Worlds In Limbo

Runes swirled around the body of the Amalgamation, stripping and diverging parts of its flesh toward the titanic arm while the individual limbs and appendages protruding out of its body sank into the flesh.

Rhian was observing its movement, disturbed by the flesh whips it created and the newly formed axe with rows of molars lined on it.

[This Amalgamation possesses Body magic. It can absorb all 'bodies' and use them to its will. 'Bodies' are determined by how you, humans, define the word, for example, tree trunks, parts of buildings, and such.]

The panel of words quickly typed itself out while Rhian read it as fast as possible, crouching down to evade the sudden slash of the molar axe. 'Basically, this thing can accumulate 'bodies' and manipulate- what about the ground-?'

[It is unable to absorb Earth and Gaia.]

Rhian's eyes softened as she read, looking back at the two men fending off the Amalgamation.

'How can I jump in?' Currently, Kouki and Giden were merely playing a game of endurance. Each time Kouki stabbed it with his enchanted glaive, Gideon would come in to try and deliver a burst of flames, but the Amalgamation would immediately repair its wound.

The black dagger was still inlaid on her forehead, fluctuating softly as her eyes followed the two's movement: Each stab that was followed by a surge of flames and the instant convergence of flesh toward the wound. She closed her eyes.

[Blind Perception Activated!]

Light crimson rings surfaced all over Rhian's unit, enlarging and etching themselves onto everything around Rhian.

They clung tightly onto every tree, every piece of land, Gideon, Kouki, and the Amalgamation, vibrating violently as they overlapped their Runes, substantially disrupting their abilities.

'A-Ah... impair... you' Rhian's eyebrows wrinkled as she focused on her Runes. Holding up her left hand, she clenched it tightly before ordering her Runes to- strengthen!

The crimson rings encircling the Amalgamation shone brightly, splitting themselves as they surrounded the Amalgamation's molar-axe, producing an overwhelming vibration that started to hinder the formation of its flesh.

'And... strengthen them!' Rhian lifted her right arm, pinpointing her attention on the rings surrounding Kouki and Gideon.

fwip-!

She flicks her finger upward, causing the Runes on Kouki to slither onto the blade of his glaive, shining intensely before vibrating.

phew..

She sighed, lowering her right hand as the Rune circling Gideon calmed down, releasing a controlled yet strong vibration that swelled his fire.

"GREAT WORK!" Kouki smirked widely under his helmet, yelling with a proud tone before delivering a fervent strike with his enchanted and sharpened glaive, yielding a vexing reaction as it started to flail around.

"SHI-!" Gideon raised his arm up, covering his forearm with swirling Runes as Rhian's own Runes overlapped them, creating a fiery barrier that quickly burnt the flesh whip of the Amalgamation.

Gideon's pupils focused, directing his Runes toward his left arm with Rhian following closely behind. He got into a sprint, reeling his left arm as he tried his best to evade the flesh whips and the molar axe, narrowly avoiding it as he reached its stab wound.

"HMR!" Kouki further thrust the glaive into the flesh of the Amalgamation, enchanting it with more blood-red Runes as numerous mouths were formed for it to yell.

"HRAAAA!" Rhian felt sweat drip down her forehead as she lowered her right hand and clenched her left, closely monitoring the intensity of the flame while constricting the Amalgamation as best as she could, allowing Gideon to deliver a fierce strike into the stab wound as soon as Kouki removed his glaive.

GRAAAAAAAA-!

A distorted cry left the jaws of the Amalgamation while panels of words materializes in front of the three.

[!BEWARE!]

[AMALGAMATION HAS ACTIVATED {ABSORB}!]

Rhian's Runes were still tightly constricting it, somewhat hindering it, but it still was able to converge its flesh, packing it tightly into a ball before blasting numerous tendrils toward the trees.

'SHIT!' Rhian's body tensed up, realizing what it was doing as she quickly clenched both her hands, strengthening the rings surrounding the dead and live trees.

However, the vibrations dampened as she tried to spread her strength, allowing the Amalgamation to successfully reel in 'bodies' of trees, prompting it to grin from the protruding heads.

"It's mocking us..." Kouki's Runes gleamed slightly, disenchanting his glaive before picking up a pebble. "Hearing...? Possibly.." The pebble balances on his finger as it is swarmed by black, vibrating bars before Kouki catapults it toward the Amalgamation.

STRENGTHEN!

Rhian raised both her arms, clenching them tightly as she commanded her Runes to take control of the tendrils and rupture them, but the wooden 'bodies' had already been absorbed.

Its grin widened as its skin became wooden, detaching and propelling a piece that was struck by the black pebble before it reeled it back in again, causing Kouki to click his tongue. "I-I a-am... n-not... e-ea-sy!" Its distorted voice echoed through the forest as the heads grinned.

"I need to... explode it from the inside..." Gideon looked at his left arm as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Alright..." He took a deep breath, before exclaiming. "Mister Kurayami! I need you to open up a hole big enough for my hand to fit in!"

Rhian's eyebrows tensed. 'D-Does he intend to-?'

[Gideon Possesses Blood-Flame Magic.]

[It allows him to ignite his blood, allowing him to run ablaze without any repercussions.]

Kouki similarly understood, clenching his teeth before agreeing. "We better find Dyeus after this battle... ASSIST ME, SMYRA!" Kouki had both his hands on the top of the glaive's shaft. With a tight grip, he pulled the blade and shaft apart, now holding a shortsword and his cane, which he unsheathed.

A whole lot of bullshit.

"It lays on me..." Gideon's body slowly became beet red as he immediately burst into flames, coupled with Rhian's support; his mane and fire flared with fervor, causing him to grin.

Rhian took a deep breath. This could be the deciding factor. 'Alright... No fear, no doubt, and only success.' The knife dimmed as the Runes started to deform before she clenched both her arms, intensifying the constrictions on the Amalgamation as its flesh fluctuated.

"I-I- W-WO-N'T D-DIE!" Flesh bulged from all over, retrieving the blaring heads as it converged the flesh where its head should be, creating a sort of reinforced fly swat with canines erratically placed on its flat side.

"I-I- W-ILL WIN!"

Kouki's Runes sharpened themselves as grasped the hilts of both his swords, brandishing them as his red vein-like Runes were enchanted onto his blades.

The air around him became heavy as the Amalgamation moved the canine-mallet downward to flatten Kouki, but he was unmoving.

"Help me cross, Yukina." He quickly activates the jets on his soles, going into a full sprint as he narrowly evades the mallet, allowing him to be pushed by the escaping air as he readied his blades.

"Now!" Gideon's pupils shrunk, locking onto Kouki's blade as he bolted behind him, passing the raising fleshy mallet while flexing his left arm.

'This is it!' A surge of heat pushed through her body as a rejuvenating sensation pulsed through her Runes.

She grinned widely, raising both her hands and clenching it with confidence.

"NOW!"

Kouki exhaled deeply as he came close to the enchanted, wooden skin; he raised both the swords enchanted with the 'sense of pain' and Rhian's Runes, delivering a joint slash that peeled away the hardened skin.

Following closely behind with his flexed left arm, he made a drill shape as he used his arm to melt through the flesh until it was plunged deep inside.

"HNGH!" Kouki delivered an upward slash, severing Gideon's arm as his hand gleamed with red-orange Runes.

[Sacrificial Ignition has been activated!]

fwip-!

Rhian swiped down with both her arms, directing her vibrating Runes toward the glowing arm, focusing all her energy into strengthening the vibration.

[You have experienced Runeburst!]

[Congratulations! You have slain {Amalgamation}!]