Tonks didn't know what was happening, but for a moment, she felt her arousal suddenly diminish. Not just her—Yexi experienced the same thing. At the same time, the fleshy mass around them began contracting erratically, losing the coherence it once had.
The [Essence of Gluttony], upon being acquired for the first time, had been greatly enhanced, raising its power by several levels. However, this uncontrolled growth caused an imbalance: other essences like Wrath and Lust temporarily lost their influence. If they had all been at a similar level, they could coexist in harmony, but at that moment, Gluttony completely dominated, suppressing the others.
The alien entity had been freed from Lust's influence, but that wasn't the main reason for its frantic reaction. Even if the aura had disappeared, the excitement it had already generated should have kept it focused on its goal. However, a much more severe issue was affecting it.
[Drain Life].
I hadn't used that ability in a long time, mainly because in most battles, blood absorption techniques were faster and more effective. But [Life Drain] had an advantage: it wasn't limited to beings with blood. Its range of action was much broader, and now, I was exploiting it to the fullest.
The smaller tentacles holding me lost their strength and withered instantly, falling lifeless. Others, still connected to the creature's core, convulsed wildly, as if its own body couldn't comprehend what was happening to it. The essence of Wrath, though weakened, still empowered me enough to withstand the pressure of that abominable being.
Tonks watched in horror as the massive alien mass convulsed, while the entire organic environment twisted as if suffering from an indescribable agony. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling—all made of living flesh—shook violently, crashing against themselves and the metallic/rocky structures of the place. The little stable ground left on the planet was fracturing into pieces.
A massive chunk of debris fell from the ceiling, forcing Tonks to jump with Yexi in her arms to avoid being crushed. But before she could catch her breath, a guttural and terrifying sound rumbled behind them.
The swarm.
Through the same archway they had entered, an endless tide of alien creatures came rushing toward them in an uncontrollable frenzy. They were countless, desperate, ready to trample them without hesitation.
Tonks drew her wand and attempted to conjure a wall of fire to repel them, but the creatures were so deranged that they hurled themselves into the flames without hesitation, burning alive in their frenzy. Just when it seemed there was no escape, a burst of energy exploded in front of them, and a greenish substance covered them along with a protective magic shield.
"Red!" Tonks exclaimed upon seeing the redhead, who wore only a space helmet for oxygen.
"Just a clone," I responded with a fleeting smile. "My real body is still inside that thing. Hurry, follow me! We need to get out of here."
I extended my hand and detonated the shield, blasting the aliens away. Then, I extracted more of that greenish blood and covered Tonks and Yexi with it. It wasn't an absolute defense, but at least it would make them go unnoticed by the lower-intelligence creatures.
Around the clone, several more clones began to materialize, each wielding a different weapon. Without wasting time, they scattered in all directions, unleashing an implacable slaughter.
The creatures didn't stand a chance.
Wrath empowered my strength. The supreme entity was desperately struggling to resist and could no longer guide them. And in the mind of every clone, a single melody echoed intensely: "The Only Thing They Fear Is You."
Tonks watched as my clones seemed utterly deranged in the middle of the massacre. Suddenly, I started attacking with even greater intensity, ignoring wounds and destroying everything in my path—even if that meant harming or killing other clones in the process.
Shortly after, with energy overflowing in the atmosphere, the music reached the ears of Tonks and Yexi as well. In the midst of so much tension, without 'its' control and in such a dire situation, the only thing they could do was let themselves go. They became as savage as they could, unleashing their fury upon the alien horde.
The vehicle was retrieved once again with the intention of escaping as quickly as possible. A day's journey would be too long, so certain risks had to be taken with the speed. As for the path, my clones would handle clearing the way.
As for my main body, I was fighting an exhausting battle, both physically and mentally. 'It' was an incredibly powerful creature, with unmatched PSI mastery, but it was in a desperate situation.
It had attempted the same reproductive trick, but in its eagerness to trap me, it had exposed its weaknesses. Its brain was within my reach, its greatest source of PSI power was damaged, and it continued to erode little by little. This was the reason why Tonks and Yexi were no longer receiving mental attacks—'it' simply couldn't afford it. Its highest priority now was getting rid of me.
I won't say it was easy. I could feel its PSI power trying to crush me, disintegrate me, burn me, and use a thousand different methods to destroy me. But none of them were enough. Every wound it inflicted on me healed almost instantly, thanks to my [Drain Life] ability. Enhanced by the [Essence of Gluttony], any loss was compensated for by the vitality I absorbed from it.
'It' fell into a state of madness. The essence of Gluttony had granted me the [Voracity] ability, freeing me from the need to ingest food in the conventional way, whether to activate my powers or for my basic sustenance. This ability also allowed me to consume any matter, albeit with certain limitations. I could generate a dark vortex that devoured everything, and now, intensified, my entire body radiated an absorption power—any contact with me resulted in an even more voracious drain.
When it lost more than 10% of its total vitality, 'it' fell into despair. Its attacks became frantic, not caring if it hurt itself as long as it could get rid of me. But to its misfortune, in the process, I acquired a new ability: [Drain Energy/Magic]. My constant absorption had developed it naturally, and the essence of Gluttony enhanced it even further. As a result, every attack it launched at me only ended up making me stronger.
