The Roar of a Beast — Barek Thorvaan

——And then, an impact. A crash.

The collision of two fists unleashed a shockwave so fierce that it devastated the surrounding forest, dispersing the white clouds in the sky. An intense tremor ran through the ground—as if two mythical beasts had collided in a primordial clash.

And in a way, yes. That was exactly what it was.

— W-wah!?

The little blue-haired girl, even though she had moved away, couldn't withstand the pressure. The wind and tremors that followed forced Kaira to lie down on the lawn, covering her head with her small arms, as if resisting the impact of a bomb.

Her closed eyes trembled—until silence fell.

Slowly, she opened them, only to her silverish gaze see... a crater exactly where two men had previously stood.

Now there was no sign of the two combatants.

"Ak...?" she murmured, trying to understand what had happened.

Kaira got up and took a few hesitant steps forward.

—Uhm...--eek?!

— RAH-HAHAHAHA!

A laugh.

Loud. Uncontrolled. Full of raw pleasure.

It echoed from the skies like mad thunder, forcing the girl to look up—and that's when she saw him.

"———"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

The insane laughter came from Barek Thorvaan, the muscular man with black skin. He plummeted from the skies in free fall, his body like a cannonball aimed at a second man — the one who remained motionless in the air, arms crossed, enveloped in an almost unnatural calm——

— IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT, AKASHI TAIGA?!

— Hunf.

Barek clasped his hands above his head. His huge muscles contracting as thick veins bulged down to his hands. The air around him seemed to bend to the force of his gaze. 

— "Hammer of Badhra!"

The attack cut through the air as a comet — but Akashi was no longer there.

The impact created such an intense pressure wave that it blew up the ground below, opening craters and throwing debris everywhere.

— WHAT—GUH?!

A fist sank straight into his abdomen, making his white eyes bulge. Akashi appeared at his side like a ghost, leaving him no room to react.

Twisting his hips, Akashi replaced the punch with a fierce kick to the side of Barek's face, sending the giant flying through the forest like a human projectile.

— This guy is going to be a pain in the ass... better take the fight away from Kaira.

Akashi said, glancing down.

The girl watched him with wide eyes, her hands clasped together close to her small chest and an expression of pure awe and admiration were noticeble.

Then Akashi smiled and made a gesture with his fingers—his index and middle fingers on his forehead, like a silent promise.

— I'll be right back!

And in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. As if his very existence had been cut from space.

△▼△▼△▼△

— Arf... arf... Heh... heheh... that's really good...! REALLY, REALLY GOOD!!

— Not enough, from what I can see.

— Oh?!

Centred on the point of impact, Barek lay on top of devastated trees, surrounded by a hole dug by the collision itself. His laughter was prolonged and fierce — as if every second of it was pure pleasure. As if every moment should be savoured without hesitation.

A few seconds later, Akashi appeared. He slowly descended from the skies, landing in front of the giant who kept smiling.

— Enough, you say?! Don't mock me!

— ...

— Do you think I was appointed general without merit?! My body is much more special than you imagine... and my strength knows no limits! Since I developed my Mantra, I have never been defeated. I have become the perfect warrior!

— Perfect, you say? And what makes you believe that?

Without answering, Barek stood up — letting out a hoarse laugh, like a: "heh... hehe... heh..." — his arms hanging for a moment at his colossal sides.

— Behold the reason they call me... "Titanic Fist!"

And then he moved.

His right fist rose like thunder, wrapped in pulsing red veins and a white aura that snaked around his arm. Even from a distance, the blow cut through the air with absurd speed for a monster of that size.

Upon hitting the void, it unleashed a wave of pressure that tore everything in its path apart.

Trees and soil were torn away like straw, hundreds of metres of forest evaporating in a single instant.

The roar of a thousand beasts echoed.

△▼△▼△▼△

"H-he's a monster..."

The words escaped Rigel's mouth, almost like a whisper, as his eyes fixed on the screen suspended in the air. Sweat dripped from his temple — not from fear, but from sheer disbelief at what he was seeing: the unbridled power of Artoria's former general.

— Barek was one of the greatest. He was the main general of the second Sentinel unit – only Reala, the late supreme commander, was above him. — Antares said, without looking away. — His strength and endurance surpass that of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of our own. In Artoria, the weak are left behind... but the strong? The truly strong? They become legends – or gods.

