Grigor, who was hit instantly with Aleks's aura, was filled with shock. The aura brought with it dread and an immense intimidation that caused him to feel somewhat suffocated. In the midst of this overbearing and powerful feeling, he could barely stand. Although he was a powerful Master class being, he was still a full realm lower than Aleks. This didn't necessarily mean in all cases that he would be weaker than the other, but considering aura alone he was greatly outclassed.
"You hid yourself well Aleksandros. We had no idea you were a Legendary being, but don't think for one second that just because you have achieved a higher class that you can defeat me. You are still just a human, but I am a werewolf and my expertise is specifically close quarter combat. Prepare to die!"
Despite struggling against Aleks's aura, Grigor was able to remain on his feet. An ear piercing howl burst forth from his mouth aimed at the sky and he began to transform right in front of Aleks's eyes. His body began to shift, extend, and grow in a disgusting fashion as his body took the shape of a werewolf. Not only did his physical power and presence grow, but his aura was also strengthened and he was no longer burdened by the power of Aleks's aura. Instead, his body became strengthened and a great power exploded forth from his body. Of course, Aleks was completely unfazed and only watched as Grigor completed his transformation.
In the distance, the soldiers who had been previously intimidated by Aleks releasing his aura also felt the burden of it dissipating. They were no longer filled with an overbearing fear and began to shout battle cries which immediately increased their morale. The tribal warriors, seeing this, also began their own battle cries and continued to bang their drums in competition with the expeditionary army's own shouts. Grobak stood at the head of his tribal army and watched the fight which was about to commence with excitement. He couldn't contain his desire for battle and was roaring and pumping his axe like a madman.
As for Nelay, she had already slipped over to the expeditionary army's side and was effortlessly and quietly assassinating some of the outliers in the cover of the chaos. She was careful when picking her targets and was only killing to alleviate the boredom. The only thing she loved, other than being with her master, was killing.
The transformation happened quickly and only took a few seconds before it was done. Grigor's power definitely increased exponentially and he could be compared to a low Legendary being. At the higher realms, there wasn't as much of a difference between beings at lower levels. So, a lower level Legendary being wasn't necessarily at a disadvantage when fighting a high level Legendary being. It really came down to their abilities, racial stats, bloodlines, class, or a variety of other things. There were too many variables at play to assume that just because you were at the peak of Legendary that you could defeat someone who was lower in level, but still in the same realm. A difference of a few levels could easily be made up with equipment, abilities, spells, etc. Although Grigor was a master class being, his werewolf transformation allowed him to enter the Legendary realm, but at the end of the day he still wasn't a true Legendary being.
So, while Grigor may have felt that he could at least keep Aleks in check, the reality was that Aleks wasn't a normal Legendary being at all. He was a unique existence with unfathomable power that defied mortal reasoning. In fact, he wasn't truly a mortal at all, despite having yet to ascend to godhood. He was a being which treaded between Heaven and Earth who had already been touched by the Origin of a world. Within him resided the very soul and consciousness of a world birthed by the endless cosmos. He had yet to awaken to the divinity within him, but that didn't mean that it had no influence on his development.
Aleks watched with a crooked smile, which seemed to disdain all life. In his eyes, this werewolf was only a fool prancing straight towards his death. He chuckled and placed the mask back on his face. This mask was no ordinary artifact and it greatly enhanced his abilities. For one, it decreased the cost in SP of all of his combat abilities by half. His abilities were extremely costly and so the mask was not something he could do without.
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Aleks raised his hands as if he were about to begin a performance and said, "Let me show you what awaits you for opposing me!"
Twisted wraith like tendrils rose from Aleks's body, wrapping around him and expanding outwards like the tentacles of a giant octopus. They were extremely thick and immense in size seeming almost like the legs of a gargantuan beast of myth and legends. They were a dark and eerie purplish hazy color, similar to what you would expect from the soul form of an evil twisted being. Normally, Aleks wouldn't allow anyone to see the true form of his power, but this time it was his intention to strike dread in the hearts of his foes. His 'Soul Tendrils' were visible for all to see and they rose high above him, protecting him within their embrace while other tendrils whipped violently and smashed into the ground sending dirt and grass flying.
Their undulating movements caused a terrifying pressure to envelope the area and the wind generated by their wild swings caused Aleks's hair and robes to flutter violently. The image of Aleks in his gold mask with his hair billowing wildly while he laughed sinisterly, caused many watching to feel the utmost fear and awe. Even Grigor in his werewolf form felt a tinge of fear despite being highly resistant against such negative effects.
"Even though I can't instantly kill you with my 'Soul Tendrils' because of your temporary increase in power, that doesn't mean I can't beat you to death like the dog you are. Come mongrel and feed my ambition!"
Aleks pointed vehemently towards Grigor and one of his 'Soul Tendrils' immediately lashed out, crashing against the spot Grigor had been standing on. However, at the last moment, Grigor had evaded the attack and rushed towards Aleks at an incredible speed. He was in his werewolf form and filled with rage and a beastly and savage temperament, but he still had enough control to wield his axe. Grigor leaped high into the air and brought his axe down upon Aleks with an indomitable might only to be repelled by the 'Soul Tendrils' which wrapped and twisted around Aleks's body.
Although they had a spiritual and partially translucent form, they easily blocked Grigor's attack and felt harder than steel. Grigor hadn't even been able to make a dent in the tendrils and continued to hack and evade as the tendrils lashed out at him endlessly. They seemed to have a mind of their own and there was no pattern to their attacks. They incessantly whipped, coiled and smashed outwards in random angles which Grigor had difficulty in predicting. It was only because of his greatly increased senses and reflexes that he was somehow able to maneuver between tendril attacks and continue to clash with them. However, no matter how he struggled, he could not get close to Aleks who was wrapped in their protective embrace.
Grigor began to grow nervous and increasingly tired as his stamina became depleted through overextended use. He had a sneaking suspicion that Aleks was only toying with him as he had yet to attack with all of his 'Soul Tendrils' and had instead only struck with one or two continuously. What Grigor didn't know was that Aleks's mask granted him the ability to see the complete status of his opponents. This included their vitality, abilities and everything else. The battle was entirely under his control and he was only waiting for the right moment, when Grigor had been weakened enough, to strike. This would be the most cost effective way of killing Grigor because his 'Soul Tendrils' while powerful, could only affect vitality by consuming 'Soul Potential'. The more Grigor used his abilities and the longer he dragged the battle on, the less 'SP' Aleks would require to kill him.
Of course, he had an entire army of souls he could devour just in sight which would grant him an incredible amount of SP, but he had promised Grobak a slaughter and he intended to give it to him. Also, he didn't feel the need to waste SP no matter how much he would later acquire from all the souls present. He had many plans and every single SP he saved was one more he had available for his use.
This is also enjoyable, I haven't had a chance to really flex my strength and show off my power.
Aleks chuckled beneath his mask. He was enjoying watching the werewolf struggle with all its might, much like a trapped beast.
"However, I shouldn't waste too much time here." Aleks muttered under his breath.
Although he hadn't hesitated to use his ability here due to the weakening of the authority of the gods in this place, he still needed to be somewhat wary. He knew it was only a matter of time before Tihr's minions found him and he still needed more strength before facing them. He would soon have that strength, and so he was in somewhat of a rush to acquire it.