Online In Another World

Yuna was already engaging the man, who casually leaned side-to-side and backward to avoid her daggers, before responding with an unforeseen development—

"Let's push this further!" Collector said as his free arm began to convulse.

In an instant, while evading dagger strikes and stone shards thrown by Emilio, Collector's left arm grew twice in size, becoming bright-red with glowing, green veins before punching forward.

"—!"

The blow caught Yuna off-guard as the monstrous arm of Collector sailed towards her head, only being saved by a last moment wall of water that caught the fist.

"Oh!?" Collector smiled.

Though it stopped the man's powerful blow, the barrier of aqua morphed itself, wrapping around his amplified limb and binding it.

During that moment of free time, Yuna leapt back, catching her breath as she stood near the mage.

"…Thanks," Yuna said.

"Don't mention it," Emilio smiled.

Still, there was definitely something concerning in regards to the partial transformation undertaken by the eccentric criminal, who had his enlarged, powerful arm held in chains formed of water.

"What do you think that's about?" Yuna asked.

"Don't know, but it's not good. I encountered a fair share of that guy's 'creations'—there's definitely a secret to it," he replied.

"He said he had a special ability. I think he called it the 'Life Stitch'," Yuna told him.

"Life Stitch?"

There was no further time for conversation as they both looked forward as the man flexed his monstrous arm as his glowing veins bulged, snapping free from the magical bindings.

"Alright…I'm turning him to ash," Emilio claimed, conjuring a sphere of fire in front of his staff.

"Please do," Yuna said.

Laughing out, the ax-wielding man didn't seem to respect the ferocity of the fire magic wielded by the young Dragonheart as his legs grew in size momentarily as he squatted down before leaping forward.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Collector laughed out in joy,

"—Burn!" Emilio shouted.

As the invocation of the spell, he pointed it upward as a massive stream of condensed, crimson flames that shot against the unnatural body of the sealed criminal.

There was an undeniable sense of collision, certain that the sharp flamethrower spell engulfed Collector, though as it came to an end, the figure landed on his feet.

Covered in heavy burns, Collector laughed out, puffing smoke from his lungs as he swayed from side to side with charred skin, though clearly not down for the count yet.

"…Tough bastard," Yuna mumbled.

"Seriously, what is that guy made out of?" Emilio said,

Just as Yuna was about to dash in for the finishing blow, she was stopped as the young man grabbed her wrist.

"What're you doing—?!" She sharply asked.

"Look! He's up to something," he explained.

As they both looked forward, the charred man's torso had a bright stitch stretching down from his neck to his bellybutton.

Emilio meant to conjure a spell, though found himself grossly curious as to what he was looking at as the mystical stitches on the man's chest opened.

Fingers came through the opening stitches, parting the figure's chest as his body became shriveled and empty like a jacket of skin.

"What am I looking at…?" He mumbled.

Crawling out from Collector's torso was a brand new, unscathed version of the eccentric criminal, holding a smile as he was reborn from his discarded body.

"He…came out of himself?" Emilio questioned.

"I've stopped questioning this man," Yuna said, raising her daggers.

Raising his ax, Collector smiled brightly as he presented his new-and-uninjured body.

"Fresh and better than ever!" Collector smiled, back to one-hundred percent.

This time, the bald-headed madman didn't waste anytime activating the dormant genes within him as bright-green veins pressed against his body, shifting his complexion as an aura of strength exuded from him.

"I'll cover you," Emilio said, raising his catalyst.

"Got it," Yuna lowered her stance.

—As the two sides prepared to clash, the second round was interrupted as an unaccounted for figure jumped in with a roar.

"Hoooooo-raaaaa!"

Slamming down, the surprise support slammed their shield down against Collector, though they found themselves stopped as the criminal blocked the smashing blow with his bulky arm.

"Another!? A great day!" Collector grinned.

"Everett!?" Emilio realized.

It was the Milligardian bumpkin who clashed against the S-rank criminal, repelled by the monstrous force residing in Collector before landing on his feet.

"Get 'em!" Everett gave a signal.

"—Wind Blast!"

Hitting Collector from behind with a howl of wind was an invocation unleashed by a feminine call.

Standing from the same place the shielder arrived was the girl with silver hair, smiling as the spell landed with a solid impact.

"Melisande? Nice!" Emilio smiled.

