The bridge ended at a large circular platform in the middle of the room.
Arthev stepped onto the metal floor. The air vibrated so hard that his clothes shook against his skin. A loud, wet thumping sound filled the space, echoing off the walls. It was louder than his own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
In the center of the platform, there was no pedestal or glass case. A large crystal just floated in the air. It was the size of a man's chest and shaped like a rough heart. It glowed with a bright, sickly red light.
The Blood-Root Heart.
Thick, fleshy roots grew out of it like veins. They connected the crystal to the floor, the ceiling, and the walls. It was pumping energy into the entire building.
"This is it," Matatabi said. "There is so much energy here. It is trying to change the nature of everything it touches."
"It smells hungry," Shukaku growled.
Arthev walked toward it. He had to touch the crystal to cut its connection to the forest above. He took three steps.
Hummm.
The rhythm of the thumping changed. The crystal sensed him. It felt the Blue Pendant he was carrying and knew he didn't belong there.
[DEFENSE PROTOCOL: ENGAGED.]
The red light got brighter. The fleshy roots suddenly snapped back, coiling around the crystal core. Material from the air rushed toward the center. It wasn't just a machine, it was building a body.
Layers of grey bone and glowing energy wrapped around the red heart. Long, sharp limbs grew out. A torso formed, covered in armor that looked like a mix of insect shell and hard stone. In seconds, the crystal was hidden deep inside the chest of a giant monster.
The Gardener.
It stood four meters tall on four thin, needle-like legs. Its two main arms were vibrating blades of energy. It had two smaller arms tucked against its chest. It had no face, just a smooth, white surface where a head should be. It wasn't alive. It was just a security program made of bone and power.
"Level 94," Arthev estimated. Sweat ran down his forehead. "Maybe higher."
The Gardener moved.
It didn't roar or wait. One second it was still, and the next, it was right in front of Arthev.
Swish.
Arthev reacted instantly. His special eyes already activated started to glow.
"Shrink," he muttered.
He focused on the massive blade swinging at his neck. For a split second, the blade turned into the size of a tiny needle. The force of the attack vanished instantly.
But the Gardener didn't stop. The heart in its chest pulsed once. The blade grew back instantly.
The energy blade grew back instantly while it was still swinging.
Arthev's eyes went wide. The monster had too much power for his trick to work. He crossed his arms to block, covering them in a thick layer of Iron Sand.
Clang!
The hit felt like being struck by a charging beast. Arthev flew backward. His boots tore through the metal floor as he slid fifty meters. He stopped right at the edge of the platform.
Smoke rose from his arms. The sand armor had cracked. His bones rattled from the impact.
"He's fast," Arthev whispered, shaking his numb hands. "And he hits hard."
Isobu's voice cut through the noise, calm and steady.
"His shell is layered. The outer part spreads the impact. Your shrinking failed because the core heals faster than you can lock onto it."
"I noticed," Arthev said.
"You are attacking the body. Target what holds it together."
The Gardener didn't chase him immediately. It tilted its smooth, blank head, watching him. It made a dry clicking sound and shifted its weight. Its body blurred into a streak of white light. It was attacking again.
Arthev's eyes spun.
Kamui.
Arthev fell through the floor, phasing into the level below to escape the blades. He landed on a metal beam, breathing hard.
The monster adapted to everything. If he shrunk its weapons, they grew back. It felt no pain.
Above him, the metal ceiling started to melt.
The Gardener burned a hole through the floor with acidic energy and dropped down. It stuck to a pillar, its blank face locked onto him. It was a machine that wouldn't stop until he was dead.
"Arthev," Matatabi warned. "Your physical body is the bottleneck. You aren't fast or tough enough to fight this thing as you are."
"It thinks it's the only one with a hard shell," Shukaku growled in his mind.
"Let me out. I'll crush it."
Arthev stood up straight. His power flared, making his uniform ripple. He wiped a bit of blood from his lip.
"You're right," Arthev whispered. "If it wants a monster, then we have to show it what a real monster looks like."
"Shukaku. You wanted to play?"
"Finally!"
A loud, rough roar came from Arthev's throat, mixing with his own voice.
Arthev's skin began to darken. Black markings spread across his face and arms like tattoos. His eyes changed. His left eye stayed black, but his right eye turned bright yellow with a star-shaped pupil.
Sand exploded from the floor. It wrapped around his right arm, growing and hardening until it formed a massive, ugly claw as big as his entire body.
Tailed Beast Possession.
The Gardener lunged. Its energy blade pointed right at Arthev's heart. Arthev didn't move out of the way. He roared and swung the giant sand claw to meet the blade.
Crash.
The shockwave was so strong it blew the railings off the platform. The Gardener's blade stopped cold, caught in the grip of the heavy sand.
Arthev looked up. He had a wild, mean grin on his face. It was the look of a beast, not a boy.
"Now," Arthev and Shukaku growled together. "Let's see if you can grow back from this."
To be continued....