But Aris came to regret those words...
Some time later, he found himself hungry once again, with not a single beast in sight.
"That bastard is playing with me."
Aris had finally figured out how to properly catch and track them, so their sudden disappearance could not be his doing.
There should even have been several wolf packs in the area, but none were showing themselves.
Ever since he had encountered that Koekitsu, his prey had vanished.
"I'm sure it's involved."
Aris was almost certain that the Koekitsu had driven them away simply to starve him. It had to be part of one of its sadistic experiments, a way to observe Aris's reaction.
The presence of a Koekitsu alone was already something unusual in this part of the western lands. Aris suspected there were fewer beasts because of it. But on top of that, the fact that it was chasing them away made things far more difficult for him.
Hunger might make him more lucid, but if he starved for too long, he would throw himself at his group again and tear them apart one by one.
Moreover, facing a being that intelligent did not please him very much. Especially because he himself was no longer particularly sane.
"If that damned bastard would just leave me alone, I could eat my fill."
But the wolf pack had already been completely devoured. Aris no longer made stockpiles because he thought only like a beast now. Unfortunately, that meant he had no food reserves, and even less thread to weave with.
"It's been a long time since I gave up weaving. I might have discovered something useful in it."
But Aris did not even have a single strand of monster thread left on him apart from the little clothing he still wore, and he did not want to waste it for obvious reasons.
"To summarize the situation, I'm in the middle of the western lands, with barely any clothes, nothing but weapons, and I have no beasts in front of me because some damn Koekitsu is having fun keeping them away from me."
Aris almost felt proud of himself for managing to string together such a long sentence. It had been a long time since he had spoken this much.
But that concern would have to wait, because he first needed to get rid of this problem.
"I can't even really kill him in a one-on-one fight because I have absolutely no idea what he's capable of. The best solution would be to leave his hunting territory. I'm sure he's trying to surround me all the time. With a body that large, he can probably move much faster."
Aris continued walking toward an unknown direction.
"Maybe I can wound him for that. But even that seems complicated. Besides, I first need to know where he is right now. He may be fast, but he can't teleport."
Then he hesitated.
"At least, I hope not."
Aris was making hypotheses that sounded reasonable, but in reality, he was sure of nothing at all.
His stress increased slightly with every step.
"Maybe I can throw one beast out of the group and follow it. He'll kill it immediately, and then I'll know where he is.
No, his goal is probably to see whether I'll eventually devour the group or not. Maybe he actually wants to see me do it so he can get rid of them in case he decides to attack me."
Aris glanced toward his group.
"But he noticed their reaction last time. They were all so terrified that none of them could move. If they manage to move while he's attacking me, it'll be a miracle."
So the best option was still to find it and attack it alone, but Aris couldn't see himself pulling that off.
"If I keep going far enough in one direction, I should eventually reach another Koekitsu's territory... or maybe an even bigger monster. If I do that, I won't have many options either. Either I get rid of it, or I get rid of the Koekitsu. Either way, I'll be facing a dangerous opponent, and I'm not even sure it'll be alone."
It was an appealing idea as well, but Aris doubted it would work. If he already believed he wasn't strong enough to defeat a single Koekitsu, running into an even stronger enemy would be nothing but suicide.
Aris sighed.
"The western lands are terrifying. When you first enter them, they throw you into the jaws of small but relentless, starving beasts. The deeper you go... the more they throw you into the jaws of cunning and powerful enemies."
Aris kept walking as if his problem would somehow solve itself. But no matter what he did, it wasn't going to disappear on its own.
The group followed him with confidence, unaware of what was happening. Yet the lucid Aris wasn't much different, because he couldn't act either. In the end, aware of the situation or not... everyone was the same.
Defenseless.
Aris hated this situation. He hated it so much. The western lands had humbled him for a while, but he had slaughtered entire packs, thousands of beasts by now. He could fight a Koekitsu. He could survive here on his own. He had the strength and the ability to win every battle he faced...
...yet a single damned four-tailed fox had him cornered.
Unfortunately, after devouring so many beasts, Aris could no longer control his emotions. The slightest trace of anger often turned into an impulse.
His irritation rose...
...and with it came an overwhelming urge to kill.
"..."
Aris silently turned around without saying a word, and the pack was suddenly met by his intense gaze.
A cold, savage stare they had all feared ever since they had started following the Mad Beast. Every fox and fennec instinctively stepped backward in silence. They didn't even growl. They knew exactly how powerful the Mad Beast was.
They all knew their numbers would not save them.
Aris slowly faced the frightened group. The pounding of their hearts echoed together, loud enough to be heard from afar.
Then he took one step toward them...
...they stepped back.
Then another.
And another.
And then, without warning, he exploded forward.
He moved so fast that, in less than a second, the groupe found itself face to face with the Mad Beast.
The fennec standing directly before him shut its eyes, hoping its nightmare would end quickly.
But time passed...
...and nothing happened.
Aris had simply burst through the pack at full speed, sending several beasts flying as he passed.
He hadn't killed a single one of them.
Instead, he was already sprinting toward the opposite horizon without showing the slightest sign of stopping.
The stunned group watched him disappear into the distance for a long moment.
Then they looked at one another.
And without exchanging a single sound, they all reached the same conclusion.
It was better to follow him.
One after another, they burst into a run, tongues hanging out as they desperately tried to catch up to the Mad Beast.
In truth, during his last moment of clarity, Aris had reached a conclusion.
"If I can't catch it... then I'll just outrun it. I'd better sprint while I still have the strength. I have to get out of his hunting circle. No matter where it is... it can't stop me."
Aris sprinted with everything he had, the cool, damp air of the Western Lands slamming violently against his face.
He had never been this fast. He knew it better than anyone. But he had no time to admire his own speed.
He had to escape the circle.
"I have to escape the circle."