The Deceitful One



Seeing Ron's gaping maw directed right at him, Bryan felt a slight shiver run down his spine. The next moment, he clenched his fists while still in his fighting stance, and grinned. "Interesting, come—"

BAM!

However, before he could finish his sentence, his pupils dilated as he saw Ron suddenly appear right before him and deliver a punch to his face. The attack speed was so fast that he didn't even have the time to block or dodge.

In literally the blink of an eye, Ron had pummeled Bryan with a fist to the face. The latter was swept off his feet and he flew black as if he'd been launched from a cannon. He crossed the entirety of the cemetery and flew straight for the forest behind.

Only after smashing through a couple of thick tree trunks, did he slow down and finally land on the ground. With great struggle, he got up to his feet and massaged his temple. He muttered in disbelief, "Fuck! I almost passed out there."

He then looked up but his eyes widened. All he saw in his vision was an incoming knee.

BAM!!

Ron viciously kneed him in the face and sent him flying another couple dozen meters through the air. He stood there for a moment as he panted heavily. He looked at his hands which were showing signs of withering.

"I don't have much time left," he suddenly clenched his fists and the memories of how much Celine had suffered in her final days flashed through his mind. "Bryan…. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do."

He then flapped his wings and dashed toward the place where Bryan had just fallen. He flew up high into the air and then dived down, aiming his feet at Bryan. The latter was bloodied and motionless. All he could do was helplessly accept the incoming attack.

BOOM!!

A large crater formed on the ground with the pair at the center. The surrounding trees were uprooted from the sheer shockwaves. At the center of the crater, Ron who had just delivered a drop kick to Bryan's torso, wasn't done yet.

He raised his fist and landed a solid punch to Bryan who was almost on the verge of losing consciousness. "Do you have any idea what Celine went through!?" he roared.

Raising his fist to punch once again, his eyes turned bloodshot as he recalled Celine's love for him that had turned to hate. He roared louder, "WHY!?"

He recalled the fear in her eyes whenever he tried to approach her. "She was my everything!! You took her away from me!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ron continued to deliver punch after punch. The ground trembled with every punch that he landed. He was planning to kill Bryan right then and there. However, right when he was about to deliver the next punch, a silver claw managed to suddenly grasp his fist.

Taken aback, Ron raised his other fist to attack and also free himself at the same time. But just like the last punch, his other fist was also grasped tightly by a silver claw.

In his vision, because of the dust and debris, all he was able to see was a pair of demonic silver claws grabbing his fists. He wasn't able to see the rest of Bryan. However, when he released his spiritual sense, he was overcome by terror.

What he saw wasn't Bryan, but a vile demon!

As the dust settled, Bryan's new transformation came into full view. When Ron saw his newly transformed body, he began to tremble incessantly. Fear began to consume his whole being as he laid eyes on this otherworldly monster.

Bryan slowly got up to his feet with the help of his tendrils. His upper clothes were torn after the transformation. His entire body had now turned silver, with lean and compact muscles covering every inch of it.

Another pair of arms had grown right underneath his armpits. His height had increased considerably, even more than Ron's after his transformation.

But Bryan's face was no longer that of a human. His head had elongated and had grown more ferocious. It looked like a crescent-shaped crown, the two points pointing upward.

He had no facial features, only a gaping maw that extended from one side of his face to the other.

Two of his claws were tightly clenching Ron's hands and holding him mid-air, while his other two arms were crossed in front of him. He brought Ron closer to his face and spoke in a hoarse voice, "My teacher was everything to me. And your master took him away from me."

When Ron heard his voice, his heart was overcome by dread. He had never heard a voice so diabolical ever in his life. It was almost as if his body couldn't withstand Bryan's voice.

Bryan continued, "You betrayed me and everyone on the team. Henry and Emma are dead, and that is on you."

He then pulled back his two free arms and at lightning speed delivered a double uppercut to Ron's stomach.

BAM!!

Ron's eyes almost popped out of his head. He was sure that his spine was broken in half from the attack. He spewed a mouthful of blood right across Bryan's face as he groaned in absolute pain.

If it wasn't for Bryan holding both his arms, Ron would have surely flown off. But because he had grabbed his arms in the first place, the punches earlier were that much more brutal.

Bryan then grabbed Ron's head, and then used his other two arms to tear Ron's hands from his body!

"AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Feeling both his arms slowly being yanked out of his body, Ron felt so much pain that he was on the verge of passing out. But he knew his time was limited, if he passed out now, he was afraid he would never wake up again.

A ruthless glint gleamed in his eyes, however, before he could counterattack, Bryan had already punched him in the face and sent him flying. Ron smashed through at least a dozen trees until he finally landed back in the cemetery, destroying a few headstones on his way.

Half his face had been destroyed because of that punch earlier, however, due to the forbidden technique he had used, his wounds were healing at an astonishing rate.

Not just his head, but even his two arms began to fully regenerate. In but a few moments, his arms had fully grown back! He got up to his feet and took large mouthfuls of air.

Ron looked at his chest and saw that the red—almost black—veins had now covered his entire chest and were still spreading. The moment the veins covered his entire body, is when his heart would forever stop beating.

His red pupils shone with great determination as he thought, 'I must finish this before—' However, his thoughts froze when he saw Bryan step out of the woods.

Bryan's four thick tendrils wildly flailed in the air behind him as he took large strides and walked forward. His mere presence was so frightening that Ron's thoughts literally came to a halt when he laid eyes on him.

Ron's hands began to tremble in sheer terror, but he resolved himself. He had to overcome this fear and fight head-on. No matter what it takes!

He flapped his wings and rushed toward Bryan faster than ever before. With the help of the forbidden technique, his body would grow stronger by the second. He would be faster than before, stronger than before, and more resilient than before.

In the blink of an eye, much to Bryan's shock, Ron had appeared in front of him and slashed his claw at his face. His blood claw smashed through Bryan's face, cutting it into two!

Ron didn't wait for a single moment, he continued to punch, claw, and stab at him back to back. Each of his attacks stronger and faster than the last.

Bryan was so taken aback, that he didn't even have the time to counterattack. And before he knew it, his body had been riddled with ghastly wounds. Three of his arms were torn off and all four of his tendrils were yanked out of his spine.

By this point, the red veins on Ron's body had covered his torso and all his limbs, only his face remained. However, there was a grin on his face. Even though he was about to die, he would have avenged Celine. All he needed was one more attack and he was sure Bryan would perish.

He looked at Bryan's featureless face and laughed. "Not so tough, are you now?"

Bryan raised his only remaining arm, with great struggle. He stretched out his trembling fingers to reach for Ron's face. The latter simply sneered. He was sure that Bryan would not be able to do a thing.

After all, in his earlier attacks, he had made sure to puncture Bryan's heart multiple times. And now, Bryan was on his last breath.

Just when Bryan's fingers were about to touch Ron's face, he suddenly stopped. Ron's eyes narrowed. He then saw Bryan's fingers point to his right.

Ron looked in the direction Bryan's fingers were pointing, and then his eyes widened. There he saw, behind a tombstone, Bryan standing with two of his arms crossed and the other two hanging by the side. His four tendrils spread apart and flailed gently behind him.

Ron then looked down and realized that he was pummeling a tree trunk all this while. He then looked back in Bryan's direction and sighed. "You said you wouldn't use illusions."

Right at that moment, he felt a fierce stab in his chest. He spewed a mouthful of blood as he looked down at the silver claw penetrating his chest, in confusion and disbelief. And then, he heard a mocking voice from behind him, "I lied."