As he said this, Antares raised his hand towards the screen and clenched his fist, as if he wanted to grasp his own destiny in words. His tone carried more than admiration — it was certainty.

— None of the remaining warriors can defeat him in direct combat. We won't need another day. Artoria's victory is inevitable.

— You speak as if the outcome were already written! — retorted Rigel, turning with restrained fury. — Stranger or not... that boy may still surprise the world.

— As if that were even possible... that boy must not have even survived Barek's blow!

The two kings continued to argue until a voice rose from the crowd of civilians:

"L-look! He..."

He couldn't finish. The words disappeared as soon as the scene before his eyes revealed itself.

△▼△▼△▼△

The smoke screen slowly cleared. Barek stared in the direction where Akashi should have been. A crazed smile appeared on his lips, followed by a hoarse laugh—as if he were already celebrating victory.

— Heh... Hahahahahaha!!!!

But then...

— Not bad.

— Huh?!

There, still standing, his body only slightly bent forward, Akashi appeared before Barek—fist clenched, ready.

— That was a good hit!

In an instant, his punch hit the giant's abdomen, who barely had time to understand what was happening. The impact threw him backward, but Akashi didn't let him go alone.

The colossal body crashed through trees as if they were paper. Barek fell, rolling across the lawn, but quickly got back up. He ran a few meters, trying to gain distance—or time—but Akashi was already approaching like lightning.

The giant didn't hesitate. He stopped. And threw himself at the boy, trying to grab him.

— I'LL CRUSH YOU—GUH?! ACK!!

Another punch. This time to the side of his face. Barek's body ricocheted off the ground like a stone on water, kicking up dirt and cracking the soil. Still in the air, Akashi grabbed him by the leg, spinning with brutal speed before throwing him in another direction—and again, followed him.

Jumping, the white-haired young man intercepted Barek in midair, slamming his palm into his face and forcing the former general's body to crash brutally to the ground. The man's back tore across the ground for meters, as if sliding on ice, creating a trail of destruction wherever he went.

— E––NOUGH!

A punch exploded in Akashi's direction, forcing him to retreat with an agile jump. Barek, in turn, planted his bare feet on the lawn and, with pure leg strength, lifted his own body in mid-movement.

His face was now pure fury. The desire to crush pulsed in his expression. And with it, a new advance.

Red veins glowed, radiating heat. A white aura enveloped Barek's right fist.

— That technique again...

— DIE!!!

— I get this game now!

The roar cut through the forest. The fist rose, and now, unlike before, Akashi was too close. The distance was perfect to take the full impact directly.

But...

The young man kicked the ground hard, propelling himself to the side at the exact moment. The blow passed, but not in vain — it destroyed everything in its path with brute force. Barek, stunned, didn't even have time to react. He was already going for another punch, this time without the accumulated energy.

— RAAAAAAH!!!

— And a little karate!

Akashi spun fluidly in the air, turning his back to the colossus. In one movement, he grabbed the man's arm over his shoulder — and even with the difference in size, he completely unbalances him.

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Akashi used his own body as a lever and threw Barek over him, crushing him against the ground with a devastating impact. The ground shook. Plates of earth rose with the force of the collision. The crash was deafening.

— G-gah-ah?!

Barek lost his breath. His eyes widened in a mixture of shock and despair, as if trying to understand how the tide had turned so quickly. Had the time away from battle slowed him down? Was it the lack of training, taking its toll now? Or... was the enemy in front of him too strong for any logical explanation?

— N-no... IT CAN'T BE!!!

— I recommend you stay on the ground.

— Shut up, you worm!!

With a roar laden with frustration, Barek slammed both palms on the ground so hard that the forest shook. Trees swayed, birds fled in panic. The ground split violently, as if an earthquake were about to swallow the world.

Akashi stood firm. He watched the ground deforming around him intently, subtly changing his posture to follow the flow... and in that single moment of distraction——

— NOW!!!

Barek lunged like a wild beast. His right leg flew in an arc straight at Akashi's head. The young man raised his arm at just the right moment, blocking the blow with his forearm—and the impact generated a new crash that echoed throughout the forest.

