Corruption Unveiled

Lucy's eyes remained locked on DK, her face pale as she struggled to comprehend what she was witnessing. "I don't think we can stop him," she murmured, her voice barely audible. The oppressive energy emanating from DK was suffocating, pressing down on them like a tidal wave. "Whatever this is… it's beyond anything I've ever seen. It's not an awakening—it's something darker."

DK's movements were no longer entirely human. Each strike of his corrupted blade sent a resonant shockwave through the dungeon, tearing at its very structure. The guardian's once-mighty roars of defiance had become cries of anguish, its massive frame visibly deteriorating under the relentless onslaught. The dark mist trailing DK's every move seemed to seep into the creature, corroding it from the inside out.

The dungeon itself reacted violently to DK's transformation. The walls pulsed with erratic light, cracks forming as though the entire structure was unraveling. The air grew colder, carrying the stench of decay and something far more sinister—an ancient, malevolent presence that seemed to be watching.

Garin tightened his grip on his warhammer, his knuckles white. "We can't just stand here and watch this! If he keeps going, he'll tear this place apart and take us with it!"

Lucy shook her head, her expression grim but resolute. "If we interfere now, we might make things worse. He's not DK anymore—not completely. Whatever this is, it's tied to the dungeon's core. If we stop him… we might doom him forever."

DK's growl deepened into a low, almost inhuman snarl as he closed the distance to the guardian. The corrupted Darkmoon Blade hummed with an unnatural energy, its jagged edge carving through the guardian's remaining limbs like parchment. The creature staggered, its glowing veins flickering weakly. With one final, desperate lunge, it tried to crush DK under its massive bulk.

But DK didn't flinch.

Instead, he raised his free hand, and the dark mist surrounding him coalesced into jagged tendrils that shot forward, piercing the guardian's core. The creature froze mid-attack, its glowing eyes dimming as the tendrils drained the last of its energy. The guardian let out a final, pitiful moan before its massive body collapsed into a pile of smoldering ash.

The dungeon trembled violently, the ground beneath them cracking as though the entire structure was about to collapse. DK stood amidst the chaos, his corrupted form silhouetted against the crumbling walls. The dark mist around him grew thicker, spiraling upward like a vortex of shadows. For a moment, it seemed as though DK was about to dissolve into the darkness entirely.

But suddenly the dark swirling mist around DK just stood still, as if waiting to hear DK's next command. DK stood motionless, his chest heaving as the swirling mist around him hung in a pause. The eerie silence that followed the guardian's demise was oppressive, broken only by the faint creaks of the dungeon walls as they continued to crumble. The mist clung to DK like a shadow given form, dark tendrils quivering in anticipation, waiting for his next move.

Lucy took a cautious step forward, her staff still glowing faintly in case the situation turned. "DK," she called out softly, her voice steady but tinged with apprehension. "Can you hear me? Are you… you?"

Garin remained rooted in place, his warhammer raised defensively. "Be careful, Lucy," he muttered, his eyes never leaving DK. "That doesn't look like the guy we came in here with."

DK's head unnaturally tilted slightly at the sound of Lucy's voice, as though trying to place it in the haze of his mind. Slowly, he turned toward them, his blackened eyes glinting with faint crimson streaks that seemed to ripple like embers in the dark. His expression was blank, unreadable, and the silence stretched uncomfortably.

t recoiled from the air around Lucy and Garin as if recognizing them, slithering back toward DK's frame. The tendrils coiled around his arms and shoulders, sinking into his skin like ink dissolving into water. The room grew colder still as the mist vanished completely, leaving DK standing alone, his corrupted blade still humming with residual energy.

"I…" DK's voice was hoarse, his throat raw from the screams that had torn through him earlier. He clenched his fists, his gaze lowering to the ground as if grappling with the enormity of what had just transpired. "What… happened?"

Lucy exhaled slowly, relief flickering across her face. "You… changed," she said cautiously, taking another step closer. "That wasn't an awakening—it was something… else. I have never seen or heard anything like what just happened with you. Do you feel any different?"

Garin lowered his warhammer slightly, though his stance remained tense. "You didn't just fight, rookie. You obliterated that thing. And whatever that mist was…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It wasn't natural."

DK thought of Lucy's question and became self conscious for a moment feeling his breathing, flexing his fingers, arms and legs to notice any difference. "Honestly, I just feel tired, but physically I feel absolutely the same. What happened to the dungeon and the monster I was fighting? Did you destroy it or something?"

"DK you look very different now. Have you noticed your black veins. You are the one that killed the guardian and I am also sure you might have destroyed the dungeon that we need to get out from." Lucy responded. 

DK's eyes flickered briefly with crimson as he raised his hands, staring at the faint black veins that remained etched across his skin. His grip tightened around the corrupted Darkmoon Blade, its jagged form still exuding a faint, malevolent aura. "I don't… remember," he admitted, his voice trembling. "It felt like I was… drowning. Like something else was controlling me."

Lucy's expression turned somber. "It wasn't just you, DK. The dungeon responded to whatever you became. It fed you its power, but it also tried to destroy you. 

If Garin and I hadn't held the line…"

"I would have died," DK finished, his voice quiet. He looked up at Lucy and Garin, his gaze filled with a mixture of gratitude and guilt. "Thank you… for not giving up on me."

"Don't thank us yet," Garin grunted, slinging his warhammer over his shoulder. "This place is still falling apart, and we need to get out of here before it takes us with it."

Lucy nodded, gripping DK's arm to steady him. "He's right. Can you walk?"