"You know," the leader growled, his voice a venomous rasp that slithered into Elesch's bones, chilling her marrow with its malice. "You're really getting on my nerves now, you stupid bitch."
He lunged, his right arm twisting into something grotesque: a viscous, pulsating mass, swollen with unnatural girth. Thick, alien nerves writhed beneath translucent skin, coiling like serpents trapped in a nightmare. Elesch braced herself, her heart hammering; sweat beaded at her temple, trickling down her cheek in a cold, trembling rivulet that mirrored the dread pooling in her gut.
A sudden, sickening shift warped the scene. The leader's body convulsed, his form ballooning into a monstrosity that defied nature. His flesh bulged, grotesquely distended, as though sculpted by a mad alchemist in a failed experiment gone hideously awry. Purple and black veins, thick as ropes and pulsing with infernal energy, snaked across his skin, so dense they mocked the very concept of density. His face, once human, now twisted into a grotesque parody: eyes sunken into blackened sockets, a maw stretched wide with jagged, uneven teeth that glistened with saliva. The air grew heavy with the stench of decay, a rancid miasma that clung to Elesch's throat, making each breath a struggle.
Elesch's stomach churned, her mind reeling at the abomination before her. Fear clawed at her chest, its icy talons sinking deeper with each step the creature took. Her knees buckled, and she stumbled backward, her palms scraping against the rough, blood-slicked ground. The sight of him, hulking, unnatural, a walking blasphemy, ignited a primal terror that threatened to unravel her.
Thump.
The earth shuddered beneath his weight.
Thump.
His shadow loomed, swallowing the dim light filtering through the shattered warehouse roof.
THUMP.
He towered over her now, a colossus of twisted flesh and malevolent intent. Elesch collapsed to the ground, her body trembling as she stared up at the monstrosity. No longer a mere D-rank adventurer, he radiated the raw, crushing power of a near B-rank manipulator. One blow from those gnarled, vein-ridden fists could splinter her fragile bones into dust. Her breath hitched, a sob caught in her throat as she sulked, curling inward, her spirit teetering on the edge of despair.
What the hell is this? she thought, a single tear falling, absorbed by the cracked, thirsty earth. Her eyes were wide, wild with panic, her jaw slack as her bones rattled in their sockets. The monster's laugh erupted, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through the air, sharp and devilish, his grin a crescent of jagged teeth that promised agony.
His minions, cackling like hyenas, added their mocking chorus. Their laughter grated against the leader's frayed patience. His head snapped toward them, eyes blazing with feral rage. In a single, fluid motion, he struck. His massive arm swept through the air, a blur of grotesque power, and the minions' laughter choked into screams.
Their bodies burst like overripe fruit, organs spilling across the ground in a wet, crimson cascade. Blood sprayed in torrents, pooling in viscous lakes that reflected the flickering light. The leader's maw opened wide, and with a sickening crunch, he devoured their heads, teeth grinding bone to powder. His body swelled further, muscles bulging, veins throbbing with unholy vigor. He was inches from transcending, a grotesque titan on the cusp of artificial B-rank power.
Elesch's breath came in shallow gasps, her vision blurring as the coppery tang of blood filled her nostrils. The warehouse seemed to close in, its walls pulsing with the same malevolent energy as the creature before her. Every sound—the squelch of flesh, the drip of blood, the creak of his expanding frame—amplified her dread.
She clutched the ground, nails digging into the dirt, as if anchoring herself could stave off the inevitable. Her mind screamed for escape, but her body refused to move, paralyzed by the weight of his presence. The leader's eyes locked onto hers, gleaming with sadistic delight, and she knew: this was no longer a fight, but a prelude to annihilation.
As the leader lunged, his grotesque form a mere breath from Elesch, his claws poised to rend her soul to the afterlife, a figure surged from the shadows. No bystanders remained; they had fled long ago, their frantic calls summoning police who were yet to arrive. The football field, cloaked in the heavy shroud of dusk, pulsed with menace, its air thick with the coppery reek of blood and the leader's guttural snarls.
Elesch's vision blurred, her heart a frantic drumbeat, when strong arms caught her, yanking her from the jaws of death. She stumbled, disoriented, her body trembling against the warmth of her savior.
As twilight's dim glow filtered through the shattered roof, she glimpsed his face: a young man, unremarkable yet striking in his ordinariness. Glasses perched on his nose, his features neither radiant nor dull, but balanced in a quiet, unassuming symmetry. He stood at five feet nine inches, his frame subtly elongated since his awakening, a fact she couldn't know but sensed in the taut strength of his grip. This was Adam, though his name was a mystery to her.
Something about him seized her attention, a spark igniting in the chaos. At eighteen, like him, she felt a rush of attraction unmarred by the constraints of her past, when her childlike appearance had cloaked her true age. It wasn't his looks, average, unpolished, but the raw courage in his trembling form that captivated her. His bones quaked, mirroring her own terror, yet he stood resolute before the monstrosity, defying the primal urge to flee. His eyes, wide with fear yet fierce with determination, locked onto the creature; their intensity sent a shiver through her, electric and raw.
Elesch's cheeks flushed, a crimson tide flooding her face. Adam glanced at her, his gaze scanning for injuries, ensuring her safety. Her eyes dropped, heat surging through her as she realized she was cradled in his arms, her body pressed against his chest.
Her vision spun, her pupils spiraling like galaxies, overwhelmed by the intimacy of his hold amidst the carnage. He's… holding me, she thought, as her mind acceleration faster than a chetah, omg, he's holding me... what do I do? H-he looks so... her heart stuttering, a dizzying blend of fear and fascination swirling within her.