Relief flowed through the young man's mind as his companions were all present and seemingly unharmed.

Though Collector hardly seemed fazed yet as his entire body rippled, his flesh contorting as his bones seemed to expand with his entire skeletal structure altering in the moment.

"That's nasty!" Everett called out in disgust.

"Uegh…" Melisande witnessed.

Already knowing the threat of the madman, both Yuna and Emilio rushed forward together with the young Dragonheart opting out of his staff for his broadsword.

We need to take him out before he unleashes whatever he's building up! Emilio thought.

It's time to end this! Yuna thought.

Leaping to the man's left, Yuna raised her dual-wielded daggers with visceral violence embedded in her purple, beastly eyes. From the right, Emilio jumped in with his sword gripped tightly in both hands, summoning his internal strength as his heart thumped in his chest.

[Dragonheart System Activated]

[Current Stage: Dragon Newt | 1/10]

Though as they both swung their weapons with Yuna aiming for Collector's neck and Emilio aiming to cut through his midsection, both sets of blades were stopped as the man's entire body grew double in size.

As if his entire body was bruised, the S-rank criminal's complexion changed to a deep purple with his body becoming unnaturally clad in muscle like a man-made beast.

Using his monstro-sized arms, Collector blocked each sharp edge with a wicked smile, drooling the bright-green liquid that flowed through his veins.

What the–?! His body–it's so tough! Emilio thought.

Even trying to press with further strength, from that angle, he was unable to dig the edge of his trusted blade any further than the surface level of the monstrous biceps.

"I'm comin'--!" Everett shouted, rushing in.

"Everett, no–!" Emilio yelled.

Just then, Collector's entire body glowed as the neon-green fluid in his veins shined before he flexed his entire body, releasing a shock wave from his position that harshly knocked back all three of the aggressors.

"Gyah–!" Yuna winced.

As she was already injured from the bruising of her ribs, the demi-human rogue found herself compromised by the stone-cracking shock wave.

"Hey! I've gotcha!"

Diving in, Everett managed to catch the woman before she fell down, snatching her up in his arms with a smile.

"--" Yuna looked up at him in surprise before pushing away.

"Err, yer' welcome?" Everett raised an eyebrow.

After being knocked back, Emilio landed on his feet, though momentarily deprived of breath as it was knocked out of his lungs.

"Are you alright?!" Melisande rushed over to his side.

"Just peachy…This guy is a problem," Emilio explained.

"I can tell," Melisande responded.

The young Dragonheart lightly shook his head, "No, it's not just that…he seems practically immortal. We've got him and burned him, but he's able to come back from seemingly anything."

"That's…Well, we have to try, right?" Melisande looked at him with a small smile.

"Yeah. Of course," Emilio smiled as well, readying himself.

From both sides, the group stood off against the monstrous criminal who stood like a fantastical beast himself as veins throbbed atop his bald head, seeping bright-green liquid from his ears.

"I feel great! Better than ever! Ha-ha!" Collector shouted, his distorted voice booming throughout the underground colosseum.

It was difficult to even perceive the monsterfied man taking a step; a single flex of his body sent him forward like a blur as he appeared in front of Melisande, who had yet to even realize the figure had begun moving.

The brutal ax was already midway through being swung, aimed and honed with intent to kill as the green-blooded man smiled.

"Melisande!" Emilio yelled.

Crap! I'm too far! He thought.

CLANG.

In a burst of explosive speed himself, Everett managed to intercept the killer swing, deflecting the ax off of his mighty shield as he gritted his teeth.

"Grrrrh–!" Everett winced.

The power behind the blow was unlike anything else as the blonde-haired country born recruit found himself sliding back even after completely bracing himself for the impact.

Damn! I can feel the impact ringin' through my bones! Is this guy a monster?! Everett thought.

"...Thanks!" Melisande said, realizing how close to death she came.

"Don't mention it!" Everett shouted from upfront.

Collector laughed with his distorted voice, flipping his ax between his fingers as if it were a light tool now, "Don't celebrate too soon!"

Before any attack could be launched, the morphed man was interrupted in his violence as his balance was snatched away from beneath him.

"--!" Collector's eyes widened.

Pulled back and tripped over, the criminal was flung upward by a rope of water attached to his ankle before being slammed down harshly.

Emilio stood at the opposing end of the blood-stained colosseum, guiding the lengthy rope of aqua with his staff, "Go!"