With a lazy yawn, Belial shook off his sleepiness and stretched his limbs. His muscles tensed with power, and just from that small movement, the ground around him cracked and flew apart. His five meter long body moved fast, darting through rough hills and thick forest with ease.
He headed straight for the river. A quick wash would refresh him before he could grab something to eat. As always, his hunger was already kicking in.
Belial opened his mouth, revealing his sharp teeth, and swung his now much longer tail. Pressing his thick thighs against his body, he relied on his heightened sense of smell to track the fish swimming in the water.
The familiar scent led him easily to his target; it seemed to be the fish breeding season, and every fish he found was plump with roe.
In his past human life, he might have considered the balance of the ecosystem, but those thoughts had long since been erased, replaced by a more primal need.
His massive form moved efficiently through the water, cutting through the swarms of fish with ease. He devoured them one after another, barely bothering to chew.
Some of the larger fish, too big for his stomach, were simply swallowed whole, his teeth only providing a quick bite to ensure the food passed down his throat. His teeth had changed significantly; they were mostly fangs, with almost no molars for grinding food.
This likely had to do with his new nature, inherited from Godzilla, whose diet consisted primarily of radiation. As such, teeth didn't need to be multifunctional. His body had adapted well, and his digestive system was fast enough to bypass the need for chewing.
A large amount of meat was consumed and swiftly digested, providing him with plenty of fuel. The fish, full of roe and fat, were particularly rich in nutrition, perfectly suited for his current needs.
Though he encountered other predators in the water pythons, turtles, and even something resembling a crocodile, he didn't see them as much more than potential snacks.
As he hunted, he took occasional detours, catching a water snake or some other aquatic beast, enjoying the easy prey. The river, large and full of life, offered plenty of food, and he satisfied his hunger by following the fish swarms. When he finally felt full, he surfaced, dragging himself ashore, wet and dripping.
He glanced at his reflection in the clear water. His once red-and-black mottled scales had been replaced by a sleek pattern of black triangular scales, neatly aligned.
Beneath the surface of his skin, smaller, softer scales could be seen. His head had grown more slender and menacing, his horns now neat and extending backward. A series of thorns rose along his back and up to the tip of his tail, giving him a fiercer appearance.
His limbs, including his tail, had become longer and thicker, with slight spikes appearing at the joints.
However, there were still two noticeably bulging spots on his back. He speculated they might be where wings would have grown for a dragon, but now, with his hybrid form, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to develop wings.
He was slowly transitioning from a juvenile stage into a young dragon, but his form still resembled that of an undeveloped child, like a newborn Godzilla.
Despite his size, he still couldn't unleash any kind of destructive power, no dragon's fire or Godzilla's atomic breath. He remembered the time he foolishly tried to unleash fire from his mouth while standing on a mountaintop, only to end up with a mouthful of wind and a belly full of frustration.
In a fit of rage, he devoured a passing beast, similar to a cow. It seemed that his inner atomic furnace, a core part of his Godzilla nature, hadn't fully developed yet, or perhaps his dragon form simply lacked the ability to breathe fire for now.
"Never mind, what am I rushing for? I'm still young," Belial muttered to himself. He wasn't in a hurry.
In such a short time, he had already become this strong, so sticking to his mission for a few more years would surely take him even further. His stomach wasn't entirely full yet, though, and that should come first.
With that in mind, he sprinted upstream, extending his limbs, feeling the air rush around him. Driven by curiosity and a bit of boredom, he had once run along the river, hoping to find humans. Instead, he stumbled upon a massive, elevated lake.
The river he had been following was only a branch; upstream, a larger river fed into the lake. The lake itself was oddly shaped, perfectly circular, surrounded by arching hills.
It almost looked like a meteor had struck, forming a giant crater that now held both the mountain and the lake. But since this was a different world, there might be a more sinister explanation. He suspected the lake had been created by battles between giants, their blows shaping the land.
But Belial wasn't interested in solving archaeological puzzles. The main reason he had come here was the abundant aquatic life in the lake and the prey that gathered to drink.
To him, it seemed like a perfect hunting ground. After all, nature had no rules about fighting near water sources.
He crouched low in the bushes, rolling in the dirt to cover his scent with mud. He wasn't trying to ambush his prey; after charging into herds recklessly before and having them remember his scent, he learned the hard way.
After a few failed hunts where creatures turned the tables on him, the animals had decided to run rather than fight. Once they caught a whiff of him, they fled.
So, now, Belial took extra precautions to hide his scent, or else the prey would scatter before he could even make a move. He narrowed his eyes at a herd that resembled water buffalo, only with thick brown fur and two pairs of horns.
There were dozens of them, and they seemed like a decent target. Just as he was about to make his move, another figure appeared, radiating heat.
"Mooo!"
"Mooo…"
As soon as the herd sensed the newcomer, they grew restless. Their hooves scraped nervously against the ground, and the young calves huddled together inside the circle formed by the adult water buffalos.