This isn’t good.

Even though I acted calmly, I was sweating bullets.

These guys are the spawns of the king, and if they all have that sort of glowing weapon then I am in a very bad situation.

Keep calm, act natural, the attack should have started already, so I only need to buy some time till this space crumbles and I can get the fuck out.

I breathed in deeply and exhaled.

“Stay calm, you have a fucking flesh titan, just stay calm. keep your calm and lets fucking do this thing! but just to be sure.”

I flipped a few pages of my book and once I found the prayer I was looking for, I passed it to one of my empty hands, while with my two front hands I clashed the scepter, as I was praying.

“I lift this prayer up to thee, God! I beseech the protection of the Holy Spirit! I beseech thee, hear my prayer! Holy Protection!”

When the golden light enveloped my body, I breathed a sigh of relief and started to think.

The titan should be enough for these guys. I should concentrate on defense and continuing the creation of the cloud. Yes, I will be airtight. And if things turn sour, I still have those two prayers. The Nuclear solution .

*****

Patrick POV:

It was madness what was happening.

Ants and monsters were running before my cage, carrying various things.

The sound they caused almost gave me a heart attack, since it was the first thing I heard for weeks.

A was alone for that long as well, thrown into this cage even. not even letting me take the deal Phil offered.

At first, I thought that I would be freed by the ants, but they also left me here.

I wanted to scream and bang my cell. but the shackles didn't let me. I even had some sort of necktie looking thing, which blocked me from speaking.

What did I do to deserve this?

Sorrow and despair washed over me, cursing the man who helped me to integrate into this world, only for him to lock me up in here.

All I could do to pass the time is to remember about my old world and train the new power I gained.

I could only figure out how to activate and stop it, its actual function remained a mystery to me.

When I find a way out from this place, I will kill him! I will kill him for what he did to me.

After maybe hours of complete silence, the earth started to shake, the walls breaking around me.

Ting.

One by one, the shackles fell, finally freeing me.

I slowly stood up, getting the feelings back into my leg and torn off the necktie from my body.

“Ahhh. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh. Finally, Now how do I get out of here?”

Boom!

One by one, the bars of my cage fell out, allowing me the exit from my prison.

“Wow, this is my lucky day.”

I took a deep breath and ran out.

I was quite surprised, seeing that there was no mold on the wall.

“Maybe this is an uninfected area.”

I ran through the corridors, passing through empty cells, till I reached… something.

From a hole which I couldn’t see the need for, a green root-like looking thing grabbed up to the surface, from where I could see light.

Somehow, with this body's strange hands, I could climb up on the walls easily, reaching the surface in seconds.

At first, I was happy, finally feeling the wind but when I was looked arrived, I felt shocked and despair.

It was chaos as if I arrived in hell.

Giant green arms towering over houses, black smoke escaping from their palms, creating ominous clouds around them.

I could see nobody around, but I saw blood, splattered around the ground, from which several white flowers grew out.

“Phil, what the hell did you do?”

“Help me!”

At a nearby street, a woman ran carrying a crying baby with her, mold covered monsters running after them.

Then they turned around a corner and after a scream, I couldn’t hear anything.

Not the woman, not the children. only the sound of chewing.

“My god. Help us.”

As if answering my prayers something fell right onto my head.

Slowly, afraid of what it could be, I took the thing and looked at it.

It was a card.

*****

“If you aren’t going to decide soon, then I will take the imitative.”

Phil threw the magic carrot in the air.

“Heads up!”

Using the scepter as a bat, he hit the thing towards them, little chunks detaching from the main part as it flew.

“I got this.”

The knight who carried the shield, jumped forward, brandishing his shield.

“Wait!”

The prince wanted to say something, but his friend was too fast.

With a confident swing of his shield, he hit the projectile with full force, making it explode into red chunks at impact.

“Hah, this wasn’t an attack at all, don’t you dare play with- AAAAAAAAAAA!”

His condiment smile turned into a grimace full of pain.

Spreading from his shield, a reddish mold-like organism started to spread through his armor, exuding enough heat to melt it.

“GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!”

