Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System

But even wounded, the beast wasn't done. It growled low, raising its longsword high above its head for one final, desperate attack. The sheer size of the blade meant that if it hit, it would bring the entire church down with them.

"Finish it!" Athena yelled, her voice sharp with urgency.

Cyrus didn't hesitate. With a final burst of speed, he closed the distance between him and the creature, his aether sword crackling with energy. He jumped, launching himself into the air as the creature's sword began its deadly descent. Time seemed to slow as Cyrus swung his blade down, aiming for the creature's exposed neck.

With one swift, clean strike, the aether sword cleaved through the creature's thick flesh. Its head fell to the ground with a sickening thud, its body collapsing in a heap of dead weight.

The church fell silent once more, save for the faint, glowing hum of the altar behind them. Cyrus landed lightly on his feet, panting heavily, his sword disappearing in a wisp of light. He looked back at Athena, who stood there, her hands still glowing faintly with residual light magic.

"Nice backup," he said, managing a tired smile. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Athena exhaled, the tension in her shoulders finally releasing. "Likewise," she replied, her voice steady but laced with relief.

Together, they stood amidst the wreckage of the church, the massive creature slain at their feet. But even as the beast lay dead, both of them could feel it—the lingering, unsettling power of the altar, still glowing with that ominous amethyst light.

Their victory felt hollow, the silence in the church pressing down on them like a suffocating weight. Cyrus stood still, catching his breath, but the sense of finality that usually followed a hard-fought battle never came. He exchanged a glance with Athena, both of them uneasy.

A chill, colder than the damp air in the ruined church, crawled down Cyrus' spine. It wasn't just in his skin—he could feel it creeping through his muscles, wrapping around his nerves like icy tendrils. His instincts, honed through countless battles, screamed that something was wrong. Athena's eyes darted nervously toward the creature's fallen body, her hands still glowing faintly with magic.

Without warning, a grotesque movement caught Cyrus' attention. The massive corpse of the toad, which lay still just moments ago, twitched. Then it jerked violently, like a marionette pulled by invisible strings. Its head, severed cleanly by Cyrus' aether sword, remained detached, but the body was rising. The sight sent a wave of dread crashing through them both.

"That's... impossible," Athena whispered, her voice tight with disbelief, though her body instinctively backed away.

The corpse, unnaturally animated, rose to its feet in a grotesque display, its limbs moving stiffly, like a puppet forced into motion. The toad's body seemed to defy death itself, standing upright even though its life had been cut short. For a brief, horrifying moment, the headless creature stood there, motionless.

Then, with a sudden, ominous flare, sapphire flames erupted from the body. The blue fire spread rapidly, licking hungrily at the creature's decaying flesh, devouring it as though the flames had a life of their own. The fire cast eerie shadows across the church walls, illuminating the cracked stone and rotten wood in a ghostly light. The corpse didn't burn like a normal body would; instead, it shimmered, as if being consumed by something far more sinister than fire.

Cyrus' grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, though the aetheric blade had dissipated. His instincts screamed to retreat, but his body stayed rooted to the spot, eyes locked on the flames. Whatever force was at work here was beyond anything he'd ever faced. Athena, too, stared wide-eyed at the spectacle, her earlier nervousness now turning into outright dread.

"I don't think we've won yet," Cyrus muttered, the certainty of their victory now shattered.

The sapphire flames consumed the toad's corpse, twisting and warping its form into something far more grotesque. What was once a hulking, bloated figure of decay now transformed into a nightmarish abomination. The flames licked hungrily at the creature's body, but instead of reducing it to ash, they sculpted its form anew, reshaping it into something far more menacing.

The creature's body elongated, its once-round torso now stretched into a sinewy, emaciated frame. Its skin, once thick and wart-covered, was now blackened and charred, with deep fissures running across its surface, oozing a faint, sickly light. The flames seemed to fuse into its flesh, giving off an eerie glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. Its limbs, once sluggish and cumbersome, had grown leaner and more muscular, ending in grotesque clawed hands that crackled with the blue fire.

What remained of its headless neck split open, forming a jagged, gaping maw lined with sharp, obsidian teeth. From the maw, a thick, viscous liquid dripped, sizzling as it hit the ground, burning through stone and wood alike. A guttural growl emanated from this new mouth, deep and bone-rattling, reverberating through the church like a death knell.

