Al's shock quickly turned into a desperate instinct to save Mark from the horrifying force that had entered his body. Without hesitation, he reached out and tightly gripped Mark's arm. "Let's get the fuck out of here, Mark! Forget the prank!" Al pleaded, his voice cracked like brittle glass.
The once-familiar face Al had known for so long began contorting. With blinding speed, Mark swung his arm at Al, catching his friend off guard.
The impact echoed through the air, accompanied by a sickening "crack!" Al was violently thrown back. He was propelled several yards away.
Al gripped the grass, attempting to get back up. There was a heavy ringing. His thoughts were clouded by confusion and pain.
Mark's agonizing screams reverberated through the park. A rough striped horn emerged from his navel, tearing through flesh and organs.
Al slowly stood up, his eyes wide open, and watched his best friend being reborn.
Al winced and dropped to his knee. He clutched the area that Mark had struck. Fighting for every breath, he realized the extent of his injury.
Helpless and immobilized, he could only watch Mark become a grotesque amalgamation of insect and human. Amidst the physical metamorphosis, laughter mixed with anguished weeping escaped his lips.
A flicker of fleeting lucidity exploded from within Mark, momentarily breaking through the veil of madness that engulfed him. With a strained voice, Mark hazily uttered, "Al, I... I don't feel good. I need to go home now."
Al was beyond horrified by the perversion that had become his friend. Despite the overwhelming horror, he mustered the strength to compose himself, though his voice trembled with a brokenness that mirrored his shattered emotions. "Mark buddy, I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure we can fix it."
The black sheep turned around and continued unhurried, seemingly unaffected by the chaos it had caused. Mark, now transformed, had the lower body of a horse and obediently followed the creature, his gaze vacant and distant.
Al knew the logical thing to do was run and get help, but the thought of losing Mark forever ignited a fire within him, fueling his determination to stay by his side, no matter the cost.
He rose to his feet and sprinted toward the sheep but was abruptly stopped as six figures gracefully leaped over him. Three men and three women, each armed and poised, surrounded the sheep in a diamond formation.
Al's racing thoughts came to a screeching halt, arriving at a single thought: "I must be losing my mind,". Suddenly a voice rang through his ears, bringing him back to his senses.
"Alright, 23rd Supreme Seed, show me how swiftly you can dispatch a chimera and a dark acolyte," a tall bald man shouted a few yards away. Al jolted in surprise as the enigmatic man then turned to meet his gaze as if he could sense Al's eyes upon him.
"Fascinating," the tall bald man remarked, his smile resembling a child captivated by a new toy. "A talented young girl who can see the dark acolyte and yet remains unaffected by its call." he thought.
Summoning the last ounce of his strength, Al raced to position himself between Mark and the strangers. "Please!" he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "That's my best friend, Mark. Please, save him! I beg you!"
The bald man didn't answer, instead he looked towards a white-haired boy.
Mark's lower body had transformed, sprouting an additional pair of legs. His skeletal structure had reconfigured itself, giving him the appearance of a mythical centaur, albeit with the addition of a grotesque and lewd horn protruding from his abdomen.
The white-haired boy wasted no time, assuming a poised and ready stance with his sword. He raised his voice, issuing swift orders to the others. "Those equipped with material Will step back and provide support! Krishna and Anne, handle the Chimera!"
As his blade resonated with a musical hum, a singular thought consumed the boy's mind. "I must demonstrate to my Immortal King that his choice to appoint me as the leader of the 23 Mortal Supreme Seed was justified."
Al had barely finished speaking when the group of six sprang into action. Seeing that Al could see the black sheep, the bald man approached him. "Hey there, can you truly see that three-eyed horn sheep over there and the hybrid next to it?" the Immortal King said, pointing at the sheep and Mark.
Al's eyes welled up with tears as he gazed upon the grotesque abomination that Mark had become. He didn't bother to turn his gaze towards the man standing beside him as he retorted with bitterness, "Of course I can! That's Mark, my best friend!"
The Immortal King chuckled; Al was no different than a helpless kitten in his eyes.
Al's instincts kicked in as the two individuals closed in on Mark, propelling him to sprint towards his friend. However, before he could take a fifth step, the Immortal King materialized before him. A resounding boom filled the air, plunging Al's vision into darkness.
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He rebounded off the man's solid form like a bouncing ball. The first words to escape Al's lips once his vision cleared were, "Ouch!" followed by, "What in the hell are you made of!?" The Immortal King glanced at Al, then shifted his gaze towards the sheep.
"The circumstances surrounding this mortal girl are growing increasingly peculiar the more I ponder them," the Immortal King contemplated silently.
Seeing how the bald man was ignoring him, Al turned his attention to the group of four individuals preparing to attack Mark then back to the bald man. Ignoring the throbbing pain coursing through his body, he sprang to his feet, assuming a boxing stance. Disregarding his injuries, he lunged towards the Immortal King with the desperation of a cornered animal.
Executing a feigned left jab, Al swiftly followed it up with a powerful right hook, aiming to land a devastating blow. However, to his astonishment, his opponent remained steadfast, unmoving like a solid statue.
