"Stay quiet till we leave."
These were the last words Wayne whispered as he watched Isaac slump onto the ground.
Removing his sword from the Thing's chest, he couldn't help but notice the dark completion of his skin.
"Brilliant, Wayne. Just as ruthless as ever." Jayne pressed her palms against her cheeks as she cheered.
In truth, she didn't care whether the Thing lived or died. He was less than insignificant to her.
What she did care about was watching Wayne.
'The way he swings his sword…his power…his rage. Augh!'
Jayne's face reddened.
As Wayne turned his head, returning his greatsword to his Dimensional Space, he walked back toward Jayne.
"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted." Jayne snorted while glancing at Isaac's lifeless body.
"This is Merlin, of the Seven Deadly Sins Verse. Or in other words, our second successful experiment."
Wayne turned to the red head.
"Successful?"
"I know she isn't perfect yet, but give it time. She's just exited her scenario. This is a common occurrence. Additionally, she's arguably better than the experiment before her."
"You know just as well as I do that the closer the Possession is to their original character's form, the higher their success. And look at her. Fully human and even has the same colour as the true Merlin."
Jayne walked to Merlin, running her fingers through the young girl's hair.
"She's such a success that she is already referring to herself as Merlin. Although, her memories as the true Merlin seem to be lacking for now, and her current vessel is far too weak to handle the full brunt of Merlin's true abilities. But with time…she'll be perfect."
"With her strength at a stage 2 Inheritor, or a C+ Rank, growing at a rapid rate, and her the effects of the Geass working flawlessly, she'll soon reach my desired form."
Jayne turned back to Wayne as she clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
"And because I was responsible for her success, I got to keep her. Isn't that great?"
Wayne stared for a few seconds. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"You? Keeping such a valuable asset?" Wayne asked, a hint of scepticism in his voice.
"Well it's not so unbelievable. I guess my brilliance has truly been acknowledged. I am a Bishop, after all."
Wayne paused, soon giving a simple nod as she turned to leave.
"Now, we've spent too much time here. We have big orders in the coming weeks." Jayne let out a crazed grin.
"Finally. Let it begin. The attack on Au…"
Before she could finish, the grin on Jayne's face instantly disappeared as she slowly turned her head.
With a serious expression, she paused as she witnessed the Thing they'd just killed, standing perfectly straight and staring at her.
Only, the Thing was different.
It wasn't just his darkened skin or dull and lifeless eyes, not even the shrunken pupils or the healed stab wound.
No, instead what she found peculiar was the fact the Thing seemed to he…eating his own arm.
With his forearms to his mouth, the Thing tore chunks of it, chewing and swallowing soon after.
Meanwhile, Wayne, despite his usual scowl, didn't know what to make of the situation.
Seeing the Thing eat himself, heal and repeat, all three of them stared.
"Interesting. Merlin, do you still have him under your spell?" Jayne asked, intrigued by what she was seeing.
"No, Ms Jayne. With my current Mana reserves, I can only use the spell once, and I have long since deactivated it upon seeing him die."
Merlin answered in a respectful and obedient tone.
"Yes, I thought he'd died as well. I can't seem to sense any Nen…"
-SHUUU
Jayne didn't get to finish her words as she witnessed an almost tangible aura shoot from the Thing, like steam escaping from a pot.
'What's this? It feels like Nen, but it's so…dense. I've never felt anything like it.'
Jayne's playful behaviour quickly disappeared as she glared at the Thing.
However, what surprised her was the aura escaping from the Thing didn't seem to be stopped.
It increased and kept growing, quickly creating an ominous dark presence around the Thing.
The power exuding off it cracked the ground below as one could see the Terrors in the deep forest scatter one by one as the aura grew.
The very air seemed to ripple as a powerful and cold feeling wrapped around the hearts of all those around, as if death itself was coiling its scythe around their hearts.
Where regular Nen was usually white to the eye, the aura erupting from the Thing was darker, almost pitch black as it contorted to form countless images.
"What…"
For the first time, Jayne's demeanour changed to that of cautiousness as she stared with wide eyes, a drop of sweat pouring down the side of her face.
She struggled to take a breath and she felt like she was underwater, her senses dulled.
Merlin felt the same, as she took a step back, her face contorted into that of discomfort.
Even Wayne, the stoic and stubborn large man, couldn't help but widen his eyes upon seeing the change in the Thing.