A feral growl shattered the moment. The leader, his maw dripping with thick, viscous saliva, glared at them, his eyes glinting with ravenous hunger. To him, they were prey, nothing more. He lunged again, his massive frame a blur of grotesque power, veins pulsing like dark rivers beneath his bloated flesh.
Adam reacted instantly, setting Elesch down with careful urgency, positioning himself as a shield between her and the beast. His senses sharpened, a predator's clarity cutting through the haze of fear. His skin tightened, hardening into a near-impervious barrier, muscles flexing with newfound density.
Adam's power, Adaptive Hide, surged to life. His body, attuned to the threat, mimicked the leader's grotesque resilience. His forearms thickened, sprouting a faint sheen of scales that shimmered in the sun's light, borrowed from the monster's own warped physiology.
The air crackled with tension as he braced himself, his stance low, every sinew taut with defiance. The field seemed to hold its breath, the splintered beams and blood-soaked grass bearing witness to the clash to come.
Elesch, crouched behind him, watched in awe and dread. Adam's transformation was subtle yet visceral: his breath came in sharp, controlled bursts, his eyes narrowed to slits, tracking the leader's every twitch.
The monster's claws gleamed, promising annihilation, but Adam stood unmoved, a bulwark of courage forged in the crucible of fear. The football field, scarred and churned under the beast's lumbering weight, stretched around them: a desolate arena of torn turf and splintered goalposts, bathed in the sickly glow of dusk.
The ground trembled beneath the leader's advance, each step a harbinger of violence, sending clods of earth flying like shrapnel. Yet Adam's resolve held firm, his body a testament to his power's fleeting mimicry, ready to meet the beast head-on.
The leader charged, a grotesque titan of pulsing veins and distended flesh, his roar splitting the air like thunder. Adam's senses, honed to a razor's edge by Adaptive Hide, caught every nuance: the rancid stench of the creature's breath, the glint of saliva dripping from jagged teeth, the seismic shudder of each footfall.
His skin, hardened with borrowed scales, shimmered faintly, a patchwork of resilience that strained against the beast's overwhelming might. He dodged the first swipe, the claws raking the air inches from his face, leaving a gust of fetid wind that stung his eyes.
Elesch, huddled at the field's edge near a toppled bleacher, watched with bated breath, her heart a frantic tattoo. He can't win,that thing is too powerful, she thought, her fingers digging into the dirt, nails splintering as she fought the urge to scream. Adam's courage, raw and reckless, anchored her, yet the beast's sheer power loomed like an executioner's blade.
The leader struck again, his massive arm a blur. Adam twisted, but the blow grazed his shoulder, shredding his shirt and carving shallow gashes through his scales. Blood welled, hot and slick, trickling down his arm; pain lanced through him, sharp and unrelenting.
He gritted his teeth, his muscles flexing as he mimicked the beast's brute strength, his fists hardening to meet the next assault. He swung, his knuckles connecting with the creature's jaw, a dull crack echoing across the field. The leader staggered, but only for a moment, his devilish grin widening as purple-black veins throbbed with infernal vigor.
"You're nothing," the beast snarled, his voice a guttural rasp that clawed at Adam's resolve. "Just meat to crush."
Adam didn't answer; his breath came in ragged bursts, his body screaming under the strain. The beast lunged, faster now, its claws slashing in a relentless barrage. Adam parried, ducked, and countered, each movement a desperate dance on the edge of death.
The field churned beneath them, grass and dirt pulverized into a muddy quagmire, streaked with blood and sweat. A goalpost groaned, collapsing as the leader's tail, newly sprouted, whip-like, and barbed, lashed out, narrowly missing Adam's chest.
The fight tipped cruelly against him. The beast's power surged, its frame swelling further, now a grotesque colossus that dwarfed Adam's faltering form. A brutal backhand caught him, sending him skidding across the field, his body tumbling through the muck until he slammed into the scoreboard, its cracked display flickering weakly. Pain exploded in his ribs, each breath a jagged ordeal. His scales, once resilient, began to flake, crumbling like ash under the beast's relentless assault.
Elesch screamed, her voice raw, piercing the chaos: "Get up! You can do this!"
He stirred, his vision swimming, blood dripping from a gash above his brow. His power flickered, Adaptive Hide straining to maintain its mimicry. He staggered to his feet, driven by a primal need to protect her. The beast loomed, its eyes glinting with sadistic glee, saliva pooling in its maw. Adam charged, a final act of defiance, his fists pummeling the creature's chest. Each blow landed with a wet thud, but the leader barely flinched, its laughter a demonic cacophony.
A massive claw seized Adam's throat, lifting him off the ground. His scales shattered, dissolving into dust; his skin softened, vulnerable once more. His senses dulled, his muscles slackened, his power draining like blood from a mortal wound. The beast's grip tightened, crushing his windpipe, stars bursting in his vision. He clawed weakly at the creature's arm, his strength ebbing, his body a broken vessel.
Damn it, I wasn't able to protect this girl. I am still far too weak. He thought, her face a fading ember in his mind. He glimpsed her, wide-eyed, tears streaming, as she scrambled toward him, heedless of the danger.
The leader tossed Adam aside, his body arcing through the air before crashing into the field's center, a crumpled heap in the mud. He lay still, blood pooling beneath him, his chest barely rising. Elesch's scream echoed, a sound of pure anguish, as the beast turned its gaze toward her, its hunger unslaked.
The world dimmed, the field's torn expanse fading to black. Adam's heart stuttered, each beat a fragile thread tethering him to life. He had fought, bled, and broken to shield Elesch, but the cost was etched in his shattered form.