Animal Tamer's Dominion
Chapter 36: Devoured Heart

Chapter 36: Devoured Heart

Hey guys, first premium Chapter! I know it came a bit sudden, but I needed to do this due to some financial situations that popped up, so I just needed the money, I would have loved to keep on writing free Chapters till Chapter fourty, but this world is truly unexpected. Sigh! Anyways, thanks for unlocking, and happy reading!

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Looking straight at the horde of shadow beasts in front of him, Kenji felt an overwhelming urge to pee in his pants. His legs quivered and shook, betraying his mind’s desperate command to move.

Fear gripped him tightly, like an unrelenting vice that refused to loosen its hold. He was frozen in place, his breath shallow and rapid, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.

"Kenji!" Shreya’s voice sliced through the deafening veil of his terror.

"Run!" Her desperate cry jolted Kenji back to life. He summoned every ounce of strength he had, his body protesting against his fear, and turned the other way, fleeing in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Rarrrah!!"

The hideous, figureless beasts roared in unison, their anger palpable as they rushed after Kenji with terrifying speed. Their movements were unnatural, like shadows gliding across the ground, merging and splitting apart in haunting synchronization.

Kenji’s legs burned with exertion, swinging with immense force and strength through the air. He pushed himself harder than he ever thought possible, the adrenaline coursing through his veins like fire.

But the beasts were relentless.

Their blood-red eyes glimmered ominously, glowing with malice as they pursued the human who dared to escape them.

"Kenji! What are you doing?!" Shreya’s voice rang out once more, laced with urgency and alarm.

"What do you mean what am I doing? I’m running for my dear life!" Kenji yelled back, his voice cracking under the weight of his panic. He quickened his pace, his mind fixated on putting as much distance as possible between himself and the nightmarish creatures.

Despite his speed, a chilling thought clawed its way into his mind: he was still human. He didn’t have infinite energy. Eventually, his strength would wane, his pace would slow, and the beasts would catch up to him. When they did...gulp!

He was done for!

"You’re going the wrong way!" Shreya’s voice broke through his thoughts like a thunderclap, her tone unyielding.

"What do you mean the wrong way? I’m running in the opposite direction and racing away from the shadow beasts! What else do you want me to do?!" Kenji’s exasperation was evident in his trembling voice as he tried to outrun his imminent doom.

"I want you to turn around and run! And by run, I mean run toward the horde of bloodthirsty beasts chasing you right now!" Shreya yelled, her urgency heightened.

"What?! Why would I even listen to that?" Kenji cried, the disbelief in his voice echoing his internal turmoil.

Why would she ask him to do something so absurd? If Shreya wanted him dead that badly, she should have just said so—no need for cryptic commands to run straight into the clutches of danger.

"Just listen to me—" Before she could finish her sentence, a deafening explosion reverberated through the air. A section of the labyrinth wall burst apart, and an even larger, more terrifying wave of shadow beasts came pouring out.

Their collective roars filled the space, a bone-chilling cacophony that made Kenji’s blood run cold.

"Damn it! I’m surrounded!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling as he turned his head from side to side. The beasts closed in on him from all directions, their hunger for destruction evident in their predatory movements.

"Now you don’t have a choice. Turn around and run. At least that first wave of beasts is smaller than this one. Besides, you have a lot of points in agility—you’ll be able to dodge their attacks better than this new wave. If you don’t move now, you’ll definitely die!" Shreya explained, her words sharp and resolute.

Kenji clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together as he cursed his rotten luck. "Argh! Why does the universe hate me so much?!"

He steeled himself, his legs trembling beneath him as he turned in the opposite direction and sprinted toward the first horde of shadow beasts.

Immediately, the newer, larger horde surged into motion behind him, their relentless pursuit like an unstoppable tide of darkness.

As Kenji raced forward, he saw the first horde of beasts—the ones he had narrowly escaped—rushing to meet him.

"Damn it! Both sides want me dead!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the labyrinth as he accelerated his pace. With a desperate leap, he launched himself into the midst of the shadow beasts, his body moving on instinct alone.

