Magus Supremacy

CRACKLE!

BOOM!

The sound of something crackling filled the air, jolting Grey awake. His eyes shot open just in time to see Thalos take a step back. A deafening boom echoed through the room as a dozen lightning arrows surged forth, crackling with raw energy.

Before Thalos could even raise its sword, the barrage struck, smashing into it with tremendous force and hurling the gargoyle backward. Its heavy body slammed into the ground, creating a crater upon impact.

"Wh... what is this? Wh... what is happening to me?" Grey gasped, staring at his hand, then at his body. Lightning was dancing all over him, crackling violently. His body pulsed with a strange energy, slow and ominous, as though something ancient had awakened inside him.

"Li... lightning? What is this? What's going on?" he whispered, still confused, as his eyes remained on the shimmering sparks rippling around his limbs.

He didn't have long to think because Thalos twitched, then began to rise again. Its sword was clenched tightly in one hand, and its crimson eyes gleamed with curiosity. A twisted smile slowly spread across its rocky face.

Thalos gave a small nod, as though acknowledging something unspoken, and pointed its sword directly at Grey.

Gritting his teeth, Grey pushed himself up from the ground, his muscles screaming in protest. Every cell in his body felt like it was burning.

"I don't care what this is," Grey growled, glaring at the gargoyle, a fierce hatred in his gaze. "But as long as it helps me defeat you... then let's go!"

BANG!

BANG!

Two thunderous bangs echoed across the chamber as both Grey and Thalos moved simultaneously. In a blur of motion, they clashed in the center of the hall.

The gargoyle's massive sword was already arcing upward from the ground, tearing through the marble flooring in a destructive sweep toward Grey.

Concentrating harder, Grey summoned all the Ki he could muster. It swirled furiously around his hand, mixing with the lightning in a dazzling display.

With a roar, he met the sword with a punch cloaked in crackling energy. The collision shook the entire room, and although it sent Grey skidding back a few inches, he managed to stop the blade.

But before he could fully regain his footing, he caught a blur of movement—Thalos' stone-like fist hurtling toward his face.

CRACK!

"Kuk!" Grey coughed, blood spraying from his mouth as the punch landed cleanly, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. Before he could hit the ground, Thalos was already upon him, sword swinging viciously from the side.

"Damn it!" Grey shouted, slamming his hand into the ground. A surge of lightning exploded outward in arcs that raced along the floor toward Thalos.

The gargoyle leapt high into the air, avoiding them completely. But that gave Grey just enough time to scramble away.

Now standing two meters from the creature, Grey's breathing was ragged. His chest heaved, ribs aching with every inhale. Even breathing had become a chore.

'Shit! My energy's fading fast. I don't have much time left. I need to end this... now.'

With a burst of speed, Grey charged forward, his body flickering like a bolt of lightning. In a blink, he was in front of Thalos, fist surging forward to strike. But the gargoyle dodged effortlessly, leaping back as Grey's fist punched only air.

'Damn it!' was the only thought Grey could form when Thalos suddenly appeared again, this time much closer. Its sword swung at breakneck speed toward his neck. He barely had time to widen his eyes.

Refusing to go down like that, Grey reacted on instinct. He leapt back a meter, narrowly dodging the blade. It whooshed through the air, grazing his cheek and drawing a line of blood.

He didn't even feel it. He couldn't afford to.

Another deadly swing came for his neck. He pivoted sharply on one foot, avoiding it by a hair's breadth. With a snarl, he charged forward again and slammed his fist into Thalos' neck with a thunderous crack. The impact pushed the gargoyle back—only an inch.

'Damn it! This is the second time I've landed a clean hit and it just shrugs it off like nothing!'

As if enjoying the exchange, Thalos grinned wider. It stepped forward—and vanished. In a blink, it was in front of Grey again, sword slicing horizontally in a blur.

"Curses," Grey hissed as the lightning around him flared wildly. He leapt backward, narrowly dodging once more.

Or so he thought.

Plop.

The sound was subtle, but unmistakable. Something wet and heavy hit the floor, splashing in a pool of blood.

Grey's breath caught. His eyes slowly drifted downward.

There, lying lifelessly on the ground, was a hand—cleanly severed. A horrible chill washed over him.

No. Not just any hand.

His hand.

The only good one he had left.

