Mutagen

<strong>Day 240 - 11:21 AM - Tañon Strait, Region VII, Central Visayas</strong>

Everyone was surprised to see the sudden emergence of another giant into the battle.

When the new giant emerged from the smoke and attacked Sinogo, almost all of them did not consider the possibility of it being Mark. After all, it appeared without warning, and Mark definitely did not have this kind of ability.

But when they noticed the familiar-looking armor of the giant, it only then registered in their minds. There was only one person who could conjure such armor.

And it was Mark, using his blood.

However, compared to Mark's usual workmanship, the appearance of the armor looked rather rough and somewhat natural.

Still, only Mark was present with Sinogo when the pillar of lightning fell from the sky. The two were swallowed by that explosion. Sinogo was already out after receiving injuries, and only Mark was left to appear from that cloud of smoke.

Furthermore, he attacked Sinogo immediately, right after getting out of the smoke from the explosion.

This new giant could only be Mark.

The only people who immediately recognized it was Mark, without a shred of doubt, were Mei, Magwayen, and the two [Eyes].

Mei always had this strange way of finding and identifying Mark. There was no way she would not recognize him. On the other hand, the [Eyes] knew of Terrae and his most unique ability and had foreseen this result beforehand. Lastly, Magwayen, who had more experience than everyone here, would not be surprised by these kinds of things.

From the distortion that Fourth and Nineteenth opened to watch the battle, everyone stared at Mark's current form.

As everyone watched closely, Mark's current appearance was strikingly similar to his Pure Demon transformation but enlarged several times. However, the resemblance could not be seen at first glance due to the changes that occurred, especially with how his body was not proportionally covered by the rough armor.

Mark's armor was not only odd-looking but did not cover his body properly.

The armor covered Mark's torso for the most part, together with the upper part of his lower body. However, his back and the left side had large unprotected gaps.

Mark's arms and legs were mostly unarmored too. His left forearm seemed to have a gauntlet, and his right shoulder had a shoulder pad. His left leg had what appeared to be a greeve, while the other foot only had a metal shoe.

Lastly, Mark's face was only half covered, with only the left side being fully covered, having a slit allowing his left eye to see through. This appearance emphasized Mark's left eye, which glowed brightly violet inside, and the glow seemed to extend outside the armor.

One particular characteristic of Mark's current armor was the glowing red veins on it. It made everyone feel as if the armor was actually part of his body. These red veins extended to his wings, making these three pairs of wings look more sinister.

Mark's hair was still pitch black in color with a red and whitish sheen. However, his skin now shared the same color as his hair. Moreover, his whole body had what appeared to be pointy branches that had a slightly yellowish glow. These branches seemed similar to how lightning appeared in the sky.

However, aside from size and his current appearance, none of those were the most eye-catching.

What had caught everyone's attention the most was Mark's right arm, which was large and did not seem proportional to his body. Compared to Mark's left arm, together with the gauntlet it wore, his right arm was three to four times thicker.

The right arm appeared to be mutated, with his right hand looking like a giant crystalized hand with metal claws instead of fingers.

Furthermore, that had exuded an uncomfortable aura. That was right... His right hand seemed to exude [Miasma].

And in Mark's attack just now... It was the very same right hand that hit Sinogo. The claws actually tore through Sinogo's aura, although Sinogo managed to avoid getting wounded by it.

***

"With this, they can only win now..."

Fourth declared with a bitter smile. She was really worried about one of her two candidates dying here. She only had two candidates, after all, compared to the other [Eyes] that had more.

But her worry was actually unnecessary. Not only that the little [Sylph] that always sat on Mark's shoulder an incarnate of a Goddess, but he actually got the powerful ability of the Earth Demon Deity, Terrae.

"He utilized it even better than we thought."

Nineteenth said, seemingly interested in Mark's current form.

"Is that permanent?" Mei asked the [Eyes] in worry. "He can turn back, right?"

"You should not worry about his transformation. It's a magical one and not a physical mutation," Nineteenth smiled at Mei. "This change is only temporary. What you should think about is when this battle is over. Mark will be extremely weakened after undergoing such transformation for the first time."

Mei sighed in relief after hearing Nineteenth's reply. It was not like she did not like Mark's current appearance. It was just that being a giant would be inconvenient in many ways.

That reaction from Mei made those around her shrug. Her priorities were misplaced, for sure.

The conversation was cut off immediately. It was because Mark began to move.

***

Mark felt the changes in his body. Strangely, he could not feel his magical energy overflowing. Instead, his body was filled with strength.

The wings on Mark's back opened widely, and a powerful explosion of wind occurred right behind him. With its help, Mark flew forwards, charging toward Sinogo.

On the other hand, Sinogo's aura was definitely thinner than before. He might have been able to resist the lightning from the [Tribulation], but it had a massive cost.

However, Sinogo's innate physical prowess was not reduced even a tiny bit. Well, his speed was slightly slower. Even so, it was slower in terms of Gods and not human standards. His movements were still invisible to the human eye.

Nonetheless, it was hard to know whether Sinogo could recognize Mark at all. But as Sinogo found Mark to be a new threat, he responded to the incoming attack.

Sinogo's giant body disappeared, moving at his top speed. In a blink of an eye, he appeared behind Mark, who was still amidst his charge.

From behind, Sinogo shot several bolts of lightning from his hands towards Mark's back.

