The massive black bear charged towards me, its eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Lancelot's skills hadn't been added to the system yet, so I couldn't rely on them. I foolishly believed I could easily dodge or deflect its claws with my sword. How wrong I was.
As I raised my blade, the bear's legs morphed into those of a giant black frog, propelling it towards me with shocking speed. Its razor-sharp claws tore through my chest, shredding even the sturdy gambeson I wore. My Danger Sensor blared incessantly in my ear, which made perfect sense—this opponent had just bested my epic sword skill granted by Excalibur itself.
In that moment, I desperately searched my memory for any combat knowledge I could use. Unfortunately, most of my training involved merging my mind with others, linking our neural pathways in battle. Thankfully, my Pain Inhibition and Slash Resistance skills had softened the blow, but I was still bleeding at an alarming rate.
Recalling tactics from past lives, an idea struck me.
Artemis, sacrifice Pain Inhibition, Stealth, and Preparation. That gives me three points, correct?"
<<"Yes, sir. Do you wish to forfeit their use in battle and acquire the points?">>
"Affirmative."
The bear recovered from its lunge and turned to face me once more. This time, it transformed into a horse, and as it closed in, its entire front half morphed into that of a colossal shark. It seemed determined to end me with this strike.
Thinking quickly, I used Plague Manifestation to create something that would prevent it from biting me. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that plants could be considered plagues. I conjured a tree of heaven right in the shark's maw. The plant grew rapidly, tearing and dislocating its jaw before vanishing, halting the creature momentarily.
As the monster writhed and recovered, shifting forms again, I began allocating my newly acquired points. The audience seemed utterly bewildered, unsure of whom to support. James had claimed I was some sort of sorcerer who had transformed him into this abomination, but that seemed like utter nonsense to me.
"Artemis, I want to use one point to modify Poison. Instead of being transmitted through a bite, I want the venom to be excreted through my sweat."
<
I began to feel an odd itching sensation. Naturally, my own venom couldn't harm me, but it was still irritating to my skin. Regardless, the creature would be in for a nasty surprise if it managed to bite me.
"Now, use one skill point to change my demon classification provided by The First Sin. Reclassify me as a plague. Finally, alter Sixth Sense to act as a form of communication with other creatures possessing Sixth Sense, instead of its natural bonuses."
<
The shapeshifter began to grow larger and larger, commanding everyone's attention. Enormous black wings sprouted from its back, its skin shedding fur in favor of scales. Its neck elongated as its features became reptilian. Four massive limbs emerged, making the creature quadrupedal, followed by a tail. With a deafening roar that echoed throughout the arena, it breathed a jet of flame into the air. The beast had become a dragon.
As it transformed, I didn't waste the time I'd gained. My sword began to glow with a crimson light, mirrored in my eyes.
"Please work, come on," I muttered.
Using the Plague Manifestation ritual, four figures appeared, two on each of my sides, with two wielding swords. What was once a one-on-one battle had become five against one. I felt my mind connect with the four, and as the audience looked closer, they realized they were clones. At that moment, I could hear the voices of five different Artemis.
<
<
Finally, I would fight in the way I was accustomed to. It was an obvious yes.
The dragon directed its fiery breath towards all five of us. We each took a different route while one clone was hit, being incinerated and disappearing as was typical of the ritual.
With our minds working in unison, coordinating our actions became effortless. We easily surrounded the dragon, one clone distracting it while I and two others climbed onto its back. We struck and embedded our swords as many times as we could, eliciting roars of pain from the beast. It managed to destroy another clone with a powerful tail swipe.
The dragon used its claws to try and reach us, but its limited field of vision made it difficult. Frustrated, it spread its wings and took flight within the arena. I had to hold on tight to avoid falling as it ascended rapidly, causing another clone to plummet and shatter upon impact with the ground, vanishing instantly.
The clones might not have been entirely real, but the pain certainly was. With my Pain Inhibition skill deactivated, I felt every agonizing sensation. Each time a clone met its demise, I needed a moment to recompose myself, especially since I was now experiencing the chest wound's pain with far greater intensity.
