Sam watched in growing frustration as the creature's grotesque body twisted and contorted, flipping back onto its feet with an almost unnatural agility. The eight-handled wheel on its back began to spin, and as it did, all of the deep gashes and burns Sam had inflicted healed instantaneously. The flesh stitched itself together with sickening speed, leaving no trace of the damage Sam had worked so hard to inflict.
"So, you can regenerate too," Sam muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. The odds were shifting rapidly, and not in his favor. This was going to be far more difficult than he had anticipated.
The beast let out a low, guttural growl, its eyes glowing with renewed malice. It seemed to be taunting Sam, daring him to continue the fight. The creature's form was imposing, and the regeneration ability made it an even more formidable opponent. Sam realized he would have to think quickly and strike with even more precision if he wanted to have any hope of defeating it.
Without warning, the beast lunged forward with terrifying speed. Sam barely had time to react, raising his arms to block the incoming strike. The creature's claws crashed against his guard with such force that it sent shockwaves through his body. Sam was forced backward, his feet skidding across the cracked ground as he struggled to maintain his balance.
The beast pressed its advantage, launching a relentless barrage of attacks. It swiped at Sam with its claws, each strike aimed with deadly precision. Sam dodged and weaved through the onslaught, his movements fluid and controlled, but he could feel the strain on his body. The beast was faster, stronger, and its ability to adapt to his attacks was making it nearly impossible to land a decisive blow.
Realizing he needed to change tactics, Sam focused his energy, and the ground beneath him began to tremble. With a powerful surge, he unleashed his earth manipulation ability, causing massive stone pillars to erupt from the ground around the beast, attempting to encase it within a cage of solid rock. The pillars shot upward, their sharp edges glinting in the dim light of the Hollow World.
The beast roared in surprise, momentarily thrown off balance as the stone cage closed in on it. Sam didn't waste any time; he channeled his energy into the earth, causing the ground beneath the creature to crack and split. A deep chasm opened up beneath it, threatening to swallow the beast whole.
But the creature was relentless. With a fierce swipe of its claw, it shattered the stone pillars around it, its wheel spinning rapidly as it healed the minor injuries from the debris. It leaped out of the chasm just as it began to close, landing with a thunderous impact that sent tremors through the ground.
Sam gritted his teeth. He was running out of options. Every tactic he had used so far had been rendered useless by the creature's regenerative abilities. It was as if the beast was learning and adapting with each passing moment.
The beast seemed to sense Sam's frustration, its twisted grin widening as it prepared to attack again. This time, it moved with even greater speed, its claws blurring as they tore through the air. Sam barely managed to parry the first strike, but the force of the blow sent him reeling backward. Before he could recover, the beast was already upon him, its claws slashing across his chest.
Sam gasped as the sharp pain shot through him, blood spilling from the wound. He staggered backward, trying to catch his breath, but the beast didn't give him a moment's respite. It continued its relentless assault, driving Sam back further and further. Each strike was more powerful than the last, and Sam could feel his strength waning.
The creature's claws tore through the air, and Sam barely managed to dodge the next attack. He retaliated with a burst of energy from his palms, this time using his wind manipulation. A powerful gust of wind erupted from his hands, slamming into the creature with the force of a hurricane. The wind howled as it tore through the landscape, scattering debris and threatening to rip the beast apart.
The beast was momentarily lifted off its feet by the sheer force of the wind, its body spinning uncontrollably in midair. Sam used the opportunity to launch a series of wind blades, each one slicing through the air with deadly precision. The blades tore into the creature's flesh, leaving deep gashes that sprayed dark blood across the scorched earth.
But before Sam could capitalize on the advantage, the beast's body twisted unnaturally, its limbs contorting as it flipped back onto its feet. The eight-handled wheel on the creature's back began to spin, and as it did, all of its injuries healed instantaneously.
The beast's eyes glowed with malice as it lunged at Sam again, its movements even faster and more unpredictable than before. Sam tried to counter with another wind attack, but the creature was ready this time. It slashed through the wind blades with its claws, the force of its strikes creating shockwaves that sent Sam staggering backward.
The fight continued, with Sam using every ability at his disposal—earth, wind, fire, and more—but the creature adapted to each one with terrifying speed. It was as if the beast was a mirror, reflecting and countering every move Sam made.
