The [Hero] takes a step back, locked in a battle of raw power with the [Demon King] and his heavy sword. Their weapons grind against each other, bright sparks jumping out from the point of contact. She feels a creak in the lower part of her dominant arm that holds onto her own loyal sword.
Both are struggling for the advantage, but their power seems about equal. No, not quite. The [Demon Lord] slowly but surely seems to push the [Hero] to her limits. Both know who will win in an extended fight, so a vile grin appears on his face. The Human woman retreats another step as a strand of her golden hair sways before her vision.
"Fine, have at it then"
She relaxes her fingers and lets the [Holy Sword] fall out of her hands. The [Demon Lord] stumbles forward from the unexpected loss of resistance and makes a face the young woman would find too funny under any other circumstances. But there's too much at stake in this battle, so she doesn't lose a second taking a short-sword and a dagger from the hulls on her hips. She spins the dagger in her hand and rams it into the forward-falling [Demon Lord], jumping to the side the second she feels the blade enter his flesh. She lands on one knee, supporting her balance with a now free hand on the ground which makes for an incredibly badass pose on accident.
The [Demon Lord] releases an agonized cry before it slowly transforms into an evil laughter. The dagger then separates from his body as if pulled by an invisible hand and splashes to the ground with black blood following it. A second later, the wound begins to close already
"That was infused with Holy Elements you fucking Monster!" the [Hero] shouts and dashes forward, taking out another dagger from the straps on her thigh to once more fill both hands.
"Foolish Human!" the [Demon Lord] laughs "Do you really think you can defeat me with the [Infinity stone] in my hands?! It´s useless! Your puny resistance is futile! Soon enough the whole world will be Mine"
"Shut the fuck up!"
The [Demon Lord's] sword disintegrates into thousands of fragments in the air and is replaced by a scythe that has a dark aura shimmering around it. The [Hero] doesn't care though. She will stop him, no matter the cost, even if it costs her her life. The [Demon Lord] opens his eyes in surprise to the [Hero] charging him without any care for defense. Without realizing, he cuts his scythe deep into her body, but at the same time her two weapons sink deep into his own flesh. He spits blood, this time actually feeling the pain inflicted to him. The [Hero] is willing to give everything. She reaches out her hand and rams it into the [Demon Lord's] body
"Arrgh"
His [Heart] is grabbed and pulled out into the fresh daylight.
"You! What have you done! Give it... back!"
"As if! Without the [Infinity Stone]... you will lose your Power. Even if not by my hand... you will be defeated by my successor... mark my words asshole"
The [Hero] can´t hold out much longer. She feels her legs trembling, her breathing roughening. The [Demon Lord's] scythe was a mightier weapon than she thought, filled with all the dark magicks that she believed were lost in ancient times. Even the highest grade [Potion] wouldn´t be able to save her now. But that doesn´t stop her from accomplishing her mission. She takes out a Scroll - [The Scroll of Wild Waters] - and wraps the [Demon Lord´s] Heart, the [Infifnity Stone], inside before activating it. The Scroll shines a brilliant white, so bright that both the [Hero] and [Demon Lord] have to squint their eyes, before Teleporting the Object away and incinerating to dust immediately after.
"You fucking Bitch!!"
"Hehe... your might is now in the ocean waters. Even you couldn´t explore the deep waters to the fullest, even less with your now weakened state. You will never find it. It´s... My Victory!" the [Hero] laughs before her body slumps against her arch nemesis, drawing her final breath.
"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Fuck!"
The [Hero´s] dead eyes have stopped on the [Demon Lord´s] panicked, fury erupting face. An appropriate final sight for the Human. Even if she lost her life, she truly won the battle.
-- -- --
A single Cephalopod - A Creature between Squid and Octopus of sorts, fairly weak but possessing an infinite lifespan - finds itself swimming in the deep midst of dangerous waters. It doesn't know how it got here, when did it swim out from its natural habitat and was separated from its school?
The sunlight falling from above is almost completely consumed by the bottomless ocean. It´s dark, but the creature´s eyes can still see, and its body feels the subaquatic pressure increase with every stroke from its limbs. A dampened soundwave alarms it of the near dangers. Yet, far and wide, there appear no other signs of life. For now...
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It has been on the run for multiple days now, slowly but surely it feels the final strands of energy leaving its body. The Monsters around here are nothing like it used to know. Larger, fiercer, hungrier. Worse, it itself hasn't eaten anything since it opened eyes in this unfamiliar place. There aren´t any fish smaller than it, no crabs no clams no snails, not even subaquatic plants. There´s Nothing it could survive on.
