AWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
The blood-chilling howl reverberated in the sky. A gigantic 12-meter horned wolf ripped apart the lesser beings in front of it. Its coat was soaked red from the blood of its victims. Yet the voices Elian heard destroyed the terrifying visage of the savage Fluffy.
"Even I, a Snow Wolf knows that something like a penguin couldn't fly. Just what have you…"
"Oh shut up! I've had enough of Elian teasing me about that! Didn't you mistakenly eat the feces of your cousin? And you even bragged about it to your aunt."
As the rampaging Winter Wolf Alpha ran, icicle spears flew beside her like loyal knights. Each one tore through tens of enemies, then impaled itself along the walls like a blood-soaked lance.
"Oh, that was low… so you want to really do this huh? Master, do you really think my escapade even compares to how stupid yours are? Lipstick, ribbons, fisheyes. You want me to share those, oh Witch of the Frozen night?"
An Alpha lunged at Fluffy, but she twisted her body to avoid him. Instead, she skewered her horns into his flank. A second later the Alpha's skin turned to ice. Fluffy flicked her head, which shattered the frozen chunk of the Snow Wolf killing it immediately.
"… this thankless feces-eating ball of fur! Don't you dare!"
"Hahaha! You know you love my fur. Although I am like what? Number three on the list of things you love? Shall I call to Number 1? I bet he'd love to hear what you did with the ribbon."
"I was twelve! Focus on the battle you mutt!"
The image of giant beasts dying en masse to a Wolf with split personality disorder was hilarious. But Elian's focus lay not in what they said but more on how they said it. This was the first time he saw Bianca like this. And it made him conflicted.
She seemed free. I wonder if that is a side benefit of Possession?
Elian noticed, ever since Fluffy arrived, Bianca seemed to be keeping her distance. She suddenly became extremely close with their new companion. They acted like a pair of sisters who couldn't stop messing with each other.
And while it should please him, it also felt…lonely.
Hmm. This must be what Bianca felt with Sera.
Before, Bianca always lingered around him. Now, Bianca was always with Fluffy. He could understand that it was to grant the Snow Wolf more power. But what about him?
It feels like I've been replaced.
When Elian felt his mind begin to spiral into negativity, he stopped himself.
Not good, there is no point in dwelling.
[Talent: Adamant – activated. Elian Reed is now immune to fear and psychological effects so long as the Talent remains active.]
Like always, Elian felt the emotion bleed out of his body. But this time he welcomed it. Right now, he needed to focus. Bianca and Fluffy's power was so overwhelming, he felt left behind.
"They move too fast, like a storm. But to control a battlefield I need a ton of preparation. I even reached the limit of Living Metal reserves. If I cannot figure out a way to store more, I cannot even devour those I kill in the future."
Elian gazed at the experiment beside him. It was a 1:1 replica of his real body. By halving his body's reserves, he was able to create a full two-meter humanoid golem. The only problem was, it wouldn't move, as if mocking him.
"Come on! Move already, you useless piece of trash!" he berated.
Though he understood his body's makeup, ordering it to walk did nothing. There were far too many parts needed to take a single step. From the knees bending to two sets of muscles needed to work in tandem, it was all too complicated.
"Crap, should I just simplify it like what I did with the wolves?"
In frustration, Elian tore his 2nd body to pieces and melted it into a large ball of Living Metal.
"Hmm. Guess I'm still too stupid. Let's park that idea for now. If I cannot bring the Living Metal in its raw form, why don't I store onyx pieces instead? I should be able to bear the weight if it's not too much. Let's try."
Elian took a bowling-ball-sized blob of Living Metal and compressed it. It eventually turned into a golf-ball-sized sphere. The boy tried to crush it but couldn't when he threw it on the ground. It made small tremors.
"Okay, that works. Now what to do with this bastard?"
Elian saw Fluffy elegantly sniping distant targets with ice javelins. Inspired, he tried to imitate it. The oversized gauntlet in his right arm grew and revealed his pile driver-like weapon.
With precision the tip then hollowed out from the inside, creating a long barrel. Elian created a firing chamber and placed the golf ball inside.
"I don't have gun powder. Well technically, I do with Bianca and my blood, but she looks busy. Let's use air for now."
Elian pointed his right arm toward a nearby wolf and began loading. A long rectangular box appeared behind the makeshift gun. Both sides of the box opened. Metallic fans began to whirl to life as the box sucked air to prepare its shot.
Possessed Fluffy was an all-around powerhouse. Bianca's ice allowed her to create projectiles, shields, and even buildings. For close combat, Fluffy was a melee fighter uncontested in brutality and instinct.
Be it against one or many, their combination was close to perfect.
Elian on the other hand had too many issues. While he was powerful in defensive battles or straight-up brawls, if the opponents ran away he couldn't give chase.
Forged's properties made him incredibly durable at the cost of speed. The tomahawks and snakes were both dead ends as they had limited range.
"My weight makes me slow. I could use boosters, but I would need Bianca for every step. I need to be able to fight those out of reach without relying on her."
The sounds of the compartment's closing echoed, the internal components began to come alive. It worked like a gigantic syringe. By trapping air and focusing it on one end it created power. Done quickly, it turns violent.
"Fire."
Elian detonated the compressed air inside his arm. A boom shook the field. Two more blasts followed before the power turned chaotic. A supersonic crack echoed.
His right arm shook as the bullet left the barrel. Like lightning it moved too fast to see. The only evidence it flew lay in the aftermath of its passing.
"KYUUU!" "AWK!!!" "BLURK!"
Three wolves shooting icicles at Fluffy suddenly had parts of their bodies erased. One lost its entire head. The second had its midsection erased. While the last had its rear ripped from its body. Afterwards, the onyx golf ball crashed pitifully on the ground. It killed three but that was it.
That was pathetic. It made no difference at all. Why am I even trying to snipe from far away?
Using the Beacon party as a template, the boy contemplated.
Bianca, Fluffy, and I are a family. We were never meant to do the same things. Out of the three of us I am the toughest. So my role is similar to Charlie's. To keep enemies off my family and shield them when necessary.
"Rather than an external shield, I will be the shield. No, I will be a wall. The hardest wall. I don't need to look like a knight; I just need to be able to do my job."
By abandoning his biases on appearances Elian made parts of his armor thicker. They looked like those of the beetle king. Elian commanded the ball of Living Metal to separate and create pieces of onyx armor along with a pair of Air Shotgun weapons.
He also made shoulder armor several times thicker than what he used before. Inside a honeycomb-like lattice was created. In each hole of the pattern, he placed a mini air shotgun device and an onyx golf ball.
"These would be my trump card. At close range, I will shower my opponent with these. For regular weapons, modified air shotguns would do. The right one will have a nail and be for penetration. And the left will be a gun for mid-range shooting."
He picked up the Air Shotgun weapons and wore them on his forearms. They were so big they threw his balance off. The left had a short muzzle while the right had an imposing nail at the end.
As Elian armed himself, he looked on at Fluffy. She raised her head to the skies, and a blizzard of ice javelins skewered all who opposed her. The sight reminded him of Bianca, regal and tyrannical. Her horns looked similar to Bianca's crown.
I want one too.
Fluffy's three horns reminded him of Bianca's crown. But Elian had neither the majesty of a king nor the ferocity of a beast. He was and always will be a weapon. Thus, he mounted an onyx saber on his head instead. It seemed pathetic but…
This is who I am.
When his rebirth completed, the living weapon rejoined the battle in silence.