Apostis was certain to be special.
Mirus felt it the moment his intuition stirred, it was telling him that he needed this wulfish left hand, so he had subjugated him.
Instead of erasing him, in due time he would be useful.
The creature had already proven its worth. Its unnatural stealth had caught even Mirus off guard. Its lycanthropic physique, its eldritch blood, its violent regenerative force, and its malicious manipulation of space—these were not ordinary traits.
They were magnificent foundations that could be beautifully enhanced upon and shaped by Mirus.
Apostis was a rare thing: an unenlightened hybrid monster.
He possessed immense innate magic, terrifying physicality, and a cunning that bordered on intelligence—but no true sense of self. No awareness. No will to direct what he truly was.
Abominable. Indomitable. Yet incomplete.
Ordinarily, that would not matter. Against lesser beings, Apostis was truly a nightmarish death sentence.
But against those who had trained and attained enlightenment… those who wielded not just power, but understanding… savagery would only get him so far…
He would eventually fall.
Even a coordinated group of seasoned adventurers, if sharp enough, disciplined enough—could have brought down Apostis the Lycanthrope.
Not because he lacked strength.
But because he was a beast nonetheless.
That is all to say, prior to my intervention he was an S rank creature, now he was an SSS rank threat.
So what changed?
I've increased upon his innate base regeneration rate. It was monstrous already, but like Vultyr, his constitution is immortal now.
Except he does not have the ability to reincarnate, his physique is tougher than hers but with enough strength, he could still be erased.
It can be said that before his body had healed seventy percent of all damage received. There were clear exceptions though, beings of the same and higher rank obviously could inflict much more damage upon his vessel. With him only being able to heal twenty to forty percent of damage received from them depending on the quality of their output.
These were all observations and calculations made by Mirus during his fight with Apostis.
Mirus had clearly overwhelmed Apostis and during their fight he only seemed to be able to heal twenty five percent of the damage he had received. That being the residual corroding and decaying effects of Mirus's magic that he came in contact with every time they touched.
Simple attacks or weak attacks clearly had no effect on him. Apostis, as strong as he was, took major damage from each of Mirus's heavy attacks and most of the pain Apostis had felt was his own attack power reflected back onto him.
If I had not altered his constitution and restored his health, Apostis would not have been able to regenerate another heart and would have died.
Upon receiving damage, Apostis's body rewrites itself, repairing wounds with writhing new flesh. His bones re-knit, organs regrow, and his skin can heal without scars.
Now his body does that at a rate of one hundred percent of physical damage received depending on the quality of the damage received.
Given enough time, his wounds will heal.
If even a speck of him remained, that speck would grow.
That is if anyone or anything could manage to inflict harm upon him.
His skin was now as hard as adamantine and his physical body now impervious to all metals, except those of divine origin and mortal weapons.
As well as his finger nails and teeth that were now as sharp adamantine diamonds.
In addition to the space affinity Apostis already had, I've equipped him with something far more profound—an apocalyptic affinity borne of death, corrosion, decay and dark magic.
Extinction.
It is important to note that magical affinities are physical phenomena and not something that takes root in the soul but can be imprinted upon them.
Which is what Mirus accomplished.
It can be said that the shape and color it takes are dictated by the soul though.
The eldritch blood that courses through apostis veins, and his predatory fangs and claws that he uses as weapons carry an affliction.
A Lycanthropic curse.
It progresses in stages: incubation, delirium, feral descent, Lycanthropy or emergence.
This has yet to be tested… I look forward to it.
His wicked eldritch appendage now enhanced by his new magical affinity.
The secret to how Apostis had eluded my detection and his exceptional stealth lies in the fact that his presence is otherworldly.
Yes, I believe him to be not of this world. Possibly not even of this dimension.
Surprisingly enough, he was cloaked in an Eldritch aura that wasn't my own and it was alien, entirely different in nature from my own.
Mirus took a moment and snapped his fingers.
In his hands a torn piece of tentacle he had managed to pluck from Apostis mouth during their fight appeared.
He inspected closely.
It was black and still seemed… alive?
Oddly enough, I can still feel the ancient eldritch life force radiating from it.
Hmph.
Mirus scoffed and snapped his fingers, storing the remnant away.
More research had to be done into it and Apostis must be questioned about his past.
How did a beast like him come to be?
From what being did this remnant originate from.
These were questions. Questions that need answers…
In due time.
The grimoire gnashed its teeth gleefully, delighted by the promised knowledge of what was to come.
The page turned and the quill pricked Mirus's finger once more.
The Great Wulfs Claymore of End has now fused into Apostis's dominant arm, his flesh and the sword now indistinguishable.
A swing of his arm could slice through the landscape like butter or he can summon it at will and use the physical sword.
The sword also bears a curse, the wounds it inflicts do not stop bleeding.
The curse could only be lifted upon death, by Apostis or by Mirus himself.
Truly, a weapon of legend.
During their fight, Apostis demonstrated the ability to phase portions of his body in and out of existence, and to attack from any point within his line of sight via spatial manipulation.
Now he can teleport his whole body through spatial manipulation without the location having to be in his line of sight, as long as he has a clear mental image of it. In addition to that, he can now step through and occupy darkness and shadows. He can even amplify them to his benefit but he does not have the benefit to manipulate them.
Control over shadows is possible if learned obviously, all I've done is given my creations the ability.
Similar to Vultyr, he can unleash his "Titan form"— becoming a titanous Lycanthrope, with the ability to manipulate the size of his form, completing the Beast of End transformation.
Vultyr dominates the skies; Apostis hunts what lay beneath.
Demigods…
Mirus snapped his fingers, the quill disappeared, and then the grimoire snapped shut and vanished.
He could see that his breath was beginning to turn to vapor as the air around him began to cool.
At last, he lifted his gaze.
The majestic, jagged expanse of the Horrowmaw Mountain ranges loomed closely ahead.
The moon bathed their exalted peaks in silver light as snow cascaded gently from above.
His senses spread far and wide throughout the expanse, he could sense all the life scampering about and fleeing from him in the trees, on the forest floor and the cliff sides all the way to the peak.
As he ascended the lofty peaks of the mountain range and soared above them, and finally the Theocracy in all its blasphemy came into full view.
He took in the scene and surveyed their territory from above.
The Perfidious frontier, their outskirts, their villages and their small towns that lead all the way to their capital and beyond… I will take it all from them.
From up above Mirus could see a blazing enchanted chariot manned with four people being pulled by four war horses barreling through the frontier at top speed.
From the looks of it, right towards him…
"Sentinals…" Mirus hissed, a trace of irritation in his tone.
He descended from the mountain's lofty peaks and came to rest between two towering spires, folding into a lotus position as he awaited their arrival.
"Heh…" He exhaled, faintly amused.
Not without a struggle for it.
If they wanted to be graced by the Dark Lord's presence, they would have to earn it.
Slowly, Mirus raised both hands into the air…