Omniphage of Apathy

The creature that rose from the depths of the blue lava was nothing like anything Vastarael had encountered before. At first, it appeared to be a massive, odd distortion in the shimmering heat but as it emerged fully, its monstrous form took shape.

It was a six-legged beast, easily the size of a small building, its body glistening with the eerie glow of the blue lava that surrounded it. Its exoskeleton was an obsidian black, smooth and glossy, as though it were a piece of the volcano itself. The surface of its armor seemed impervious to the heat, the boiling blue lava that splashed against its bone carapace doing nothing more than hissing softly before sliding off like droplets of warm water.

Its legs were long and spindly but deceptively powerful, each ending in sharp, clawed feet that dug into the rocky surface as it moved with surprising agility for such a massive creature.

The way it skittered over the uneven terrain reminded Vastarael of a grotesque woodlouse, its legs clicking and scraping against the rock as it shifted its bulk.

But it was the creature's head that truly set it apart. Its numerous eyes were small, its mandibles were enormous, thick as tree trunks. They clicked together with terrifying force, eager to rip into anything that came too close. The mandibles themselves had a frighteningly design like jagged obsidian blades, constantly shifting and grinding against each other, hungry for flesh.

Vastarael's eyes gleamed as he assessed the beast.

Vastarael's eyes caught the movement of the beast's legs, its massive body lurching forward in a sudden, bone-jarring charge. It was quick, far quicker than he'd anticipated for such a bulky creature, its legs kicking up chunks of stone and rock as it moved toward them with terrifying speed.

"Chainless, stay close and follow my lead."

Without waiting for her response, he leaped from the boulder, landing lightly on another rock just a few feet away. The sharp edges of the jagged terrain dug into his feet but he barely noticed the discomfort. The lava around them, however, was a different matter.

Vastarael landed heavily on another stone, his glaive cutting the air as he swung it with precision, but even with his enhanced strength, the lava seemed to sap his energy, making his strikes feel sluggish. The liquid heat clung to his feet, reducing the speed of his movements.

'This lava sucks energy, huh?'

The creature screeched, launching itself forward with a series of explosive movements, its long legs propelling it across the blue lava. Its mandibles clicked fiercely as it sought to strike.

Vastarael barely had time to react. He jumped high, barely managing to clear a thick spray of blue lava that erupted from the creature's legs. It didn't matter how high or fast he moved. The lava below them reduced his velocity. Every movement felt like it was being dragged through tar.

The beast's first strike was a blur, a single, snapping mandible aimed at Vastarael. He twisted in the air, barely avoiding the crushing bite, but the momentum of his dodge sent him hurtling sideways. His boots scraped the side of a boulder and he caught himself mid-air with a quick burst of sapphire essence, anchoring himself on a higher platform.

"Damn it," he muttered, watching as the creature's mandibles tore through the rock where he had just been standing, leaving splinters and cracks.

Chainless was already on the move, her chains extending outward like whips, trying to latch onto the rocks around them for leverage. She too was slowed by the lava, her chains dragging behind her like weights. Her chains coiled around the creature's legs in a sudden, powerful strike, wrapping around one of the spindly limbs.

With a swift tug, she attempted to yank it off balance. But, the creature's exoskeleton seemed to resist. The chain slipped off like it was nothing more than a harmless thread.

"Keep pressing!"

He swung his glaive again, sending out a burst of energy that struck the creature's armored side. The attack barely dented its shell and the creature responded with a vicious strike of its own.

The beast lunged again, its mandibles snapping through the air with terrifying precision. Vastarael leapt once more, landing on another boulder just as the mandibles slammed shut with the force of a falling boulder.

His every move, his every jump, felt weighed down by the oppressive lava. He could feel it trying to drag him down, the sticky, heavy consistency making his landings feel like walking through deep mud. Every time he pushed off the rocks, he had to compensate for the sluggishness. Even his essence seemed to be dampened by the environment, the fluidity of his strikes diminished with every passing second.

He growled in irritation, focusing his energy into his movements, pulling more essence into his feet as he jumped from one rock to another, trying to outmaneuver the creature while dealing with the treacherous terrain. His strikes were slower than usual.

The lava roiled beneath them, its surface boiling, sending up bursts of hot mist with every impact of a boulder or a miscalculated leap. Vastarael could feel the beads of sweat dripping down his face, mixing with the steady rain from the volcano's mist.

"Come on, think..."

Vastarael didn't want to use his Codex because it would be a very serious gamble. Water Flood would do the trick but he would have to write runes on the walls and the creature would not allow him to do so.

Summoning massive amounts of sapphire would be useless. Plus, his essence was being drained by the lava.

Also, he didn't want to reveal his cards yet, especially his mystic circles. Chainless was doing a perfect job using her chains to immobilize some of the creature's limbs but she was failing rapidly.

