Mutagen

<strong>Day 154 - 8:32 PM - Matutinao Elementary School, Barangay Matutinao, Municipality of Badian, Province of Cebu</strong>

Facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, Terville decided not to flee but to fight. It was even if he had to sell his body to the demon whispering in his ear.

Tamawos was a prideful race in terms of battles. Their seasoned warriors would not prone to flee from a fight. Even if they were facing a losing battle, they would use any means left and try to win instead of escaping. It was until they used up all their cards that they would try to flee or surrender. Of course, most often, it was already late.

In the least, they died a warrior's death.

With his body still shaking from the backlash, Terville stood up, wiping the blood on his face. He gave Mark and his group a hateful stare.

"Why are you Demons meddling with our plans? Are you helping that son of an exiled bastard?"

Terville spoke. This time, however, it was not Cebuano but in Spirit language.

This made the other Tamawos stare at Terville as they had yet to realize that the group of humans in front of them were not humans but Demons.

The human slaves, and even Emika and Pearl, could only become confused while hearing Terville speak.

Spirit Language, Demonic Language, and even other languages used by magical races were something that regular humans would have a hard time understanding. These languages were not just like Chinese or Japanese being spoken in an English country. Instead, it sounded like gibberish they could not hear clearly, even if it reverberated inside their ears with an echo.

It was like what Pefile said to Mark when they first met. Mark, at that time, would not be able to understand his real name and introduced himself using his mortal name. After all, back then, Mark was still not a Demon.

The reason for this was because these languages were not just spoken in a physical tongue. These magical languages were intonations imbued with magical energy to transmit intention, meaning, and emotion. To creatures with no magical affinity, most humans, for example, would not be able to understand these languages even if they studied them forever.

And to Terville's question, Mark replied.

"Why are you still asking that question? If you already realized whose son he was, then there's no need to ask."

"So, that's the reason the King's Mark was resonating. This is just a diversion, isn't it?" Terville smirked. "That cowardly prince must be in our tribe already, right? How stupid. He won't get out from there alive."

"You should worry about yourself first." Mark smiled sinisterly. "Don't think that a contract with a Demon Spirit can save you."

Those words from Mark made Terville step backward. It was not Terville's reflex but Terrae that had already fused with his body.

"Tsk..."

Terville clicked his tongue, no it was not Terville. His expression had already changed, and black pigments already started to cover his pale skin.

"I didn't expect this, but you actually noticed me," Terrae spoke in which shocked all the Tamawos around them. "But you shouldn't be too full of yourself."

The shocked Tamawos watched their leader as his body transformed. The already tall Terville grew even taller with his arms and legs stretching out of proportion. His skin bloated and popped as his bones stretched and elongated. The black pigmentations started to grow metallic protrusions which appeared to be incomplete armor pieces on his body. His silver hair changed into a sinisterly blood-red color. The pale pupils in Terville's eyes grew into a horizontal golden line across his eyeballs.

It took only seconds of grotesque transformation until Terville turned into a five-meter giant with a slumped posture and imperfect body proportions.

"Damn," Mark raised his head to observe the abomination that Terville turned into. "He looks like a naked Evangelion."

Mark was not wrong in a sense. Terville's current body proportion looked like an EVA unit, with his arms, legs, and abdomen being unnaturally thin compared to his shoulders, chest, waist, and head. It would give anyone that saw it the thought that it could not stand on its own with that kind of thin limbs.

"<strong>Hahahaha!!! FINALLY!!!</strong>" Terrae roared in glee. "Then, I'll grant your last wish Terville! Kill the enemies that ruined your plans!"

SWOOSH!

Terrae, without warning, made a grabbing gesture towards Mark.

In everyone's eyes, however, it looked like his arms vanished all of a sudden, and all they could feel was the air current created by his extremely fast movements.

BAM!

All of a sudden, Terrae was kneeling on the ground with his right hand slamming on where Mark stood. The impact caused the ground below his hand to crumble. Debris flew everywhere, and the Tamawos were thrown around by the force of the attack.

However, Mark, the girls, and Mei were nowhere around the hand that fell to the ground.

"You're incredibly fast compared to your size, Demon Spirit."

Mark's voice was heard, and the dust caused by Terrae's attack was blown away.

Away from Terrae's attack, Mark's group was already standing together with Chaflar, Pearl, and Edzel.

Mark then turned to everyone.

"All of you retreat. I'll deal with this guy here."

None had questions, and the girls silently followed their Papa's orders.

The only ones who had something to say were the slaves that they decided to bring away.

"Wait! My daughter! She's still charmed by these monsters! Please... Save her..."

It was a middle-aged man that spoke Tagalog. By his looks, he was not a local and was most likely a tourist. His voice started strong. But as he remembered the state his daughter was in, his voice began to crumble.

Mark then looked at the man.

"The charmed women are already out of this place." Mark then tapped Chalfar's head. "This guy will bring you all to them."

Those words made not only the middle-aged man but also some other slaves shed tears. Finally, they were leaving this place, and their beloved relatives charmed by Tamawos were also saved.

"Wait! What about us!"

The thick-skinned slaves that sided with the fat slave earlier cried out, seeing that Mark's group were already prepared to leave. Some of them tried to run towards the group in fear as they looked at what Terville turned into.