The others at first wanted to help him, but they noticed that they couldn’t take a step forward.

While they were trying to understand what just happened, the wines wrapped around their feet, pinning them to the ground.

“HELP MEEEEeee-“

When his entire body became covered in the stuff, he fell to his knees, and he started to change.

Bones appeared to hinder his now red, bumpy skin, breaking and reforming as the mold formed them, spraying blood here and there, from which more fed mold grew out on the ground.

Once the transformation was complete, the creature before the party was nothing like their friends looked like.

Tall and well built, the being was entirely covered in that red mold-like thing, its hands ending in claws made from molten metal and bone, from its back, a tail was swinging, lined with spikes.

When the being opened its mouth, the only orifice left on its head, it showed its hideous sharp teeth made of metal and bones, a cloud of red mist escaping from its orifices.

As this was happening, the sound of somebody screaming could be heard, shouting the phrase ‘MY POTATO!’

“I didn’t expect this. “

As if he was a researcher who discovered a new species, Phil scratched its not existing chin and observed the creature.

“Some sort of wild mutation. I didn't expect the mold to react like this. Probably it’s a reproduction mechanism like my own… Which should mean that I can make kayeri specialized for heat with it. I will take a sample when I am done with you idiots. New guy, kill your friends. Turn them if you want, but I want the princess’s body intact. I had no chance to play with his brothers when I had the chance.”

“My brothers, what do you mean?”

“It means what I just said. I had your brother, and I didn’t open him up and experimented with him. With you, I won’t be so generous. Tell me, how do you spell your name? I am asking because it would be quite stupid to misspell it when I am labeling your specimen container.”

This seemed to anger him greatly, the prince screamed as he hit his iron boots with his great sword breaking them apart and releasing himself from the grasp of the vines.

“I WILL KILL YOU!”

“New guy, kill him.”

The red wild shouted and jumped at his once comrade.

Not knowing what to do in this situation, the prince swung vertically at the monster.

The beast was too slow to react, the weapon was inches away from cutting off its head, but then it exploded.

Its disgusting body became covered in flames, scourging the armor of the prince.

“WHAT?”

From the wound caused by the sword, red flames came out that burned even the ground it was standing on.

“Interesting. The mold seems to cause internal combustion that seems to act as a protective mechanism. Sadly, it seems like our friend won’t live long, the mold needs fuel and his body is the only source around. It’s sad, but I can see that the mold has spread around us, so I can infect others and use them as test subjects.”

Boom!

Huge pieces of flesh flew and fell around the insect, dirtying him with molded blood.

“Hmmm?”

The top half of the titan staggered a little then it felt motionless on the ground.

The little nymph was on her knees, with her body covered with wounds, with her weapon on the ground.

“This is quite a surprise. I didn’t expect you to kill my titan with such ease. Unfortunately for you, I’m a believer in recycling. Infect her and bring me her weapon.”

At his command, several nearby pieces of flesh grew tentacles and launched themselves at the girl.

“Blade magic:-“

Shing!

“-Cutting Edge Stance!”

In a blink of an eye, somebody appeared between the monster and the girl, slicing them into little cubes of meat.

Phill scratched his head not completely understanding what was happening.

“Deus ex Machina? Is that you? Or are you Plot Armor?”

The one who turned the monsters into sashimi looked at Phil with disgust.

It was a human-looking man with bulging muscles, wearing nothing more than a loincloth and bandages wrapped around his hands.

“Your evil deeds will not persist evildoer! I will save this lady and bear you in the name of-

“Annoyance. You are an annoyance. Titan, stop playing dead and dispose of them.”

The legs of the body moved and quickly stood up.

The two glowing lumps quickly started to pulse as more and more; tentacles grew out of the flesh.

“ This time be sure t-“

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow flew and hit him in the head, right between his eyes.

“What?”

Staggered by what just happened, he grabbed the arrow launched in his head and pulled it out. The wound quickly healed, but the shock remained.

One by one, several warriors came out of the forest, each wearing a different armor, and held a different weapon.

“What does this mean? The tournament is still happening. Why are you surrounding me?”

“Phil!’

