Apotheosis

"Huh?"

Boss: "[Apotheosis]!"

[Paladin Skill 2: Apotheosis]

[Skill Effect: Transform into a warrior imbued with holy power, attacking with a greatsword whose blade aura can cut down bullets. Defense is greatly increased for the duration of the skill.]

However, the moment the skill activated, the expected image of a holy warrior did not appear. Instead—

"BOOM!!!!"

As though a lava nuclear bomb had detonated on the spot, an even more blinding light than during the earlier test erupted alongside surging flames, instantly swallowing Boss's figure.

"Fuck! My eyes!!"

Fourth let out a scream, instinctively squeezing his eyes shut and covering his face tightly with his cloak.

Second and Third were likewise forced back again and again by the sudden burst of light and energy, unable to look directly at it.

When the blinding light weakened slightly and the turbulent energy calmed a little, they barely regained their vision. The sight before them scared them out of their wits—

It was unbelievably cramped!

The testing area, which had originally been fairly spacious, was now completely packed full.

Taking up all that space was a massive lava troll!

It had completely lost Boss's previously relatively compact Flame Demon form. Its body had expanded by more than tenfold.

Layers upon layers of dark-red lava armor covered it. Its four huge lava arms had to twist and curl due to the lack of space, bracing desperately against the pixelated walls and ceiling of the hall.

The enormous creature looked as though it had been forcibly stuffed into a box far too small for it, unable to move.

"S-So huge!" Third stared up at the colossal being, utterly shocked.

"That's right, exactly!" Second analyzed excitedly, like a live commentator.

"Since it has manifested in reality, the way the skill presents itself should naturally be based on our existing bodies and energy!"

"Boss's body is essentially a highly condensed mass of flame and lava energy! He had absorbed an enormous amount of energy earlier."

"Under the catalysis of [Apotheosis], that energy acted directly on his own energy structure, causing a massive expansion through the materialization of energy!"

Fourth finally snapped out of his shock. Listening to Second's explanation, he muttered:

"Transforming with stored-up energy... what is this, Ultraman powered by vitality?"

"Not only that!" Second's eyes grew even more fervent.

"Theoretically, after Boss transforms into this form, the upper limit of energy his body can contain and mobilize should be even higher! If he activates his first skill now..."

Third: "Um..."

Fourth sucked in a breath, then began coughing violently after being choked by the thick sulfurous smell in the air.

"Cough... cough, cough! Y-You mean... he can keep this size while continuing to absorb energy and stack it?!"

"Um..."

Third once again tried to join their conversation, his voice weak.

"The theoretical limit of energy expansion depends on how much Boss's own consciousness can withstand..." Second was still calculating.

"Hey!!!"

Third let out a sharp cry through the link, interrupting their discussion.

"Stop talking! Something seems really wrong with Boss!"

"Hm?" x2

Second and Fourth suddenly came to their senses and focused once more on the lava troll wedged in place.

The pain on its face was growing more and more intense, its lava features nearly twisted into a knot.

Only then did they realize in horror—at some point, Boss's voice had completely vanished from their mental link!

"Boss?!" Second tried calling out through the link.

There was no response.

The lava troll in reality merely struggled more painfully, its massive body pressing against the hall's walls with a groan of overstressed metal.

"Boss! What's wrong?! Say something!" Fourth panicked too, shouting at the troll.

At that moment, a powerful, chaotic thought suddenly crashed into the mental link of the three.

[Ooooooooooh—!!! It hurts like hell!!!]

The enormous lava body began to shudder violently. Berserk flames and fragments of lava erupted from its surface, making the entire Vitality Hall shake furiously.

"This is bad!" Second's face changed drastically.

"The power keeps stacking up. Boss can't control it!"

"What do we do!?"

Third stared helplessly at Boss, whose body was continuing to grow larger, his deer hooves scraping anxiously against the ground.

"Calm down!" Second shouted sharply, raising a hand toward Boss.

"[Nightmare Mark]."

A dim gray ripple of energy instantly struck Boss's enormous body.

This was the Necromancer's curse skill, capable of inflicting weakness upon an enemy.

The effect was immediate. The raging flames and light erupting from Boss's body were suppressed somewhat, no longer quite so blinding or violent, and the intensity of his struggles lessened slightly.

But it was clearly just a drop in the bucket, like covering a volcano about to erupt with a wet towel.

"Fourth!" Second abruptly turned toward Fourth, who was still standing there blankly.

"Use your skill to absorb Boss's energy! Hurry!"

"Huh?" Fourth looked utterly confused and pointed at himself.

"My skill? That's bloodsucking! Boss is a lump of lava right now. Does he even have blood?!"

"Did the test dummy have blood when you attacked it!?" Second was practically roaring.

"The skill description says bloodsucking, but its essence is energy plunder! What's surging through Boss's body right now is pure energy! Treat it like blood and suck it over here!"

That shout left Fourth suddenly enlightened!

"O-Oh! Got it!"

He no longer hesitated, his gaze sharpening.

"Boss! Sorry about this... Otherworldly Vortex!"

With his roar, a twisting, spinning bloody black hole abruptly appeared before the lava troll's chest.

