Wood Demon - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: An Unnatural Ascension
The nights on Mount Natagumo had devolved into a grim, predictable pattern of violence. Like a perverse clockwork, Rui would seek out Jack. There was no pretense of family roles anymore, no demand for obedience in these encounters. It was raw, unadulterated fury from the Lower Moon, a desperate attempt to break, to dominate, to understand the anomaly that Jack had become. And each night, Jack would meet him, his own power growing, his tactics evolving, his resolve hardening into something cold and sharp.
During the precious, sun-drenched daylight hours, Jack was a fiend for growth. Woody Jr.’s roots became his lifeline, his sanctuary, the source of his inexplicable ascension. The EXP flowed, supplemented by the significant bonuses he earned from surviving nightly duels with a Lower Moon Kizuki.
`Level Up! You are now Level 34!`
`All stats increased. Blood Demon Art: Plant – [Blisterbloom] toxicity and area of effect marginally improved.`
“Level 34,” Jack would pant, pressed against the life-giving wood, his body aching from the previous night’s brutal ballet. “Another round with ‘Rui the Rueful Rogue,’ another level up. It’s like the world’s most violent and least rewarding frequent flyer program. The miles are murder, but the status bumps are… well, they keep me alive.”
The other members of the so-called family bore witness to these nightly clashes with a silent, abject terror. The dilapidated house, already a ruin, suffered further damage as threads and vines tore through its fragile structure when the fights spilled too close. Spider Mother would retreat into the deepest shadows, her beautiful, tragic face a mask of perpetual horror, her hands pressed over her ears to block out the sounds of demonic warfare. The hulking, spider-faced Father would simply stand, his multiple eyes blinking in dull confusion and fear, occasionally letting out a low, guttural growl if a stray attack came too near, but never, ever intervening. He knew his place. They all did.
Saya was Jack’s greatest concern during these battles. He’d always try to draw Rui away from the house, away from her, but sometimes the fight would erupt too quickly. He’d catch glimpses of her pale face, her eyes wide with terror for him, and it would fuel his desperate, stubborn resistance.
`Level Up! You are now Level 35!`
`Physical resilience and regeneration rate noticeably enhanced.`
“Alright, Level 35!” Jack would breathe, Woody Jr.’s energy knitting together the last of the previous night’s thread-burns. “Feeling a bit… tougher. Maybe soon Rui’s threads will feel less like razor wire and more like… aggressively wielded dental floss. A guy can dream, right?”
Rui, too, was growing stronger, Jack could sense it. The conflict, the constant expenditure and regeneration of demonic power, was honing the Lower Moon’s abilities. Perhaps the ‘offerings’ his terrified family still occasionally managed to procure also contributed, though Jack clung to his theory about diminishing returns from human blood for raw leveling. Rui’s Level 38 had likely ticked up to 39, maybe even nudged the edge of 40. His threads were faster, sharper, his techniques more varied and imbued with a chilling, destructive potency.
But Jack’s growth was different. It was unnatural. Relentless. Rui, with his acute demonic perception, felt it, saw it, and it began to gnaw at him with a cold, insidious dread. Jack wasn’t consuming humans. Rui had made sure of that, his webs and puppets an unseen network of spies across their territory. Yet, night after night, Jack met his fury with increasing strength, new, bewildering applications of his plant-based Blood Demon Art, and a resilience that was simply… impossible.
“How are you doing this?!” Rui had shrieked one night, after a particularly vicious exchange where Jack had managed to ensnare one of his primary thread-controlling hands with a surprise `Siphoning Tendril` that had erupted from a seemingly dead tree, disrupting Rui’s attack for a crucial moment. “You don’t feed! You don’t consume! Where does this power come from?!”
“Trade secret, little brother,” Jack had shot back, already retreating, creating a screen of swirling, sharpened leaves. “Maybe I’m just naturally gifted. Or perhaps I discovered a hidden cache of high-EXP, gluten-free, ethically sourced power bars. You wouldn’t believe the macros on these things. Very keto-friendly.” He would never reveal his true source, his precious Woody Jr. That was his ace, his lifeline.
The strain was beginning to show on Rui. His attacks, while still deadly, were losing some of their icy precision, becoming tinged with a desperate, almost frantic energy. His carefully constructed world, his absolute control over his ‘family,’ was being threatened by this inexplicable older brother who refused to break, who only grew stronger in defiance.
Then came the night Jack hit Level 37. The fight had been particularly brutal, Rui pushing him to his absolute limits, the forest around them a mangled wreck of shattered trees and shredded earth.
`Level Up! You are now Level 37!`
`New Ability Unlocked: Blood Demon Art: Plant – [Verdant Doppelgänger (Wood Clone)].
Create a single, semi-sentient clone of yourself made from wood and plant matter. Clone possesses a fraction of your abilities (approx. 30% of current power) and can act independently for a limited time or until significant damage is sustained.`
Jack stared at the System notification in the pre-dawn gloom of his cave, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face despite his exhaustion and myriad aches. “Holy Hashirama Senju, Batman!” he breathed, a surge of almost giddy excitement cutting through his weariness. “Wood Clones! Are you freaking kidding me, System? Are you moonlighting as a Naruto fanfiction generator on the side? This is… this is a goddamn game-changer!”
