Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Eirwen's left eye shimmered furiously, glowing like a golden star.

Eirwen growled, his voice raw and throaty, as if he had just emerged from the depths of the ocean. Something beneath his flesh squirmed and writhed as he activated his second Recorded Ability, [Kraken's Grasp].

The four Awakened stared down at Eirwen's mutilated body in shock. Bulldog, standing over him, hefted his massive war hammer with a strained grip, his back and arms bulging as he prepared to bring it crashing down and reduce Eirwen's head to a red smear on the floor.

Squirming tendrils of flesh writhed beneath Eirwen's bare back, unsettling the onlookers even further. His pale skin darkened, taking on a dusty blue hue. The golden locks on his head shifted as well, along with his eyes; both transforming into a striking and light-absorbing teal.

Bastard Sword screamed, preparing a thrust as his two companions readied their attacks as well.

Just as the hammer hurtled down toward Eirwen's head, something in his back erupted, exploding outward with violent force, sending pieces of flesh and bone out.

A dark, scaly, and slippery muscular arm shot out from Eirwen's shoulder blade, halting the hammer mid-swing. Its webbed hand pressed firmly against the weapon, straining under the force but holding nonetheless.

The freckled girl stomped forward, driving her rapier into the scaly hand, attempting to destroy it with her Aspect Ability. Before the air bullet could even manifest, another arm burst from Eirwen's shoulder blade with a wet explosion.

"Are we fighting a fucking Saint?!" one of them screamed, a mix of fear and awe in their voice.

Leather Boots tried to step back, but it was too late. The arm lashed out, its dark metallic claws slicing clean through her leg.

The crowd was too stunned to cheer or react as the first arm hurled the hammer -and Bulldog- several steps back with sheer brute force.

Once free, both hands pressed firmly against the cold floor, muscles straining with effort. Gasps of horror echoed through the arena as something truly grotesque unfolded.

Pressing against the ground, Eirwen began to rise, but the flesh beneath his neck writhed violently and split open. Blood and bone spilled out as a completely new body emerged from his old one, leaving the crowd paralyzed with shock for a good second. Everything below his neck was new and monstrous.

Leather Boots -thrashing on the floor- desperately tried to crawl away, clutching the bleeding stump below her ankle. Genuine fear was etched onto her sweaty face, an expression she shared with most of the underground arena

"This can't be a human," Snake whispered as he tried to get out of his stupor. What did their friend get them into.

Eirwen slowly rose in his new body, stretching his back and neck. He was taller now, towering at nearly eight feet. His muscular body was covered in slick and scaly skin, dripping with a dark, viscous liquid. The nails on his webbed hands remained sharp and black, the 'weapon' Leviathan had granted him stayed unchanged throughout the transformation

There were no emotions visible behind his mask, only wide, teal orbs of light. But deep inside his mind, a raging inferno of information burned fiercely. It was a fire he managed to suppress by merging his consciousness even further with Leviathan, yet still making sure it was him.

Bastard Sword shook his head and summoned a new set of armor, as did his companions, except for Leather Boots. She was too focused on surviving to think about anything else.

"Kill" was the only word Eirwen could hear. The voices were deafening, not just the roars of the crowd, but also the commentator's taunts and the obnoxious music.

Stepping forward, Eirwen didn't hesitate for even a second. Before anyone could react, he was already in front of Leather Boots. He had to kill her quickly and absorb her Essence before he ran dry and collapsed.

The adorable girl crawled back, her eyes desperately searching for her friends as they rushed toward her. She raised her hand in a final attempt to strike at Eirwen, but he simply raised his bare foot and stomped down on her remaining leg, crushing it with such force that the stone floor cracked beneath them.

"Kill," the voices repeated. Even the mask on his face seemed to change. The angry, wrathful expression moved to the center, while the two remaining faces appeared wary, their gazes turning away.

She screamed in pain as he crushed her leg into pieces.

Bastard Sword was already within reach. He raised his sword and swung it in a wide arc. But unfortunately for him, he wasn't just fighting Eirwen anymore, he was now facing both Leviathan and Eirwen together.

