The air in the chamber was thick with the scent of blood and fear. Zepig's claws pierced through Clay's body, holding him aloft like a macabre trophy. Clay's lifeless form dangled, blood streaming down to paint the monster's grotesque frame. Tony, paralyzed by horror, took a step back and stumbled, collapsing to the cold stone floor. His stomach twisted and turned, and he retched violently, unable to tear his eyes away from the grisly sight.
"No... Clay!" Tony choked out, his voice trembling with terror and despair.
Zepig opened his gaping maw, and at first, Tony couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. But as he squinted through his tears, he saw it: a faint, ethereal glow beginning to seep from Clay's body. His soul, being absorbed by the monstrous creature.Lepig stood off to the side, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he watched the spectacle unfold.
"Well, isn't this delightful?" Lepig sneered, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "Watch closely, child, you will be next."
The faded stripes on Zepig's neck began to disappear entirely, absorbing the energy from Clay's soul. Tony's emotions surged within him, his insides growing hotter and hotter. His skin began to glisten with sweat, and he could feel an unfamiliar, searing heat rising from within, but in his shock, he couldn't act.
Suddenly, the soul's absorption halted. Everything in the room froze. Zepig's eyes widened in fear, a sensation he hadn't felt in ages.
"What... what is this?" Zepig growled, his voice tinged with panic.
Before he could react, a dark force surged through the chamber. In a desperate move, Zepig decapitated his own arm to release Clay, stumbling back to stand beside Lepig.
Lepig hissed, eyes narrowing as he sensed the shift in power.
Tony, trembling and bewildered, could barely process what was happening. The chamber was plunged into darkness, and Zepig's fear became palpable. The lifeless body of Clay was enveloped in thick, black smoke, transforming into a sinister silhouette. From this shadowy form, black bones began to materialize, culminating in a skull that was nothing but a void.
Clay's new form levitated, rising to its feet with an eerie grace. His head twisted 360 degrees, fixing a hollow, eyeless gaze on Lepig and Zepig.
"Clay... is that you?" Tony whispered, his voice barely audible over the ominous silence.
Lepig, sensing the imminent danger, attempted to teleport away. "We need to-"
But he was stopped in his tracks. A black scythe, formed from the same dark bones, materialized and swept through the air, decapitating him in an instant.
"No!" Zepig roared, his voice a mix of rage and terror.
Zepig, now desperate to escape, found himself impaled and immobilized by a large black bone blade. Clay, in his terrifying new form, held him fast.
"You... you can't be..." Zepig stammered, his confidence shattered.
Clay spoke, his voice an eerie, otherworldly chant that resonated through the chamber. The words were incomprehensible, yet Tony found himself understanding their dreadful meaning: "Soul... returned..."
Clay opened his mouth wide, mimicking Zepig's earlier attempt to devour his soul. But this time, it was Clay who drew forth Zepig's essence, reclaiming what had been.
With a final, chilling act of vengeance, Clay's shadowy form tore Zepig apart, ending the beast's life. The chamber fell silent, the malevolent presence dissipating as Tony was still overwhelmed.
As the black smoke began to clear, Clay's body fell to the ground, limp and unresponsive, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.