Maybe it should try to feed on sand or stones? Its body did have especially tough digestion. Maybe it would be able to gain some nutrients out of it.
Of course, that wouldn't work. But this is how far its reasoning and logic – if it even possessed any – had fallen from the maddening hunger haunting the small creature.
As the chances to live through yet another day looked meek, something unexpected happened. A blinding white light explosively emerged in the near distance. Not good. The Cephalopod knew that there were monsters who lured in prey with such tricks, and it also knew to immediately flee and make itself look small if it wanted to be spared. Its little tentacles gave it their all to immediately propel in the opposite direction from the dangerous light. But after just a few weak strokes, they wouldn't listen anymore.
Having been starving for days, it was missing the energy to even move its body through the water, something that's otherwise as usual as breathing.
Would it die here? Is that really all its life has amounted to?
Apparently not
The next moment there was a strong smell of blood quickly spreading through the waters. It came from where the light was. Blood always meant that the creature was wounded and in a weakened state, it would make for easy prey. A chance.
With that, the small brain within the starving creature's soft skull secreted an incredible amount of emergency-power, stronger even than the adrenaline from its prior attempt of 'escape,' and its limbs began moving again. Slowly they carried it toward the light. It wasn't as bright anymore as in the beginning, but still clearly distinguishable in the darkness. As the creature closed in, it saw the light being pulsed through the water by a small object in its center, almost like blood was pulsed through the body by a heart.
It was lucky to reach it before the smell could spread far enough for any other creatures to come. It somewhat looked like a stone, but it was without a doubt cloaked in blood, meaning it could be eaten.
The Cephalopod stretches out all of its eight tentacles and covers the food with its body, everything within started working hard on digestion as fast as it was able to
---
Warning: [Unknown Object] detected. Identification not possible. Not compatible.
The creature noticed that the object was incredibly hard, like a stone. Maybe it really was a stone? But it didn´t care, rather it gave its all to consume the only thing that could potentially be food in a hundred miles´ radius
---
Warning: Detected Attempt at forcefully Absorbing [Unknown Object].
Danger-Level: Tremendous
Advice: Seize Attempt Immediately
Something happened to the Cephalopod that it experienced for the first time in its life. It began Sweating. Its body shouldn't be able to do so, but it did anyway. And yet, the creature didn't give up. It felt like if it didn't eat this right now, it would die. So it pushed its body beyond limits
---
Warning: Procedure has not been Stopped, continuing Absorption
Condition: Be not blessed by the Goddess of Light
Condition cleared!
Integrating [Infinity Stone].
Necessary Level for Risk-Free Integration: 223897
Individual´s Level: 1/1
The difference in Level will be compensated by choosing a random Negative Effect of Level: 223897
Random Effect Chosen: Attribute [Age]
providing the difference in number (223897) to the user (in Years)
Path: If provided number exceeds the Average [Age] of [Species], it will result in death
Path: If provided number does not exceed the [Average Age] of [Species], Integration will be successful.
Average Number of [Age]: Ꝏ
Integration Successful!
Hidden Condition cleared!
Hidden Condition: Chosen Attribute [Age] exceeds Necessary Level for Risk-Free Integration by: 1000000 (One Million) Units
[Infinity Stone] will not be Integrated, but fully Absorbed
Fusion with body in process, please wait...
All of a sudden, the hard stone inside the Cephalopod´s mouth melted like a sugar candy. It won! It won the battle! I´ve won!
Huh? I? What's happening?
---
Fusion with [Infinity Stone] Successful!
[Hidden Reward] obtained!
[Hidden Reward] obtained!
[Hidden Reward] obtained!
[Hidden Reward] obtained!
[Hidden Reward] obtained!
Extreme Warning: Executing Body-Adjustment
[Humanoid Pursuit] has been successfully Implemented!
Individual is not Named
Providing Name: [Mari]
Multiple Rewards will be provided:
Reward: Level-Cap Elevated!
Number of Elevation: Surplus in difference of needed [Average Age] and actual [Average Age]
Level 1/1 → Level 1/Ꝏ
Level-Cap Removed!!
Reward: Appropriate [Unique Skill] will be provided
Skill: [[Life-Essence Administrator]] has been obtained!
You are now able to see [Life-Essence] as a fixed number. You are the sole individual that has full control over [Life-Essence].
Sub-Skill: [Life-Essence Plunderer] has been derived!
You are now able to absorb [Life-Essence] from anything that possesses [Life-Essence].
Unconsciousness. That´s what´s happening.