He pulled his hand away, begrudgingly giving up on freeing Charlotte in the moment as he followed her words, instead flicking his dagger above the river of vines.
["Blade Warp"] [Mana: -100] [1400/3000]
It brought him a few meters into the air, though truly bringing him nowhere but just above the forest of rampaging thorns. That small moment was all he needed; his gaze locked onto the Old King, who was unable to be seen from amidst the vines before–
["Blink Slash"] [2:59]
Crossing the distance in an instant, he arrived directly behind the hollow figure, having dragged his blades across his left side. It was a shallow wound, though enough to disrupt the continuous spell being cast by the Old King, who quickly turned to face the assassin.
"--Replication," Finn said with focus as his eyes met with the silver gaze of the giant.
["Blink Slash"] [2:59]
It was used to move himself perhaps a single step away, bringing the edge of his blackened blade across the eyes of his enemy. Compared to the steel-like skin of the Old King, it was far too easy to destroy his eyes, leaving a spat of blood to leak as the hollow figure let out a groan.
–A successful attack, however, before his boots could return from the short hop required to reach the giant's eyes, he found himself not landing.
"Ungh–?!"
Both of the mighty arms of the husk wrapped around his body, bringing him into an embrace pressed up against the unbreaking body. He attempted to move, though the strength of the hollow king was superior to his own, immediately feeling a tortuous pressure on his bones as the arms squeezed him.
Kicking his boots didn't help, nor did attempting to overpower the hold as it simply clamped down harder. It felt as though the jaws of a beast closed in on his spine, gnawing on it intensely.
"Nnngh...!" Finn struggled, gasping out in pain.
While doing his best to resist, he did everything in his power to slip his arms closer to his body, though it resulted in the grip becoming tighter, squeezing down on him like a fruit being juiced. It brought a tear to his eye from the sheer pain placed on his bones, but he moved his arms nonetheless, bringing his palms directly against the body of the giant.
["Touch of Rot"]
The flesh of the giant sizzled while he felt the hold on his spine continue further. It was a contest of chicken, though one where neither could give up. Blood seeped from the gash on his face, leaking from his lost eye as his ears rang, only focusing on keeping his hands against the husk's body.
As his bones were compromised, cracking from the pressure, his fingers sank deeper past the flesh that was melting from the king. He spat blood from his lips while the hold tightened before finally–it was let go.
The husk had enough of it, falling to its knees as the abdomen of the Old King was left decayed, further chained down by the true consciousness restricting its movements. In that moment, Finn's mind was focused solely on survival, stumbling forward as his fractured spine tried to bring him down.
He placed his right hand against the center of the keeled-over giant's chest, having to use that position to keep himself upright as he continued what he set to do–
["Touch of Rot"]
"Raaaaagh–!" The Old King let out in pain.
"Nnngh!" Finn struggled, feeling his consciousness flickering with the loss of blood and likely his internal organs left battered.
"Doesn't look too appetizing," Jasper said, rolling the precious fruit in his palm.
"It feels juicy enough to me," Nova remarked, excitedly sniffing it.
"Do you really think it'll work? It sounds too good to be true, honestly," Charlotte asked, looking down at the yield from the tree.
"Only way to know is to try," Finn said.
With each of them holding their fruits, they looked at one another before each taking a bite in unison. The moment he sank his teeth into the fruit, the juices within it filled his mouth.
It was somewhat sour, with a sweetness that made it taste more akin to a cherry candy than a fruit. As he swallowed it, a riveting sensation emitted through his body.
Like a million volts of electricity coursing their way into his body, a transcendent experience took hold of him for that moment. That elation was quickly switched to pain as his body cramped and his bones ached, fluctuating from pain to pleasure.
[Experience points: +1,500,000]
[Level fifty reached!] [100/200000]
[New Skill(s) Obtained: "Cooldown Reset" | "Blackout" | "Multitask" | "Wraith Flame" | "Flicker" | "Shadow Realm" | "Abyssal Agent" | "Ripper" | "Phantom Piercer" | "Mortal Mana"]
"Eleven levels...?" Finn muttered in shock, blinking as the overwhelming sensations faded.
Such an extreme ascension made him completely aware of just how fundamentally his physiology had been altered. An abundance of strength was felt flowing through his body, like an overcharged battery.
[Charlotte] [Level: 48]
[Jasper] [Level: 49]
[Nova] [Level: 48]
He looked at the others, checking as their levels had skyrocketed as they adjusted to the evolution as well, with Nova struggling a bit more as she spat out.
"...Uegh, what was that feeling–?" Jasper groaned for a moment, shaking his head as he caressed his helmet.
"My head is spinning...but it worked, didn't it? My level shot up," Charlotte said, using the tree to lean against.
"This power–it's incredible," Nova said as she straightened herself out with a certain glint of greed in her eyes, looking at her hands.
Finn watched the bard, who took a few steps towards the mystical tree before she suddenly lunged towards a branch like a wild animal.
"Hey–!" Finn shouted, reaching out. "What're you doing?--"
There was no reasoning with the eccentric girl once she had her mind set on something, holding the fruit she grabbed in both hands like a precious jewel, "Isn't it obvious? This stuff gave us power! The more we eat, the stronger we'll get! Eat enough of it, and we might be able to survive all of this crazy crap...! We can sleep soundly!"