Brilliant gold force simmered from Dio's figure like a cloud of golden mist, a haze coating his body.

Varyk barely registered a blur as Dio's golden frame was already before him, foot raised high.

The Finger couldn't react fast enough as the massive foot came stamping down, mashing him into the earth.

Several of his maws coughed out blood from the furious impact rattling through his frame.

Teeth gritted, Varyk mobilized all nine pairs of arms to lock his opponent down.

But Dio wasn't having it. His muscles bulged as blood flooded through, bolstering their capacity. He pulled the grip apart, and in one swift motion, his claws elongated as he began to maul his opponent bitterly.

The bloody clash between eighteen arms and two played out. Though one had the advantage of numbers, in this brutal chaotic brawl it could barely deal any damage against its opponent's steel-hard skin.

And as for Dio's claws — they shredded through Varyk's resistance in a brutal manner, precisely targeting the numerous limbs, crushing them through meat and bone and not stopping until only meat paste was left.

This was his way of avenging Ethan. But now that that was done, his eyes glistened with brutal conviction, his claws already seeking to reap his opponent's life. He had no intent of delaying this clash whatsoever.

Kekekekekeh! All maws of Varyk rattled in laughter, his eyes shining with excitement.

The dreadful force of corruption surged across his armless figure before pulsating violently in the form of a shockwave, flinging Dio off his body.

The grotesque figure of Varyk slowly levitated as black liquid rot sizzled from his wounds, which began writhing — the missing limbs being reconstructed by sheer pure force of corruption.

His frame slowly grew larger, his winding horns elongating, his muscles bulging. And instead of nine pairs, a single pair of arms regenerated — each as massive as the size of a barrel.

His figure radiated power, terror, and pure undiluted fear.

As he cackled with maddened, unrestrained laughter.

"He was going all out previously? Good — I wasn't either!" Dio declared as his heart suddenly began pumping with greater pressure, simmering with a brilliance of gold. A refreshing cool spread across his veins as fresh golden blood now flowed in place of red.

Roarrrrrrrrrr!

He roared at the sky as his blood stirred in excitement. The remnants of his armor, long damaged from their clash, crumbled as two massive protrusions germinated from his back… They were wings — massive, wide, scaled wings of a dragon.

His head ached as two budding horns peaked through just a bit, revealing a pure jade cadence. His aura doubled, then tripled, as the gold force swirling around his figure became more solidified.

His transformation was finished, and he wasted no time basking in his newfound strength. His wings flapped… Reality warped, space bent, and he was before Varyk.

His massive fist pounded into the enlarged face of the Finger of Gluttony, his left arm holding the shoulder in place to make sure he didn't fly away from impact.

Bang!

The first hit landed, but the second was interrupted — Varyk held the fist in place mid-swing. The mouths all over his figure cracked a smile. "My turn!"

Varyk's fist moved so fast it surpassed sound, digging brutally into Dio's ribs.

His sight blurred as he felt a few scales crack apart, his bones creaking from pressure and the ripples of force shifting his organs.

He hacked out a mouthful of golden blood, but Varyk wasn't done — pounding into the same spot with more savage force.

This time the ripple traveled further. His lungs dented from pressure, all air escaping them, and veins erupted in collision, leaking into the wrong places.

All seven orifices of Dio leaked golden blood. By now, even his wings dropped weakly as his brain had been deprived of oxygen and was suffering from shock. His mind blurred as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

Varyk's face was painted with mad glee at this sight. "To think you don't break easy… So fun!"

As he gripped Dio's drooping figure in place, his head gathered momentum by dragging backward and — Crack!

A skull fracture, delivered from smashing his head into his foe.

He let go of Dio's weak frame, which sprawled onto the ground helplessly.

"I told you — no matter how many mysterious surges of strength you undergo… you will still be just a slightly bigger ant in my eyes!" Varyk exclaimed in a sadistic cackle of laughter.

But his laughter suddenly ceased, his head tilting in surprise. "Hm? Ah? You too?"

A metal-flesh amalgamation appeared suddenly before him, blinking red headlight-like eyes as a brilliant thruster raged beneath its elbow — delivering a bone-shattering force.

It impacted the side of Varyk's head, spinning it into an unnatural angle.

But the creature that delivered the punch disintegrated instantly, unable to bear the rebound of its own strike.

"I understand you now. You eat our attacks to get stronger. The greater the beating, the stronger your comeback," Ethan's cold voice resounded.

His figure came into sight, levitating amid a spinning tornado of nano bots.

Varyk grabbed his head and slowly twisted it back into place as his figure grew subtly larger. He spoke nonchalantly, "And so? Figuring it out changes nothing. You still have to fight me now, don't you?"

Ethan nodded. "Indeed, that is true. But correct me if I'm wrong — it seems even after getting beat, you need to digest this energy, which takes a few seconds before you can be buffed…"

Varyk's pupils constricted as he kept a nervous silence.

Ethan continued, his lips twisting into a vengeful smirk. "So tell me — what would happen if we beat you so bad you have no chance to digest the force?"

Varyk couldn't hold silent any longer. "That's if — but you can't. You don't have the capacity."

Ethan's smirk widened, almost touching his ears. "Oh, but we do…" His arm gradually raised as figure after figure of undead Cybertronics appeared, soon turning into a small horde of hundreds.

Varyk swallowed hard. He could feel the sinister firepower emanating from the metal-flesh amalgamations. Though they could only unleash a punch before crumbling, these numbers… they were terrifying.

"But… but your energy… you were spent!" Varyk couldn't accept it.

Ethan's head tilted in confusion. "Ah, it seems you forget — you are besieging the territory of my Lord Roy Vanders. And as his subordinates, we naturally have his blessings. So trying to exhaust our ether? You might as well drink an ocean dry!"

Seeing the fresh look of terror in Varyk's eyes, Ethan relished it. This bastard gave him quite a lot previously — now it was his turn to return the favor.

"What? Why aren't you laughing anymore, fucker? Things don't seem so funny now, do they…" Dio's spiteful voice rang out as his figure rose back up.

He was fully recovered. And if one could see things microscopically, one would notice multitudes of golden spider-like organisms running across his system, fixing things at a rapid pace.

Varyk dared not delay — the fun was over. He had to run!

But that couldn't happen under Dio's watch. His golden, luminescent wings flapped, his figure appearing just in time to take hold of Varyk's foot — Boom!

Dio mercilessly whipped the abhorrent beast into the ground. And on Ethan's end, his hands dropped, letting the rabid horde of Cybertronics charge suicidally.

While the undead cyborgs besieged from below, Dio's figure remained in the air, his maws wide open as simmering gold Dragon Force condensed into a pulsating, dangerous energy ball.

And he swung his head on aim — a golden beam tore through reality, meeting Varyk's frame, pulsing through with vibrant intensity.

The beam melted everything in its path, and very soon, where Varyk's figure was meant to be, all that was left was a pool of melted rock turned to molten lava.

[Congratulations! You have finished your end of the achievement: Vanquish the Tenth Finger of Gluttony — Varyk!]

[Territory Quest is now a step towards completion: 2/6]

The two comrades gave each other a relieved smile. They survived. That meant more to them than victory…

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