More than a dozen tentacles were attacking simultaneously, each one moving at such a fast speed that they even seemed to fill the entire forest.
They all came from the large deformed body of the aberration, who was attacking non-stop while the surface of its body rippled as if a stone had fallen into a still pond.
This ondulation was a product of its body regenerating the damage that had been caused by the 'human' by cutting several of its tentacles that formed the cage to escape.
Against this flurry of attacks that pulverized any unfortunate tree they collided with, they gave the image that it was an unstoppable and imposing attack.
However, if one were to look closely at these tentacles, one would be able to see that most of them were far from intact.
With deep cuts on their surface, others dripping with dark colored blood and with some having lost chunks of flesh, it was clear that they had taken damage.
Directly in front of them was nothing but the cause of all these wounds, a lone 'human'.
A short time had passed, and his body, still mostly the same as the one that belonged to the human known as Jay Sacrest, was not quite the same.
Starting with his unusually long, sickly white arms that ended in sharp claws, continuing with his slight but noticeable increase in height, and ending with his entire body now being thinner.
While before Jay's body was packed with muscle from his daily exercise and the effect of the [Parasite: Limit Breaker], giving him a somewhat robust appearance, he was now rather thin.
It didn't take a genius to realize that with all the changes he had undergone and his current appearance, Jay's body was becoming more and more similar to that of the aberration before its transformation.
Of course, this was not a coincidence by any stretch of the imagination.
Instead, this was the transformation that the parasites had been taking care of with the schematic they had been given.
Which it had to be mentioned, was a perfect blueprint of how the monster's body was structured, created solely from the arm they had consumed.
Perhaps it might not seem like much with just the arm, but thanks to the fact that whoever made the blueprint was someone with an abysmal knowledge of organic bodies, it was not a difficult task.
In itself, the blueprint was more intriguing than anything else, but as for the reasons for this, it was already someone else's problem to investigate.
*Swoosh!*
Moving as a stream of wind followed him, the 'human' kept an incredibly fluid and swift pace.
Every now and then one or another tentacle would chase after him, but using his sharp claws, he managed to deflect them in time, causing the occasional break after the collision.
Seeing this, one was already able to get an idea of why the decision to imitate the monster's body had been made.
Whether its muscles, skin, bones or even organs, each and every one of them were vastly superior to those of Jay, who was a human.
And while there was also the aspect that it had the energy of a rank (B-) monster, whoever was occupying Jay's body had realized something from the moment it consumed the monster's arm.
Other than empowering the monster's body, that energy that was like a deep lake, which was comparable to that of the instructors in the academy... it really had no other use.
He had searched and performed an innumerable amount of simulations, trying to find a special ability that would use that energy, but no matter how hard he had tried, the result was always the same.
The only way to expend that energy was to use it to power the monster's body, functioning simply as a fuel.
There were no fireballs, lightning bolts, cutting wind, or any other type of ability that was capable of being channeled using that energy.
This monster was pure brute strength, combined with incredible speed and an even greater endurance that made it a serious threat against the vast majority of supers.
And although its current form, being a deformed mass of flesh, muscle and blood, was harnessing that energy much better by increasing the expenditure and range of movements it could use, it still was within the expected.
It was also thanks to this feature that both changing the [Carrier]'s body as well as increased regeneration was possible.
Following the blueprint of the monster's body, this ability to be able to change its own body as long as there was energy had also been assimilated.
Accordingly, the [Carrier]'s body had been changed to a great extent not only to strengthen its physical capabilities, but also to manage to mimic even better the monster's characteristic of using energy to boost its physique to inhuman levels.
And it was with that characteristic that right now whoever occupied Jay's body was able to keep up with the aberration's relentless attacks.
Using all the energy contained in the tentacles he had consumed just a couple of minutes ago, his body had been greatly enhanced.
Combine this with the fact that now the aberration's physiology, containing its strengths and weaknesses were exposed like an open book, and it was only a matter of time before an opening was found, and this one-sided fight came to an end.
*Chak!*
Claws and tentacles clashed again, repelling each other, with the 'human' being pushed several steps behind and the tentacles being forced to stop for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, taking advantage of the fact that the 'human' had stopped its run, dozens more tentacles began to chase after it.
Cutting through the air at a speed at which it was even difficult to keep track of them, these tentacles that seemed sharper than usual surrounded him on all sides.
In response, the 'human' swung his claws to meet each of these needles.
*Clang!*
Then, the aftermath of the exchange of blows rang out in the surroundings.
Claws as hard as metal met the needles hardened to the maximum, producing a metallic noise.
For some time now, the aberration, having that its tentacles were no longer having the desired effect, using what little reason it had left, it changed its body again.
With the tentacles becoming thinner and tougher than before, this was a effective tactic that had forced the 'human' to stop its run and focus on defending.
As a bonus, thanks to the toughness of these needles, the fear of losing these and being consumed by the 'human' had disappeared.
