The voice was filled with curiosity and tenderness Hildebrant did not know where it came from. But from anywhere it came it filled him with nothing but fear and unwillingness to die.

There was something in the back of his head telling him that even if he wanted it was impossible to escape and it really was.

Icarus was not just fast, strong, and dangerous. He was also bizarre and revolting and as the being before him slowly moved its twisted body and used its numerous legs to pin down and then absorb flesh through the blood vessels that already glued themselves into the bodies of the deceased, Hildebrant chest was beginning to be filled with fear and nothing other than fear.

Even more of it filled him when bodies of blood demons in the vicinity disappeared, sucked into Icarus's body, and turned into nutrients that flowed through pulsing blood vessels into Icarus's flesh like blood, slowly filling him up.

For what did he need these things?

As Icarus moved closer his face also became infinitely more defined continuing to stare at him while its legs smashed on the floor leaving the Hildebrant heart contracting becoming smaller and then bigger.

What is happening?

Fear coursed through him like blood but the smile on his face did not stop growing and the strength coming with it also did not stop flowing. It was a soothing pleasure of power that overlapped with his flames but right now it did bring nothing other than fear of the unknown.

His hand was still on the medallion, his fingers trying to get it out while faceless face kept getting closer.

The monkey hand of crimson flesh landed next to his body and then the face of the faceless being lowered itself down, staring into his face as if it wanted to bore a hole into his head and soul.

His hand stopped moving.

His heart skipped a beat.

His blood stopped flowing.

The air lost all its heat.

Hildebrant smile trembled and his eyes froze in place. He did not dare to avert them from the being fearing what would happen if he didn’t watch its every movement from start to finish.

But Icarus didn’t move.

The only thing that moved were blood vessels that filled the entire tunnel, cowered all walls, devoured all water, and drilled even into the ground. They ate everything from dead bodies to the blood on the floor and in no time, they turned surrounding crimson absorbing and refining everything that touched them and pushing it back into Icarus's body.

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"Hill."

Icarus's tender voice sounded but all it did was intensify fear in Hildebrant heart.

Extreme pressure fell on his shoulder that made it hard to move and breathe but his faceless face continued to stare as watched blood vessels slowly crawling up his legs and drilling into his skin, staring at his face that was corroded by despair.

Hildebrant wanted to run, to run as far away as he could but when his body moved his instinct took over and what moved were not his legs but his hand.

First, his muscles stretched, second, his fingers came together, third his elbow and shoulder became one and then flames in his body roared and poured into his fist. His blood boiled and fear that kept flowing in his veins exploded with fury, anger, and unwillingness to surrender.

All the flames in his body kept pouring into his hand, making it shine like a sun, lighting it up and its surroundings with it.

It was the first time he found out his flames had limits because as flames from his body poured into his hand there stayed nothing to support his body other than that weird power coming from his smile.

Under the fear and fury, all strength coming from him was poured into his fist that shot to Icarus's face.

Before it could even land entire hand, flesh, and blood evaporated. Even his shoulder began slowly turning into dust, but he still could feel his hand which was created from pure fire rising to strike Icarus's face.

His fist touched the flesh.

And then...

….it exploded.

Blood spouted out and Icarus's face was pushed back contracting and deforming under unbelievable heat.

Frozen Hildebrant just observed as Icarus fell on the floor and twisted his giant body while holding its face that kept pouring out weird sounds.

It was something between painful groats and screech of insects.

The sight was stunning and unbelievable but when Hildebrant finally woke up intense pain assaulted him and when he looked down his right hand was gone. Where the hand should be was now a hollow space with burned flesh slowly falling on the ground.

Grinding his teeth Hildebrant tried to stand up but before he could one of the spider legs that hovered above turned into a hand and pushed him onto the floor, while Icarus who kept twitching and rolling still controlled his body to stand up and then twisted the way the faceless face would look right into his own.

If not for the fact he knew Icarus had no face he would think he wanted to steal his.

"What was it?"

Icarus sounded confused and even as he kept touching his face his body did not stop wiggling. There was something on him that was telling him he could not believe what just happened and as his abomination centipede and spider body twisted it became even more appalling from his voice.

"WHAT WAS IT?!"

He shouted but Hildebrant had no energy to move or even talk.

All his flames were gone, and his body was now hollow as an autumn tree.

There was nothing but one small amber that began to grow with almost speed and power. It flickered and then began to fill him but while it was gone another unknown type of power began to course through his veins more clearly.

Unknown strength coming from his chest flowed into amber and made it grow faster and stronger the more time passed but even as flames began to again fill his body Icarus already held him tight and its faceless face was just a millimetre away from him.

But it was no longer the same one he knew, now at the center of the face there was a small crack letting crimson light fall on Hildebrant's face.

Before Hildebrant could observe more Icarus caressed his cheek and then said.

"Sleep."

Second later Icarus gripped him even tighter and blood that flowed through giant hand fingers turned into blood vessels that burrowed into his flesh.

Without the protection of his flames, they quickly touched upon his bones and began to devour his organs.

There was a moment before they touched his brain and at that moment knowing it was his defeat he genuinely smiled and with that smile small ember pushed everything it had into his brain before comforting darkness consumed his mind and soul.