NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Embrace of the Dark Fluid
Within the deep pit, Nyxander's body clung to the pit wall, embedded a few inches deep, a brutal reminder of the Primordial Rhino's relentless assault. "Hmmm," he grunted, his voice thick with strain as he tightened his muscles, a wave of tension rippling through his massive frame. With a surge of strength, he freed his right hand, planting it firmly against the jagged surface. Slowly, he pried himself from the wall, his body falling free. His feet were barely steady on the ground when another massive fireball roared toward him like an unrelenting comet. It slammed into his chest, his limbs flailing as his back smashed into the wall behind, carving a gaping hole with violent precision.
"Mooorrrrrr...who," the eight Rhinoceroses bleated, their cries echoing mockery that vibrated through the pit, a symphony of arrogance. Nyxander's lips curled in a faint smirk, his voice gritty and low. "Hah...I can't relate, but I bet those beasts are having the time of their lives mocking me."
The leading Rhinoceros, eyes gleaming with malice, stepped forward, adjusting its stance. It unleashed a deceptive light beam, a dazzling ray streaking toward him. But Nyxander, unfazed, stretched his arms from the hollow he had created, his body now crackling with surges of Essentia energy. Planting his hands firmly against the wall, his legs bent slightly to avoid catching on the uneven surface, he propelled himself high into the air. He soared upward like an RPG fired from a tank, his body coiled with precision.
At the peak of his ascent, his hands clenched together, rising above his head in a unified hammer-like strike. He descended swiftly, a force of nature targeting the third beast from the right among the seven that stood behind. His clasped fists came down with devastating power, slamming onto the beast's skull. The impact resounded like a thunderclap splitting the heavens, driving the Rhinoceros's head into the ground with an unforgiving force. Its lower jaw shattered against the earth, and its abdomen crumpled shortly after, creating a storm of dust that swirled violently around the wreckage.
The remaining seven Rhinoceroses, once exuding an aura of arrogance, now radiated panic. Their movements grew frantic, their confidence shattered. The fourth beast from the right, closest to the fallen one, tried to attack in desperation. A light beam began to form at the tip of its horn, but before it could unleash its strike, Nyxander's right foot slammed into its head with unyielding precision. The redirected attack veered wildly, striking another Rhinoceros in its flank. The beam tore through its side, leaving a gaping, fatal wound as the beast crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The last Rhinoceros on his left launched a thunderclap from its horn, the bolt of lightning streaking toward Nyxander with electric fury. But he intercepted it mid-air, his right hand gripping the searing energy. "A wrong decision," he growled, his voice sharp with defiance. Pain surged through his hand, the lightning dancing along his arm in wild streaks, but he endured, his expression unflinching. "Trying to use thunder against me? Try again."
With a sudden burst of speed, he darted toward the beast, his movements a blur of power and precision. "Break Void Fist: Lightning Rift (Third Stage)," he roared, his voice booming through the pit as he slammed his electrified fist into the Rhinoceros's mouth. The impact was cataclysmic, splintering its skull and sending its lower jaw flying in fragments. The beast collapsed to the ground, its massive frame lifeless.
Now only five remained, their earlier bravado reduced to trembling unease. Nyxander turned toward his next target, his body coiled and ready for the next strike. But before he could move, another fiery blast surged from behind, an inferno of raw power that struck his back with unrelenting force. The impact lifted him off his feet, tossing him forward like a ragdoll tossed by unseen hands into a part of the pit cloaked by an abyss of shadows. His body slammed against the ground with a sickening thud, radiant energy still emanating faintly from his battered form, a flickering reminder of his unyielding spirit.
Nyxander, gasping heavily, felt his Essentia blood surging violently within him, as if it were a dam on the verge of breaking. It was then that a dark grey living fluid poured onto his chest, oozing like ink spilled from an overturned bottle. This fluid, sinister and alive, was the very reason behind the presence of the large number of Rehinoceros. They had been drawn to it, their hunger for the substance leading them to their untimely deaths, leaving their lifeless forms scattered across the battlefield.
Desperate to survive, the fluid had hidden within a hole in the pit wall, its unique ability masking its presence as it silently watched the chaos unfold. Now, its moment had come. The dark liquid began to spread across Nyxander's body, slithering like a serpent, wrapping itself around him from neck to toe. Realizing what was happening, Nyxander struggled to rise, but the transformation was relentless.
As the fluid enveloped him, it morphed into a dark grey suit, sleek and menacing. Around his wrists, the fabric turned white, contrasting sharply with the rest of the suit. A hood formed at the back, rising and falling over his head like a living shadow, while a mask shaped itself across his face, covering his nose and mouth. Only his eyes remained visible, their light shimmering with a fierce lightning glow that seemed to pierce the very soul of the darkness.
Suddenly, a surge of energy erupted from his body, a blinding burst of lightning that shot into the sky, shattering the darkness above. The once-gloomy pit was illuminated in brilliant flashes, the storm of light cutting through the shadows like a blade. The radiant force struck everything in its path, the walls, the ground, boring marks on them and the dead beasts, reducing them to rubble. The air was filled with a thundering noise of moving stone; fragments lifted by the tornado of wind and light cast them around.
Amid this display of cataclysm, Nyxander's body began to transform: his form expanded, muscles stretching and growing; his presence became colossal, unrelenting. The earth shook beneath him as he rose, his towering frame stopping at an awe-inspiring 22 feet tall. He stood like a titan reborn, his dark grey suit rippling with power, the lightning still crackling around him in defiance of the chaos.