It first happened when Ralyks died, and then re-emerged from the dead.
All of the Otherworlders, as well as the Kingdom's Strongest, were relieved to see the re-emergence of their champion.
They prayed—hoped—that he would emerge victorious this time.
Dagon was not an opponent any of them could even think of beating. It was an entity that far surpassed the capabilities of a Dragon Lord—an entity beyond reason.
Ralyks was their only option for victory.
But… the one who emerged from the depths wasn't Ralyks at all. It was a much shorter, less attractive version of the man they all revered.
He had dark hair, sure, but his plain face and slightly above average stature gave a much different vibe from the Dark Adventurer.
What's more… he resembled a classmate of theirs—one who was supposed to be dead.
At that moment, the audience was no longer looking at Ralyks. Instead, their gaze was on the most unexpected man behind the mask.
—Rey Skylar!
And so, as the tremors continued throughout the fight between Rey and Dagon, they tried to reconcile what they saw with their pre-existing notions.
"B-but how…?" One asked.
~BOOOOOOOOM!~
"R-Rey is dead, right? Why is he…?"
~VWUUUUUM!~
"Why does Sir Ralyks look like Rey? T-that makes no sense…"
~BOOOOOOOOM!~
"What is going on exactly? Is that really him?"
Confusion ran amuck among the students and their teachers, with eyes wide and faces worn thin. They were all too exhausted to join the battle, and even if they were at top form, their weakness made it impossible to contribute in any meaningful way.
They were meant to be spectators only.
Much to everyone's concerns, the only one who was still unconscious was Alicia. Perhaps it was because of the Summoning, or some other reason beyond that, but she hadn't yet opened her eyes.
Lucielle was currently using Magic on her, while the rest were charged with protecting her if things ever went awry.
They were all going to be cannon fodder if that were to be the case, which was why they had so desperately prayed for Ralyks to win.
But—
~BOOOOOOOOOOOM!~
They saw his body flung in front of them, almost like a ragdoll, and once again… they were met with Rey's bloody face and battered body.
He was naked, with scars and bloody markings all over his body.
The amount of damage evident through his body was indescribable. It was a miracle that he was even breathing after everything.
"R-Rey…?" As they whispered this, the hulking form of the creature descended on the scene.
The instant they saw this, all fell silent.
Adonis was frozen rock solid as his eyes witnessed this sight. A million thoughts were going on in his mind, but he couldn't focus on a single one.
He just blankly stared as the scene unfolded.
The expressions of everyone else was the same; a blend of surprise, fear, and hope.
All of them, without exception had trembling hearts—one that gazed upon the bloody one and desired for him to rise again.
… He didn't.
*************
"G-guhh…" Rey groaned as his swollen eyes opened slowly.
His vision was blurry, and much to his surprise, his allies were the first things he saw when he opened his eyes.
He could barely pinpoint the expressions on their faces, but he raised his hand, slowly and groggily towards them.
'S-someone…' Tears were forming in his eyes, mixing with the blood that occupied his battered face.
'... Please help me.'
His lips were too busted to move. He could run no longer, not after his legs had been broken by the enemy more than a few dozen times.
He found it difficult to breathe, and even moving his hand was all he could manage.
'I'm scared…'
His head hurt so much that he felt it would explode at any given moment. His naked body scraped upon the rough earth, rubbing on the countless bruises and marks that had been dealt to him.
'It hurts…'
No one could hear these thoughts. No one but Rey.
Only he could feel the experience the hellish sensations that kept on torturing his body despite his pleas for them to stop.
He wanted to run away… to save himself.
He wanted someone to save him.
But it was too late for that at this point. He couldn't save the people in front of him, just as they couldn't save him.
In this current moment, they all shared the same quality.
'W-weak…' His thoughts trailed as he felt the dark shadow of the Divine Beast behind him. 'I'm… so weak…'
He felt his body slowly raised in the air, with pain shooting into his brain from his head.
The Divine Beast pulled him by the hair, almost as if he was nothing but a filthy rag. Compared to the shimmering silver form that Dagon had, Rey could indeed be mistaken for something that dirty and unclean.
He simply hung lifelessly, like a coat on a rack, slowly dancing in the air like a pendulum.
"GRRRRRR…" Dagon's growl seemed to hint at amusement, but Rey's barely listening ears couldn't process emotions right now.
All he heard was the growl of a monster—one that signified his demise.
'S-Sacrifice… must use Sacrifice…' His thoughts trailed as his brain pounded and his vision blurred.
If he didn't do anything now, he would die.
His Status Window opened, and he could hardly see the content that was placed in front of him.
'If I die now… that's the end. I have to avoid that at all costs…'
Even if it cost all of his Skills… even if he had to lose everything he worked so hard for all this time… he didn't mind if that would provide him with the chance to survive.
[System Notice]
~You have chosen the Skill [Merger] for a temporary upgrade using [The Unknown Box]~
[You can now 'Evolve' Skills with minimal time required and a higher success rate. Would you like to choose the Skills to upgrade, or will you leave it to the automatic function available to you?]
[NOTE: It is preferable to use the automatic method]
As Rey saw this, also with blurry vision, he also heard the voice of the System tell him all of this in his head.
'N-no… not [Merger]. I don't have enough time. I'm about to die here…'
He needed Stats to survive.
[System Notice]
~Too much time has elapsed, hence the automatic method has been chosen for optimal results~
[All Skills will be temporarily disabled for the [Merger] process to fully take place. Please patiently wait for a moment while your Skills are recalibrated]
'N-no… NO! SACRIFICE! GIVE ME SACRIFICE!'
Unfortunately, it was too late at that point.
Rey was left all alone, dangling helplessly in the air, with no Skills left to assist him.
His Buff Skills dissipated, leaving him with the meager Stats that he had at the start. With nothing but pain completely overwhelming his body, Rey felt tears roll down his eyes as he finally wished to die.
'I don't want to die… I don't… but…'
Living was hell.
The fear of being in front of such a monstrosity, with no power to resist at all, it consumed him whole.
'I… It's over.'
*
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