His gaze darted to his side, to where his hand used to be. Now, only a bleeding stump remained. Blood poured from it in torrents, like a gruesome waterfall.

"No…" Grey whispered, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Now tell me, how do you want to fight without both of your hands?" Thalos said, his grin widening even more, causing Grey to stare in shock.

'Wait! It can speak?! The others weren't able to speak, but this one can?!'

"Tell me, human, how do you plan to survive? Can you even survive? Do you still think you have any hope of surviving? There's none. So why don't you just do us both a favor and give up? Let me end this quickly," Thalos said, flicking its sword to the side, sending Grey's blood flying off the blade.

"I will have you know," Grey said, taking a stance, his feet shoulder-width apart, eyes burning with rage and intensity, and so did the lightning that now crackled fiercely around his legs.

The wind in the room howled with ferocity, reacting to Grey's building energy as he grit his teeth harder.

"I was a fool to want to give up earlier," Grey said, his voice firmer, more resolved, which caused the gargoyle to raise a stony eyebrow. "I forgot the saying that goes: when there's life, there's hope. And I was just about to throw my life away?!

No! That was pathetic, cowardly, and weak of me. Which is why I must survive! I will survive! Yami needs me. The Cromwell family needs me. I don't know what troubles your former master faced or what darkness swallowed him whole...

But if it managed to take him down, then I fear for the Cromwell family, which is why… cut my arms and I will fight you with my feet. Cut my feet and I will fight you with my tongue. Cut that too, and I will fight you with my rod!" Grey roared, crouching low before bursting forward with immense speed.

Thalos was caught unaware at first. Grey suddenly leapt from the ground, unleashing a roundhouse kick towards the gargoyle's head. But Thalos reacted just in time, raising its sword to block the blow.

The impact sent it skidding several inches backward, its stony feet dragging along the floor, and for a moment, it looked genuinely surprised.

"As long as I still have breath, water, blood, and air coursing through my veins and body, I will defeat you, defeat my foes, defeat my enemies and anyone who dares to stand in my path. I will rise to the top!" Grey screamed, his voice raw with fury and purpose, and for the first time, a small smile curled Thalos' stone lips.

In a flash, Grey leapt again, spinning rapidly through the air, Ki flaring around his body. The wind screamed around him, lightning coiling and dancing across his legs as he hurled himself at Thalos like a storm made flesh. The gargoyle stared at the sight in confusion, clearly thrown off by the technique.

"Lightning Fanged Tornado Kick!" Grey roared, whipping his hip around, releasing a devastating roundhouse kick toward Thalos. The gargoyle managed to bring its sword up again, just in time to block—

BANG!

BOOM!

A tremendous gust of wind shaped like a spiraling tornado erupted from Grey's leg, laced with violent lightning. The explosion slammed into the sword, hurling Thalos across the room like a ragdoll.

It crashed into the wall with a thunderous rumble, shattering stone and sending chunks flying before crumbling down. Thalos slid to the ground with a sickening thud, motionless.

Grey landed hard but immediately fell to his knees. Blood still poured from his severed arms, his breathing ragged, vision dimming rapidly.

"Damn it... I... I... I won? I actually won?" he muttered weakly. "But... but at what cost? I lost my arms and now... no... now I'm going to die here..."

His vision darkened further, and just as he was about to give in to the void, a sharp, intense pain ripped through his entire body.

Grey's eyes shot wide open. Blood spilled from his mouth like a river, his head throbbed violently, and every nerve in his body screamed in agony. His knees buckled and his body trembled uncontrollably. And that wasn't even the worst part.

CRACK!

CRUNCH!

The unmistakable sound of bones breaking and reforming echoed within him. His muscles tensed to their limits, his eyes bulged further as the agony intensified. It felt like his entire skeleton was being torn apart and rebuilt from the inside out.

"Wh... what is this, damn it?! Wh... why must I always be put in life and death situations?!" Grey struggled to say, his voice a mere whisper as he collapsed to the floor.

His vision blurred, bones snapping and healing with rapid, painful bursts, each one worse than the last. Then it came...

"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"

A blood-chilling, ear-piercing scream erupted from Grey's throat, his mouth stretched wide as he released the torment he could no longer hold back. His cry echoed through the ruined hall, a raw testament to the brutal transformation his body was undergoing.