Of course, this ability wouldn't be so powerful without the reinforcement of Gluttony. I couldn't absorb just any kind of magic or become immune to all spells. Its greatest utility lay in draining natural energies from the environment or directly absorbing the magical essence of an enemy. There were only a few spells that, once activated, could be consumed without restrictions. But of course… that was without considering the influence of Gluttony.
When its vitality dropped to 15%, 'it' was already considering escape. However, it couldn't get rid of me. I was too deep in its core, and expelling me was impossible. Its only option was to relocate its vital organs elsewhere in its body and then try to flee, but doing so would involve a massive sacrifice. I was too deeply rooted within it.
From that point on, the battle became dangerously easy. Gluttony was different from other essences. Wrath, Lust, and Envy had visibly affected my mental state, altering my emotions. But Gluttony… Gluttony operated differently. It didn't cause a drastic psychological shift, but it awakened a hunger within me… a deep hunger… though not entirely conventional.
The desire to consume was so intense that, without realizing it, my own instincts drove me to drain its vitality even more fiercely. And it seemed to function exponentially. First, I absorbed 10%, then 15%… and in the blink of an eye, I reached 20%. It was as if the more I took from it, the stronger the absorption became… and the more powerful my hunger grew.
The suction of vitality intensified at an alarming rate. At that moment, 'it' realized its mistake. It should have sacrificed part of itself to escape earlier, but now it no longer had a choice: it was losing in every possible way. Desperate, it tried to separate itself from me at any cost. And though it managed to partially break away, leaving fragments of its own body behind, the absorption did not stop.
I kept draining it even from a distance. Dark vortexes swirled around me, devouring everything that entered their range. And the worst… or the best… was that those vortexes only continued to grow.
Now, not only was 'it' being consumed. Even other creatures of the swarm began to be absorbed, dragged into the suction vortex and disintegrated within. My power skyrocketed with each being devoured, and with it, the strength of the absorption increased even further.
In fact, I should have been worried about Tonks and Yexi. I was losing my sanity, and perhaps they would end up being absorbed as well. But at the same time, a part of me remained calm. With so much vitality consumed, I was in a state of overcharge, and with such power, it would be easy to pull them out of there with a simple teleportation. Of course, my mental state wasn't right, and the clone I used to transport them suffered disintegration due to the very same suction… but at least it was just the clone.
'It' had barely 20% of its vitality left. There was no escape anymore. What little remained would be absorbed in a matter of seconds. All the flesh and organic matter that once covered this planet withered rapidly, reducing to dust. Even if it tried to flee in its weakened state, now without enough mass to move, it would inevitably be dragged toward me by the dark vortexes.
It fought with all its might, but it was useless. It didn't even need to touch the vortexes… its vitality would fade on its own. It shrank, reducing more and more, until finally, it turned to dust… and that dust was devoured by the vortexes.
But I was not satisfied.
I wanted more. Much more.
The hunger did not disappear, that insatiable need gnawed at me from within. And so, the vortexes began to devour the inorganic remains of the planet as well: the dust, the rocks, the metallic fragments of ancient victims… everything was consumed at an alarming speed.
Tonks and Yexi watched in horror as the now-hollow planet began to crack. My clones also disappeared; being the entities with the highest concentration of energy, they were the next to be absorbed. I neither gained nor lost anything from their disappearance, but in that instant, when I no longer had to divide my mind among multiple selves, I regained enough sanity to realize what I was doing… and start stopping myself.
The two women, outside, trembled in fear. Even through the ground, the suction was so strong that they could barely stand. They watched as the planet fractured like a broken egg, with enormous fragments sinking toward its core. Even the spaceship we had arrived in was dragged in and devoured by the black vortexes, which continued to expand.
They feared the worst… but little by little, the suction began to weaken… until, at some point, it finally stopped.
But the planet no longer existed.
Tonks and Yexi opened their eyes in fear, finding themselves standing on a small mass of rock floating in the void. Barely five meters of surface, surrounded by countless floating debris. The planet had completely vanished.
Not far away, I floated in space, naked, holding myself in the vacuum as if the absence of air did not affect me.
Quickly, I pulled a space helmet from my inventory and put it on, though it wasn't really necessary due to the new ability I had acquired. But that didn't matter.
Everything I had with me had also been consumed. That's why I was naked. So I pulled out some clothes and covered myself before appearing beside them.
"Is it over?" Tonks asked nervously, still shocked by the planet's disappearance.
"It's over," I responded softly, helping them to their feet.
We stood in silence, staring into the vastness of space. Where once there had been a world… now only scattered remnants floated in nothingness.
"What do we do now?" Yexi asked, looking around, realizing there was no sign of the spaceship. Her dream of surviving this ordeal was crumbling.
"It's time to leave," I said, looking mainly at Tonks. "It's all over."
"Yes… it's good to go home," she whispered with a relieved smile.
"What are you talking about? How are we supposed to—?" Yexi began to say, confused.
Tonks smiled softly and clung to my arm.
"Don't worry, Yexi. You're a great friend. I'll make sure that next time we don't have to go through this crap… and that you get that suite on the star cruise you always wanted." (Tonks)
"What…?" Yexi couldn't finish her sentence.
Tonks and I disappeared.
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