Chapter 73: Unfortunate timing
Tundrak sends another barrage of ice shards flying toward Ika, the young boy's fear mounts. His breath fogs in the frigid air, and the sharp cold bites deep into his skin. Each shard cuts closer, forcing him to stumble and roll to avoid being impaled. His mind races.
"I don't know how to fight… I can't do this!" Tundrak's eyes gleam with amusement as he watches Ika struggle.
"This is the end for you, boy." He appears above Ika, raising a massive fist, ready to crush Ika beneath a frozen avalanche. Time seemingly pauses for a moment, Ika could hear his heart beat. A deep, primal force begins to pulse through him. His body trembles uncontrollably—not from fear or cold, but from something else. Something powerful. Ika rolls out of the way and slides along the ground.
"No… not now!" Ika mutters through gritted teeth, feeling a strange energy surge through his limbs. His muscles tense, and his body begins to expand. Green scales erupt across his skin, his spine elongating, and his hands morph into monstrous claws. His eyes widen in terror as he watches his small form growing uncontrollably. Tundrak halts, momentarily stunned by the sudden transformation.
"What… is this?" Ika's form shifts and swells until he towers over Tundrak, his body now resembling a colossal, green Godzilla-like creature. He lets out a roar that shakes the room, his massive tail smashing into the walls, causing ice to shatter and fall. But despite his newfound strength, Ika's mind remains clouded. He thrashes wildly, unable to control the enormous power coursing through him. Tundrak, though taken aback, quickly regains his composure.
"You think turning into a beast will save you? I'll freeze you where you stand!" With a furious growl, he summons an immense wall of ice, sending it crashing toward the rampaging Ika. But Ika's sheer size and brute force shatter the ice upon impact, his claws slashing through the frozen barrier with ease.
Ika's lack of control, however, becomes a double-edged sword. He swings wildly, smashing into the cavern walls, shaking the ground beneath him. Tundrak takes advantage of this, launching himself at Ika's exposed side, forming a massive ice hammer with both hands. He slams it into Ika's back, sending the beast staggering with a bellow of pain. Before Tundrak can strike again, a blast of orange fire streaks through the air, knocking him off balance.
"Enough!" Cani appears at the edge of the room, her aura glowing as she rushes to Ika's side.
"Ika! Control it!" Cani shouts, but Ika's beast form only roars in response, unable to hear her. Tundrak, regaining his footing, scowls.
"You won't interfere!" He sends a spear of ice flying toward Cani, but she dodges it effortlessly. Cani focuses, drawing her own Mantra power to create a glowing barrier of fire around Ika.
"I'll hold him steady… you finish this, Ika!" With her Mantra stabilizing the air around Ika, his thrashing slows, giving him a moment of clarity.
With a final roar, Ika charges forward, his massive claw swiping toward Tundrak. The ice commander barely manages to block with an ice shield, but Ika's monstrous strength is too much. His claw shatters the shield and slams into Tundrak, sending him crashing into the ground, cracking the frozen earth beneath them. Tundrak, stunned and struggling to rise, glares at the approaching Ika.
"This... can't be!" With a final surge of rage-fueled power, Ika delivers a devastating blow, knocking Tundrak unconscious as the room rumbles from the impact. His massive form looms over the fallen commander, panting heavily as Cani approaches.
"You did it, Ika. Now… let's get you back under control." The cavern slowly returns to an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of falling ice. Ika returning to a human form. Cani rushed over to catch the unconscious Ika.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone