Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss
Chapter 292 292: The Hunt For Power

Ren stood at the edge of the dark rock shore, staring out at the water that shimmered under the light of the barrier. The horizon glowed faintly, and the sea rolled in lazy waves, cold and inviting.

He knew what needed to be done. They were depleted, running on fumes. Their bodies were drained, and their souls barely holding together after the maze. For the coming battle, they would need everything they had, and more.

He removed his bracers and adjusted his sleeves, tying them tightly around his forearms to reduce drag. The cold air bit into his skin, but he didn't care.

Behind him, the camp remained quiet. Lilith still rested, and the others were out cold. No one would stop him. And that was good.

They needed food. Meat. Vitality. A reason to wake up and keep moving.

Without another thought, he stepped forward and dove into the sea.

The water was icy, shocking his system. But it was clean. Clearer than he expected, and it wrapped around him like liquid metal, pulling him deeper. He activated his Push resonance in short bursts, propelling himself downward and deeper into the dark.

Below the surface, the silence was thick. No current, no ripples. Massive bones jutted from the seabed like the ruins of some titanic beast.

Between the bones, shadowy shapes drifted slowly. Coral growths clung to the skeletal remains like forgotten jewelry. Some were bioluminescent, lighting the path ahead with faint green glows.

Movement. Quick and agile.

Ren turned instinctively. A long, eel-like creature slithered between two pillars of bone. Its slick dark scales shimmered, and bright red fins shifted rhythmically along its back.

Its face, if it could be called that, split horizontally into rows of needle-like teeth. Its eyes, silver and hollow, locked onto him with intelligent hunger.

It struck.

Ren activated Push and twisted midwater, the force spinning him aside just in time. He drew a curved blade from his pouch. The creature circled, coiling in on itself like a snake.

It lunged again. Ren dove beneath its attack and drove his blade upward into its side. Blood, thick and dark, clouded the water in a bloom. The creature writhed, screeched a muffled, waterlogged sound, and lashed out with its tail.

The blow struck Ren in the ribs. Pain exploded through his side. He felt something crack, but he clenched his jaw and stayed in the fight. He couldn't lose now. Not when the meat would go bad in minutes.

With another Push, he surged forward and gripped the hilt of his blade embedded in its side. He twisted it violently, and the eel's body spasmed. He drove the second blade into its skull.

The beast stilled.

Ren kicked upward with both legs and activated Push again, dragging the limp carcass with him. They broke the surface in a massive splash, and he hauled the creature toward shore, coughing and panting.

That had not been pleasant. He was immortal, but that didn't mean he didn't feel like he was drowning.

He stumbled onto the stone beach, the beast's heavy body dragging behind him. Salt water stung the cuts on his arms. His head throbbed. He could barely breathe, but he forced himself to rise.

"Wake up!" He bellowed toward camp. "Everyone! On your feet!"

Zuzu was the first to appear, hair disheveled, blinking groggily. Elias followed with his sword half drawn, and Thorn emerged last, already squinting toward the corpse Ren dragged.

"What happened?" Elias asked.

"We eat." Ren said, voice hoarse. "Fish. Ten minutes before it turns toxic. Move."

Zuzu's eyes widened. "We can eat that?"

"As long as we start now." Ren said. "Help me clean it. Elias, fire. Thorn, pit."

They all went into motion. Zuzu controlled swirling loops of water to rinse the creature. Its scales peeled back, revealing muscle layered like red quartz.

Elias drew his sword and cleaved it into slabs. Thorn dragged stones into a ring and raised a flame with flint and kindling. Elias placed his heated sword under the stones to boost the fire.

Steam rose, and the meat crackled. The scent hit them like a physical wave, oily and spicy. Hunger ignited in their eyes.

Each of them tore into their portion the moment it cooled. The flavor was rich and gamey, slightly bitter but satisfying. It tasted like ocean and smoke, like blood and heat.

Thorn groaned aloud, wiping his mouth. "That's the best thing I've eaten in weeks."

Zuzu leaned back, hands over her stomach. Her skin had regained color. "I can feel it waking me up."

Elias nodded quietly.

Ren looked toward Lilith's tent. She still slept, her breathing slow but steady. She would eat soon. He'd make sure of it.

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Later that morning, Thorn wandered through the trees of bone beyond the camp.

The terrain was jagged and uneven, scattered with bone fragments and long, curved spines half-buried in the rock. The barrier's glow lit everything in pale blue.

One fragment stood out. It was a thick shard, cracked from a larger rib. About the length of his forearm, dull gray, but with strange marbling like veins inside.

He crouched, picked it up. It was heavy. And warm. Not hot, but warm like flesh.

He tested it.

Pressed it against stone. Slammed it with his boot heel. Nothing.

He drew a dagger and struck it with the flat. The dagger bounced off.

"Hey!" He called.

Ren and Elias jogged over, curious.

"You two gotta see this."

"Bone?" Elias asked. "What's special about that?"

"Try to break it."

Ren tried first. He held the shard against the rock and hit it with his fist. The impact rang out like a bell. No damage.

Elias heated his blade to white-blue and pressed it to the shard. The flame hissed, but the surface remained untouched.

Thorn grinned. "Perfect."

He sat, crossed his legs, and unsheathed a small knife.

"Wait." Ren said. "You're not going to—"

Thorn sliced his palm. Blood welled up.

He let it drip onto the bone. The blood hissed, steam rising. Then he pressed the stump of his arm against it.

The shard hovered.

Bloodbinding began.

Red light coiled around his body, threading into the bone. The shard shined. Slowly, it pulled inward.

Thorn gritted his teeth. Sweat poured down his face. His back arched as the shard merged into his stump. His flesh stretched, and his bone fused. He screamed, body convulsing.

Ren stepped forward, but Elias held him back. "Give him time. He's using up a bit of his blood."

After a minute, the light finally died with a flash.

Thorn collapsed, gasping.

Then he sat up.

Where his stump had been, a new arm had formed. Bone white, jagged at the elbow, but shaped like an arm. Fingers twitched. Then flexed. Then curled into a fist.

Thorn stood.

He looked at his new limb, raised it. Focused.

The bone shifted. Became a blade. Then a jagged shield. Then a claw. Back to a hand.

He laughed.

"It listens. It's alive. It's mine."

He turned to the others. "This... this thing will feed on the blood of every kill I make. And it'll grow."

"I added something powerful in the enhancement." He continued, his voice trembling with awe. "Something I can't reach yet. But I will. Someday."

Ren stepped forward, a smile on his face. "You just turned your loss into a weapon, Thorn."

Thorn grinned. "And guess what? I'm not done yet."

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