Ethan could tell that the Crimson Queen had meticulously orchestrated a boss battle for him—there's nothing more visually impactful in a confrontation than the summoner, as a Believer of Argos, directly summoning Argos himself.
He saw a dark fissure appearing in the sky above the Divine Tree, and moments later, a giant hand pushed open the fissure. Pale blue energy surged from the space on the other side of the rift, transforming into a blue rain in the blink of an eye. All creatures touched by the rain mutated instantly, changing from the inside out under Argos's energy influence.
Metal and machinery became their bodies, even the Divine Tree, standing for millennia in this world, was not spared. Corrosion spread from the branches until it assimilated the trunk; its surface was no longer rough bark, replaced by smooth, cold black iron. Then those writhing tubes began to spawn.
Even Ethan, who had seen much, felt his sanity plummet during the mutation of the Divine Tree.
