Diana's Shadow Lancer struck first, a spear of pure darkness piercing Bonrick's chest.
"GRAH IT HURTS!"
The giant roared in pain as his regeneration struggled to keep up with the pace of Diana's offensive magic.
He looked up and saw a massive pillar, the size of a grand tree, descending slowly towards him.
BAM!
Ezekiel's First Pillar of Will slammed down, its immense weight crushing Bonrick beneath it.
The impact shook the ground, sending shockwaves through the forest.
"Ah..."
Ezekiel fell from the sky, landing softly with the aid of his wind magic. Diana, having exhausted her energy, struggled to remain standing only with the help of her friend.
"BONRICK!!!"
The leader screamed, his voice filled with fury and despair.
Both attacks faded into mana particles, their forms dissipating as Ezekiel and Diana could no longer sustain them.
"You were close to perfection..."
The leader fell to his knees, his face contorted in anguish as he watched his bodyguard struggle to breathe.
"Can you breathe just a little longer, Bonrick? Show me a sign of life, a sign that you will live."
Bonrick lay on the ground, struggling to keep his eyes open. Everything was fading to black. Just as the leader thought all was lost...
Huu...
Bonrick, though battered and broken, still clung to life.
"I knew it! I won't waste any more time then."
The leader scrambled to Bonrick's side, his fingers frantically searching for a pulse. Bonrick was alive, but barely.
He pulled a vial and an empty syringe from his pocket. The vial contained a red liquid that fizzed and popped when opened. The leader filled the syringe with the volatile liquid.
"Your regeneration has stopped because you're out of blood. But I know this one was supposed to be for the next experiment in Hybernia. It will be delayed for another few years."
This serum, a potent concoction designed to push Bonrick's mutations further, was his last hope.
"Kill all these kids, We will start over again if we have to."
He plunged the needle into Bonrick's flesh, injecting the serum directly into his bloodstream.
AH!!!
Bonrick convulsed as his body contorted into unnatural shapes.
His transformation was swift and brutal. His body morphed into an unpleasant blend of human, beast and something else.
A monstrous horn sprouted from his forehead, and his eyes glowed with an unnatural red light.
"HUNGRY!"
"...!"
The leader, horrified, screamed as Bonrick grabbed his body.
"Bonrick, stop! You can't do this to your savior!"
AHHHH...
But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The beast, once Bonrick, tore into his creator with his claws and teeth.
RIP...RIP...RIP...
The air was filled with the sickening sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking.
Ezekiel, struggling to his feet, watched in horror as the monster devoured the leader.
He was exhausted as he used all the mana he could muster.
He tried to move after seeing Bonrick alive but his body refused to obey.
"Eurus, what can I do? I have to save Diana and her friend!"
-There's nothing you can do, you're out of energy.
Ezekiel's vision blurred as darkness crept in.
He could only watch as the monster approached Diana and the wolf girl, its eyes fixed on them with a hunger that knew no bounds.
"No!" he tried to scream, but no sound came out.
"Eurus, please there has to be a way right?"
Ezekiel pleaded with all his strength, to the point where he fell onto the floor.
-No, Like I said, you can't.
"I'll do anything,"
Ezekiel begged and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Please, just this once. Let me do something."
Eurus looked at Ezekiel in her bird form radiating a cold calmness.
"I won't let you die," she stated. "It is my duty to protect you. These mere humans were never meant to survive against that beast."
"No..."
Ezekiel's tears flowed freely and he wailed out his frustrations.
"This was all my fault... they're going to die because of me..."
He had saved some of the slaves, but not all of them.
"Eurus," he choked out, "if there's anything... let me use your power, just this once. I'll prove to you I can do it. I can save them. Just five seconds of your power is all I need."
Eurus responded, her voice sharp with disapproval.
"Child, you couldn't even withstand a fraction of a second of my power, and you ask for five? You are foolish to face that beast head-on, and I won't allow my contractor to die like this."
"Please," Ezekiel begged, "even if it's just for two seconds, I'll do anything."
Eurus sighed. "If you die, it is not on me," she warned.
"And this will be the last time any of your future heirs will ever hear from me."
"Fine,"
Ezekiel looked up to Eurus and watched as she bestowed a fraction of her power.
ACK!!!
Ezekiel's body shuddered, overwhelmed by the raw power coursing through him. He shook violently, fighting to contain the energy.
Just as his eyes began to close, he collapsed.
Eurus watched carefully waiting.
one second...two seconds... three seconds...
BDUMP!
An energy flickered within Ezekiel.
His eyes snapped open and the pupils now etched with the symbol of the wind, glowed an emerald green light.
Huuu...Haah...
Suddenly he began to float and his body radiated with power.
A crown of wind materialized on his head, its spikes swirling with a life of their own.
Then moving with around the breeze, shattered fragments of animated wind enveloped him like armor.
An ankle guard extended to his right knee, and a shoulder guard encased his left arm, culminating in a knight's gauntlet.
[Spirit Of Eurus: The Fractured Form Of The Imperial Wind Lord]
In the new appearance he had taken, power flowed throughout every inch into his body, knowledge of new techniques wrote themselves into the wire of his brain and life itself became clearer than ever.
The glory of Eurus's power blessed him in a form that could only last 3 seconds.
Eurus smiled feeling nostalgic after seeing Ezekiel's powerup.
"Just like your ancestor,"
DOOOOOOSH...
Ezekiel vanished in mid air with a speed that defied the laws of physics.
...2.4 Seconds remaining.