The Monster’s Wrath

The pirate boss charged forward with a roar, dragging his massive hammer behind him. Each step thudded like thunder on the cracked earth.

Ren didn’t flinch.

He stood still—arms loose, eyes calm—as the pirate boss raised the hammer high above his head and slammed it down with everything he had.

BOOM.

The ground shook.

A shockwave rippled out in every direction. Cracks split across the earth like spiderwebs. Dust exploded into the air.

Ren didn’t move.

The hammer landed directly on his head—and yet, he stood perfectly upright. The sheer force embedded his feet slightly into the dirt, but that was all. Around him, the impact had crushed the earth.

Even Kazuma, who was still being healed by Melissa in the distance, turned his head at the sound.

Alex, Rachel—everyone paused, eyes wide, stunned by the sheer impact of that blow.

The pirate boss stepped back, panting.

“The hell…?” he muttered. “Why won’t you just fall?!”

He tried to lift the hammer again—only to be blasted backwards by a single punch to the chest.

BAM.

The hit landed so hard it sent him flying—crashing through two trees before hitting the ground, coughing up dirt and blood.

Ren walked toward him slowly, fists clenched.

“You had the chance to walk away after the ship,” Ren said, voice low. “But you didn’t learn.”

The pirate boss growled, wiping blood from his mouth.

“Shut up, kid. You talk like you're some hero. You don’t know the life I’ve lived. The enemies I’ve killed!”

Ren didn’t blink.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said coldly. “Your story ends here.”

He charged forward—and this time, drove his knee straight into the man’s gut.

“GUH—!”

The boss’s mouth burst open with blood, his body folding forward from the impact. It was like watching a steel bat slam into soft clay.

Still, the man wasn’t done yet.

With trembling hands, he reached inside his coat and pulled out a hidden blade—lashing out in desperation.

The knife sliced across Ren’s cheek.

Nothing.

No blood. No mark.

Ren stared at him, unfazed.

“You really don’t learn, do you?” he said.

The pirate boss’s eyes widened in horror.

“RRAAAAHH!!”

He screamed and lunged wildly, swinging his fists, trying to do something—anything.

Ren caught both his arms mid-swing.

Locked them down.

“L-Let go!” the boss snarled, struggling. “Let go!!”

He tried to pull away. He tried to headbutt Ren. Again. And again.

Blood streamed down his forehead.

Ren didn’t let go.

He gripped tighter—tighter—until the man’s bones began to crack beneath his palms.

“AAGHHHHHHHHH!”

The pirate boss let out a scream that didn’t even sound human. A scream of pain, fear, and defeat.

His hands buckled inward.

Crack.

Then—

Snap.

The bones shattered completely. Fingers twisted at unnatural angles. Wrists gave out. His arms went limp.

Ren finally released him.

The pirate boss dropped to his knees, staring down at what was left of his hands—lifeless, broken things dangling from his arms like ruined rope.

Then he looked up at Ren.

And for the first time since their fight began…

There was fear on his face.

The pirate boss turned and tried to run—his body trembling, face twisted in pure terror.

He stumbled. Fell. Scrambled backward on all fours, glancing over his shoulder.

Ren was walking toward him.

Slow. Silent.

Cold eyes, empty of mercy.

The same boy who once smiled through pain, who once laughed with his friends… was gone. What walked now wasn’t a hero. It was something else. Something terrifying.

The pirate boss crawled.

“P-Please… please don’t,” he begged. “I’ll give you everything. Gold, ships, all of it. Just let me live.”

Ren didn’t answer.

He stepped forward and placed one foot on the man’s leg.

Pressed down.

At first, it was slow.

The pirate boss screamed.

Then came the sound.

Crack.

Crunch.

Bones splintered beneath Ren’s weight.

The man thrashed and cried, voice breaking in pain no blade could deliver. Ren didn’t move. He just kept pressing. Crushing.

Until the leg beneath his foot was no longer a leg—just mangled flesh and shattered bone.

Then Ren stepped over to the other leg.

“No—PLEASE—!”

The begging didn’t stop him.

Again, he pressed.

Again, the sounds of horror followed.

The village, once filled with clashing steel and shouts of battle, now fell eerily quiet. Even the distant thugs stopped to listen.

All that remained was one man’s scream. A cry that echoed like a nightmare.

The pirate boss lay there, both legs ruined. Blood pooled beneath him. He trembled, broken.

“J-Just kill me…” he sobbed. “KILL ME ALREADY!”

He had once stood proud, violent, unstoppable.

Now, he was nothing.

Ren lifted his foot again—this time placing it gently on the man’s skull.

He began to press.

But then—

“Ren!!”

A voice broke through the haze.

Rachel.

She rushed toward him, eyes wide with horror, and threw her arms around him from behind.

Tears streamed down her face.

“Stop, Ren… please,” she cried. “This isn’t you. Don’t become the monster. You’re not like them. Please…”

Ren paused.

The pressure under his foot faded.

He stood there, frozen in silence, Rachel’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Her hands trembled. Her voice was hoarse.

And Ren…

He didn’t move.

He didn’t speak.

A few moments ago, all he could think about was ending the man who had threatened their lives. The man who had laughed while hurting others. Who had promised to make Rachel his “wife.”

How could he let that man stand?

How could he let him breathe?

But Rachel kept holding him.

And he slowly lowered his head.

His hands reached up—gripping hers gently, as they clung to his chest from behind.

No words. Just silence.

Then Kazuma arrived, limping with Melissa’s support. Alex followed close behind. The elder was there too, having seen the end of the fight from afar—finally understanding what Ren meant when he said his body wasn’t normal.

They all stopped when they saw the scene.

The pirate boss—barely alive. Bloodied. Legs crushed. Face buried in dirt.

Melissa covered her mouth in shock.

Some surviving pirates and thugs emerged from the smoke, weapons lowered.

“We… we don’t want to fight,” one of them stammered. “Just let us take our boss and leave.”

They rushed over to the man still whimpering in the dirt, trying to lift him gently.

Ren took one step forward.

They froze.

“Ren, no,” Melissa said quickly, stepping in front of him. “Even healing magic has limits. You’ve… destroyed his body. He won’t be fighting anyone ever again.”

Ren didn’t reply.

Rachel was still holding his arm.

His eyes remained on the pirate boss—but he didn’t move.

Finally, the thugs limped away, dragging their broken leader with them. The cries slowly faded into the distance.

The group made their way back toward the shrine.

No one spoke.

Rachel kept holding onto Ren’s sleeve.

Ren didn’t say a word.

Not even when the elder glanced at him with quiet, haunted eyes.

Because the monster wasn’t in the screams.

It was in his silence.

To be continued…