The sphere detonated with a lound bang, sending a barrage of tiny needles, tearing through every shard in the vicinity, piercing and shredding them.
The nightmare cried in agony— but that was just the beginning. Layered within the blast was the rusty centipede alloy, sandwiched between the bull alloy needles and the shimmering wolf droplets.
As the needles struck, they pierced through the inside of the shards, making a way for the centipede alloy. Then these alloy did their work, began to corrode them from within.
That started a the second wave of torment through the eyeball nightmare. Its torn metallic shell vibrated violently, as if trembling under unbearable pain. This was like burning someone from inside while that being was alive.
It was what Kaios came up readily. It was just a simple method, with layered designs.
The sphere had three layers. The innermost layer consisted of shimmering droplets from the wolf nightmare, it stores vibration induced by anything into it be it due to sound or physical attack, before blasting these stored vibrations outward with force.
Due to this property, it acted as the fuel for Kaios's sphere. Then Layered above it was the rusty centipede alloy, which contained the blast momentarily before shattering and scattering everywhere.
Lastly, the outermost layer, which was formed from the bull alloy. And thanks to its memory-shaping property, it could maintain its form briefly, without Kaios's active manipulation. So Kaios, Just before the detonation, shaped these into sharp needles, maximizing their piercing potential and making a path for the spreading of corrosive centipede alloy.
The eyeball nightmare squirmed violently, its shards around trembling and twisting, as if its every inch was screaming in agony.
The jagged shells rattled, sparks flew from the cracks, that were forming on its metallic surface. Its cries were no longer controlled—they were guttural, filled with pained, and desperation.
Kaios landed lightly atop a crow-alloy platform, bracing himself, as the shockwave from the blast rippled outward. The molten alloy he had drawn earlier, flowed around him, enveloping him like a cocoon, and shielding him from shockwave as well as the remnats from the blast.
As the tremors settled in due time, the metal veil parted, revealing Kaios. He looked down at the nightmare in his front, tremoring in torment, showing the effectiveness of his plan. The jagged shells around it shook violently, vibrating with cracks of pain.
Kaios tilted his head, his purple eyes glinting. A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he muttered, "So… you do bleed, though in your own way."
While saying this, Kaios stepped forward, each of his step carried by a stair of crow alloy forming beneath his feet. Slowly, he ascended until he stood level with the tormented nightmare.
Kaios charged it, rushing on the stair which was being transformed into a floating platform, his gaze focusing directly at the trembling eye ball, face to face.
Kaios had just closed the distance, ready to strike the trembling eye, when a sudden force emerged from the nightmare. It wasn't a sound neither a cry nor shriek this time, not even a direct attack—yet it threw him backward with full force.
The air itself seemed to push him off from the platform, forcing him to leap aside, to avoid being slammed into the metal plain.
Kaios landed lightly, crouching on a crow-alloy plane, his purple eyes narrowed as he tried to assess the new threat. His previous strike had left the shards shattered, broken—but not useless, excluding those who had corroded too much. And those that had survived, not fully infected by the corrosive centipede alloy, began to hum.
One by one, the metallic fragments started moving, drawn toward the hovering nightmare. These began to stir and rattle, merging in like a bizarre dance of fragments, gradually assembling into something almost humanoid. Its arms formed, twisting and writhing; legs, torso also formed as these destroyed shards came together.
All else fused, leaving only its face, which just the same— well with more protections. Cage like structure formed, shielding it without hiding the menacing gaze of it.
The second phase of the boss had begun.
"Now the true fun begins...", Raion said very intrigued, as he saw the recent development in the Trial plane.
Kaios, who was thrown away, observed this transformation, crouched as he recovered slowly.
The transformation was not perfect, it was uneven, unnatural— but looked menacing. If a child glimpsed at it, he or she will undoubtedly piss in their pant. Its shell vibrated rhythmically with a set period of time.
Kaios already made preparation, crow-alloy embedding with his shoes for faster movements. Molten metal already forming semi protective around him. But even then he knew in his mind, brute force will not be enought to face it.
He called for the other three unique alloys, those were scattered all across the plain previously, after the blast. Responding to his will, the alloys lifted slowly, then surged at him, hovering and converging around him.
Till now the nightmare didn't do anything, it only flexed its shard-limb, as if taking the feel of its newly created body. And then with a sudden motion, it struck, sending a wave of metallic debris at Kaios.
Kaios completed the semi molten barrier, while enforcing it with the bull-alloy. Though it proved to be useless.
That was only a faint, the main strike came from the behind. It was the humanoid nightmare, swinging its jagged and massive punch at him.
Kaios tried block it, while shielding him with those metal alloys. But suddenly, just like first time, their form shattered, dripped like a liquid.
Kaios now bare, took the full blow. He was thrown away across the metal plain, blood seeped from his mouth, rib shattered. Even rising to a standing position became a struggle for him.
As struggles to rise, the nightmare suddenly appeared on his side. Its speed so immense, that it appeared as teleportation. Before he could react, it delivered a powerful kick at his gut.
The impact sent Kaios flying across the metal plain, hurdled like a football. His body skidding across the uneven terrain.
Kaios flung like a ragdoll, crashing against the surface. Blood tickled from his mouth, his ribs ached with each breath he tried to take. He couldn't even move a muscle without feeling the agony.
The nightmare didn't relent for a second— striked again and again. The sound of changing echoed all across the metallic plain. There was nothing for Kaios to do, his armor of alloy was gone, his limbs broken. He was exposed, bruised, each attack from the nightmare, left him gasping and dazed.
Suddenly the strikes stopped, Kaios opened his eyes very difficultly to see the reason. His eyes swollen from the constant beating, twitched with pain, before opening slowly.
There he saw nightmare, stood in still, looking down at him. Although it has no face, Kaios could see a look of content and mockery in his eyes, behind those cage like shield.
Well fuck, now is time. I'll be damned if i don't use it now, this bastard didn't let me use it earlier. Kaios thought as he got some break feom the constant thrashing.
He rose a finger, directing at the mold of alloys, those were lying lifelesly at a distance.
Seeing this the nightmare didn't do anything, on the contrary it was eager to see what will this disfigured human do next. A sense of curiosity filled within its eye.
Kaios's mouth quivered, struggling to utter a single word out of it. Then a faint rasp escaped, almost inaudible. A whisper of single word.
"E.Exchange..."
Swooosh...