Primar fear coursed through Hildebrant body and made him freeze as he observed the red lines of vessels expanding out from the wound he had made. It was like a nightmare coming true, changing his dreams into reality.

Such a thing made his heart race and his hands tremble.

He wished for nothing more than this to be just a dream and for him to wake up but the more he tried the more despair filled his chest.

The air left his lungs, his heart skipped a beat, and David, who noticed a change in his expression, stood up while his mind raced with multiple possibilities and answers, and brandished his Jian.

"What happened?"

His voice calmed Hildebrant down but also made him take a slow step back from the ever-growing crimson blood vessel that slowly devoured the flesh surrounding it and everything between.

He didn’t know how deep-rooted it was or when the creature was infected, but he hoped it was long ago.

"We need to go."

Hildebrant said and as his hand trembled, he took another step back but then flesh on crimson blood vessel parted and revealed a human eye that for a while shifted from side to side until it stopped when it landed on Hildebrant. The moment it noticed him it didn’t move, and its iris became smaller while multiple similar eyes began to open one after another.

Man, and monster stared at each other, each with their thoughts until another part of flesh infested with blood vessels parted.

"Hill? Is it you?"

The inhuman and unnatural voice came out of the hole that could be called a mouth and then it moved again.

"Is it really you?"

Hildebrant recognized the speaker, and his broken mind screamed at him to escape, to run away to never look back but he held himself back while watching as David slowly made his way closer with a serious expression. He didn’t make a sound but somehow the iris immediately rolled back as if trying to look at David who walked from the cowered side of the the ship.

"Who?"

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It asked frantically and then it began to roll on all sides.

"Who?"

"Who?"

"Who?"

Crimson eyes repeated, and the fleshly mouth opened one after another on different parts of the creature's body, filling the empty space with the sound of utter madness.

Cold sweat rolled down Hildebrant's back as he watched it with absolute despair but then he noticed David who signaled him something while remaining serious.

But what should he do? Was there even a way to survive this?

Gathering his bearing Hildebrant suppressed all his raging emotions and after pushing them all down and forcefully taking control of his body he straightened his back and kindly smiled after throwing a last glance at David's figure.

"There is no one other than me."

He said calmly almost whispering but blood vessels reacted almost immediately trembling as they heard his voice.

"Alone?"

The eyes stopped rolling and then again rolled back to gaze at him without blinking.

"Are you alone?"

Standing far away from the creature he killed David already had prepared his Jian, but Hildebrant brought his hands above his head to stop him from doing anything stupid. The blood vessels looked more like just bioproducts of Icarus's power. Destroying the part would do nothing other than make Icarus notice them but letting it alive was also not opinion.

"Are you sure?"

The eyes hoped for him to say no and betray David. They wished for his death and their hostility emitted from them in waves crushing against his body.

But Hildebrant without flinching and forcing up his smile answered with a serious tone.

"Do you doubt me?"

Iris shook with childlike fear.

"No…."

It whispered from of its many mouths and Hildebrant continued to come closer while the entire wooden ship began to tremble and then from behind the wood the flesh began to break lose, pushing itself into the gaps in the wood, drilling its way through or breaking the planks with its pure mass and fleshly form the blood vessel gave them.

The entire spectate would be phenomenal if not for David who before Hildebrant could even think was dragged into the mass of flesh by shifting skin and bones.

Leaving no scream behind Hildebrant stared at the place where David stood before, and he endured but even his body froze when the flesh hidden behind the wood broke away. With crimson eyes in the center, it began to revolve around it, shifting and changing until a giant maw of blood and flesh was formed.

"Come."

It's said and the blood vessels started to come out of a revolving whirlpool of flesh and blood and extended to the Hildebrant trying to drag him down into its harrowing glory with its tentacles surrounded by red and blue veins.

Their cold surface made the hair on his head stand up and clench his fists in frustration until blood came out, but Hildebrant nevertheless suppressed his desire to manifest his sword and let the tentacles slightly touch his face.

"Hill."

Came an affectionate voice but then tentacles froze.

One touching his cheek also stopped moving and perking his ears his lips could not help but grow when he heard the sound of cutting flesh entering his ear. That sound made his heart race and at the same time made his flames scream in excitement.

"Let there be light."

He then said and with a chuckle, Hildebrant spread his hands and with him in the middle, a sea of flames poured out of his body.