—I carry only regrets now. Don't become like me."

For a long moment, silence hung between them. Then, his father gazed at the ceiling and murmured, "I pray you find someone who will keep you sharp. Someone who will push you further than you ever dreamed. A rival."

Denji had laughed. "A rival, huh?"

"Yes. Pride costs dearly. But a rival… a rival will keep you inspired."

It wasn't long before Denji began to hear whispers. One day, as he watered the garden, his instincts sharpened—something was in the sky. He looked up.

"...Sam?"

Moments later, a figure descended. Sam, the bird-type beast user, landed with wings that gleamed like metal blades.

"Yo, Denji. What's good, bro?" Sam grinned.

Denji's eyes narrowed. Those wings… once white feathers, now metallic and massive, triple in span. "You… had a second awakening?"

"Yeah. All thanks to him."

"...Him?"

"Alpha Killer."

Denji blinked. "That F-rank? The honey badger user?"

"Yeah. You should've seen him fight the Mantis King." Sam's voice carried reverence. "He was a monster. But also… kind and different."

Denji raised a brow, unconvinced. "Impossible."

"It's true. He even awakened his beast resonance. You haven't even mastered yours yet, but he—he pulled it off. His scales, his aura, everything… it was real."

For once, Denji was silent.

Sam continued, eyes fierce. "I was so pissed—pissed that he, a F-rank, did what we couldn't. I almost died in that fight, but in my rage, something broke inside me… and my wings transformed." He spread the metallic span wide, feathers gleaming like countless knives. "I rained steel on that monster until it fell. Renji inspired me, Denji. He pushed me to the next level."

Denji's thoughts churned. Inspired by… that boy?

When the competition came, no one dared challenge him. The exams were nothing more than routine—until he finally stood before the so-called Alpha Killer.

So this is the one?

"So you're the Alpha Killer, huh? I've heard about you." His gaze was cold, unimpressed. His presence alone seemed enough to crush the boy.

"Look," Denji said evenly, "I don't like hurting the weak. Quit now, before this gets serious."

But the boy only met his eyes. The fear melted.

"Thanks," Renji replied, "but I'll take my chances."

Denji sighed. "Your choice."

The match began. To him, it was effortless. Renji's movements were sluggish, predictable. Denji struck lightly, dismissively.

"That's enough," he said. "Be proud you made it this far. I've only used five percent of my strength."

He turned away. It was finished.

Or so he thought.

The ground trembled. His instincts screamed. Denji turned back—and froze.

Renji had not fallen. His back had not touched the earth. He rose, body wrapped in blue energy, his form twisted into something more, something primal. His hair lengthened, eyes blazing, snake-like armor forming from scales that shimmered with their own eerie glow and a strange red jewel stone on his forehead.And then he used lightening too.

Denji's lips curled into a grin. His heart thundered.

"I knew it," he whispered, excitement sparking through his veins. Lightning coiled around him in response. "I knew you were strong."

Yellow arcs split the air as he laughed, power flooding his limbs.

"Now… I'll use fifteen percent."

The arena fell into silence. Two forces—blue and gold—stood opposed. The air itself vibrated, crackling with tension.

Without another word, Denji surged forward like a storm.

And for the first time in years, he wasn't just fighting. He was alive.

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