Now that it had its opponent occupied, the aberration set its next move in motion.
With its huge body following closely behind, another perimeter was formed, with tentacles extending around the area and forming a larger cage than the previous one.
Apparently, the aberration had not given up on this idea, instead enhancing its cage with tentacles hardened to the maximum.
It had learned from its previous mistake and now did not plan to leave a moment's suspense so that the 'human' could try something.
Even if it was its previous body it had in front, the aberration now knew that it should not hesitate for a second to annihilate it completely.
Thus, also demonstrating a decent ability to multitask, the aberration continued to attack relentlessly as it continued to build and improve the meat cage.
As for the 'human', keeping all his attention on defending himself from the needle-like tentacles, he seemed to be oblivious to the changes in the surroundings.
Of course, this did not mean that he was going to sit still while he was locked up, and the aberration was fully aware of this fact.
While its face remained just as expressionless as before and its actions did not indicate that he was trying to do anything, this 'human' had something on its mind.
He had already demonstrated it time and time again, and it was perhaps in that alone that the being in front of the aberration resembled the real human that owned that body.
In a matter of seconds, the new cage had been finished, and besides being much stronger than the previous one, it had an improvement made especially to deal with his opponent.
The cage was completely dark inside and out, but if one looked more closely, one could see that in the middle of all that darkness, countless small hooks possessing the same hardness as the needles were on its surface.
These were so that if the 'human' wanted to escape in the same way as before, using his claws to cut the tentacles, they would be caught the moment they made contact.
Anyway, with this, the secondary preparations had been completed, so the aberration could now fully concentrate on its main objective.
With its slimy body bubbling, a pair of new tentacles appeared, and from the moment they did, one could already see how different they were from the others.
Reflecting a metallic sheen on their almost completely dark colored blade, two tentacles whose tips resembled more like cutting weapons rather than organic parts appeared.
And without being made to wait, these new metallic weapons then added to the flurry of attacks against the 'human', increasing the pressure the latter had to face.
*CLANG!*
Before, his every move had to be precise and calculated to the smallest detail, because although with his new body he was able to deflect the needles, they still represented a considerable danger.
Now, even when deflecting the attacks of the metallic tentacles, he could feel how his claws not only lost their sharpness, but were gradually being ruined.
Although using some energy the 'human' was able to regenerate the claws and return them to their optimal state, it was a waste to do so when in just a couple of seconds, his claws had collided almost a dozen times against the tentacles.
But even so, for some reason, the 'human' kept regenerating its claws as soon as they were damaged.
*Clang!
Thus, the exchanges continued between the aberration and the 'human', both parties becoming incredibly proficient in their repetitive but effective attacks.
Slashing blades moved at breakneck speeds seeking to cut tendons and flesh, needles slipped through unthinkable places to pierce nerves and veins, and claws fought against all of the above, throwing away their own integrity.
With all this combined, the attack exchange had become a dance where claws and tentacles were the participants, the music replaced by metallic sounds and instead of applause, flesh and blood were filling the stage.
*Chak!
As time passed, wounds began to accumulate on both parties, and while both were regenerating carelessly, it was clear that they were preparing for something.
Having greatly increased the speed of its tentacles, the aberration would not let the 'human' even take a breath, in its body bubbling what appeared to be another weapon.
This time, the bubbling was so great that its entire body rippled intensely, indicating that whatever the aberration was about to use was going to be something big.
Simultaneously, a change could also be seen in the 'human'.
His extremely sharp claws, no one knew exactly when, had begun to change color each time they were regenerated.
At first they were simply small spots, but the more times they were rebuilt, the more the color changed.
Now, each of the claws had been painted a deep purple color.
Without even exchanging glances, the speed of the aberration's attacks increased once again as the energy inside the 'human' began to go on the rampage.
*BOOM!*
Then, without any warning, an explosive surge of energy from the two protagonists of this fight echoed in the surroundings.
Then, just as the aberration had finished its final weapon, both the tentacles and the 'human' disappeared, leaving behind a residual image.
And for just an instant, the cage was completely silent.
*CHACK!*
Before long, flesh and blood splattered everywhere, with the culprits being the main figures who had once again appeared inside the cage.
Despite the deep layer of darkness surrounding the cage and the forest, it was still possible to see what had been the result of the final move of both parties.
Standing right in front of the aberration, with his entire body having been pierced by dozens of tentacles and with one of his arms being barely complete to the forearm, it was clear that the 'human' had taken the full brunt of the aberration's final attack.
However, that did not mean that the latter had lost the battle, as his opponent had completely ceased all movement.
The aberration, with its huge, imposing, slimy body, was extremely resistant to physical attacks, and yet...
Its body had been forcibly reshaped, with the mark of five claws having cut into its body to the point that it was even possible to see through, not to mention its organs, several of which had been damaged.
With this, both parties, whether they wanted it or not, had put an end to this fight.
