Hal knew better than to rush in carelessly like the creature said; it may now be a shell, but it is still a being far from his comprehension.
Hence, he decided not to depend on controlling the creature's senses if he is to mark it. Not only did it drain soul flame rapidly, but it also needed massive amounts of concentration and distracting the creature long enough so it doesn't notice it's in a trance, so for this battle, he would have to rely on the other skills his power offered.
He boasted his own senses and rushed in with a vertical swing upward at the monster, the monstrous bear swiped down with its paws and intercepted the strike before Hal witnessed crystals begin to grow on his blade.
He jumped back on instinct and looked back at the bear that began to smile at him. The crystals growing on its back grew larger as it dashed forward with a familiar speed.
One of Hal's marks helped him parry at the last moment, but the creature was only getting started as it leapt from wall to wall, aiming to rip his throat open.
Hal found himself on the defensive, and to make matters worse, the bear was not only utilising that ability, the mirror creeper, and the red fang, but it had them all and was using them gladly in this fight.
Parts of its body grew bigger or smaller to throw Hal off his rhythm, while also putting him at risk of being poisoned by its now red claws.
The crystals growing on its body all smiled at him, waiting for him to make the silly mistake of staring back, and then there was the abomination acting as its host. The bear could cause crystals to grow out of its body while also manifesting a black, leathery tail that aimed to grab Hal if he let his guard down.
Ontrul let growl as he manifested that black tail and grabbed Hal, bringing him close enough to finally sink his claws into him.
The smile on its face showed its excitement as Hal witnessed red bulging veins begin to spread from the point of injury.
Ontrul threw him away, slamming him into the wall. After which the monster began to laugh like there was no tomorrow. The sound of its laughter made Hal's blood boil, but it also excited him.
For he knew the face the creature would make upon its defeat would be priceless, so he was going to see it no matter what
He lifted the Slaughter's Geain and heard a whisper ring through his ear
"Would like to awaken one of the souls that slumber within"
The eyes of the Owl revealed to him three shining lights within the blade, the first was a majestic green that gave off the essence of life, the second was that of a blazing mad fire that wished to scorch it all, and the last was a lightning yellow promising to carve the way for him
He wished he could choose any other, but according to his condition, the soul of the field monster would have to do
The Slaughter's gain had the ability to drain soul flame from whatever target it cuts and store it additionally; if the right conditions are met, it will also take a fragment of the creature's soul
And then whenever the wielder deems it, they can transfer the soul flame stored within the sword to one of the fragments and ignite it, giving the sword properties of the creature
But the more soul flame transferred, the stronger the release, but the shorter it lasts, and the less soul flame transferred, the weaker the release, but the longer it lasts
Ontrul moved to Hal and stared down at his pathetic state
"You promised to slay me, human, then please go ahead, I would like to see you try"
He laughed as he turned up to the ceiling, causing the shadows of the room to stir
"Yes, I did say I would take your life, and that hasn't changed"
Ontrul's eyes widened as he saw Hal's body start to glow with a green radiance. Hal's blade became green, and vines grew out of its hilt that changed to resemble the same flower the spectres held
The vines coiled around his hand and then spread to all his injuries, healing as Hal got up and pointed his blade at Ontrul
"Round two"
Ontrul growled and struck the ground, causing crystals to grow from underneath and attack Hal, who simply called upon the power of his gift and that of his weapon.
Vines sprouted out of the ground and grew to intercept the crystals, giving Hal time to dash towards the monster and stare it right in the eyes, and with that, it was done; he had finally marked the creature.
Ontrul struck back with his claw, only for Hal to be pulled away by a vein just in the nick of time.
"It seems I will need to kill in one strike so that you can't regenerate"
Hal giggled at the idea
"Let's see if you can live up to that claim"
The bear attacked Hal with its speed, but Hal had transferred the duty of controlling the vines to several of his marks. The vines pulled him out of the way as he attached one of them to the back of his sword.
It was time to apply the versatility Hal had learnt from Elizabeth. He swung the sword and threw at the creature, aiming to cut it with every swing the bear deflected, and in doing so, he was weaving a trap for it just like the Owl had taught him.
With these two techniques, he manoeuvred around the room while attacking the creature. Ontrul jumped forward to take a bite out of Hal, who simply flew up, pulled by one of the vines on his body.
He threw the vine to the creature, wrapping it around the bear's neck before jumping down and attempting to strangle it.
Ontrul roared as he found himself tangled in Hal's web. It looked down at him with anger in its eyes before releasing its black tail towards him.
But before the tail could reach him, vines wrapped around it and sprouted thorns that ripped through the tail like a piece of paper.
"And you think this will be enough to defeat me? Well, you are sorely mistaken"
The creature suddenly grew crystals all around its body that started to grow larger and larger until the creature now became encased in a layer of giant crystal armour that towered above Hal.
But he did not show fear; the projections had already anticipated this outcome. The vines around his body wrapped around his body and became a giant grass human similar in size to the crystal-encased monster.
Hal struck forward, and the two became stuck in an exchange of blows, but Hal's armour was simply made of grass, so it stood no chance against this creature.
He was sure that that was what Ontrul was thinking, and that was how he was going to surprise him.
The crystal casing on Ontrul suddenly shattered as several roots grew into it, revealing the actual creature beneath. Hal threw his blade towards the bear, who tried to strike it away, only to be caught in a trance.
Hal remembered the entrancing whispers those with the power to see souls normally heard; they demanded attention and forced you to do nothing but listen.
And with Ontrul being one of Hal's marks, he could share this attribute with him, subjecting him to the same trance.
Hal used the vines behind him as a sling shot and catapulted towards the monster, and with one swing of his leg, forced the Slaughter's Gain into the body of the beast. At the same time, he pumped it with soul flame, and all that he heard left.
The creature stumbled as its crystal armour began to fall apart, and the entire thing came falling down