Chapter 57 - Demonic Amalgamations.

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[Adam C. POV]

Taking a step back, I examined my arm, noticing that a shade of creeping darkness was making its way up toward my shoulder, turning my skin a sickly tone of black, that crept along in a pulsating manner, filling my body with pain, like a disease throughout my veins.

I moved my hand a bit and felt a sharp jolt of pain shoot up my arm. It was then that I realized that the darkness was alive, moving with a will of its own.

It was an interesting technique.

An effective one at that.

But it wasn't enough to do anything worth worrying about.

Now that this... curse was within my body, I could feel it, and therefore, I could use my power to halt its progress.

Of course, the most effective solution would be to simply kill the user of this.

As I stood there, watching my body react to the curse, the two monsters moved forward, their grotesque forms twisted and writhed, in an unholy union of flesh, claws, and teeth.

The new monster lunged at me, a snarl escaping its misshapen mouth. However, as the beast was about to reach me, I moved, sidestepping its attack, before swinging my sword in an elegant arc, slicing through the abomination's neck with ease.

"It seems decapitation works just fine," I muttered, feeling as the pain that had been spreading on my arm began to fade, with my arm soon returning to its original color.

The first amalgamation roared, connecting the parts of his body I had cut, before taking a step forward, his body undulating as it charged towards me.

Shifting my weight, I took a step back, anticipating its attack, as my blade sang through the air, cutting deep into the creature's head, killing it in one shot.

"Are you alright Erza?" I asked, turning around to look at her, as the dark ichor of the monsters I had slayed dripped from my blade into the ground.

Erza nodded, a relieved, yet guilty expression appearing on her face. "Yes, I am. Thank you for your help." She paused and looked at the corpses of the monsters that lay around us. "It seems I have a long way to go."

"Don't worry. It's all part of the journey," I replied, smiling. "I mean, you cannot be expected to be the strongest from the start. But with time and effort, who knows?"

Erza nodded, beaming at me. "You're right! I'm going to take your advice and keep practicing!" she said determinedly.

I smiled, giving her a nod of approval. "That's the spirit."

"Do you think there are more... of those things around?" Erza asked nervously, her gaze scanning the darkness.

"I don't know," I said honestly, cracking my neck. "But, in my experience, that's usually the case."

"In that case, I shall be ready for the next one, I won't let you do everything by yourself!" Erza declared, her hands tightening on the hilt of her sword.

I smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Very well. Word of advice though, go for the head, these things seem to be resilient to most things."

From what I had gathered in my little fight with those things, their power was around her level, so as long as she wasn't overwhelmed in numbers, or made a dumb mistake, I had no doubt she could defeat them.

Erza nodded, her expression taking on a thoughtful tone. "I gathered that much... The first monster survived your initial attack, despite being cut in half... It wasn't until you cut their heads that you managed to kill them."

When nothing works, apply the zombie rule, and go for the head. That usually works, usually.

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The air grew colder and heavier as we ventured deeper into the abandoned temple, trying to find the artifact we had been sent to collect.

Like everything so far, the walls and floors were covered in a thick layer of moss, giving the ancient structure an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere as we moved through the dimly lit corridors, eventually noticing a subtle draft coming from one of the walls.

Intrigued, I inspected the area more closely and discovered a hidden mechanism.

"This is what I love about these places," I chuckled, winking at Erza before pushing the mechanism.

With a creaking sound, the concealed door swung open, revealing a narrow passage that led to a secret room. As we entered, I was met with a horrifying sight.

Several monstrous creatures like the ones I had fought were suspended in large glass tanks, filled with a murky, greenish liquid that kept them in a suspended state.

The abominations were grotesque amalgamations of various creatures, sewn together in an unholy manner. Each experiment even more disgusting than the last.

"Who would do such a thing..." Erza muttered, her eyes wide as she watched what I was seeing.

I couldn't blame her.

After all...

The sheer sight of them made my stomach churn, and I couldn't help but wonder what twisted mind had been responsible for their creation, there was no way Zeref was involved in this...

As much as he had done terrible things, he was good at his craft... this, this wasn't even close to his level.

"Who knows," I replied.

The walls of the lab were lined with shelves containing jars filled with dismembered body parts and preserved organs. There were also notebooks and scrolls scattered throughout the room, detailing the horrifying experiments that had taken place there.

It appeared as though the creator of these monstrosities had been driven by a dark obsession, fueled by a desire for power or perhaps a twisted curiosity.

As I continued to examine the room with Erza following close behind, I discovered a worn, leather-bound journal that seemed to belong to the lead scientist or perhaps even the mastermind behind these grotesque experiments.

The entries inside spoke of an insatiable desire to push the boundaries of life and death, to create powerful creatures that would obey their creator's every command.

At least at first...

Seeing the last few entries were written with a palpable sense of paranoia and fear as if the creator had begun to realize the dangerous nature of their work.

From what I could gather, it seemed that the monsters they had created had become increasingly difficult to control, and eventually, their violent tendencies had led to the abandonment of the lab and the temple itself.

I shuddered at the thought of the atrocities committed within this hidden chamber.

I sighed.

"It doesn't seem like the artifact is here," Erza muttered, and before I could reply, a violent hiss echoed through the lab, as a monstrous creature emerged from the shadows a few meters away, its grotesque form slithering into the dim light.

The creature was a nightmarish blend of various animals and human parts, stitched together with no regard for the natural order. Its eyes, filled with malice and hunger, locked onto me as it hissed again, baring its sharp, mismatched teeth.

Impressive.

It seemed this one was smart enough to know I was the biggest threat in the room, the other two seemed... less intelligent.

Oh well.

Time to see how well Erza performs in a fight with someone on her level.

"You said the next one was yours, so go ahead, I'll watch," I said, giving Erza a nod.

Erza nodded, taking a step forward. "I won't disappoint you!"

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[Erza Scarlet POV]

As the monster lunged toward me, I swung my blade with all my might, managing to strike it across the chest. The creature let out a pained screech, momentarily stunned by the blow.

Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward, sword raised high above my head, ready to end this fight like Adam had, however. Before I could do that, the creature reared back, its body undulating under my attack as its long legs kicked me away just in time to avoid any damage.

I gasped, twisting my body around in order to land on the ground without hurting myself.

I stood back up, intending to find some distance while I assessed the creature's fighting style, only to find that it had already recovered and lunged toward me.

I had to remember Adam's teachings.

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just me and my blade, moving as one!

As the creature lunged toward me, I gripped my blade tightly and prepared to defend myself. Its horrifying form and malicious gaze only served to strengthen my resolve. With a swift, powerful swing, I struck the monster, aiming for its most vulnerable spots.

The creature let out a guttural scream, as our attacks clashed, but no matter what, no matter how scared I was, I didn't hesitate, instead, I pressed forward with all my might, releasing a series of precise, targeted slashes.

The beast stumbled, weakened by my onslaught, and wasting no time, I seized the opportunity to deliver a final, decisive blow on its neck, cutting its head off before its body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, its lifeless form twitching one last time before going still.

"Impressive," Adam clapped, smiling at me with a proudful

"Thank you, Adam," I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

It seemed all my training had actually paid off... if only I had been able to show this prowess before when he had to fight two of these beasts alone because I was too... afraid to move.

Adam chuckled, walking closer to me. "Now, let's burn this place and move to the next room, the artifact is bound to be somewhere around here."