Vesta's body arched violently.
A guttural scream tore from his throat as the substance took hold. Muscles bulged unnaturally, skin cracking in places as a toxic vapor began to leak from his pores. The green glow intensified, turning almost blinding as his presence swelled.
His eyes snapped back to Shin, now glowing with a deranged, desperate fury.
"I refuse to die at your hands…" he hissed, claws forming at the tips of his fingers. "I'm going to kill you!"
Shin kept his calm demeanor, watching Vesta's grotesque transformation. However, before Shin could fully assess its power, Vesta lunged with blinding speed.
His fist, now swollen with toxic mana and tipped with jagged claws, struck the flat of the Obsidian Decapitator that Shin had instinctively raised to block. The force of the blow sent Shin skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the dirt.