— N-ngh! That's impossible...! How can you resist my blows?! How can you beat me with that tiny body?! You don't even have any muscles of my level!!

— Eh... giant muscles don't mean real strength, you know? — Akashi replied calmly, rotating his fist as if warming up. — The truth is, I've trained like crazy since I was a kid. I learned how to use every ounce of strength I have. And that's why... I can hold my own even against brutes like you.

— What do you mean, "like me"?! And what kind of training takes someone to that level?!

Barek took two steps back, panting. Sweat dripped from his forehead, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Even so, the giant resisted. But the contrast was striking — Akashi remained there, serene, without even a scratch. His white coat remained unscathed, hanging over his shoulders as if it were part of his skin — untouched, impeccable... insulting.

— I'll get straight to the point...

Said Akashi, his eyes calm, his voice firm as steel.

— Huh...?

— You're too weak, buddy. Go back to the gym, go on.

...

Silence.

...

The forest stood still. Not even the leaves dared to move, as if the wind itself had been silenced out of respect — or fear.

Akashi stood there, serene, his expression light and a small smile on the corner of his lips, as if watching a child trying to play war. Barek, on the other hand... stood motionless. His eyes wide, his lips parted, as if his soul had been ripped from his body with a single sentence.

The truth hurts more than any punch.

"———"

And then, a reaction.

Barek clenched his teeth so hard that he looked like he was about to grind them down. Veins bulged around his face and neck, his muscles tensed like ropes about to snap. A tremor ran through his body - a harbinger of devastation.

— Y-you little shit...!

— ...

— DON'T YOU MOCK ME!!!

With a furious roar, the colossus lunged at Akashi. The distance between them was short, short enough for a single step to turn the space into a death zone — on both sides.

Barek raised his fist, aiming straight for the boy's face. The air was torn by the blow, the atmosphere seemed to crack under the weight of the impending impact.

But...

Akashi was on a much higher level. So high that Barek no longer belonged in the same fight — not even on the same plane.

A well-aimed punch rose under the giant's chin, causing his head to tilt back. Barek staggered back two steps.

Two invisible blows struck the sides of his head in quick succession — too fast to be seen, too heavy to be ignored.

— Grgh!

— And now...

Taking advantage of the stun, Akashi twisted his hips, pulling his left leg back. Then, with a clean movement, he drove a kick into Barek's ribs — the sound of the impact muffled by the wind that broke.

The giant was launched like a missile.

— WAAAAAAAAAAAH?!

Crossing the forest, Barek trampled trees as if they were blades of grass. He flew dozens of meters until he collided violently with a waterfall. The impact shook even the free-falling waters, which oscillated in their flow for a brief moment.

Barek Thorvaan's body was embedded in the rock, sunk into a crater shaped by his own weight and force. The fall had wedged him there as if he were part of the landscape. The water fell relentlessly upon him, but even that seemed unable to wash away his crushing defeat.

Trapped. Buried. Humiliated.

△▼△▼△▼△

— Ohh... what a surprise. It seems that the great Barek has been defeated, hasn't he?

The young mediator's voice broke the silence that hung over the crowd. Amidst the stunned audience and the two kings standing open-mouthed, he uttered the provocation with a smile on his lips—mocking not Barek, but Emperor Antares himself, who had boasted so much about his warrior.

But Antares... did not respond.

He remained motionless, staring at the scene from a distance, his eyes wide with pure astonishment. His pupils were dilated, his lips parted. Sweat ran down his temple, dripping from his chin without him noticing.

— A-after all... who is this man? Why... why is he so strong?!

With trembling fingers, he clutched his knees tightly. His teeth dug into his lower lip until blood spurted out, dripping in a thin stream—not from physical pain, but from the silent humiliation that was taking his throne.

△▼△▼△▼△

Appearing before the man—who seemed unconscious—Akashi stared at him silently, stepping on the air as if it were solid ground. The only thing separating them was the waterfall, which flowed between them in the middle of the sky.

With one hand in his pants pocket, the boy kept his gaze fixed on the warrior, as if he were digesting something.

After a long moment of silence, he finally muttered:

"Well... this is a good time."