He spent the next day not just absorbing energy from Woody Jr., but meticulously experimenting with his new ability. The process was fascinating. He’d focus, drawing on the wood and living vines around him, and with a surge of demonic energy, a crude, slightly rough-hewn copy of himself would coalesce. It was recognizably him, though its movements were a little stiff, its features less defined, like a wooden statue brought to life. It could perform basic BDA techniques – weaker vines, smaller thorn volleys – and seemed to understand his simple mental commands.
“Okay, so it’s not exactly a Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,” Jack mused, observing his Verdant Doppelgänger practice a rather clumsy `Thorn Volley`. “Probably can’t do my taxes, write scathing critiques of Rui’s interior decorating choices, or successfully flirt with Saya for me – which, let’s be honest, might actually be for the best, given my track record.” He made the clone wave. It waved back, a little too enthusiastically. “But as a decoy? A distraction? Another body on the field to launch thorns or tendrils from an unexpected angle? Oh, the tactical possibilities are sinfully delicious.”
That night, when Rui inevitably came for him, his small face a mask of cold fury, Jack was ready. The initial clash was familiar – threads like silver lightning, vines like emerald pythons, the forest groaning under their demonic power. Rui, his level now a solid 39 by Jack’s System scan, was pushing harder than ever, a desperate edge to his attacks.
“You’re growing weaker, Older Brother!” Rui hissed, a cage of hardened threads snapping shut around Jack. “Your tricks are becoming stale!”
“Stale?” Jack grunted, his `Barkskin Fortification` groaning under the pressure of the threads. “Honey, I’m just getting warmed up!”
From the dense shadows behind Rui, a figure suddenly lunged – a perfect, if slightly more wooden, replica of Jack, lashing out with its own set of thorny vines.
`[Verdant Doppelgänger Deployed!]`
Rui spun, his eyes widening in genuine shock as the Wood Clone’s vines wrapped around one of his ankles, momentarily unbalancing him. “What?! Two of you?! More deception!”
“Surprise!” Jack yelled, using Rui’s split-second distraction to shatter the thread cage with a concentrated burst of `Entangling Roots` surging from the ground beneath him. “It’s a two-for-one special on beatdowns tonight, little brother! Hope you brought enough string for everyone!”
The dynamic of the fight shifted instantly. Rui, already unnerved by Jack’s inexplicable growth, was now faced with two opponents. The Wood Clone, though significantly weaker (around Jack’s old Level 18-20 strength, he estimated), was surprisingly effective as a distraction and a supplementary attacker. It could absorb a hit that would have otherwise landed on Jack, or launch a `Thorn Volley` from an unexpected angle while the real Jack prepared a more powerful BDA.
Rui’s attacks became more frantic. He was forced to divide his attention, his threads lashing out at both Jack and the clone. The clone, controlled by Jack’s will, moved with a clumsy but determined imitation of his own fighting style, utilizing basic vine attacks and root snares.
“This is impossible!” Rui shrieked, his threads shredding the Wood Clone’s arm, only for Jack to have it crudely reform from nearby fallen branches and loose vegetation. “What are you?!”
“I’m your friendly neighborhood botanical nightmare, Rui!” Jack shot back, using the opening created by the clone’s harassment to land a solid hit with a `Siphoning Tendril` that briefly latched onto one of Rui’s primary thread-generating fingers. It didn’t drain much, Rui tore it away almost instantly with another thread, but Jack felt a tiny, satisfying jolt of stolen demonic energy, and Rui let out a hiss of surprise and pain. A small victory, but it was something.
The fight raged, more chaotic, more desperate than ever before. Jack and his Verdant Doppelgänger fought in tandem, a whirlwind of green against Rui’s silver storm of threads. The clone would create openings, absorb blows, harass, while Jack pressed any advantage, his own attacks becoming more focused, more potent. He could feel Rui’s composure fraying, the Lower Moon’s attacks becoming wider, more destructive, but less precise. Fear, cold and stark, was now clearly visible in Rui’s crimson-flecked eyes. He was losing control, not just of the fight, but of his carefully constructed reality, his absolute dominance.
Jack, despite the constant pain of regeneration and the exertion of controlling both himself and his clone, felt a cold, grim focus settle over him. He was still likely outmatched in terms of raw Kizuki power, but his rapid growth, his unique, inexhaustible energy source, and now this powerful new tactical tool in the Wood Clone, were undeniably leveling the playing field. He was no longer just a resilient annoyance to Rui. He was becoming a genuine, terrifying threat.
As the first, faint hint of dawn once again began to touch the eastern sky, forcing another reluctant cessation of hostilities, Rui retreated not with his usual cold glare of promised retribution, but with a haunted, almost panicked look. He vanished into the gloom towards the house, leaving Jack and his now-dissipating Wood Clone standing amidst the wreckage of their battlefield.
Jack leaned heavily against a splintered tree, every fiber of his being screaming in protest, but a grim smile touched his lips. He was Level 37. Rui was Level 40. The gap was closing. And the fear he’d seen in Rui’s eyes? That was a victory more satisfying than any level up. The tyrannical reign of the little spider demon on Mount Natagumo was beginning to unravel.