The dragon performed aerial somersaults and maneuvers, attempting to shake us off. But my plan was already clear; I knew exactly what I needed to do.
We two remaining figures advanced along its neck, trying to reach its head. At that moment, I commanded my clone to leap and deliver a downward slash to the dragon's neck. Half of its neck split open as the clone lost its footing and fell to oblivion, meeting the arena floor.
To my horror, the wound on the dragon's neck began to close. Its shapeshifting abilities seemed to grant it an almost divine regeneration rate. I wondered what kind of creature James had truly become.
Before I could recover from the pain of the last clone's demise, one of the dragon's claws seized me, piercing my chest through my back. It brought me to the air, face-to-face with its enormous visage.
"Game over, throne aspirant," it growled.
As it opened its mouth to speak, I struck, severing its serpentine tongue and grasping it with my free hand while suspended by its claw.
"Just as I've taken your tongue, I'll rip out your heart, cursed beast!" I spat blood as I spoke, shoving the slender, snake-like tongue into my mouth.
The dragon responded by wrenching Excalibur from my hand with its other claw and hurling me upwards. It spewed an enormous fireball that engulfed my body.
As I fell into its waiting maw, my body charred and sporting fatal wounds, I lost consciousness. The dragon had swallowed me whole. At least my plan had worked.
.
.
.
The dragon landed, the fallen sword embedded in the arena floor, reminiscent of how it had once been lodged in stone, awaiting the chosen one to pull it free. The audience was silent, too shocked by the revelation that their king had become a dragon. They still didn't know whom to support; nothing was clear except the certainty that Asclepius was dead.
The great dragon began to address the crowd:
"Citizens of my kingdom, know that despite my form, I retain my sanity. I promise to be the finest king you have ever known."
The beast reached out to grasp the sword, the difference in scale making anyone wonder if such an action was truly necessary. But before it could grasp the blade...
Cough.
Cough-cough-co—
The dragon began to cough uncontrollably, trying to cover its mouth with its clawed hand. Blood spattered from its maw, and its veins and arteries began to stand out against its body, turning white in stark contrast to its jet-black scales and yellow eyes.
"What—what is happening to me?"
The coughing became uncontrollable as the dragon grew dizzy, stumbling across the arena floor, its breathing becoming labored and asthmatic. It wasn't long before the beast collapsed. The dragon's body lay motionless for several long minutes, with no one in the audience daring to react. Then, slowly, its body began to swell.
Gradually, it became more and more bloated as a buzzing sound filled the air.
Suddenly, the dragon exploded—not with fire, but with blood. The cause was not gunpowder, but insects. A veritable maelstrom of bugs burst from the dragon's belly, flying violently into the sky before vanishing.
From the gaping hole, a hand emerged, covered in blood. Then, Asclepius clambered out, drenched in gore, nearly naked due to the gastric juices having digested his clothes. His hair was slicked back, and in his other hand, he held an enormous heart, which he made a point of biting into before the stunned audience.
He walked slowly towards the sword, clearly exhausted. He placed the heart on the ground and sat upon it as if it were his hard-won throne.
He rested there for a few seconds while the audience, partly splattered with dragon blood, reacted in shock. They seemed to both fear and admire their country's new ruler.
Asclepius rose, grasped the sword, activated its light, and turned to face the crowd. Even though he was nearly dead, his regeneration ability activated due to having consumed the dragon's heart while it was still alive.
"MY NAME IS ASCLEPIUS! I HAVE SLAIN THE BEAST! I POISONED IT, CUT IT, AND CONSUMED IT! I AM ROYALTY AND POWER INCARNATE! I AM YOUR KING!"
The entire audience rose, cheering for their new king in ecstasy as the effects of his Silver Tongue skill seemed to activate. At that moment, he was undoubtedly the legitimate heir to the throne.
A pitch-black sphere emerged from the dragon's corpse, being absorbed by Asclepius. In that instant, he could no longer fight the encroaching darkness and collapsed into unconsciousness, his destiny forever changed.