"Bzzzz—!!"

The bloody black hole emitted a greedy hum. Pure energy, like streams of light, was stripped from the lava troll's body and crazily poured into the crimson vortex.

Just as the glow of Boss's lava body began to dim—

"This isn't working, Second!" Fourth suddenly cried out in terror.

"My [Otherworldly Vortex] counts as an attack too, and Boss's first skill is registering it as damage!"

"The energy conversion has started again! The energy in his body is still rising!!"

Sure enough, the lava troll's body, which had just shrunk slightly, suddenly jolted. The blazing white light on its surface erupted once more with even greater ferocity, like a final flash before death.

"Roar—!!!" (Let me... out!!!)

The thought exploded through the link with unmistakable urgency.

They instantly understood what he meant.

"Just think about leaving!" Second immediately reminded him through the link.

Almost the moment her words fell, the lava troll vanished...

At the same time, outside a medical office at Rhine Lab.

Saria stood before the door, slightly straightening the uniform that had become disheveled during the earlier battle. Though waves of sharp pain ran through her arm, she remained calm.

She raised a hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in..." A calm but somewhat weary female voice came from inside.

Saria pushed the door open and entered. The room was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant and medicine.

Behind the desk sat a Liberi woman. She wore a white researcher's coat that outlined her slender figure.

The most striking features were the round-rimmed glasses on her face and the slightly fluffy, soft feathers extending from her short brown hair.

She was the person in charge of the Flame Demon Project...

—or rather, that person's student—Silence.

Silence was looking down at an experiment report. Hearing the door open, she looked up, and visibly froze upon seeing who had entered. Then she turned her face slightly away, somewhat unnaturally.

"...It's you. Why are you here?"

Saria's lips moved as she was about to say something, but her arm twitched faintly beyond her control.

This subtle abnormality immediately caught Silence's attention. Her gaze instinctively swept over Saria's naturally hanging arm.

When she saw the right hand hidden beneath the uniform sleeve, yet still visibly bent at an unnatural angle and marked with scorching blackness, the distance on Silence's face was instantly replaced by panic.

"Your hand?!"

Silence abruptly rose from her seat, hurried around the desk, and rushed to Saria.

"What happened to your hand?!"

Without allowing any objection, she carefully cradled Saria's right arm.

When she rolled up the sleeve and saw the condition beneath it, Silence sharply inhaled.

Saria's arm was in an extremely dire state. The calcified crystals covering its surface had long since shattered and fallen away under the previous ultimate impact, exposing what lay beneath—

From her entire forearm to her palm, the skin and muscle had turned a horrifying charred black, like deadwood completely scorched by blazing flames... shriveled and cracked.

Even the outline of the bones beneath could be seen.

The slightest movement could cause this fragile limb to collapse entirely.

Saria was just about to offer some words of reassurance, but Silence interrupted her with an unusually forceful attitude.

"Don't move! Come with me!"

Silence's voice carried undeniable urgency as she grabbed Saria's uninjured left arm and began dragging her toward the treatment room farther inside.

Feeling the faint trembling force in Silence's hand, Saria fell silent for a moment before ultimately offering no resistance and following her pull.

She knew that if she stood still, this anxious little bird would likely hurt herself.

As Silence pulled her swiftly toward the treatment room, she could not stop herself from scolding her. Her voice held suppressed lingering fear and anger.

"What kind of mission did you go on?! How did you get hurt this badly?! Even Calcification couldn't block it?!"

"Were you trying to be a hero again?! How many times have I told you? The Defense Department's work isn't about making you face every danger alone!"

Saria listened quietly without arguing, simply allowing this little bird, who was always worrying over her, to pull her toward a place that could heal her injuries.

At least by Silence's side, she could temporarily set down the burden of being the head of the Defense Department and... catch her breath.

After treating her injuries, Silence's expression did not relax in the slightest. Instead, she looked at Saria even more seriously.

The ointment and clean bandages carefully wrapped around her arm had temporarily stopped the injury from worsening, but the shocking burns made Silence's heart feel heavy.

By now, she had fully recovered from her initial panic. She knew Saria's strength better than anyone.

As the head of Rhine Lab's Defense Department, her defensive power and physical condition were considered top-tier throughout Columbia. Just who could have injured her to this extent?

Thinking of the faint booming sounds she had heard earlier, as well as the commotion coming from within the research facility, a suspicion gradually took shape in her mind.

She drew a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before asking in the steadiest tone she could manage:

"Saria, what exactly happened? Your injuries..."

Saria looked at the worry-filled eyes behind Silence's lenses and fell silent for a moment.

She knew this could not be hidden. When she spoke, her voice was low, carrying a trace of barely perceptible gravity.

"Tonight, an unknown lifeform infiltrated the Fourth Experimental Block. I engaged it in battle."

She briefly described what had happened—

When Saria mentioned the most critical characteristics, she deliberately slowed her words, her tone carrying confirmation.

"...Based on its appearance, especially its unique lava body, its ability to manipulate flames of extreme heat, and the preliminary energy spectrum analysis..."

"Taken together, it highly matches the Flame Demon recorded in the files."