He dodged another lava spray and immediately jumped higher than before.

"Chainless! I need you to buy me some time!"

Chainless, without hesitation, immediately sprang into action. The lava monster reared up but she was already there, darting beneath its legs. The creature roared in fury as Chainless moved like a shadow, always just out of reach of its snapping mandibles. She wrapped them around its legs and torso, attempting to constrict the creature's movements. The sheer size and strength of the beast was formidable but Chainless' precision with her chains made her an elusive target.

Her chains tore through the air, striking at the creature's exoskeleton with a force that sent sparks flying but... her attacks didn't have the power to pierce its tough, black armor. The monster struggled against the restraints, its body twisting and turning in an effort to break free, but she held firm.

For all her agility and quickness, she couldn't break through its armor. The creature's retaliation came swiftly. It gave a massive swipe of its massive claws that forced Chainless back, making her stumble over the uneven lava-strewn ground. She was quick to recover though and immediately pressed forward again, wrapping a chain around its massive, spindly limb, using her whole body to force it off balance.

Vastarael watched this, his mind working quickly. He had already begun summoning essence. Instead of slowly building up his energy to sustain his usual flow of attacks, he needed something more.

He began absorbing the energy from the lava. He had toforce his Omniphage, a passive Tether, active but, it would only work for a few seconds.

He felt the familiar pull of his Omniphage as his energy drained but this time, he pushed against it, forced the ability to awaken. Normally, Omniphage activated only when he was near depletion of essence but today, he'd manipulated it, feeding on the very essence around him.

The ground cracked beneath him as his power flared. The storm of blue essence swirled around him, growing larger and brighter by the second. His muscles tensed, his body becoming the perfect conduit for this force, the sapphire blue energy radiating from him.

Vastarael's mind sharpened, his focus narrowing down to the creature that stood before him, the one that was trying to rip his ally apart. He couldn't waste any more time. The lava monster was powerful but it was still bound by the same limitations all creatures faced.

A physical form.

Chainless, seeing the energy gathering around Vastarael, instinctively ducked back from the beast's reach, her chains pulled taut as she leaped back to a safe distance, trying to avoid the monstrous swipes that came her way.

Vastarael's energy, now fully unleashed, crashed forward. His hands clenched into fists as he jumped forward.

He summoned a massive First Star Plasma Circle that seemed to absorb the essence from the lava and his body.

The blue plasma was released in a violent beam that shattered the space around him.

The impact was devastating. The first orb of energy struck the creature's back, sending a shockwave through its body. The force of the strike caused the exoskeleton to groan and shudder under the pressure. The lava around it boiled and splashed wildly but the creature didn't fall. Instead, it roared in fury and spun around, its mandibles snapping in a desperate retaliation.

Vastarael wasn't finished, though. He called more energy to him, the blue light intensifying with every pulse. Another beam, larger this time, was hurled at the creature's head. The monster screamed in pain as the orb collided with its skull, the sapphire power cracking its exoskeleton like fragile glass.

But still, it wasn't enough.

The creature lunged forward again, using its claws to swipe at Vastarael. It was fast but his reflexes were faster. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the claws and once again unleashed his energy, this time, without hesitation.

He dispelled the mystic circle afterwards.

He leapt high into the air, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force of his jump. A sapphire glaive, summoned and glowing with sapphire light, sliced through the air, crashing down on the creature's exposed side with a deafening sound.

The impact was explosive. The creature shrieked in agony as the glaive tore through its exoskeleton, but even then, it didn't fall. It struggled, still trying to swipe at Vastarael with its remaining limbs, but its movements were slower now, labored under the barrage of plasma blasts.

The lava around them churned and bubbled in response to the ongoing battle, splashing onto the rocks and sending up hot, scalding mist into the air.

Vastarael landed, his feet digging into the proctuding rock as he began to gather more energy. He could feel the burn of exhaustion creeping into his limbs but he was far from done. The sapphire energy continued to surge through his body, making him feel more powerful than ever before.

The creature staggered back, visibly weakened from the barrage, its massive head swinging from side to side as it tried to focus its dwindling rage on the two combatants. But Vastarael was no longer focusing on evasion.

The last of his power gathered in his hands. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, raising his glaive towards the creature once again.

"Turn to ash, you mutated lavalouse."

The sapphire energy surged towards the tip of the sapphire glaive before it unleashed another massive plasma beam towards the creature.

The explosion of energy left nothing but a crater in the rocky surface, the blue lava splashing in all directions as the creature was obliterated in a single blast.

Vastarael stood still, breathing heavily, the crackling energy around him slowly dying down as the remains of the creature smoldered in the heat of the blue lava.

It was over.