He said, advancing slowly. With his simple approach, the waters parted in the middle, as if an invisible field separated him from traditional reality.

— This way I can clear up some doubts...

Then Akashi reached out and touched Barek's bald head. A subtle crimson light emerged from the boy's forehead, his sky-blue eye turning red, just like his right eye. Black marks began to run across both bodies at that moment...

And then he saw——

...

"I WON'T SURRENDER WITHOUT FIRST CRUSHING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, YOU INSECTS!"

A monstrous voice shouted, hoarse and furious, like that of a titan plunged into war—as if facing an entire army in a battle of catastrophic proportions....

...

"Are you sure you can handle this alone, Reala? For a worm to invade the sealing tower alone, it must be quite a threat."

"Yes. Don't worry, General Barek. I'll take some Sentinels with me to ensure control of the situation."

"Humph. I'll only relax because I know you're tough. But if things turn sour, I'll join the fight and destroy every last one of them."

"Heh... thank you very much for trusting me, my mentor."

"Not at all. You've already surpassed me to still call me 'mentor'. We're both generals now."

The conversation was marked by mutual respect. Barek was a tall man wearing golden armor with details that evoked a lion—complete with a metallic mane around his neck. And Reala was a warrior in silver armor, already putting a shiny visor over her eyes.

They were in a preparation room—filled with weapons, armor, shields. Everything seemed ready for an imminent confrontation.

"Reala."

"H-huh? Yes?"

"Take care. Or Alice will be furious with both of us."

"... You can count on it."

......

...

Suddenly——

"N-no...! Hk--!"

——someone was crying. A female voice filled with pain and sadness, as she doubled over on her knees on the floor. Hugging herself, while a piece of reddish fabric was tightly clutched in her hands, carrying her tears and pain.

Surrounding her were troops of men and women wearing dark armor with silver wolf symbols on their chests. The woman's crying seemed to carry the anguish of everyone present.

Including Barek, who stood in the background, watching the saddened crowd. He, on the other hand, wore an expression of pure fury, his teeth gnashing as his fists clenched tightly.

The fierce rain fell over the scenery like the entire world felt that pain and sadness on the air.

"...you should have let me go with you, Reala... now, your wife's cries are all that can be heard in this place. An entire world has fallen silent for the woman who fought so hard for our people, and yet...!––but I swear... I swear I'll find the bastard who did this."

...

"... avenge..."

"Avenge... avenge... AVENGE!!"

With each repetition, his voice became less human—more guttural, more animalistic. And then, a sharp crack. An impact on the floor. Barek's body bent as if broken from within. A dark aura, reddish like fresh blood, began to emanate from his skin, like vapors from metal about to melt.

The wolf symbol on his chest glowed for an instant... then twisted. It trembled, as if trying to escape from its own armor. Then, slowly, it changed shape—transforming into an ancient golden dragon.

His eyes, once golden and full of pride, went out like flames smothered by the wind. In their place appeared a pure, opaque white—the blind gaze of a beast consumed by its own rage. Or perhaps, of something that saw far beyond reason.

Barek roared.

A sound that was not human. A beastly, brutal roar that tore through the skies and shook the buildings of the capital as if a god of war had awakened. A sound that made the soldiers' swords tremble in their sheaths.

The woman kneeling in front—with brown hair cascading over her chest, fair skin, and dark, teary eyes—Alice, slowly looked up.

Tears streamed down her face.

"S-Sir... Barek?"

But Barek was no longer there. Only fury. An incarnation of hatred. Uncontrollable. Insatiable.

The plates of the titanic armor expanded, forced by pulsing muscles. The spikes embedded in the gauntlets became incandescent, as if fueled by the pure rage that poured out of him. The ground opened up in black cracks beneath his feet, rejecting that presence as if the world screamed in revulsion.

One step.

Then another.

With each advance, his heavy breathing mixed with distorted grunts—as if something ancient and unholy was finally breaking free.

The silverish wolf... was gone.

But the golden beast... had awakened.

"G-General Barek has gone mad!"

"Call for reinforcements!!"

...

That night would be remembered as: "The Fall of the Titanic Fist."

The capital of Artoria was torn in half by a clash that no soldier would ever forget. Nothing could stop the beast.

