47

Hyrtan’s large malformed bird lunges at Sion. Sion jumps back as its fanged beak snaps shut in front of him. Sion steps forward and strikes at the bird’s jaw. However, it deals no damage. It didn’t feel like striking bone, nor flesh, nor skin, nor feathers. Sion withdraws his hand quickly as he begins to feel his fist sinking inside of the bird. Hyrtan chuckles as he watches.

“This bird, my boy, was my first experiment with hyperautoregeneration. This characteristic is seen in only a scant few monsters in the wild. I’ve also heard of people who have gained this ability, but that is not my area of expertise, nor of my interest. This bird was a chick that could fit in the size of my hand when the experiment began, my boy. When I grafted its body with that of an immortal jellyfish, it grew to this size. Its body was destroyed and only once it had grown did the regeneration stop forcing it larger. But it holds together well enough even still, don’t you think?” The bird snaps its beak at Sion once more.

“How can you toy with lives like this?”

“You killed those prized slimes of mine without a second thought, but now you want to scold me?”

“Monsters of that kind cannot be reasoned with. Only something with a lineage like a dragon can. If those sorts of monsters will put people in danger, then there isn’t any other option.”

“But they were under my command, so that can’t be right.”

“I tried to reason with you and yet you still sent them to attack. Stop trying to pretend we’re somehow the same.” Hyrtan clicks his tongue.

“I forgot you weren’t just another pure-hearted brat without a thought in his head.”

The bird flies up slightly, then swoops down, its talon pointed at Sion. Sion grabs the nearest talon and tries to pull down on it, smashing the bird to the ground. However, rather than that, the leg simply stretches. The other talon comes and scratches Sion’s arm. He lets go of the bird and jerks his arm down to keep the scratch from getting any bigger.

Slipping out from under the bird, Sion dashes to Hyrtan. Sion stands well above Hyrtan. Hyrtan looks up at Sion, a mocking grin on his face. Sion grabs Hyrtan’s shoulders roughly.

“Hyrtan, how can I kill that bird?” Hyrtan laughs in Sion’s face.

“Why would I tell you something like that, my boy?” Sion tightens his grip.

“I don’t know!”

“Well, I suppose I can humor you, my boy. There’s nothing you can do but destroy it in a single blow. Good luck, my boy!” Sion lets go of Hyrtan. He turns around and thrusts his fist into the bird falling upon him. Hyrtan laughs again. “You asked, but you won’t even listen? My boy, a brat like you, savagely wailing on his enemies, will never be able to defeat me.”

Sion runs. Back towards the center of the spire. The bird follows after Sion dutifully. Sion twists his body to dodge out of the way of its aerial lunges, contorting his body and winding it up. He unleashes the bound up force in a single blow, swinging his leg wide and high to smash into the bird’s head. His kick lands right at one of the creature’s eyes, yet it has no reaction. It does not flinch, it does not screech, surely it hasn’t had its brain rattled around inside of its skull.

Sion pities the creature. He has no problem with killing monsters; that is simply the shape their lives take when they meet. However, he cannot help but feel that this state, what Hyrtan has done, has distorted the shape beyond recognition. Only a half-existence, doomed not to live but for Hyrtan’s will, doomed to fly only for him and to meet its end at his command. Indeed, it is the Destruction. The shape of its life has been destroyed by him, as he tried to do to Kreteo, as he will surely try to do once more to whoever he can.

Again Sion drives his fist forward. He pierces the goopy flesh of the bird, feeling not a single change in the consistency as his fist sinks inside. Sion keeps pushing further, deeper inside of the bird. Hyrtan laughs at him yet again.

“Have you not learned, my boy!? Something like that won’t accomplish—”

“Zenith of Zeniths!”

All the soul magic built up inside of Sion is released in a single moment. A large burst of blue light shoots out of the bird as it gets ripped apart. The light explodes out from the other side of the bird’s body. As the light erupts, Sion’s body begins to droop down, the reddish-brown blobs of flesh fall around him. Watching it, Hyrtan goes silent. Sion steps towards Hyrtan, keeping his body firm despite the fatigue washing over him.

“Hyrtan, give up. Let’s bring this to an end.” Hyrtan smiles wryly as he pushes against the raised edge of the spire.

“Fine, my boy, you have me beat.” Sion comes near him.

“Tell me why you did all of this. What you were planning.”

“Fine! The weak obey the strong, isn’t that right, my boy? I’ll enlighten you. It’s simple, you see. I was creating an army that could conquer the world. An immortal army with the power of monsters, a rampage of the sort that hasn’t been seen in millennia!”

“You… you were experimenting on humans?!”

“Of course I was, my boy.” Sion lunges forward and grabs Hyrtan by the collar.

“So you really don’t care about anybody else!? You really don’t have the slightest respect for the lives of others!?” Hyrtan seems unfazed even as Sion’s strength seems to be returning.

“That’s not true! I respect the life of my lord. The weak obey the strong. And on that note, why should I care about them? They’re beneath me. What does it matter if I trample upon them? They ought to be pleased that they could serve me so well, don’t you think?”

“How can you think something like that! What are people to you!”

“I told you I would enlighten you, my boy. Be silent. You see, when I was a child, just a genius unseen by the world, I realized this facet of human nature. I could see it in their eyes when they looked at me. They were strong, and I was the one they dominated. So I decided that I would one day destroy them. But, before that day came, my lord appeared before me! He destroyed my enemies where I never could! Yes, he is the strong one. All the world should obey him! For that cause I’ll gladly sacrifice the lives of those peasants! I’ll destroy this entire world if that’s what it takes for his strength to reign!” Sion loosens his grip on Hyrtan and murmurs to himself.

“So there really isn’t anything else…”

“How I wish I could have seen you tear through my experiments. Destruction begets greater destruction. I’m sure that with your help, I could develop a form suitable for my lord to raze this world and make it his. And with that, I bid you farewell, my dear boy.”

Hyrtan slides backwards and falls from the spire.