The black specks, originally no larger than sesame seeds, rapidly expanded. Pitch-black tendrils spread toward the cores of consciousness, trying to seize complete control of their hosts' thoughts and actions.
Victor was the first to be struck. An eerie black gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes, his red armor began to change color, and darkness gradually ate away at its conceptual runes.
"Aah...!" Victor screamed in agony, clutching his head with both hands. "My head... there's something inside...!"
The aura of his power began to undergo a fundamental change. The red radiance that had represented the war concept was swallowed by darkness, replaced by a will of pure destruction.
Marcus was in no better shape. The spatial fragments around him began spinning wildly, no longer forming orderly geometric patterns but chaotic vortices of destruction. His eyes grew hollow and indifferent, as though his original personality were rapidly disappearing.
"Marcus?" Aristostes tried calling out to his companion, but received no response.
Odin's transformation was the most violent. The thunderbolts surrounding him turned from gold to pitch-black, every flash of lightning carrying a destructive malice. His majestic face twisted into a hideous grimace, and the light of justice he had once possessed vanished completely.
"Destruction... everything should return to nothingness..." Odin's voice grew deep and sinister, no longer carrying its former thunderous resonance.
Mephisto saw the horrifying changes through the eye of space-time, and her face instantly turned as pale as paper. "This is bad! They've been completely controlled!"
She could clearly see fierce battles raging in the depths of their souls. Their original personalities and consciousnesses were being devoured by some evil being, and their defeat was already certain.
"This is what makes the Consciousness Seeds truly terrifying." Fear laced Mephisto's voice. "Once activated, they completely replace their hosts' personalities."
Extreme