SWNOVELXO Chapter 357: Apotheosis
The claws descended towards Thorn's neck, seemingly in slow motion.
Rencs eyes were wide as he pushed every muscle in his body, his hand reaching for it.
Then, time returned to normal, and he surged through the air, catching the claws.
With a burst of speed and raw instinct, Ren slammed into the Second Fury mid-strike, his arm rising just in time to block her claws from tearing into Thorn's throat.
The impact cracked the air, sending a shockwave through the air, snow and wind flying in every direction.
Ren gritted his teeth as her claws bit into his Vine Armor, the outer layer splitting like bark under an axe. He shoved back with all his strength, forcing her away.
"Thorn!" Ren barked, eyes blazing. "Move!"
The voice cracked through Thorn's despair like a thunderclap.
He gasped, breath catching in his throat. He blinked once, twice, and saw Ren standing between him and death, blood running from the cracks in his armor, muscles heaving.
"You—" Thorn croaked. "You're still—?!"
There was no time for questions.
Morgan appeared in a gust of snow behind Ren, her claws aimed at his back.
Ren twisted, slamming a Push backward just in time to deflect the blow. The resonance flared in a shockwave, throwing Morgan off-course and spinning her through the air.
But she landed light.
The Second Fury darted in from the left. Ren spun again, catching her claws on his bracers, but she ducked, feinted, and slashed low.
His armor caught it, but he staggered.
"GO!" Ren roared at Thorn. "THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!"
Thorn turned his head and saw it.
The Divine Gift.
Hovering in the center of the clearing, glowing gold like a miniature sun.
So close, and yet so far away.
Stunned, he turned his head back to the battlefield.
Lilith was still fighting the last Fury, and it looked like she was winning overwhelmingly.
And Ren… Ren was holding the other two at bay.
"Now," Thorn whispered. "Now's my chance…"
And so, he turned and ran.
Snow crunched beneath his boots. The cold ripped at his lungs. The wind clawed at his clothes.
But his eyes never left the Gift.
Behind him, Morgan screeched, "No!"
She moved in a blur.
Ren stepped forward, blocking her path. He lunged, vines exploding from the ground to trap her feet. She sliced through them with ease, only to meet Ren's fist in her stomach a second later.
She gasped, staggering.
The Second Fury came next, sliding past Morgan, aiming for Thorn.
Ren turned, blood dripping down his temple, and caught her by the wrist. Her claws raked his side, but he didn't let go. With a grunt, he pivoted, hurling her bodily into the snow with a powerful Push.
She hit the ground, skidding across the ice.
Morgan recovered instantly and leapt again.
Ren spun, vines wrapping around his arms like gauntlets. He caught her in mid-air, and they crashed together, rolling over the snow as his armor took hit after hit, the vines wrapped around him tearing each time, but regenerating even stronger.
She twisted, and got a knee into his ribs. He grunted, swinging an elbow into her face. There was a crack and her blindfold fluttered as blood sprayed from her mouth onto the snow.
She hissed. "You're just one man. You can't stop us both."
"Maybe not forever." Ren said, breathing hard. "But long enough."
The Second Fury rose again, surgical forward towards the Divine Gift.
Ren threw his body into her path, his armor absorbing the slash to his chest as he countered with a savage uppercut. Her jaw snapped back, and she tumbled.
Morgan came again.
Claws met vines.
Push met snow.
Only a few seconds had passed, but it felt like an eternity. Every second burned like fire, and every heartbeat was like a war within his chest.
But Ren didn't stop.
Behind him, Thorn reached the Gift. The golden light washed over his face, wide-eyed, his hands trembling as he stepped forward.
Ren turned his head a bit, catching a flash of it.
Thorn standing in the golden glow.
And smiled through bloodied lips.
"Claim it." He whispered.
Thorn reached out.
His fingers trembled as they neared the Divine Gift. The glowing sphere of condensed power hovered just above the snow, humming in a way that he could feel the vibration deep in his bones.
The moment his skin made contact, the world changed.
Boom!
A pulse of golden energy exploded outward, ripping through the clearing in a wave of light. Snow lifted into the air like dust, and even the blizzard was pushed back a few paces.
Ren, Lilith, even the Furies were forced to shield their eyes.
But Thorn stood untouched at the center of the blast.
The golden light wrapped around him, curling inward like streams of sunlit water, then surged into him, racing through his veins, piercing into his chest, flooding into every corner of his body.
He gasped.
His back arched. His mouth opened in a silent scream as the power struck deeper, not just into his body but into his soul.
Then the Gift responded.
A golden pillar erupted into the sky.
It speared the heavens, visible even through the howling storm circling the mountain.
Thorn's feet lifted slightly from the ground. His body glowed brighter and brighter, his silhouette consumed by golden fire.
His bone arm shook violently. Then it too was caught in the light.
He looked down just as it began to melt, not into nothingness, but into him.
The bone cracked, reshaping itself. It fused with his flesh, becoming one with it. Veins of Gold appeared along its surface as it grew a bit of color.
His arm was no longer bone. It was his. Entirely his. And somehow, stronger than before.
The light didn't stop there.
It poured into his muscles, thickening them, refining them. Into his legs, lacing them with speed. Into his lungs, letting him breathe deeper, stronger.
His heart beat once.
Boom!
Again.
Boom!
Again.
Boom!
Every beat filled him with more power.
Then, slowly, the golden light began to fade. The pillar retracted. The glow dimmed to a steady radiance just beneath his skin.
Thorn landed softly, smoke rising from the snow around his boots. His cloak billowed behind him, flapping gently in the wind.
He opened his eyes.
They gleamed gold.
And in that moment, a word crashed into his brain like a branding iron burned into his soul.
Fusion.
That was its name.
Fusion was his Divine Gift.