Most unnerving of all were the creature's new eyes—or what served as eyes. The blue flames gathered at the center of its chest, forming twin orbs that burned with malevolent intelligence, glaring at Cyrus and Athena with an unnatural hunger. The orbs flickered, as though the creature was scanning them, its new form more alert, more dangerous than before.

Its once grotesque, bloated figure now stood tall, towering over them, its new form faster, leaner, and far more deadly. The massive longsword, once cumbersome in its grip, now seemed like an extension of its body, glowing with the same sapphire fire that had given it life again. It gripped the blade with inhuman strength, the sheer presence of it sending waves of dread through Cyrus and Athena.

The transformation complete, the creature stood as a twisted mockery of its former self, no longer a mindless beast but a weapon of death and destruction, reborn in fire and malice. The air thickened with the oppressive weight of its new form, the very atmosphere bending under its presence.

Cyrus and Athena instinctively took a step back, the raw malevolence radiating from the newly transformed creature pressing down on them like a wave of impending doom. The sapphire flames flickered hungrily, casting grotesque shadows along the ruined cathedral's walls.

In a heartbeat, the creature burst into motion. Its speed was nothing short of terrifying. Cyrus barely had time to blink before the beast blurred past him, a gust of wind following in its wake. His heart sank as the creature slammed into Athena with brutal force.

The impact was so immense that the entire cathedral seemed to groan in protest. Athena's body crashed through the dilapidated walls like they were made of paper, debris exploding outward as she was launched across the dungeon floor. Her limp form smashed into the stone walls of the dungeon, a massive crater forming on impact, dust and rock cascading down around her. She slid slowly down the wall, her unconscious body collapsing onto the grass below, motionless.

Cyrus' mind whirled with panic, his breath catching in his throat as he tried to process the sudden, violent assault. He hadn't even realized the creature had targeted Athena until it was too late—his instincts had kicked in just moments before, shielding himself with aether and raising his sword in a reflexive guard. But now, with Athena down and the creature having effortlessly incapacitated her, Cyrus was left alone to face this monstrosity.

He turned back, horror striking his heart as his gaze fell on the creature, standing tall amidst the wreckage it had caused. The twisted form of the sapphire-flame-infused beast smiled—a jagged, grotesque grin that sent a chill racing down Cyrus' spine.

Its burning, flame-orb eyes glowed with sick satisfaction as it turned toward him as if savoring the fear in the air. Cyrus could feel the weight of its gaze locking onto him, cold and calculating. The creature wasn't mindless—this thing was hunting them, and Athena had been just the beginning.

"Shit," Cyrus muttered, gripping his sword tightly, feeling the aether hum within the blade. His pulse quickened as the reality of the fight ahead settled in. He was alone now, and the monster was far more dangerous than anything he'd encountered. The battle had just begun, and the odds were now stacked against him.

The creature burst toward Cyrus with blinding speed, sapphire flames trailing in its wake like an ethereal comet. Cyrus barely had time to react. His instincts screamed at him as he summoned a shield of aether, fortifying himself with all the power he could muster. He braced, planting his feet and raising his sword in a defensive guard.

But it wasn't enough.

The creature tore through his defenses with a force that felt like a freight train colliding with him. The impact shattered his aetheric shield, sending a shockwave through his body. In an instant, he was launched across the dungeon, his body slamming into the ground with bone-rattling force.

Agony lanced through his chest as his ribs cracked under the pressure, the sharp pain radiating into his back. His spine screamed with every twitch, and he could feel his body protesting in ways that told him the damage was severe. The world spun violently as he skidded to a halt, gasping for air that refused to fill his lungs properly.

Cyrus coughed, the taste of iron flooding his mouth as he spat out a thick mouthful of blood. His vision blurred for a moment, pain radiating from every fiber of his being, but he forced himself to focus. As he blinked the haze from his eyes, his heart dropped.

The creature was already there—standing over him, as though it had folded space and time itself, appearing before him in an instant. Its monstrous frame loomed above, casting a menacing shadow over Cyrus' broken form. The sapphire flames flickered in its eyes, cold and unfeeling, its twisted mouth curling into a sinister grin that spoke of utter dominance.

Cyrus gasped, struggling to push himself up, but his body wouldn't obey. The creature's presence weighed on him like an anchor, pinning him down as if to say resistance was futile. Every breath sent fire through his ribs, but even through the pain, his mind raced with thoughts of survival. He was trapped beneath the gaze of this horrifying creature, his situation growing more desperate by the second.

"You strong ass motherfucker..." Cyrus whispered to himself, trying to summon his strength as the monster prepared to strike again.