In response to the sudden attack, Mark strongly flapped his wings. A cloud of [Miasma] was released behind him and swallowed the bolts of lightning into nothingness while it concealed his body.

Sinogo was surprised as he recognized that cloud of black mist. However, confident in the aura surrounding his body, Sinogo charged toward Mark without fear.

Once the [Miasma] got in contact with Sinogo's aura, it immediately dispersed. It was the expected outcome as the Godly aura was the bane of the corrupted [Miasma].

But as Sinogo passed through the cloud of [Miasma], a large hand emerged from the inside it.

BAM!

Sinogo was surprised and retreated as fast as he could. His body flickered and appeared several hundred meters away instantly.

The remaining cloud of [Miasma] dispersed and returned to its origin, revealing Mark with his outstretched right hand with all his fingers pointing forwards.

Mark's indifferent expression was open for everyone to see as he stared at Sinogo.

Then... something dripped down from Mark's claws, tainting the violent waters below red.

Blood. Everyone was surprised to see blood dripping from Mark's claws. Was his hand bleeding?

But it was strange that two areas were being dyed red, and it was a few hundred meters away from each other.

"GRAAA!"

It was when a loud roar took their attention.

There, Sinogo hovered away from Mark. Shockingly... His left arm dangled down, and blood dripped down to his hand and into the waters below.

Sinogo's left shoulder had a large hole on it, fitting the size of one of Mark's claws.

It was clear. Mark's claws pierced through Sinogo's aura and wounded him severely. The surprise came from the fact that it was such an effortless attack, yet it caused such a severe wound.

Mark also paused, looking at his giant claws, opening and clenching them repeatedly. As he did so, there was a sinister feeling of corruption emanated from the claws. It was very similar to the feeling that a high concentration of [Miasma] could bring to people.

Lowering his arm, Mark readied to continue the battle. He now knew a few ways to end this farce.

After all...

"This farce took too long..."

Mark murmured.

"Amihan."

Mark called to the shocked [Sylph] with a slightly rough voice.

"Y-yes?!"

Amihan panicked a bit as she hurriedly replied.

"Take care of the support," Mark instructed Amihan. "Focus on attacking Sinogo even if it doesn't hurt him."

"Okay!"

Amihan replied with a wide nod.

"Chimetrice," Mark called the other, taking the [Humanoid Chimera's] attention. "Whenever there's a good opportunity, restrain that guy. For now, join Amihan and attack Sinogo as much as possible."

Chimetrice nodded silently, preparing his next attacks.

In front of the three, Sinogo's eyes glared at Mark with hatred.

"It... You... Again..."

Sinogo surprisingly uttered several words to Mark.

Unfortunately, Mark was not inclined to give Sinogo his words. In the first place, it would be questionable if Sinogo would be able to understand Mark's words.

Mark, instead, flapped his wings, charging at Sinogo for the next attack.

Sinogo responded in kind. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and flew toward Mark at breakneck speeds. Even if he was injured, his speed did not wane at all.

And knowing that Mark's [Miasma] would only erase his magical attacks, Sinogo aimed for a physical one. It was also to get revenge for his wound that was made by a simple poke of Mark's claw.

The space trembled as Sinogo unleased a punch. It was a punch too fast that no one was able to see it coming.

<strong>BOOM!</strong>

The wind exploded as the impact of the punch was unleashed.

Not on Mark, however, but on the empty space behind him. It actually caused the air to shoot down to the waters a kilometer away and caused an explosive splash.

Mark, who tilted his head and wings to his right, evaded the attack by a hair's breadth.

He evaded an invisible and powerful attack... just by moving his body slightly...

It was such an impossible feat.

Unknown to everyone, it was all thanks to his current form. It allowed his [Clairvoyance] to reach another level, albeit temporarily.

Mark stared at Sinogo, who became startled by his attack missing. The guy retreated fast, even before Mark could make a slight move.

Following the hasty retreat, Mark just hovered there, menacingly. It was unknown whether he was doing it on purpose or if it was the effect of his transformation. But compared to his usual self, the current Mark seemed to be severely lacking in terms of expression, fake or not.

In any case, while Sinogo's speed was still proven to be troublesome, Mark could now fight on equal grounds.

Mark's charge was paused slightly by Sinogo's fast attack and sudden retreat. As this situation would not do anything well, Mark could only push for another attack.

This time, Mark moved differently.

Amihan had already flown higher than the rest. This way, the small her would be able to have a wider view, and it would be easier for her to read Sinogo's movements.

At a good angle, Amihan waved her hands, and the wind around her began to gather and dance.

Dozens of invisible blades of wind were conjured and rained towards Sinogo's position.

On the other hand, Chimetrice called upon his own wind blades and attacked from another angle.

In an instant, Sinogo found himself besieged by dozens to a hundred blades of wind. Most of which did not really harm him after hitting his body, but some managed to strip a part of his aura and leave a few scratches on his body.

Sinogo had no choice but to evade, realizing that his aura was being slowly chipped away once again. He surely moved fast, and no one was able to see where he would go.

But as another surprise to everyone, Sinogo actually appeared in front of Mark, with his back facing the latter.

Mark... had already positioned himself the moment Sinogo decided to move.

Sinogo suddenly felt the danger behind him and hurriedly tried to flee. And he vanished right away before appearing somewhere else.

However, everyone watching stared with wide eyes as they saw Mark left in place with a souvenir in his claws.

"GRAAA!!!"

Sinogo growled in pain as he looked at Mark, holding onto one of his torn wings.