Too occupied by what was happening, Phil didn’t notice the prince shortening the distance between them, the blade of his weapon dragged through the ground.

“Shit”

Not having enough time to evade, he fell backward, but the blade still cut through the two of its front arms.

Phil screamed as black blood sprayed out of his wound.

“I am not done!”

The prince spun around and now aimed at its abdomen.

He could already imagine it.

The sensation of cutting through that ugly monster’s abdomen, killing it.

But then-

Ting.

From the ground a pitch-black blade shut up, blocking the prince’s strike.

By reflex, the prince jumped back a few steps, his weapons held before his face.

“WE HAD ENOUGH!”

One by one, deformed monsters clad in black armor hissed themselves out of the ground surrounding the still screaming insect.

It was a disgusting sight, with their odd features and nightmarish features.

The biggest one amongst them was the size of a two-story house, its head belonging to some beetle-looking monster and on its arms were two rectangular, almost door-shaped greenish-black shields.

Next to it was a skinny-looking monster, its legs, and arms, nothing but blades and its long thong liking the ground.

On the giant's other side was a black-cloaked figure, which had an innumerable number of arms sticking out from its crannies, a pair holding onto a disgusting-looking longbow.

In front of the prince was nothing more than an abomination of nature. The body of a dog, which had innumerable heads placed randomly around its body, spilling black smoke out of it.

Standing atop this monster was a short, kid-sized knight, who had a pointy black hat and a black cape over its pitch-black armor. This little person held the sword that saved the insect’s life, the thing comically too big for its small stature, yet it carried it without any problem.

And then there was the one who was next to the insect, putting back the cut off limbs in place.

It only looked like a human wearing regular armor, but the air around it said another thing. It was thick and heavy, full of bloodlust and destructive intentions.

Once he was sure the arms were back in their place, the knight looked at the prince and drew out the black sword strapped to his waist.

“We shall not stand for this anymore! As the royal guards of our father, we shall destroy you all!”

“DON’T MOVE!”

The insect pushed aside his aid and with his newly healed arm, pointed at the prince.

“YOU. I will kill you.”

He coughed a little, then pointed his scepter towards the people gathered at the edge of the clearing.

“My children deal with the onlookers. This noble blooded brat is mine.”

“Father-“

“GO!”

The monsters ran away at the sound of his voice, jumping into the fray of the battle, leaving Phil and the prince alone.

The insect was shaking with rage as he flipped through the pages of his book.

“I will kill you. I will kill you in the worst possible way I can imagine!”

He lifted his scepter up in the still black clouded sky and started to chant.

“VENI, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende ! (COME, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love!)”

From the scepter a bolt of light shot out, setting the cloud aflame, and making small particles of bright ashes fall on the ground.

“DEUS, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti. Da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de eius semper consolatione gaudere ! Per Christum Dominum nostrum. AMEN! ( O GOD, who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation! Through Christ our Lord. Amen!)”

From the burning cloud, the prince saw something flying down.

Something beautiful and holy.

Without any warning the insect slammed the scepter into the ground, burying its lower part.

“

Creator noster qui es in inferno.

Sacrum est nomen tuum aeternum;

Quotidianarum indulgentiarum oblator;

Regnum tuum infernale manet

Nostra voluntas in Terra, sicut in Inferno est;

Duc nos ad divinitatem

Libera nos ab ignorantia

Nam tuum est verum imperium

Virtus et Gloriosus

Ave Satanas !

(Our Creator who art in Hell,

Sacred is thy eternal name,

bringer of daily indulgences,

Thy infernal kingdom awaits

Our will on Earth as it is in Hell,

Lead us towards Godhead and

Deliver us from ignorance

For thyme is the true Empire

The power and the Glorious

Hail Satan!)

“

The ground around the insect suddenly got set ablaze, twisted images showing up in the flames.

“This much should be enough.”

Even though he was standing in the middle of the blazing inferno, Phil was unharmed -

“Taste my Nuclear solution. May The One Above and The One Below have mercy on your soul.”

*****

[External sources detected]

[Resetting time…]

[Remaining time till evolution: 1 hour]