Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons 271 CCLXXI. Gain Some Time

Emitting disgusting sounds of shattered bones and torn flesh, the sphere completely absorbed Roar's body, of which not a single white hair of thick fur remained.

"Oh, fuck! This is disgusting!" Ellen exclaimed, unable to watch that abominable scene and shutting her mouth with one hand, while Sander stood beside her, shocked.

Karl couldn't help but notice the huge amount of magenta blood and flesh absorbed, imagining the effect it could have on Dag's human body.

Freydis, after yet another deftly deflected attack by Dag, paused for a moment when she too was astonished to see the dark sphere floating in the center of the arena and slowly heading towards them, emitting guttural and liquid sounds.

Dag closed his eyes, focusing on his fluid, which he now perceived as a natural extension of his body: the sphere began to compress on itself and to decrease in volume, emitting at the same time gray gas, resulting from the evaporation of excess muscles and bones, which Dag's organism would not benefit from.

After the chemical reaction that lasted a few seconds, it dematerialized into a long fluid beam, flying at great speed towards Dag, who, taking advantage of his opponent's distraction, jumped towards it.

The liquid struck Dag in the chest and part of it entered his body through his nose, mouth, and cavities around his eyes.

Dag uttered groans of pain and disgust as the sphere's entire fluid mass ran out, becoming part of him.

He fell to his knees and a dark aura studded with purple lightning bolts enveloped him in full, hiding every part of his body, which must now accept the newly ingested power.

"What are you doing?!" Sander asked, hoping to get an answer from Dag's teammates, who knew that unique skill in detail.

"Dag is absorbing the demon's vital energy, including his strength... but it was a gamble, I don't think his body can hold back such great power!" Gridd answered, who had managed to hear Sander's question despite the din of the dark sphere.

She thought of when, the last time he had temporarily absorbed powers, he had been obliged to 'devour' only a part of that Xis woman, whose powers were so high, that if he had absorbed her completely, he would probably die.

The dark aura around Dag continued to emit unnatural sounds as if a kind of scream was trapped inside a vortex. 

But that scream didn't seem to belong to him: maybe the life energy of Roar was resisting absorption.

Freydis dematerialized the obsidian blades around her arms and joined her hands, creating in seconds a huge claymore-like sword made of the same material.

"We can't let her get close to him, if he stops absorbing, Dag might get hurt and not be able to fight anymore!" yelled Sander toward Ellen, who realized it was time to intervene.

While Gridd, Karl and Reidar, waited for the dark aura to fade, praying for Dag's health, the two Crows Of Odin's Masters implemented an attack plan on Freydis.

Sander turned his face to Ellen and lowered himself to his knees, grabbing his own forearms and creating a kind of trampoline for Ellen, who after a deep breath to take courage, ran towards him and placed her foot on his sturdy arms.

In an incredible show of force, Sander threw Ellen into the air towards Freydis, who was walking slowly to Dag, to interrupt his transformation. 

While in the air, Ellen swirled her rod, which was surrounded by a thin bright green aura.

After the rotation, which had served to load the weapon of energy, the Shieldmaiden tried to hit Freydis from above, but she turned promptly, raising the claymore's huge blade and blocking the shot.

When the spiked head of Ellen's stick impacted the rocky surface of the sword, a small crack appeared on that precise spot, leaving stunned even Freydis, who was forced to fend off her new opponent, whose blow had been so powerful, that if she continued, her sword would probably shatter.

Ellen landed with her feet on the ground, while the rod was still wrapped in the same green aura.

From behind her, Sander ran toward the enemy, charging like an enraged bison.

Around him, a celestial and transparent spherical barrier took shape, which did not prevent him from continuing his advance towards Freydis, who after noticing that his opponents had changed, hit the air in front of him with a powerful strike, whose shockwave headed at great speed towards Sander. 

He did not move in the slightest, and the half-moon shaped mass of air generated by Freydis's claymore crashed into the spherical barrier, which did not suffer a scratch.

Sander snapped forward again and under the astonished gaze of all, managed to hit Freydis with a powerful punch on her chest: after a flight of several meters, the young Shieldmaiden made a backflip, then opened her arms and legs outwards and stopped in mid-air, looking at Sander with a malignant air.

"Master Sander is really powerful! I've never seen him face anyone with all his might! That barrier around him seems indestructible and his fist was able to cause damage to Freydis, despite her incredible defensive powers!" Gridd thought, who despite the anxiety of the moment, felt a sense of satisfaction in seeing Freydis receive a shot.

The girl under the control of the Frostsinners, flying, dived towards Sander, rotating on herself and trying to hit him with a powerful blow.

But once again, Sander and Ellen moved in, proving to be incredibly skilled in teamwork.

Ellen jumped on Sander's shoulders, which lowered slightly and then pushed her upwards, giving her further momentum toward the enemy.

But this time Freydis did not stop her blow, which despite being parried by Ellen's stick, swept her away, amid the rubble of the walls.

Chapter end