How To Survive A Calamity-Chapter 183: Final Act [4]

Due to the special nature of the contract he had with Zets, and the Red crystal, the Demonic transformation allowed the two to blend souls in a precarious balance in one body.

This meant, a fragment of Zet's soul already resided within

Nicodemus's body

And like an attraction, the rest of the soul was also pulled into the prepared Vessel —Nicodemus.

'N...o...'

Nicodemus's body convulsed greatly, as if a fight and struggle, beyond the mortal eyes could see, was taking place.

His eyes turned grey and his finger's twitched as his head and limb flailed wildly.

The red gem in the left chest glowed with a swirling crimson halo, and a burst of dark energy pulsed they the air and sent the chamber into ruin.

—Boom!

The Masked stranger leaned backwards, then multiple silver limbs like spider legs rose from his back and wrapped around him like a silver armored cocoon.

The cadets — Alexander, Trise and Chelsea were thrown to the ground, pale and half conscious at this point.

The black chains that restrained them, cracked and dissolved the moment the Grimoire was destroyed.

The chamber rumbled.

Malevolence filled the air.

"[Haaaaaa....]"

A twisted, turbid voice resounded from the center.

Nicodemus was revealed on his knees, grasping at one side of his deformed face with one hand, while the others was twisted and contorted in a terrifying expression like it was right out of a nightmare.

His body proportions was all over the place, with parts of his form swelling much larger than the others.

It felt like something gruesome was slithering and moving underneath his dark flesh and muscles, and a third horn was slowly rising from the other side of his head.

A second, much smaller wing, in comparison, protruded out from his back. It was deformed and uneven, constantly changing shapes depicting indescribable horrors and forms.

Suddenly, something sprouted out of Nicodemus's lower back sharply, tearing through his body like the birth of a new limb, and he cried out in pain.

It was a massive, deformed tail that quickly melted into black blood and pooled into a puddle against the ground.

"[Urgh!! Ha...ah....]"

Nicodemus heaved, grunted and panted as his body lept murphing unnaturally, growing grotesquely in size and appearance.

He was becoming something more and more different than a demon.

It was like his whole existence was at an imbalance.

'[The gem... it's not working...]"

"...Of course it's not. Ugh!]"

A gratting voice said from one side of his lips, and another snapped back immediately from the other side.

Then Nicodemus glared daggers and spears at the Stranger and the two voice bellowed in a cacaphony.

"[What have you done?]"

The Stranger remained silent without a word, standing as still as anything incomprehensible.

Nicodemus's body continued to bulge, convulse in different areas, and morph into something unnatural and morbid.

Irregular limbs continued to sprout out of different parts of his body, and he felt his existence begin to wane.

'Wh...at's happening...?'

Zet's dark

voice resounded quickly in his fading mind. It was calm, cold, and somber than usual.

'[it appears your body isn't strong enough yet to handle two souls — my soul. You're getting devoured. There's an imbalance in your existence, so natural law is beginning to rectify that.]'

'What?'

Nicodemus froze.

Devoured?

Erased?

In the end, after everything...

But there was a detail to Zet's word that Nicodemus didn't fail to miss.

'Then that means...'

'[Yes...]' the Demon's voice became darker — '[In the end, i will be all that remains.]'

Nicodemus's body trembled as he heard that and a deep emotion boiled from his withering being.

"[Khh...]"

He gritted his teeth and caressed the red gem in his chest.

"[I can't let that happen.]"

Then the gem began to surge with power.

"[I won't let you have my body]"

Dark energy began to boil around his figure, rising with intensity that made the air vibrate.

The small, deformed second wing behind his back suddenly grew larger to an equal size, as he took another step closer to a Demonic appearance.

A third and fourth horn grew from the side of his head, and the black veins across his pale face turned red, pulsing alive, almost.

Nicodemus laughed as he forced himself to his feet — dark red treads of Demonic energy rising from his figure like curtains.

Immediately, the Stranger moved.

The eight silver limbs rising from his back like spider legs shot forward like spears through the air and stabbed through Nicodemus's body and various points.

Nicodemus unruffled his wings and scattered a pulse of energy that destroyed the limbs before slowly rising into the air.

The Masked stranger was already lunging forward before he could.

A swath of darkness like a maelstrom from Nicodemus wing swept at him from the side, but he rolled forward and skillfully evaded as he continued.

A dark red energy swole in Nicodemus's grasp as he watched the approaching Stranger with a twisted smile and laughed again.

There was no amusement in his voice.

Just pure hatred, wrath and bloodlust.

"[All of you... everything can just—]

Before he could finish his utterance, something sharp bit into his neck from the side behind him.

Blood rushed out through the mouth of Nicodemus and his eyes faltered as they trembled.

'How...?'

The Masked Stranger that was before him.

—he was nowhere to be seen.

Instead he was now behind him, with a silver blade tearing halfway though his neck.

—Another Illusion?

Nicodemus didn't know.

No.

It didn't matter either.

He coughed up black blood as he descended back to the ground.

Then Nicodemus placed a hand against the Gem in his chest and overloaded it by stirring its powers.

His lips parted mockingly.

"[You shouldn't have gone for the head.]"

But, unexpectedly, the Stranger replied coldly.

"I know."

—Stab.

A great sword suddenly ran through the chest of Nicodemus from behind, crushing his heart and gem from the back.

"[No...]

Nicodemus's eyes widened and his body trembled as he slowly looked back.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

He heard the Stranger's voice whisper in his ears again, darkly.

"I didn't."

Nicodemus suddenly realised.

—There were two Masked Strangers.

One with a blade in his neck.

—the other with one through his heart.