Chapter 88 The Giant Hiding In The Dark

On the Monster's face, a wide smile.

A weak cry was let out by a Corrupted Dark Elf whose leg had just been cut off.

With nothing but mayhem on its mind, the Monster ran through the field of Corrupted Dark Elves, cutting arms, legs, and heads off.

"That's good. Really good!"

The Fire Spirit watched over both the field and the Monster running through it.

"Just like that guy... Letting it all out... Truly..."

His eyes shone brightly.

"Without care or second thought... Just moving... Instinctively... Freely..."

Above all, Spirits adore freedom.

The flames that made up his body started moving through the crowd at high speed.

"But you should know when enough is enough." The Fire Spirit said while approaching.

He arrived in front of the Monster.

And the Monster stopped moving.

"Time to stop. If you don't want it to be your last, that is." The Fire Spirit reproached.

The Monster turned its head away and launched its body towards its next target.

"You can't hear me, huh? Lucky you. Means you're having a great time, aren't you?"

The Monster used the sheer difference in weight and power to placate a Corrupted Dark Elf to the ground.

"Am I supposed to stop you or something? Get your shit together. You're bleeding all over."

The Monster sank its teeth into the neck of the helpless crying enemy.

Warm blood went down its sharp fangs.

"You're having a great time..." The Fire Spirit whispered to himself while the Monster moved away.

Without a care, the Monster moved on to the next.

"Right?"

The Spirit wondered.

***

Mark opened his eyes.

'Ugh... What is... Huh... What... Where...?'

All he found around him was darkness.

'What... Happened?' Mark thought to himself.

No matter how much he tried to, Mark couldn't see a thing through the darkness. Not even his own body.

The darkness around him seemed boundless.

Infinite.

'Where am I? Did I pass out? What's-'

Mark recalled earlier events.

'I was fighting against those... I devoured the Berserker... Then...'

Mark moved his head from right to left, even though he knew that nothing could be seen on either side.

A simple realization put him at ease.

It wasn't the first time he was experiencing something of the sort.

'Darkness everywhere... A dream, huh? Just like then...? So I'm asleep? Or passed out I should say. How? The only times this has happened was during my Evolutions. Did I Evolve all of a sudden or something? I didn't choose an Evolution option. Can't be that then. But I've never passed out in any other scenario-'

Something was amiss.

'Hm. Wouldn't make sense. Then, did I run out of Endurance Points and pass out? Possible. I've never run out before, but passing out seems like a logical... Huh. Might be but...No? After devouring the Berserker, it felt like my Endurance had become endless... Was it just an impression or something? An effect of the Skill?'

Mark shook his head.

"What could it be other than those two...? Why would I be dreaming if-'

Something was strange.

'Huh? How can this be a dream... When my mind and thoughts are this clear-'

The next second, the darkness around Mark's body stretched out.

As if a darker shadow existed within the darkness he was plunged in.

Loud frenzied laughter resonated.

The darkness around him took form.

'Huh-'

Squeeze-

Something had gotten a hold of Mark.

He wasn't sure when it had happened.

Mark lowered his gaze.

He realized that he could, now, see his body.

But that seemed insignificant.

Something was squeezing his body.

Tightly.

The shadow holding him became a bit clearer.

'What is... What the hell is-'

A hand.

A hand made of darkness itself.

Barely visible.

The outline of bursting veins could barely be spotted.

The naked eye could barely detect the hand's presence.

But there was no denying that it was there, squeezing Mark's body.

Tightly.

Almost furiously.

Mark could feel it.

He could feel the space around him get tighter.

But somehow, it didn't hurt.

Mark's heartbeat increased.

The hand was grabbing him from the chest down.

His arms were free.

And so, Mark clenched his fists. He slammed them down the darkness around him.

'What the hell is-'

The next second, something caught his attention.

Something in front of him.

The distance separating him and the "thing" couldn't be measured. Not even estimated.

It seemed to be miles and miles away. But at the same time, a couple of feet away.

The darkness compressed.

Condensed itself.

Darkness gathered into a single point.

After a couple of seconds, a blinding light sprung forth.

Into that single point, so much darkness had been condensed, that it started shining.

It radiantly shone. Golden.

As if unable to keep the light compressed, that point suddenly expanded.

It took form.

Mark's hand shook.

Through the darkness, a golden eye stared at him.

With great interest, it stared.

Curiously.

'The fuck is this supposed to be?'

The surreal experience left Mark bewildered.

The eye stared.

And Mark stared back.

But after a bit, he lowered his gaze and slammed his fists on the hand holding his body once more.

'LET... GO!'

Mark wanted to free himself.

But, more than that, he wanted to escape that eye's gaze.

The eye looked at each of Mark's body parts.

Slowly, meticulously, as if it craved them.

It stared at his body.

Almost lecherously.

Greedily.

Frenzied laughter resonated, and darkness stretched below the wide-open golden eye.

Was it below? Once again, distances were difficult to estimate.

Fangs.

Some pointed up.

Others pointed down.

Dozens on each side.

More? It was unclear.

Mark's heart started racing.

He contracted every muscle in his body.

Moved every limb.

But the darkness holding him stood firm.

The jaw of darkness opened and closed repeatedly.

Like a broken bear trap,

Clang-

Clang-

CLANG-

Mark took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He tried to calm himself.

He told himself that it was a nightmare, just like any other.

That it wasn't real.

That, in truth, the situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed.

That, in truth, he wasn't as incapable and defenseless as he seemed to be.

Mark's claws sank into the hand holding him hostage.

Was he trying to free himself? Or was it simply a reaction induced by the stress and pressure?

Between the many fangs of darkness, something emerged.

A tongue.

Large and long, it, eagerly, moved forward until mere inches separated it from Mark.

His eyes were forced open.

Lick-

The tongue returned to its place, before licking the many fangs around it, anointing them with the sticky drool it seemingly secreted.

Ravenously.

Hehehe-

Gluttonously.

'The fuck you laughing at?'

Unable to do a thing, it seemed cursing was all he could do.

The rows of teeth moved.

They curled up.

The golden eye's stare changed.

An idea.

'System?'

No answer.

'Nia...?'

As if "they" could hear Mark's thoughts,

Squint-

Hehehe-

The three entities seemed to, at first, be separate.

But maybe that wasn't the case.

'So you can hear me, whatever the fuck you are?'

They might have been, instead, part of a larger entity.

In the infinite darkness, seemed to reside a Giant.

A Giant, whose eye, mouth, and hand, were the only detectable body parts.

***

"My Lord!" Levi shouted as he arrived at the Monster's side.

With his back against the Monster's, he prepared to fight off the numerous enemies.

"It was magnificent, my Lord. But now is the time to flee. They've thrown their bows. Flying would no longer-"

BAM-

Levi's body was launched away by a spinning back fist.

A spinning back fist that was as powerful as it was sudden.

Blugh-

Blood went down Levi's nose and mouth.

Dizziness overtook him.

He struggled to get on his knees.

Levi couldn't wrap his head around the current situation.

ROAR-

Dizzy and puzzled, a whisper left Levi's mouth.

"My... Lord?"

It only took an additional couple of seconds for him to understand.

The Lord seemed to be somewhere else.

But then, who was it, that was currently fighting?

Who was it, that he had to protect?