Chapter 15: Birth of the Abomination
Everyone in the training grounds froze, paralyzed by the horror unfolding before them.
From the severed stump of Zark's arm, a black, viscous substance began to ooze slowly—twisting and pulsing, alive with a grotesque will.
Within seconds, a new hand formed… but it was far from human.
It was encased in a dark, gelatinous membrane—hellish in texture, throbbing as if it were breathing.
Zark—or what remained of him—lifted his head slowly.
His eyes gleamed with a disturbing madness.
His mouth tore open all the way to his ears, revealing rows of jagged, unnatural teeth.
Silence gripped the field… before chaos erupted.
The trainees scrambled for their weapons in panic.
Ghareeb stood still, alert and focused.
He felt the air shift around him—heavier now, as if something was being born from the womb of darkness.
The black sword whispered in his mind:
"Be cautious... he's lost his mind completely. He is no longer human. This is a second-tier abomination.
Don't face him alone. Wait for Kain!"
But before Ghareeb could even breathe, the new Zark lunged at him—
with terrifying speed.
This wasn't the mindless thrashing of ordinary mutants; this was a precision killer.
"Don't hesitate!"
The sword's voice was sharp this time.
Ghareeb raised his blade high, unleashing a powerful strike toward Zark's neck.
But the blow collided with a jelly-like armor—dense yet elastic.
The sword bounced off as if it had struck a rubber-coated boulder.
In a blur, Zark conjured a barricade of slick tendrils, sealing off the entire arena—
trapping Ghareeb inside,
cutting off any help from outside.
Through the transparent wall of slime, Ghareeb saw Kain screaming…
but no sound reached him.
"He's targeting you," the sword murmured again.
"He senses something in you… something rare. Do not retreat.
He is no longer a man."
Ghareeb stepped back half a pace, then leapt into the air, dodging a sudden claw swipe.
He twisted midair, aiming a counterattack at the creature's shoulder—
but it was useless.
Zark's body had transformed into an armored, gelatinous form—nearly impervious.
A spiked tail emerged behind him, slamming the ground and scattering dust,
while a thick hump protruded from his back.
Zark attacked with all limbs at once,
as if trying to devour Ghareeb whole.
"Use the sword's fire!"
Kain's voice came faintly from behind the barrier.
Ghareeb remembered…
a hidden technique he learned by the lake—
a secret nestled within the heart of the blade.
The black sword began to glow—
a dim fire,
the color of dusk.
Clutching it with both hands,
Ghareeb raised the blade above his head—
then dashed forward like an arrow loosed from shadow.
Zark roared—
a monstrous howl that shredded the air.
But Ghareeb did not falter.
The blade pierced through the creature's chest,
and a burst of fire erupted from within—
as if flames had been born from the core of darkness.
Zark let out a final, horrific scream that echoed through the arena,
before his body crumbled into black ash—
scattered by the wind.
Ghareeb fell to his knees, gasping for breath,
as the sword whispered faintly:
"This… is only the beginning."