"Dong!!" The impact reverberated with a resounding metallic sound, followed by the sickening sound of bones snapping.
A bone-chilling wail escaped Al's lips, shattering the Immortal King's train of thought. The person he had referred to as a "mortal girl" was now on his knees, clutching his mangled right hand, with bones piercing through the shredded skin.
Pale as a ghost and on the verge of losing consciousness, Al managed to retreat hastily, creating distance between himself and the formidable force he had just assaulted while positioning himself closer to Mark.
The Immortal King glanced at the pitiful Al before turning back to look at Mark. He spoke loudly with certainty and finality. "You want to save your friend, but that will be impossible. The dark acolyte has beckoned your friend, and your friend Mark has willingly answered that call. His mind has embraced it, and his soul has accepted it. He is now on an irreversible path that no force can stop."
Mark's transformation continued unabated, his once-human features giving way to a grotesque and monstrous appearance. Slowly he raised his once human hands that now resembled mantis claws, his human semblance was almost gone.
Mark gave Al one last look before he tore into his face with his claws, tearing into his nose and cheeks. Mark then threw the shredded piece of face towards Al.
The repulsive image pierced Al's very soul, and the intensity of his emotions overwhelmed his senses. With a violent retch, Al's body convulsed, and he vomited uncontrollably, mingling his sickness with the blood and horror that surrounded him.
The Immortal king, seeing Al's condition, turned to the white-haired boy, "What are you waiting for? Romann, finish this already." The sky was clear. Suddenly, out of nowhere, loud booms of thunder began to echo like drums of war.
The thunder boomed and reverberated across the sky. Romann's body began to vibrate with an excited energy, and each thunderous boom seemed to synchronize with his being.
His blade held firmly in his hand, remained still amidst the chaotic thunderous booms. It was a remarkable sight, as if an angel had descended upon the scene, a celestial being bestowing a momentary respite of grace upon the earth.
The hybrid creature, consumed by fear and driven by its instinct to protect the black sheep, charged recklessly toward Romann. However, the two women positioned in front of the formation intercepted its path.
One of them, an older woman draped in heavy blue robes, swiftly placed her hands on the ground, invoking a frigid enchantment. As her palms touched the earth, a shimmering sheen spread across the ground, followed by a blanket of frost that gradually encased the path of the charging creature.
Simultaneously, the other woman, dressed in vibrant crimson red robes, wielded a blood-red fan with intricate gold patterns. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she gently waved the fan, conjuring a mighty gust of wind that seemed deceptively harmless.
The moment the gust of wind made contact with the hybrid Mark, his body became engulfed in flames. Panic seized him, causing him to frantically run in circles, his form writhing within the inferno that now consumed him.
As the obsidian black sheep unleashed its unholy screams, the horrifying soundwaves reverberated through the air, causing disastrous effects. Standing beside the Immortal King, a man dressed in a green robe, doubled over in pain, coughing up blood.
Jeanne, one of the members of the group, also suffered the same fate, blood staining his lips as he struggled to maintain his composure. The impact of the infernal noise was potent and debilitating for Material Will users, except for one individual who only seemed mildly bothered.
After the sheep closed its mouth, the noise stopped. The obsidian creature fixed its menacing gaze upon Romann, its intentions clear. In an instant, its mouth parted, and a long, black tongue emerged with a swift snap, hurtling towards the white-haired boy. There were no agonizing cries accompanying this attack, only a surreal and deadly display.
The end of the sheep's tongue elongated rapidly, transforming into a monstrous swarm of splitting pikes, growing in size with each passing moment. The tongue had morphed into a formidable weapon akin to a car-sized cluster of deadly spikes.
Romann's composure remained unbroken as he defied the swift onslaught of the sheep's piercing tongue. With an ethereal aura surrounding him, his being seemed to vibrate in perfect harmony with the universe. A low, resonating hum permeated the air, filling the ears of all those present.
In an explosive burst of speed, Romann propelled himself forward, surpassing the very limits of perception. The sonic boom that followed his movement shattered the tranquility of the surroundings. Romann had vanished, leaving behind only a fleeting trace of his existence.
The sheep's disgusting tongue continued its relentless trajectory, charging through the space once occupied by Romann. Its force tore through the surrounding area, uprooting trees and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The swift evasion and subsequent miss transpired within the span of a single heartbeat as Al's pained whimper echoed through the scene, bearing witness to the intensity of the encounter.
Romann's blade, swift as a falling star, cleaved through the obsidian sheep with unerring accuracy. In a swift and fluid motion, sliced the creature in half, its body separating cleanly from head to tail.
The two halves of the sheep fell to the ground, revealing the grotesque inner workings of the dark being. A peculiar sight came into view as the divided carcass lay before them. The sheep possessed not one but two hearts that appeared to be fused as a singular entity. However, nestled within this amalgamation of organs, a dark and malignant growth had taken root, resembling another heart, home to some otherworldly energy.
Romann, standing at the side, wiped his blade with a cloth, his expression serene and composed. The successful strike had bisected the sheep and revealed its inner workings.