It feels like that battle slows down into a ballroom dance, all the fighters are trying to avoid each other, while the scarabs are trying to keep the prey to themselves. Isaac moves through the scarabs, crushing and kicking slowly but surely, moving toward the massive scarab. Mercer is doing the same on the other side.
A few moments previously, Mercer gave a signal to head towards the scarab, and like the little lamb, Isaac did what he was told without question. Isaac wasn't able to tell what Mercer's plan was, but Isaac could get a vague description based on what they were doing. They were attempting to perform a pincer strategy on the scarab, they were killing the smaller ones in a way to trick the hairs on their napes, so that they think that he is still around and nowhere near the big scarab, but in fact, he will be right next to it.
Running up the dunes was a challenge due to his leg barely hanging on, but his still intact leg did a lot of the work by digging into the hard sand to make footholds, and by crawling up the dune, he was able to arrive on the right side of the scarab. Its massive body put Mercer's to shame, being at least three times taller than him and around five times bigger.
Isaac saw Mercer stand on the other side of the scarab and began moving his hands to count down, and by the time his finger stopped counting down, both Isaac and Mercer were slashing at the scarab's legs. Feeling the change in the wind from the falling weapons, it started to mover backward but it was to slow, as Mercer cut off two of its legs on the left side, while Isaac is only able to cut off one, causing it to buckle and roll into Mercer who skilfully uses his core power fully to hold it in place.
Noticing the scarab roll onto its side and almost onto Mercer, Isaac cuts off the rest of its legs, brutally mutilating it. Mercer shouts, "Isaac, help me now." Isaac runs over and sees a swarm of scarabs running up the dune to help the massive one.
Isaac starts swinging at them, killing them as bloody rain pours due to Isaac's crude and rough movements. Mercer shouts, "Kid, help me push this thing over the dune and onto the other scarabs below."
Isaac immediately understands and lets his brain run with a new possibility of what they can kill by rolling a gargantuan beast. They both push the beast, only to feel their strength sap, almost like pulling a chain with no end. The scarab lets out a loud screech, and a fireball kills the scarab behind them. Isaac assumes in the moment that one of the mages has done that and was having their back.
As Mercer and Isaac push, Isaac asks a question, "Hey Mercer, does it hurt to reach full Proficiency?" He starts to push with his full strength, completely ignoring the almost detached leg, and a small glimmer of hope floods him as the scarab slowly starts to roll forward.
Mercer mid grunt mutters, "Yeah, it hurts like hell for most, you won't be different, ya freak." Mercer wedges his axe under the scarab so that he tries to stop it from going back on top of them, and also so he can try to speed up this, seeing that Isaac does the same with his sword.
They both dig deep into the sand and use there super strength to create leverage to make this hell forsaken scarab kill its own kin, and for once the god answer there prayers and the scarab start to roll off the dune and crush its own kin, the smell of insect blood purges the air, and snaps and crack flood there ears causing the surviving kids from earlier to shiver, the blood turns the once lightless dune into an abstract painting of crimson and black with 2 men looking down on the once high and mighty bug.
The scarab is now flipped onto its back with no way onto its belly, it won't be able to do anything, and is not a threat. The smaller scarabs seem to become less coordinated and more barbaric, a few eating the dead corpse of the other scarabs. Isaac and Mercer are still atop the dune, fighting the scarab that survived the fireball.
Picking up there weapons, Isaac's leg sends out a sharp pain as the quickly made bandage has be destroyed in the fight to roll the scarab off the dune, Isaac falls onto one knee and starts to slash in a sideways arc, back and forward only killing a few buy keeping most the them at bay while Mercer kills them.
After a few minutes of constant swings, Isaac's core voice speaks, "Congratulations, 'our' core power has reached max proficiency and will be upgraded, you better bite the sword of 'ours', this will be painful."
A deep pool of blood pours out of Isaac's cuts and wounds, mainly from his leg, as Isaac throws up, his head starts to spin, and he mutters, "I am getting Stronger, Mercer, just cover me for a bit and I will-." Isaac is cut off as more fluids pour out of his mouth. It's not nearly as painful as getting 'hard shell', but it is a lot more irritating.
Mercer hears this and begins to pick up Isaac so that they can retreat. Midway, putting Isaac over his shoulder, he sees a man standing on a dune not too far away. It's Soffle. During the fight, they thought that the fireball was from one of the mages, but it was the Puppet Master, not a mage, and they used Soffle's core power to trick them.
Another fireball forms and flies towards them. As a last minute decision, Mercer uses him self as a shield to protect Isaac, and they are sent flying down the dune and bounce before landing next to the scarab.
Isaac opens his eyes and gasps for air, his eyes are blurry with tears, his ears ring like a grenade exploded next to them, and he can't feel his legs or arms, for that matter. Biting his lip, he looks at the scarab and bites onto its shell, using his full body to pull him self up with all his intent focused on climbing on top of the scarab.
He falls countless time and is bit even more time by smaller scarabs but as time passes in the slowest form possible, he mounts the belly of the scarab, and he bits into its soft underside, slowly tearing it open, mouthful by mouthful, he digs into the beast's chest, bashing his own head to shatter its ribcage and bites into its heart, Isaac lifts his head out of the scarab, blood pours out of the scarab as Isaac devours its heart, small parts of the heart fall but Isaac doesn't care.
Still in a daze, Isaac speaks, "I wish to learn from this scarab. I want to learn how to command them." His core voice responds eerily, "It is as you wish."
Isaac shouts, blood runs down his mouth, "I decree all scarabs kill you self to please your new king. Me. I am your new king."
The battle field falls silent, and no one moves at this insane declaration, but then the scarabs stir as the start to eat them self's, blood pours all across the dune's, as Isaac wild will spreads to the monsters, blood hit everyone's nose, and crunches flood the ears of even the people in the safe room inside Light shroud, everyone's faces distort into fear and disgust, except Isaac who has a wild grin stretching from ear to ear. The way Isaac sits makes it look like her devoured his way out of the scarab from the inside.