Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

The two Sleepers pushed themselves to the edge, driving forward with everything they could. They struck in perfect sync, one targeting the creature's long neck, the other aiming to cripple it.

It squirmed, desperately trying to defend itself, but there was no time. A split-second later Raijin and Eirwen's blows landed true.

Hydra's Choice tore through thick fur and toughened skin, sinking deep. Pressure activated instantly, making its throat convulse as the flesh writhed and squirmed. Yet its body endured the attack with ease.

Raijin, meanwhile, was far more successful.

The sharp, triangular blade atop his spear -adorned with a dragon's head at its base- sliced through the icy air in a blur, lightning trailing behind akin to crackling serpents.

One pair of wings was severed in an instant, and before they could even hit the ground, Raijin was already moving again.

Eirwen seized the moment, driving his sword out and commanding the teal tentacles to release the Nightmare Creature's head.

Instead, they squirmed again, writhing with wet, sickening sounds as they coiled tighter.

Slithering across its body it locked the Nightmare Creature in place with titanic strength, trapping the remaining limbs.

The more the fight went one though, the louder and clearer were the memories flooding his mind. The wrathful and mad voices intensified as well. He had to finish this quickly before he lost himself.

"Just go for its damned head!" Eirwen snapped sharply. Raijin was already mid-air, launched skyward with a swift jump.

But Eirwen didn't wait and watch.

Pouring Essence into his longsword, he willed it to fly out of his grasp and high into the air.

Screeching in pure madness, the now four-winged bird thrashed violently, using its remaining limbs to try and break free from the teal tentacles. But it was no use. Kraken's Grasp was too strong even for the Nightmare Creature.

Its talons were free though.

Raising one leg, the bird lashed out, its claws slashing through Eirwen's armor as if it were nothing, ripping open his stomach in one horrifying strike.

A grotesque wound tore through the jagged cracks in his plates, blood and guts spilling out onto the ground below.

Eirwen groaned, curses spilling from his lips as blood pooled in his mouth. Yet, the pain only fuelled his anger.

His Flaw was already working anyway, fully mending the damage in seconds. The bloody, jagged wound in his shoulder had already closed by now too.

Swoosh

Not even a second later, and Raijin hit his mark. His face twisted in discomfort and pain from the sharp, agonized screech of their enemy.

With a flash, his spear moved, the tendrils intensifying their dance around the weapon as he slashed at the base of the bird's neck. Silverfang -its speed heightened by Raijin's Aspect- tore into the flesh, ripping it apart with brutal force.

Suddenly, Eirwen felt the air around them shift. It was subtle, but unmistakable.

The Nightmare Creature's eyes glowed like two red stars as it cried out again in pure pain. It was about to do something with its strange powers.

"Shut the fuck up finally!" Eirwen roared, slamming his fist into the creature's gaping mouth. More tendrils erupted from his body, coiling around its beak and forcing it to stay wide open.

By now, one of his Cores was already drained, but it didn't matter. He'd already made up his mind on going all out anyway.

So, he poured even more Essence out, triggering Dragon's Breath.

Flames erupted from his knuckles, searing through the Nightmare Creature's mouth as they pressed against the back of its throat. The fire surged forward, pushing deep into its body.

Meanwhile, Hydra's Choice whistled through the air, soaring high above them. It followed a single command from its wielder: to pierce the monster's eye and drive straight into its brain.

The creature's leg shot up, sharp talons aimed at his throat, while one of its wings slipped free.

But it was already too late.

Even as the snow shot toward them from all sides, summoned by the Nightmare Creature's command, Eirwen and Raijin pushed on.

More flames erupted into the bird, cooking it from the inside out while Raijin's strike had already severed more than half of its neck. Some of the fire spilled out of the wound, burning its fur and skin.

Yet it was the silver longsword that finished the job.

Cutting through the air it fell from above -its speed unstoppable-, driving straight into the creature's skull.

Snap

[You have slain an Awakened Devil: Dead Oracle!]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

'Holy shit-' Eirwen cursed, blood pooling in his mouth as he pushed his fist out of the Oracle and cancelled Kraken's Grasp.

When the teal tentacles snapped back into him, his mind finally calmed down again. There was only a faint irritation and anger left.

He stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the mutilated corpse as it crashed down once the teal tendrils of flesh disappeared.

It hit the ground with a sickening thud, boiling blood spilling from its wounds, the skin still steaming from the internal burns. Hydra's Choice was lodged deep in its eye.

The snow around them halted mid-air, frozen in place, before falling back to the rocky ground like powder, once the Oracle's influence was shattered.

Raijin stumbled to the ground, pulling Silverfang back into his Soul Sea. He panted heavily; his body clearly exhausted from the intense battle.

Eirwen, meanwhile, knelt beside the corpse, moving quickly.

The timer was running out -only ten seconds or so remained- but it wasn't just that. His Flaw was still active too, mercilessly burning through the last of his Essence to heal his wounds.

Not caring whether Raijin was watching, Eirwen leaned forward, almost pressing his face into the white fur.

He inhaled deeply, then cracked his mouth open, tearing his whole face apart.

As he leaned in, his sharp teeth sank into the corpse, and blood erupted in a violent spray, splattering around him like a crimson fountain and painting everything red.

Crunch

Eirwen fought back the rising disgust as he tore into the corpse, this time much bloodier than usual. Something was off. The strange mechanism within him refused to inhale the carcass as it normally would for some reason. So with no other choice left, he had to improvise.

'Fucking disgusting!' Eirwen cursed once he was done, hearing the Spell echo in his mind.

[You have Devoured an Awakened Devil: Dead Oracle]

[You grow stronger!]

[The Deal has been completed!]

His whole body shuddered and spasmed as Essence suddenly flooded into him. But alongside the mystical energy, there was something else, something more powerful clawing its way into his very Core. Or out of it?

Raijin looked at him with a mix of disgust and confusion, not even attempting to hide it. Shifting where he sat, his eyes remained locked on Eirwen, his usually ivory face smeared with blood, the thick red liquid still dripping from his chin.

"You good…?" Raijin asked cautiously.

Eirwen didn't respond. He was too focused on inhaling deep, sharp and icy breaths, each one tickling his throat and lungs. But no matter how much air he took in, it felt like it wasn't nearly enough.

'Brace yourself,' Leviathan's voice exploded in Eirwen's mind, blinding all of his senses for a brief moment.

He felt no pain, only a mild discomfort, quickly followed by a suffocating lack of oxygen that seemed to ache through his very body.

'I have finally recovered enough of my power to bless you with another part of my Soul,' Leviathan continued, his voice now steady in Eirwen's mind, explaining what was happening to him. 'Soon I shall be as strong as I was in your Trial.'

Eirwen could feel something searing into his skin, strange runic pentagrams spreading across his chest and abdomen, their heat pulsing in his mind and creating unfamiliar images.

The images that formed were of a red angel, clad in demonic armor and wielding a sword the size of a mountain. The very air around it seemed to burn and disintegrate, consumed by an overwhelming aura of pure destruction and decay.