Aziel kicked off the ground, which somehow did not leave any craters, and bolted towards the plasma being, which seemed confused by the sudden change in its body.
In an instant, Aziel was upon it, and before it could dodge, his fist had already slammed in—but its state changed right before the impact.
His fist sank into its viscous form, yet he pushed further, slamming it onto the ground.
Its state changed to solid again, and seizing the moment, Aziel launched a fury of punches.
It screeched in protest as it tried to defend against the relentless barrage.
"The fuck… who's gonna come to save you now, honey! Ma-No, I am sure there are a lot more of you damsel shape-shifters."
Aziel mocked, then suddenly it flickered, rendering out of existence only to appear a few meters away.
It raised its hands, probably trying to create the exact same whirlpool as before, but…
It was not as fast anymore.
Rather, it moved sluggishly, as if struggling to release more of that aurora.
Not wasting a moment, Aziel punched through a nearby boulder almost as big as him, which broke into small pieces.
Then midair, he kicked one with full strength, caught another by his hands, and spun to throw it with great velocity.
It couldn't change its position or dodge due to its whirlpool still forming.
The stones flickered out of existence midair, and right at the last moment appeared again.
They struck the being straight, square, impossible to deflect with his decreased physical abilities.
The small whirlpool which had formed grazed past it into the farlands as it staggered, losing control.
Its upper half, however, had not been obliterated like the other things it came in contact with.
"Creation should never hurt the creator, indeed."
Aziel muttered to himself as he rushed toward it, but the plasma was also dashing toward him.
Its grotesque features twisted in a way that almost screamed rage, as its state now shifted violently into dozens of forms of matter.
Just before they could collide head-on, which was basically the plan of Aziel, it extended its limbs from a distance and lunged into his bloodied arm and shoulder.
Aziel screamed in pain, but did not stop.
He threw himself onto the creature.
The creature flew away in the air, however its limb remained latched onto Aziel's shoulder, stretching unnaturally, refusing to let go.
Then, for the first time, it felt like… it grinned.
Suddenly, a tremendous, dubious surge of energy coursed through Aziel's body.
He felt strong—stronger—and then… strongest.
His heart hammered like an engine, and his spinal cord sent signals to the brain in flashes.
It was a warm, electrifying sensation at first… until it didn't stop.
The energy kept surging, amplifying, relentless. Jolts of pain ripped through his limbs, hammering against bone and muscle, as if his body might erupt at any moment.
The air around him thickened with aurora-colored energy, pulsing and twisting, entering his body with every inhale.
Then, a vein burst out on his shoulder.
Then another.
Another.
His arm sprayed with blood.
[Alert! Foreign energy detected, which may lead to explosion]
[Failed to take proactive measures!]
Aziel gripped the tentacle and tried to pull it out with full force, yet he couldn't.
He did not have enough strength.
Because… his skill had already been lifted, even before the time limit.
His mana reserves had depleted to the last drop.
"Wha-wha th hel i-its do-ing…"
Voice barely managed to come out as he clenched his teeth, closing his eyes and keeping moving to avoid submersion.
After what felt like an eternity through pain, the aurora-colored energy finally stopped.
It felt as if it was not seeping anymore into his body.
The tentacles retracted.
He opened his now bloodshot eyes slowly, and he was far from safe.
Veins had burst all around his body—his face, legs, and eyes.
However, the plasma being lay on the ground, decimated.
Small parasites emerged from its body, feeding upon it as if its body were consuming itself.
Those parasites consumed each other until, in the end, one final winner emerged.
It wobbled slightly, then decapitated in the air as if nothing existed.
[Alert!]
.
...
.
A vast, cavernous hall stretched endlessly, the polished chrome of its walls reflecting dim, humming lights.
Five towers rose from the metallic floor, skeletal fingers clawing toward the shadowed void where the dome vanished into darkness.
Atop each tower, a lone figure sat encased in a cage of thin, curved wires, rigid and still.
Unlike the writhing forms scattered across the hall below, these five radiated a strange serenity.
Their eyes were clear, unblinking, locked on a single point in the distance.
a massive door carved from a seamless sheet of black metal.
Not impossibly large.
Thud.
Then, with a sound that shattered the silence like rolling thunder, the great door slammed open.
A woman, flanked by two figures on either side, rolled into the hall, the wheelchair's wheels echoing against the polished chrome floor.
Her companions stopped at the entrance, leaving her to move forward alone.
She glided across the metallic expanse until she reached a strange, intricate pattern etched into the floor.
Then, impossibly, she rose despite her frail body.
"I stand before you, O inscrutable ones, to offer my report…"
Her thin voice sliced through the cavernous silence, eyes lifting to meet the five towers above.
The hall seemed to hold its breath. The stillness pressed against her chest, stretching time into a quiet, suffocating eternity.
"With a heart heavy with woe, I confess the task I had taken upon myself has nearly slipped from my grasp…
"It is with great sadness that I speak, for the mighty Lake of Harbinger—a constant through ages—has, for the first time in an eon, seemingly failed its sacred purpose…"
As the words left her lips, an almost tangible, cosmic pressure slammed down, weighing on her shoulders, pinning her to the ground.
Her knees buckled beneath it, and her body convulsed grotesquely, human flesh folding into shapes unnatural and pitiful.