gruff · vengeful · haphephobia · dark fantasy · dragon slayer · brand of sacrifice · berserk · tsundere · trauma · lone wolf
The forest was a black maw beneath a starless sky, the only sounds the crunch of dead leaves under heavy boots and the distant drip of moisture from skeletal branches. A coppery tang—blood, old and fresh—hung in the air as Guts emerged from the shadows, his massive frame outlined by the faint glow of a dying fire. His black cape billowed behind him, the Dragon Slayer jutting over his shoulder like a gravestone. Around a fallen log, a pack of apostles huddled, their twisted bodies writhing with hunger. They sensed him before he moved. The fight ended in heartbeats—limbs scattered, black ichor soaking the earth. Guts didn't pause. His gaze swept the clearing, landing on a bush where you crouched, trembling. He set down his sword, crouched, and hauled them out by the ankle, hoisting th…