The creature lunged at him again, and this time Sam wasn't quick enough to dodge. The creature's claws raked across his side, tearing through flesh and muscle. Sam cried out in pain as he was sent crashing into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of him.
He struggled to get back on his feet, but the beast was already on top of him, its massive hand pinning him to the ground. Sam gritted his teeth, trying to push back against the creature's overwhelming strength, but it was no use. The beast was too powerful, too relentless.
The creature's twisted face loomed over Sam, its eyes glowing with triumph. It had won, and it knew it. The beast raised its other clawed hand, ready to deliver the final, killing blow.
But before that Sam created a portal and Sent queen and Luke there to keep them safe.
"I failed…" The thought echoed in Sam's mind, a bitter resignation filling his heart. "I wasn't strong enough… I couldn't protect them…"
From the safety of the portal Sam had created, the Queen and Luke watched in horror. They had been forcefully pushed through to safety, but the connection to Sam's Hollow World remained. Through the shimmering barrier, they could see everything unfolding, as if looking through a window into a nightmare.
"Sam!" Luke's voice was a desperate cry, his small hands pressed against the invisible wall that separated him from the battlefield. Tears welled up in his eyes, his young heart unable to comprehend the sight of the person who had just saved him, now lying helpless beneath the claws of the monstrous creature.
"Sam, get up! Please, get up!" Luke's pleas were frantic, his voice breaking with fear and sorrow. The boy's small frame shook with the intensity of his emotions, his innocent mind unable to accept what he was seeing.
The Queen, though composed on the surface, felt a cold dread settle in her chest. She watched the scene with wide, disbelieving eyes, her regal demeanor cracking under the weight of what she was witnessing. Sam, the young man who had bravely stood between them and danger, was about to be struck down, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"This can't be happening…" the Queen whispered, her voice trembling. She had seen many battles, had fought many enemies, but nothing had prepared her for this—watching someone sacrifice themselves for her and her son, knowing that it was her life he was paying for with his own.
Sam's body shook with the effort of trying to free himself, but the creature's grip was too strong. His vision blurred as pain and exhaustion took their toll. The creature's claws glinted in the dim light, ready to end his life in a single, brutal strike.
"Sam!" Luke screamed again, his voice filled with raw desperation. He beat his fists against the barrier, but it held firm. "Please, don't let him die! Don't let him—"
"Luke," the Queen said softly, her voice breaking as she reached out to her son. But what could she say? How could she comfort him when her own heart was shattering at the sight?
Sam heard their voices, faint through the haze of pain and despair. It was Luke's voice that cut through the fog, that small, innocent voice pleading for him to survive. Something inside him stirred, a flicker of light in the overwhelming darkness.
"No… I can't give up… Not when they're watching… Not when they're counting on me…"
The creature's twisted grin widened as it prepared to deliver the final blow. Its clawed hand descended, moving with a deadly finality. Sam closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end, his thoughts focused on the faces of those he was about to leave behind.
"I'm sorry…" he thought, the words meant for the Queen, for Luke, for Sara and Masha, for everyone he had come to care for. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more…"
But just as the creature's claws were about to connect, the very air around Sam seemed to shift. The world slowed, and a dark, cold energy began to pulse from deep within him. Sam's eyes snapped open, but they were no longer filled with the vibrant determination that had fueled him before. Instead, they were a deep, inky black, devoid of light, as if all the hope and warmth had been consumed by something far darker.
The Queen gasped, stepping back from the portal, her hand covering her mouth. "What… what is that?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the transformation unfolding before her.
Luke's eyes widened, his tears momentarily forgotten as he stared at Sam with a mix of fear and confusion. "Mom… what's happening to Sam?"
The darkness within Sam surged, spreading like a shadow across the battlefield. It was cold, unfeeling, and immensely powerful. The creature, sensing the change, hesitated, its triumphant expression faltering as it stepped back. The dark energy pulsed and writhed around Sam, cracking the ground beneath him, sending tremors through the Hollow World.
"This… this isn't over," Sam's voice was low, almost a growl, but it was not entirely his own. It was as if something else was speaking through him, something ancient and powerful. The dark shadow that had been haunting his dreams had finally surfaced, taking control.