"W-What are you waiting for?! Cast an Absolute Cancel!" Jayne yelled, snapping at Merlin, bringing the girl out from her trance.
"I-I can't. My Mana…"
"I don't care! Use your lifeforce if you have to…"
However, before Jayne could finish, as if carried by the wind, the Thing appeared between the two, grabbing Merlin by the throat and raising her in the air.
Merlin watched the Thing's face.
A blank expression painted across his face, as if he had no brain activity.
He simply stared with his shrunken, dull eyes, straight into Merlin's soul.
As he did, one could see Merlin shrivelling at a rapid rate, as if all the moisture was being sucked out from her.
Raising her hand, Merlin spoke in a weak and raspy tone.
"Pact of Mutual Essence…"
As she cast a spell, her hand slowly dropped to her side, caressing the Thing's neck as it went.
To onlookers it seemed as though she failed in completing her spell as in a matter of seconds, she shrivelled like a raisin, dropping to the ground as the Thing released her.
"She's…dead…" Jayne muttered.
She had a hard time comprehending anything happening at the moment, as evidenced by her frozen expression and uneven breathing.
'What's happening? Is this perhaps…fea…'
"NONSENSE!"
Jayne screamed at the top of her lungs as her veins bulged and fists tightened.
"Me? Afraid? You'll pay for these mind games!"
In any other case, Jayne would be disappointed at Merlin's early death. However, an unrelenting rage clouded her judgement.
She didn't care about anything else.
Her pride was hurt. How could she feel fear? A woman of power. A Bishop. A…
"Blood Devil! I am the one who is feared!"
[Name: Jayne]
[Inherited Character: Blood Devil (Power)]
[Verse: Chainsaw Man]
Taking her claws and slashing her wrists, blood gushed out as one could see the liquid float, shaping and taking form.
It wasn't long until a dozen long spears made of blood appeared, shooting at the Thing at blurring speeds.
As Jayne grinned, her expression couldn't help but falter, seeing the Thing stay in his same position, without flinching.
Inevitably, the spears pierced the Thing, trapping him as they pinned every limb onto the ground below.
"B-Bastard…" Jayne mumbled upon seeing the Thing fix his gaze on her, paying no attention to the spears.
The blood around her wrists once again took form, this time forming a large hammer as she took the handle.
Staying in her position, she swung the hammer, attempting to squash the Thing under it.
However, the solidified blood all around the Thing started to quickly melt, losing its form and splashing onto the ground.
This included the large hammer shooting toward him, as it simply liquefied, bathing him in a rain of blood.
'His…Aura…h-he did that with just his Aura.'
Jayne didn't know which was more terrifying, the Thing's seemingly limitless power, or the fact he still hadn't broken eye contact with her, simply nibbling on his forearm.
-BANG BANG BANG
Jayne's expression of discomfort quickly changed to form a forced smile as she looked to her side.
This time, the Thing seemed to notice something, as he too looked to his right.
Stomping out from the forest was a colossal beast, stepping into the light and revealing itself.
With red reptilian scales, a pair of giant wings, four feet and three massive heads, the beast stared at the Thing as they both stayed unmoving.
"Have you forgotten? You aren't just fighting me. You're fighting all these Failed Possessions."
[Terror: Pyrokerberos]
[Inherited Character: Igneel]
[Verse: Fairy Tail]
The Thing turned his body to the Pyrokerberos as all three of the dragon's heads pulled back, their throats then cheeks glowing red.
"Attack!" Jayne screamed in excitement.
-BOOM
In the next second, all three dragon heads roared, a powerful wave of flames following and merging into one, completely engulfing the Thing.
The ground melted as the surrounding plant life turned to ash, the Thing becoming completely engulfed in the flames and disappearing from sight.
The attack could be seen from a bird's eye view as it burned through the forest like a laser, reaching for miles.
"Brilliant!" Jayne screamed like a mad scientist.
However, she failed to pay attention.
Inside the roar, the flames parted as something moved within it, drawing closer and closer to Pyrokerberos.
It seemed the dragon didn't notice either, as when the Thing appeared before it, the flames came to an abrupt stop, with it, so did Jayne's cackling.
With his palm onto the middle head's nose, the Thing appeared charred, his skin blackened to charcoal and hair burnt off.
