As time passed by and the battle went on, it became increasingly apparent to the people watching that the Savage Acolyte was losing the fight, and rather badly at that. Seeing how the battle progressed, it was clear the half-machine acolyte was stronger in both physique and spell prowess.
As he continued to be bombarded by his opponent's attacks, Emery gritted his teeth in an attempt to endure the excruciating and sharp pain emerging all over his body. If only he could use his [Fey Transformation - Shaman Form], then he was confident that he could threaten his opponent with his [Shadow Edge] spell. Alas, that was not the case now.
As he got to his feet after being blasted away by the aftermath of the explosion, Emery once again attempted to access his [Fey Transformation] ability. But again, he failed on the endeavor, as the bloodline was still blocked by his spirit cores.
On the other hand, Atlas did not let Emery have a chance of respite, he folded his legs before stomping the ground with the strength he mustered up. His figure shot forward at breakneck speed and struck Emery hard on the stomach, sending him flying into the air again.
Emery could only watch a blur before he saw Atlas' figure already in front of him again. Unexpectedly, the half-machine was moving fast enough that he had been waiting for him in the air from above, swinging his two metal arms downwards towards Emery's head, pushing the latter even faster to the ground.
The arena floor cracked as Emery's body crashed into it. A painful groan escaped his mouth. He felt a few of his bones breaking. This still didn't include the nauseous feeling in his head that was spinning like crazy.
Emery's body looked like it couldn't take it anymore, as it didn't move no matter what he did. It was as if his body rejected his command entirely.
At moments , most people would definitely give up, as it meant they would only become a punching bag for their opponent. However, Atlas didn't seem planning on giving Emery that chance, as his figure fell from the sky and slammed Emery with his feet, turning the cracks in the floor around Emery into a small crater.
He then stepped on Emery's shoulder before began to cast a spell. In an instant, lightning and fire materialized and rapidly engulfed Emery's body.
"Stop the fight!" Roran shouted from the side, when he saw Atlas' action. Alas, the senior staff ignored him.
Emery experienced excruciating pain, as his body was burned and electrocuted at the same time. He tried to get up, but was unable to do so because Atlas pinned him down with his feet.
The two striking yet destructive spells worked in tandem and managed to cover Emery's entire figure, causing the staff to be unable to see Emery's condition.
Atlas was doing exactly as he was ordered to: killing Emery in this match.
The staff approached closer to check, he could see that Emery's nature spell was still resisting the spells Atlas cast. Hence, he walked away after throwing a glance at Atlas.
The combination of Emery's [Nature Blessing] and his newfound regeneration working harmoniously and unexpectedly managed to keep him alive for a while, but eventually the spirit energy in his spirit pool was completely depleted, especially his nature core. After that he only felt pain, pain, and more pain.
Emery now literally depended his life on the regeneration ability of his bloodline; as if answering his plea, it quickly churned. The weakening of the spirit force, coupled with the turmoil of the blood caused the corruption to force its way through his solar plexus and subsequently the spirit cores.
It was at this moment Emery realized it was his nature core all along who blocked the corruption from the spirit core. Now that it was completely spent, the corruption had a smooth sailing journey, as it entered and went directly to its target - the dark core, or more specifically, the Khaos energy stored within.
All of a sudden, a deluge of power surged within the spirit core and brought about a spirit explosion so strong it pushed Atlas a dozen feet away and caused smoke to rise. This sight immediately surprised everyone. Most of the audience suddenly stood up to take a clearer look at what was happening.
The smoke started to dissipate. From within, Emery's figure could be seen slowly standing up. The charred flesh on his body started to regenerate at a speed visible to naked eye, but it didn't return to his human form.
The muscles stretched and grew, jet black fur started to cover his body, followed by multiplied notification that continuously popped into mind.
[Fey gene bloodline is mutated]
[Mythical wolf bloodline found]
[New gene dominating]
[Analyzing new genes..]
[Transforming into the new gene - Night wolf]
[Battle power increase exponentially]
Emery let out a deafening beastly roar. He was in no position to analyze the series of notifications he received. So, he just followed the primal feeling within his being.
Unrivalled power seemed to be rising following the growth of his body. His muscles continued to expand, forcing Emery's figure to bend a little. The fur was growing wildly and marking its territory from hand to shoulders, only leaving the central part of his body exposed with a strange distinct black tattoo.
Claws and sharp fangs began to replace Emery's nails and teeth. This time there was even a furry tail followed by another roar that shook the entire arena together with the people present.
[Battle power increasing]
The numerical value that usually appeared after the notification didn't appear this time. However, Emery didn't care, as he just immediately shot towards his opponent ferociously.
Atlas once again stretched out his palms towards Emery and blasted another two instant spells in the latter's trajectory, but the wolf-figure Emery avoided the attacks at the last second with mind-boggling agility, moving past the two spells effortlessly and eventually reached his target.
A loud sound resounded in the air, when Emery tackled the half-machine acolyte. He then firmly pinned him down onto the ground utilizing his entire weight, the scene almost felt like a direct retaliation of what Atlas did previously.
The wolf figures Emery howls before proceeding to use his furry arms to pull Atlas' metal arms, while pushing its chest.
One of Atlas' powerful arms was taken apart like disassembling a toy.
----------------------------------
Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v..e.l,