Nothing... until Antares, the Emperor of the Golden Armor, put an end to the massacre.

A single punch.

Straight. Frontal.

Loaded with pain, weight, judgment.

The creature fell. The darkness dissipated.

Antares took a deep breath. Before him lay the rubble and a single fragment of Barek's armor—the golden chest plate. He crouched down and picked up the still-hot metal, watching the dragon symbol shatter into golden fragments... which floated in the air until they regrouped as a silver lion.

That was enough.

"...The attack on Sunara... Barek's collapse..."

Antares stood up, his gaze hardening.

"...We are being attacked by Callus."

"Callus...? But sir, how can you be so sure?"

Asked an old advisor, wrapped in a purple robe that dragged across the devastated ground.

"Barek was manipulated. Bewitched. That... wasn't him. The symbol on the armor was the same insignia as Callus, the ancient dragon that once roamed the world, burning away the darkness — probably changed by some kind of spell. It was someone from Callus, or so they want us to believe. It is strange that they allowed us to recognize their actions... as if it was a war declaration –– And if they managed to use him, no one is safe. The culprit must be the same one who invaded the Sealing Tower in Sunara, eliminated Reala, and stole the Exo Nihil stored there... a breach of the treaty from years ago. We—"

But then...

The sound stopped. The words distorted.

And all that remained was silence.

Silence... and darkness.

"———"

—... I've seen enough.

Akashi muttered, removing his palm from Barek's head with a slight sigh. The crimson glow dissipated. The black marks disappeared. His left eye returned to sky blue.

Having read everything he needed from the unconscious man's memories, there was nothing left to do...

Except...

— I hope he's still alive... otherwise Adonis will kill me.

As his hand approached the fallen warrior's neck ––a roar exploded like thunder:

— GRAAAAAAAAHR!!!!

— Oh, yeah, he's alive...

A brutal wave of heat exploded. The water from the waterfall falling over Barek evaporated in an instant. The crushing pressure reduced everything around it to dust—every fragment of the waterfall was obliterated, as if it had never existed.

In one leap, Akashi retreated, now floating above the churning water. His eyes followed what appeared above: Barek, enveloped in a spiral of reddish flames that rose to the heavens, dyeing the sky blood red.

— And he's going all out?

Even under the storm of wind and heat, Akashi's white coat fluttered, but did not yield. His eyes, however, made it clear — the surprise was real.

△▼△▼△▼△

— Ding, dong~

The mediator hummed dismissively.

— The night period is beginning! And as promised... from the ringing of the bell, a random player enters the "Berserker" state!

The bell echoed, vibrating through the silver tower in the center of Callus. A sound that traveled the entire length of the continent like the announcement of an impending massacre.

"———"

The roar continued.

Around Barek, a vacuum distorted the air. Space trembled, bending as if reality itself were on the verge of collapse.

Then, flames exploded.

Fragments of the crimson aura scattered like meteors, setting the air ablaze with pure energy. Akashi watched intently, eyes half-closed.

— This feeling... it's familiar...

He murmured.

The air was filled with intense heat, the flames burning the oxygen and making breathing difficult. But the agonizing sensation, the stench of decay, and the intense, dark aura emanating from the flames beneath Barek... he had felt this before, faced it before. 

Until finally, Akashi recognized it.

— The... miasma of Nazgaroth?!

The impact was immediate.

The pillar of fire surrounding him was already absurd, but that second layer—dark, dense, distorted—was unmistakable.

It was the power of the first angel. The first fallen.

The original chaos—Nazgaroth.

— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!!

The maniacal laughter cut through the air like a blade.

Barek's body now smoked. His skin was red as boiling blood. His eyes, once white, glowed a deep purple. Four arms—two new and monstrous ones—extended from his back. Black tribal tattoos snaked across his body. His muscles roared as if they were about to implode.

And enveloped in an aura that shattered the space around him, Barek looked down. At Akashi.

Like an absolute predator.

△▼△▼△▼△

— Now things are really going to heat up...

The mediator's voice returned, almost ecstatic.

— Ladies and gentlemen... behold a level of power that surpasses even of the very own legendary Barek Thorvaan!

––And now...? How is Akashi Taiga going to get out of this one, huh?!