The baron's power had healed some of the wounds but Hex wasn't safe yet.
Growl!
The reptilian creature in front of him attacked him unrelentlessly. Hex had a hard time defending himself against the ice crystals and scaled-covered fists.
He was in the alternate space of his consciousness where he was often brought when cultivating or sticking swords through his heart.
This time there was one difference though. He wasn't in his humanoid form. To his confusion, he found himself in the body of a bear.
It required some time to get used to the change. But thankfully, the technique he trained in was the bearhanded sword, focused on control.
The Kobold shot ice crystals after ice crystals at him. The projectiles were fast, and sharp, and unleashed an airblast upon hit that froze the part it made contact with.
Hex used his paws to smash them apart. He felt the biting cold on his fur but ignored it.
'I need to finish this as fast as I can,' Hex thought, knowing that his real body was out there, amidst chaos and enemies.
The Kobold was adept at ice magic. It unleashed blizzards, hails, and more ice projectiles. It tried to keep Hex at a distance.
Hex didn't give it much space. He smashed his way through. The blizzard stung but he gritted through it.
Brazing through, Hex closed in. He used his paws to smash. The Kobold defended it with its scale-covered fists. Again.
But Hex didn't let it create the distance it needed to unleash the ice spells. He jumped using his strong hind legs.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
The fists and paws clashed. When they were almost face to face, the Kobold opened its maws and unleashed a freezing breath.
Hex didn't flinch. He faced the vile breath head-on, using the vicinity to smash the abdomen area.
The Kobold nearly choked. The smash was a full-powered hit, raising the Kobold off the floor.
Thanks to his increased familiarity with the body, Hex was becoming more agile. Right after the kick, he lay on the floor, facing the upward-moving creature.
Using his hind legs, he exerted his strength to push the creature. The thrust sent the creature flying tens of meters in the air.
He quickly got back up and jumped. The floor shattered. He flew up, reaching the creature. He reached the beast in a blink.
Using his upward momentum, he slammed his bear-shaped physique into the creature, sending it flying even higher. The Kobold roared in pain but was helpless to do anything.
Flex Step - Second step
Hex activated his second step in the air. He flew upward. This time he didn't slam into the creature. He avoided it, reaching above it.
Mid-air, he turned, staring right into the eyes of the creature. It looked panicked.
Flex Step - third step
With a grin on his face, Hex stepped again. This time he didn't fly up. He grabbed the creature and gave it a bear hug. With the third step activated, he flew downward.
The creature sensed the danger it was in. It roared and struggled. But no matter how much it tried, Hex didn't let it go.
Bam!
Both bodies crashed into the floor. In the final moment, Hex had turned and let the Kobold take the brunt of the damage.
Its body was badly mangled. It growled, weakly. Hex didn't remain unscathed. His legs had broken. The pain was overwhelming.
Hex, however, didn't let it deter him. He crawled to the creature.
Chomp.
He opened his maw and bit the creature's head off. The taste was pungent but Hex tore the creature and continued to take bite after bite.
Hex didn't know if it would work or not but he had no other ideas. He continued to swallow the Kobold.
Gradually, he felt the energy built inside. The energy grew wild and even started to hurt him. But Hex didn't stop. It was a form of madness.
As soon as he finished the creature, he fell holding his belly. He was in excruciating pain. It took unearthly willpower from his behalf to hold on. But he held on.
After an unknown amount of time passed, the pain started to subside. When it finally stopped hurting, Hex relaxed.
He stood up, albeit with some difficulty. To his surprise, his broken limbs had healed. When he looked down, he noticed he was back in his human form.
At first, he didn't see a difference but when his gaze landed on the glyph, his eyes widened.
"Has it evolved?"
The outline of the bear had changed and resembled a creature that looked like a cross between a bear and a dragon.
He tried to activate the glyph. A purple-colored light appeared, instead of the usual red one.
The light wrapped around him but didn't remain like a shield. It sunk into its skin and disappeared. In the next instance, Hex noticed faint outlines of scales appearing.
The scales were smooth, giving him a jaded look. Hex exerted some strength to knead it but he couldn't do anything. He still sensed the feeling of touch but there was no pain.
"It seems almost like jade armor," he laughed. It was another upgrade.
"Does this mean I can control the ice element too?" He wondered loudly. "But how do I test it?"
He was never taught the elemental techniques, so he didn't know what to do to test them.
He decided to sense the glyph. It was the source of the Blessing powers. It could give him a clue.
The moment he sunk his consciousness into the mark, a string of information appeared in his mind.
"This…," he looked stunned as he processed the information but when it was done he laughed out loud.
"Haha. I gained access to all its memories."
The fusion had been risky. One mistake and the creature would take charge of his body. But overcoming the ordeal rewarded him with knowledge and powers that made it worth the risk.
"I can test all the things only when I get out of here."
Hex knew the space was just an illusion of sorts. He closed his eyes and tried to regain the connection with his body.
Little by little, he started to feel the connection form. When the last string between his senses and body connected, he felt his body being slung.
Startled, he opened his eyes. He was on Oron's back. He recognized the features of the Knight at once.
But the man was in dire straits. He was kneeling behind a large piece of boulder, holding on with all his might.
Hex didn't need to wonder why. He could see the huge energies collide in the air.
A silvery cat-like creature against a golden fox!