The moment he entered the fray, the beasts unleashed a barrage of attacks upon him. Their thunderous roars filled the air, drowning out Kenji’s labored breaths.

He moved like a dancer in the chaos, his agility pushed to its limits. He jumped, glided, ducked, sidestepped—every maneuver a testament to his desperate will to survive.

But to escape unscathed...was impossible.

His left arm was deeply cut by an attack he hadn’t seen coming. Blood flowed freely from the wound, staining his clothes and the ground beneath him. Pain seared through his body, but Kenji gritted his teeth and pressed on. He couldn’t afford to stop—not now.

Somehow, miraculously, he dodged his way out of the horde, clutching his injured arm tightly. His face was a mask of determination, his jaw clenched as he fought to keep his focus.

"Now run to the body of that dead bear!" Shreya’s voice called out once more, her tone unwavering.

Kenji didn’t question her this time. He didn’t have the energy to argue or demand explanations. He simply followed her command, racing toward the dead bear’s carcass while shielding his injured arm from further harm.

The sight of the bear’s sliced-up body filled him with a strange sense of foreboding. What could she possibly want him to do here?

"Rip out its heart!" Shreya instructed, her voice firm and commanding.

Kenji didn’t hesitate. He crouched beside the carcass and plunged his hand into the bear’s chest cavity. His fingers dug through flesh and bone until they found what they sought: the heart. With a swift motion, he yanked it out.

"What now? What’s the purpose of this whole process?" he asked, his curiosity surfacing despite the dire circumstances.

"As the heart of your contracted beast is in your hand, clasp it with your other hand. Squeeze it as though you were crushing something between your palms. This will trigger the process," Shreya explained, her tone grave.

Kenji did as she instructed, his hands gripping the heart tightly.

"Now imagine that as you squeeze the heart and the blood pours out, the blood is somehow entering your body through your skin, condensing in your heart," she continued.

Kenji closed his eyes, visualizing the process as she described it. He could almost feel the blood flowing into him, though it wasn’t truly happening.

"Now say this word: DEVOURE!"

As Kenji repeated the word aloud, the shadow beasts lunged at him in unison, their claws poised to strike.

BOOM!!

A blinding red light exploded from Kenji’s palms, spreading through the labyrinth and throwing the shadow beasts back. The force was overwhelming, scattering the creatures like leaves in the wind.

When the light cleared, Kenji stood tall, his presence commanding. His icy blue eyes surveyed the surroundings with cold precision, and his body seemed larger, more muscular, more imposing than before.

Shreya perched on his shoulder, her fiery red eyes now glowing blue to match Kenji’s. Something had changed—both in him and in her.

[Analysis Completed: Host has undergone Contract Sacrifice.]

[Effect of Contract Sacrifice enabled. Host’s strength multiplied by tenfold.]

[Stats updated, but effect is temporary. Contract Sacrifice ends in one day.] Shreya said, in a mechanical like voice

Rrraaahh!!

The shadow beasts rose once more, their determination undeterred as they charged at Kenji again.

Kenji’s gaze hardened, his cold blue eyes locking onto the approaching horde. He didn’t care about the transformation he’d undergone. All he cared about now was killing!

His hands morphed into bear-like claws that lashed at the monsters. But as before, his attacks passed through them harmlessly, earning a frustrated growl from Kenji.

"Shreya, what are the weaknesses of non-matter beasts?" he asked, his voice sharp and demanding.

[Appraisal activated... Appraisal completed.]

[Host: The main weakness of non-matter beasts is their beast cores. Unlike regular beasts, their cores aren’t located in the center of their bodies. They’re in their eyes—their brightest, gleaming part.]

Armed with this knowledge, Kenji focused his attacks on the beasts’ eyes. With each strike, his claws pierced their cores, and their bodies dissipated into wisps of smoke.

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Thank you all that have unlocked this Chapter, really appreciate it! I know that it may be a bit difficult to unlock the Chapters everytime from now, so I’ve decided that I’ll create a discord server where I can send you guys a few free Chapter from once in a while. Also, do you think I should create a patreon? Comment down below, so I can hear your thoughts.