But before they could even reach half the distance...

"<strong>ACK!</strong>"

They all fell on their knees.

Mark was glaring at them with his eyes glowing red.

"Just be glad I didn't kill you people in the spot. Heh, your current fate, you all earned it."

Suddenly, Mark brandished his shield, the [Defier], out of nowhere. His arms and legs glowed red as he dashed forwards.

<strong>BAM!</strong>

The impact caused a shockwave in the surroundings blowing everything around. Mei and the others were unscathed as they were behind Mark. Nonetheless, they felt the wind around them blowing as strong as a tornado.

In front of them was Mark, holding the [Defier] in front. Against the shield was the fist of Terrae, still outstretched. The ground under Mark's feet crumbled from the impact, yet he still stood without moving from that gigantic fist.

"It's been a long time since I used this shield."

Mark murmured with a smile. Clicking sounds then ensued as Mark's fingers triggered one of the functions of the [Defier].

<strong>CLICK! SHING!</strong>

"<strong>ARRRGHH!!!</strong>"

Terrae pulled his fist away by reflex, scattering blood and roaring in pain.

Mark stood his ground. The shield on his arm changed its form, looking like a hedgehog's back. Then, with clicking sounds, it turned back into a regular turtle shell.

"Boss! We're ready!"

Edzel shouted as everyone boarded Chaflar's back. The dragon's back seemed a bit overloaded. However, of all the slaves in this place, only twenty were worthy of being saved as the others shared the same sin.

"Just go!"

"Yes!"

With Mark's command, Chaflar flew away.

"Don't think I'll let you escape!"

Terrae roared as he jumped toward Chaflar. His gigantic body turned into a blur in the night sky. By the time that everyone knew, Chalfar was already flying in front of Terrae's chest who was ready to grab all of them.

"And who said that I'll let you catch them?"

Mark's voice was heard as he appeared above Terrae's head. And with a spin of his body and leg releasing a red glow, he unleased a kick, forcing Terrae back to the ground.

<strong>BAM!</strong>

With the five-meter giant falling with great force unto the school grounds, the whole place turned into a pile of ruins. Many of the Tamawos and slaves left behind were thrown away by the explosion-like impact. Some even turned into meat paste as Terrae's body fell unto them.

"RRRR!!!"

From the ruins, Terrae growled while lifting his body. The Demon still tried to look for the dragon. However, it was already too far away. The one left was Mark.

"This guy is annoyingly sturdy."

Mark grumbled, seeing that Terrae did not even receive any devastating injury from his attack. Even so, the hand that Mark pierced using his shield was still bleeding.

"So, a body resistant to blunt trauma but more susceptible to blades and piercing attacks, isn't it?"

That was Mark's conclusion, seeing the injuries on the Demonic Terville's body.

While Mark was thinking, Terrae already vanished from the wreckage of the school. The Demon's shadow then loomed over Mark as its gigantic body appeared behind him in a flash.

Mark was taken by surprise. Terrae's movement was faster than before that his [Empathic Detection] could not perceive the Demon's movements.

BAM!

A gigantic palm struck Mark like swatting a fly.

Mark still managed to react, raising his shield against the palm.

BOOM!

Still, Mark was thrown to the ground. This time, it was him who created a crater in the middle of the central road of the town of Matutinao. The only feat was that he fell feet first, unlike the unsightly fall of Terrae earlier.

"Sturdy body, extreme speed, super strength... This guy isn't just some lost Demon Spirit, isn't he?"

Mark murmured with a frown. He shook his legs as they felt numb from the impact. The force even tore the lower part of his pants into tatters.

"This is annoying," Mark complained about his tattered pants. "I better ask the guys back in the base if they can manufacture a stronger type of fabric from mutated plants."

"This bastard..."

Terrae landed with a huge bang across the bridge from where Mark stood. He was enraged and surprised. Even though he had just taken Terville's body a few minutes ago, it was enough for him to harness a third of his abilities before his original body was destroyed hundreds of years ago. Yet, the young Demon he encountered this time could not only survive these devastating attacks but was not even taking him seriously.

"Had Demons grown this strong since the hundred years I roamed without a body."

Terrae murmured.

The Demon wanted to know more. However, Mark was an enemy that should be eliminated as soon as possible.

Without further ado, Terrae prepared to attack Mark one more time. If it was not enough, then he would attack more.

It was when Terrae noticed that Mark showing a serious expression. However, he was not looking at the Gigantic Demon. Instead, he was facing the coast.

<strong>BOOM!</strong>

Suddenly, an unbelievable pressure enveloped the place. It was a pressure that even Mark and Terrae felt suffocated.

"It's here."

Mark murmured. It was the reason he made everyone retreat as soon as he felt it coming.

"What... What is this..."

Terrae was shaking. This kind of shaking... He had not felt this kind of fear ever since he was born several hundred years ago.

Mark and Terrae were shaking. There was no need to say anything about the slaves and Tamawos around them. All of them had fallen to the ground. Most had fallen unconcious.

<strong>RUMBLE!</strong>

<strong>ROAR!!!</strong>

Accompanied by a growling roar, the waters on the coast rose several meters high.

A tsunami. It was a tidal wave high enough to swallow a medium-sized city, not to mention a tiny coastal town.