Eirwen's monstrous, amphibian body moved unnaturally. His right arm twisted at an impossible angle, shooting backward to snatch Bastard Sword's blade.

"Wait for your turn," The raw voice gurgled, dark liquid dripping out of the mask.

Leather Boots tried to mumble something through her tears, but Eirwen paid her no mind. He leaned down, his grip cold as he seized her face, lifting her up and sinking his long claws deep into her skin in process.

She screamed and thrashed around, trying to escape his grasp.

Meanwhile, her friends charged forward. Snake and Bulldog circled him from both sides, while Bastard Sword struggled to free his blade. Even his Awakened strength couldn't overcome the demon before him.

Bulldog moved like a force of nature, stomping the ground before leaping into the air, his hammer raised for a crushing downward smash.

Snake meanwhile, readied his spear like a javelin, the chain unwinding from his forearm and trailing behind him.

'Bulldog first,' Eirwen's thoughts clashed with the voices, struggling against the relentless flood of horrors in his mind. He could feel his brain melt and regenerate, each painful process consuming a ton of his Essence. There was literal fire inside his skull burning at his constantly regenerating brain.

The horrors that flooded his mind through the Kraken's Grasp were alien memories and emotions burning themselves into his brain and trying to replace him.

Leaving the agony of his melting brain to his Flaw, Eirwen gripped Leather Boots' face, tightening his hold before jerking it upwards. Blood and flesh sprayed in all directions as her headless body shivered before collapsing with a thud.

Essence flooded through him instantly, pouring into his Cores.

[You have slain an Awakened human]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[You have obtained some of the Soul's possessions]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

The three remaining Awakened were clearly stunned, but they didn't hesitate in their advance. Fear had been replaced with raw anger and fury.

Shatter

Eirwen's second hand yanked the blade from Bastard Sword's grasp with such force that it shattered into glowing fragments before he could even dismiss the Memory. The sword exploded with a deafening metallic clang, each shard transforming into sparks of light that vanished into the air.

Bastard Sword cursed and quickly backed away, creating space for Bulldog and Snake to launch their attacks.

The hammer was the first thing Eirwen decided to stop. His arm -already moving upward after he tore Leather Boots' head off- collided with the hammer mid-air.

What Eirwen hadn't anticipated was the immense force behind the attack. His scaly arm buckled under the impact and crumbled into itself with grotesque snaps of his flesh and bone as the hammer struck with enough power to create a small explosion.

'They are still Awakened, and you are only a Dreamer,' the voices hissed, their fury intensifying as Eirwen fought to maintain control over his own body. 'Let me finish this!' they roared in his mind, their anger leaking out of his body in the form of a dark liquid.

With a brutal swing, Bulldog smashed his hammer through Eirwen's hand and into the ground. Without hesitation, he raised it again, his muscles straining, and brought it up in a powerful upward strike aimed at Eirwen's chin.

Eirwen's Flaw immediately focused on the destroyed arm, regenerating it at an incredible speed.

As the war hammer swung back up from the ground, Eirwen was met with a spear hurtling toward his torso. With a swift turn, he caught the spear mid-air, the force of the throw sending him sliding back several inches. Because of that, Bulldog's hammer strike met nothing but air.

Seizing the moment, Eirwen yanked the spear toward him, pulling Snake, who was still holding onto the chain connected to it.

Bulldog's eyes widened as he stumbled, the force of his own attack rumbling through him. The inertia from striking nothing was so intense that he, unfortunately, dislocated his shoulder. In the process, he also lost his grip on the war hammer.

As Snake was dragged forward by his own chain, Bastard Sword acted swiftly, a short sword materializing in his hands.

Meanwhile, Eirwen's arm had already returned to its monstrous form, shooting down at Bulldog before he could even attempt to retreat.

Without a chance to block, the metallic claws sliced through the bulky man's throat as if it was nothing but butter.

His eyes went wide in shock as his hands shot up, desperately trying to stop the blood pouring from his throat. He choked on his own blood before collapsing onto the floor.