Yet at a rapid rate, the Thing continued devouring its forearm and in a matter of seconds, it was completely healed, its hair returning as usual dark skin seeming as though it hadn't been affected.
Although, the same couldn't be said for his clothes.
As the Thing pressed its palm onto the middle dragon's head, a familiar reaction to his touch played as the head started to shrivel quickly.
Yet the thing didn't wait till it was done, as it dug its fingers into the head, pulling as the neck and muscle fibres started to tear.
And soon, the head was removed along with a long spine, coiling beneath the Thing's feet like a whip.
However, there was something else.
Something even Jayne and the two remaining heads of the Pyrokerberos couldn't help but notice among their fear and disbelief.
The Thing's Aura had started to change.
Although it was still dark and ominous, and still growing in power as the seconds passed, now it was becoming…hotter.
The tangible Aura kept his cold feeling that made one shudder inside, yet was making Jayne sweat and grow red on the outside.
It wasn't long until the Aura became as hot as the roar the Pyrokerberos had just let out, hotter even.
The Pyrokerberos tried to flap its wings to escape, its primal survival instincts yelling at it to run, but the Thing held onto the stump of its missing head.
The Dragon's prideful and powerful roars were quickly reduced to shrieks of a scared parrot.
Meanwhile, Jayne took a step back, shivering as her heartbeat quickened.
'What's happening? Who…what is that Thing?'
The Zobae Disease.
In the world of Hunter X Hunter, those cursed by this disease became a mindless Zombie, if they could survive.
They were reduced to a creature, left to feed off itself till the end of time.
However, with their mutation that caused their Aura Nodes to expand far past what any human or creature in the world could achieve, they became something…more.
So much so that their bodies now attracted the Nen in the atmosphere, allowing them to utilise a vast and infinite pool of Nen, making them a formidable opponent.
However, that was in the world of Hunter X Hunter.
The same couldn't be said for Isaac.
Upon Isaac using his Nen to constantly suppress the Thing inside him, the Zobae Disease adapted, forming a new mutation.
[You have unlocked a Perk!]
["Feed" you can feed on the power and PS of others, adding it to your own (Zobae)]
A mutation that truly came into fruition at this moment.
-BOOM
The aura of the Thing exploded toward the Pyrokerberos, swallowing it whole with its black flames, and in an instant, the Pyrokerberos turned into ash.
Where the Thing would usually feed on itself, this new taste of Nen and now flame magic was…addicting.
As it felt this urge, it turned to the only other person in the area.
Upon seeing the thing's gaze, Jayne stepped back.
"This wasn't how it was meant to be…no…no, no, NO, NO, NO! NO!"
Jayne fell into a panic as she pulled her hair, pulling out strands.
In a form of desperation, Jayne swung her arm, a giant blood spear shooting toward the Thing like a bullet.
However, rather than standing still this time, the Thing raised its arm, groaning as a dark glow erupted from its palm.
As it did, the blood spear corroded, turning into dust.
"It can't be…T-Time Magic…Merlin." Jayne muttered, however, this spear was simply a distraction, as she didn't let this stop her.
Summoned a glass flask containing a red liquid, then popped the cap, quickly chugging the contents and swallowing.
As she did, it wasn't long until she morphed into something horrible.
In an instant, she appeared as a tall humanoid with four arms and a mostly pale-skinned body.
Her head had a pointed appearance with a red colour, sharp teeth, and two circular eyes with cross-like pupils.
She also had long horns and longer hair than before. Her chest was an open rib cage showing a chest cavity full of intestines up to her neck.
-SCREEEECH
Breathing in, the Blood Devil let out a blood curdling scream as it echoed throughout the Red Zone.
Simultaneously, countless eyes glowed from whatever was left of the forest, countless Terror's stepping out, with the Thing standing between it all.
Meanwhile, Wayne stared at this all while leaning on a faraway tree, his arms crossed.
'Zombie boy, how will you survive this?'
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Consider this long chapter as an apology for the insufferable cliffhangers...despite this chapter leaving in a cliffhanger as well.
We made it to the 11th rank this week.
Why don't we go for top 10, eh?
Next chapter title: Losing Control [3]
Also, done assume Isaac has just gotten super OP now, that isn't the case...
Well, not the case for ISAAC. Can't say the same for the Thing.
Now, as usual...
POWERSTONESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!