Chapter 290: War

The boy recalled it well, despite the blood pouring out, and his mind in a haze. He can recall the soft, warm air that blew around him. The warm waters that brushed against his feet. The sun that gazed down on his body. It was one of the few times he was able to go outside in his monotonous life, and it was also one of the few times he was able to spend it with his mother and father. A Beachside, which at first was done in order to teach Solomon the nature of Water itself, as well as the sea creatures in it. Despite the multitude of life within its waves, the boy merely splashed once onto his mother, and immediately all decided to join in, to be happy while on such a beachside. A distraction away from the bored life, a chance to finally have him live properly. He smiled as he'd recall such memories, though one in specific struck his mind when remembering it.

A Hermit crab and a Sea Slug, both of which were trying to protect themselves.

"See, Solomon? That is a Hermit's skin. It molts itself whenever it grows in size, and as a result, it requires a bigger shell to live in. Over there is a Slug with a venomous stinger. Some slugs tend to fight with each other whenever they have to enact self defense. You'd be wise in remembering this for your next test, young man." His mother would demand, trying to keep a lax, stern face through her instructions, whilst his father watched over to ensure the sea life wouldn't try to get close. He can recall how the venom is something that inflicts pain-staking paralysis, barely able to move due to the sensitivity and how harsh the toxin behaved. He can recall the skin floating by into the shore as the crab scuttled away into a new shell, being content in its safe life, protected from the sting with the shell as a shield. As his mind slowly came at ease, he'd chant the words, and would inflict himself the spell necessary to survive against the sharp pains deep in his body.

"Every valley shall be exalted...and every mountain and hill shall be made low....." 

"The crooked places shall be made straight....the rough places smooth...."

A smog coated around him through the pages, letting the spell invade into his body, the sword inserted into his skin as its shell, his nerves and muscles as the target for the poison, the carbon slowly invading, while at the same time the Garden provides its healing, bonding the material with his body, though mainly as a coat rather than a direct supplement. He'd cast a plague on himself, of hail and fire, in order to heat up the carbon evenly across his being, letting it take a proper shape and create a layer over his natural form.

"Prepare the way for his lord...for he makes straight to the desert...."

"A Highway for our God....as he exhaults through each Valley..."

His second verse, which would materialize Conquest, passing the bow and arrow directly towards his guardian, letting it be fused into the miasma, allowing it to be shaped into a different weapon, the shadows changing it into claw-like blades instead. His third verse came shortly after, a wafting air of red as a war hammer was born from the pages, the boy slowly pulling it through the handle, wielding it with both his hands, his body creaking the more the carbon plated his tendons and nerves.

"The Glory of the Lord shall be Revealed....and all flesh will see it together..."

"For the mouth of his Majesty....for the mouth of the Lord hath Spoken..."

"Through my path...All of such Evil will be Abhor'd"

"Come my children....Let us embrace War."

The book would shake and quake as the summoning chant finished, the last words a signal from Solomon's own making to guide it. A Horse of pure red, with burning eyes, sharpened teeth and studded hooves, acting as a means to attach onto walls when need be. It neighs in a hellish echo, its lava-like hair standing on its edge, as the boy got on top, war hammer on his side, as he'd let the beast ride through, charging in blindly, watching the rockets and bullets coming in. All the boy simply did was gripped the hammer and swung it, his limbs creaking and scraping like a sword being sharpened, hurting him like hell the more he moved. Despite such pain, it was more than enough to bypass the further damages he was sustaining from the T.M.I attack, swatting the incoming attack and having it blown up on them in the face, the Biblical Sorcerer now escaping. "YOU LIVE!!! I KNEW MY LIL' MON WOULD BE ABLE TO LI- YEESH!!! You got leprosy or somethin', dude?? You look spotty..." The Shadow cried out, reeling back once he saw Solomon's skin being a horrid color, his skin barely hiding the new condition he set on himself.

"I'll be fine.....right now, focus on those two. See the blocks? We need to break them in a way where they can't use it anymore to heal each other with. We also need to keep an eye out on where they're moving. We're going to do this like a team sport, two versus two, me and you. Final stretch of the Game, few minutes to secure the victory. We lose this, we both die. This Carbon Poisoning's going to worsen my performance, so I may need you to help me out in this. I have my upmost trust in you..."

The Shadow brimmed with joy as it began to shapeshift, taking on his son's and horse's shape, a perfect mirror, down to the hammer on his side. "AYE, AYE SIR! Let's crush these tin cans with everythin' we got!" He'd state proudly, making the boy chuckle at such enthusiasm. For the second time, Solomon's eyes start to become pinpoint, his teeth gnashing as he'd bore a wicked grin.

"In other words.....Marco...."

"POLO!!!"