Medusa rushed forward, slicing through the air as he charged toward the massive monster.
The ground beneath his feet cracked with every step. Broken stones scattered as his speed increased. A dark aura wrapped around his body, flickering like unstable flames.
Without hesitation, he raised his sword.
Black energy gathered around the blade.
Then—
He swung.
A sharp arc of darkness cut through the air and struck one of the monster's tentacles.
The massive limb was severed instantly.
For a brief moment, everything froze—
Then the cut tentacle fell.
"THAMMMMM—!"
It crashed into the ground with terrifying force, crushing buildings beneath it. Dust and debris exploded into the air, spreading across the battlefield like a storm.
Chunks of broken walls and shattered stone rained down.
Medusa didn't stop.
His eyes remained fixed on the monster.
He pushed forward again, preparing for another strike.
But before he could reach—
The monster's body suddenly twisted.
Then—
It tore itself open.
A deep, disgusting sound echoed as its flesh split apart.
From inside—
A thick, green gas burst out.
It rushed toward Medusa at high speed.
Before he could react, it surrounded him completely.
The gas spread in all directions, swallowing him in seconds.
Medusa's vision blurred.
His breathing became unstable.
"My… body…!"
His eyes burned.
His nose stopped working.
Even his sense of direction faded.
It felt like his body was being shut down piece by piece.
"This… is bad…"
He tried to move—
But his limbs felt heavy.
Slow.
Unresponsive.
At that exact moment—
The monster moved again.
From the torn opening in its body, it pulled out a massive lump of flesh.
It was still twitching.
Alive.
Without warning—
It hurled the mass straight at Medusa.
There was no time to dodge.
"—!"
Impact.
"THAMMMMM—!"
The force sent Medusa crashing straight into the ground.
The earth shattered beneath him.
A massive crater formed instantly, cracks spreading outward like a web.
Dust rose high into the sky.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
"Ahhh…!"
Medusa's voice came from within the crater.
His body was pinned down.
The lump of flesh had wrapped itself around him.
At first, it only covered part of his arm.
Then his chest.
Then—
It began spreading.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
"What… is this…?"
The flesh was warm.
Pulsating.
Alive.
It moved like it had a will of its own.
Medusa tried to tear it off.
He grabbed a portion and pulled.
It came off easily—
But the moment it detached—
More flesh grew in its place.
Even thicker than before.
"What the…?!"
He struggled harder.
Again and again—
He tried to remove it.
But every attempt only made it worse.
The flesh spread faster.
Wrapping around his torso.
His legs.
His arms.
It climbed up his neck—
Toward his face.
"No…!"
He pushed with all his strength—
But it was useless.
Within seconds—
His entire body was covered.
Completely sealed inside.
Then—
Suddenly—
It stopped.
The movement ceased.
The pulsation faded.
The flesh became still.
Lifeless.
Silent.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a dead mass.
No movement.
No sound.
Nothing.
Time passed.
A few seconds.
Then—
A faint twitch.
The surface shifted.
Then again.
And again.
Black smoke began leaking out from small cracks.
Thin at first—
Then thicker.
Darker.
The air around it grew heavy.
The monsters nearby turned their attention toward it.
One by one—
They started moving closer.
Slowly.
Cautiously.
As if drawn by something unknown.
The mass began expanding again.
This time—
Faster.
More aggressively.
It swelled outward, consuming everything around it.
Broken buildings.
Debris.
Even the ground itself seemed to be pulled into it.
The black smoke intensified.
It poured out like a burning furnace.
As if something inside was being reborn.
The closer the monsters came—
The more uneasy they became.
Their movements slowed.
Their instincts screamed at them to stop—
But something else kept pulling them forward.
Then—
It happened.
From the center of the mass—
A light appeared.
Black.
Dense.
Unnatural.
It grew rapidly.
Brighter.
Stronger.
Like a dark sun forming within the flesh.
The entire area trembled.
The ground shook violently.
Then—
A beam of black light shot upward.
Straight into the sky.
It pierced through the clouds, tearing them apart.
The sky itself seemed to split.
A deep rumbling sound echoed across the entire city.
The mass of flesh—
Caught fire.
Black flames erupted from its surface.
They spread quickly, covering everything.
The flames didn't flicker like normal fire.
They burned steadily—
Like something eternal.
Inside those flames—
A shape formed.
A shadow.
At first, it was unclear.
Just a vague outline.
But slowly—
It moved.
One step forward.
Then another.
Each step made the ground crack beneath it.
The aura around it grew heavier.
Denser.
More suffocating.
The monsters nearby instinctively stepped back.
Fear.
Pure, instinctive fear.
It spread among them like a wave.
Even the air felt different now.
Thicker.
Darker.
As if the world itself was rejecting what had just been born.
The black flames began to fade.
Slowly revealing the figure within.
A man.
No—
Something beyond that.
In his hand—
A black sword.
Dark flames wrapped around the blade.
His body was covered in black armor.
Smooth.
Shining.
Yet ominous.
His hair—
Longer than before.
Darker.
Wild.
His eyes—
Cold.
Deep.
Empty.
White vapor escaped from his mouth as he breathed.
Medusa stood there—
Reborn.
He slowly lifted his sword.
Pointed it forward.
At the monsters.
No words.
No hesitation.
Just intent.
In the distance—
The massive creature raised its head.
It let out a roar.
A deafening sound that echoed across the entire city.
Buildings shook.
Windows shattered.
The ground trembled once again.
The smaller monsters—
Their fear twisted into something else.
Their eyes turned a deeper shade of red.
Their hunger intensified.
Madness took over.
They no longer hesitated.
They charged.
Like beasts driven beyond reason.
Screaming.
Rushing toward Medusa from all directions.
Medusa didn't move immediately.
He took one step forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
He pulled his sword back.
The black flames around it intensified.
Energy gathered.
Condensed.
Then—
He swung.
A wave of black light exploded outward.
Wide.
Sharp.
Unstoppable.
It cut through the charging monsters instantly.
No resistance.
No delay.
Bodies split apart.
Falling in pieces before they could even understand what happened.
The attack continued forward—
Slicing through everything in its path—
Before finally fading into the distance.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The battlefield froze.
Nothing moved.
The monsters—
Gone.
Only remains scattered across the ground.
Medusa stood in the center.
Unshaken.
Unharmed.
He slowly lowered his sword—
Then rested it on his shoulder.
His gaze shifted forward.
Locked.
On the giant monster.
The real battle—
Had just begun.