At first, it looked like some kind of gigantic rotting mushroom.
But upon closer inspection, you would notice countless tiny tendrils and bulges on its surface, opening and closing with a certain rhythm, as if breathing.
In the core of this mass, two humanoid figures could vaguely be seen tightly entwined, seemingly in some kind of twisted embrace.
"We... survived..."
A voice emanated from the disgusting flesh mass.
The voice was muffled, yet it could faintly be recognized as Oliver’s, though mixed with some strange sensation.
"Of course..."
Another voice arose, wet and viscous, like a liquid flowing through a narrow gap:
"That attack from Hayek was terrifying... but fortunately, the Holy Disc gave me something good..."
Cynthia’s voice was even less human than before, with a peculiar note of euphoria.
The writhing mass gradually stretched and deformed, slowly revealing a more concrete form:
Two bodies were connected by some kind of purple-black tissue, sharing some organs like conjoined twins.
Oliver’s upper body barely maintained a humanoid shape, though his skin had turned an unnatural ashen color.
The right side of his face was completely distorted, where a massive tentacle eye had grown, constantly contracting and expanding with his emotions.
His left arm had completely disappeared, replaced by a thick tentacle covered with suction cup-like organs.
And Cynthia’s transformation was even more thorough; her hair had turned into a mass of blue-purple tendrils, floating in the air like jellyfish tentacles.
The most bizarre aspect was her abdomen, where a giant vertical slit extended from her chest to her lower belly, resembling a gigantic maw filled with sharp teeth, intermittently opening and closing.
Oliver trembled as he reached out with his remaining right hand, touching his distorted face:
"I remember we were shattered into pieces by the energy impact... then your tendrils enveloped me... after that, my memory became blurry..."
"I protected your core consciousness with my main body, and then used an Abyssal Material..."
Cynthia let out a wet and eerie laugh, her voice sounding as if it came from underwater:
"I didn’t expect, at the brink of life and death, that the Abyssal Material would merge with us... the survival instinct provoked by emergency, truly a miraculous adaptation..."
Oliver stayed silent for a moment, observing their entwined body with his tentacle eye.
He could feel an unprecedented pleasure flowing through their shared tissue, as if they were constantly indulging in joy together.
"Abyssal Material? We... merged?" His voice carried a hint of shock and confusion.
"Not entirely..."
Cynthia’s tentacle strands brushed across Oliver’s cheek, feeling sticky yet soft:
"It’s more like a symbiotic relationship... our flesh and consciousness partially blend, sharing energy and perception..."
Her voice grew deeper and more alluring:
"How does it feel? This sensation brought by symbiosis... isn’t it wonderful?"
Oliver closed his one remaining human eye, immersing himself in this new perception.
Indeed, he felt an unprecedented power and clarity.
The chaotic thoughts and impulses that once troubled him seemed to be quelled after continuous pleasure by a calmer awareness.
"My spirit... is more stable."
He discovered in surprise: "Those insane impulses and hallucinations aren’t as intense anymore."
"This is the advantage of a higher awakening level..."
Cynthia said with satisfaction, her slit abdomen opening slightly to reveal the dark red writhing tissue inside:
"When your awakening reaches a certain level, you’re no longer passively affected by pollution, but actively coexisting with it..."
He tried to move their deformed symbiotic body, feeling the new strength.
The way of moving was clumsy and bizarre, Cynthia’s numerous tendrils writhing on the ground, propelling their entire body forward, producing a wet friction sound.
Oliver inquired, his facial tentacle eye turning towards Cynthia: "What should we do next?"
"Of course, go to the Bloodline Altar..." Cynthia chuckled:
"Yes... the place you’ve always dreamed about."
Her slit abdomen opened wider, exposing the multi-layered muscle tissue inside like an organ:
"There, we can complete a true awakening transformation... elevating the awakening level to rival that of an Official Wizard..."
Oliver fell into thought.
The Bloodline Altar... the opportunity he dreamed of during his apprentice days.
Countless days and nights, he fantasized about gaining the qualification to enter, using the altar’s power to undergo a qualitative change.
However, now they were going in this deformed state, with a completely different goal.
Not to further enhance themselves, but to use the altar’s energy to complete an abyssal awakening.
"The School will closely monitor the opening of the Bloodline Altar..." Oliver said worriedly:
"The Vice Dean, other Masters, and the terrifying Guardian of the Crystal Tower, they will all be present. In our current state, if we’re exposed, we’ll be annihilated."
"We don’t need to confront them directly..."
Cynthia’s voice became even more sinister:
"The Bloodline Altar is a semi-plane space, with countless hidden entrances... and once the altar opens, the energy fluctuations will cause a lot of interference, enough to cover our actions..."
Oliver could feel Cynthia’s excitement, the places where they intertwined ceaselessly transmitting her sensations to him.