Roxene could hear her own heart thumping in her chest as she raced through the air and followed the innumerable green tendrils towards Marcus.

She had known that there was a side of him that he typically kept locked up. The potential of a devourer.

Normally, he had no problems suppressing the urges, and even when he did, his iron will fought against them.

Now though, something had caused him to become the monster he never wished to be. He had even taken on the form of the deadliest creature he had ever encountered.

Roxene had been with him during that time, and just thinking back on it gave her chills.

Her aunt had warned her about a few very dangerous entities that were meant to challenge the inhabitants of Mirrion so that their growth never stifled.

The Doomsday Monsters were one of the groups she had been told to avoid unless she was at least level ninety. That's how dangerous they were.

There were only four in total, but each one could easily destroy continents on their own and even had the potential to bring the entire world to ruin.

Two had already been beaten, but with Marcus' current state of being, one could almost say that the Dread Burrower had returned.

The powerful monster's core had been used in the creation of his personal weapon, and while it made the scythe very powerful, it also held the essence of a monster bent only on destruction inside of it.

Without Marcus holding it back, it was obvious that the vestiges of the Doomsday Worm had taken hold and inferenced Marcus' own suppressed nature.

'We can bring him back though, I know it.' Roxene thought, trying to trick herself into believing it.

Truthfully, she had no idea if he plan would work.

It was a long shot at best. Something had happened to Marcus' mind, and she was uncertain if it was fixable. Someone like her aunt might be able to do it with ease, but she would not get involved here.

Doing so went against the rules of the system, and she had already bent them multiple times on Marcus' behalf. Doing too much could cause unforeseen problems. Especially when outside forces had made it clear they had their sights set on Mirrion.

That's why Roxene did not ask for help even though she wanted to. Even if her aunt did respond, it would likely not lead to the best outcome.

When Roxene finally reached the chamber around two hundred kilometers away that was currently holding Marcus' enormous body, she was shocked by what she saw.

Currently he was locked in battle with a titanic monster that was easily three kilometers tall.

It stood on twelve giant reptilian legs and had hundreds of long clawed arms.

Each of its twenty heads looked like a different type of prehistoric beast, with each one more viscous looking than the last.

From what she could tell it was around level eighty-five and immensely powerful.

Not as much as the Lava Dragon they had recently fought, but still comparable.

Still, the monster was obviously losing.

While it was likely one of the largest creatures on the planet, it looked like a toddler in compassion to Marcus' current form.

He was using his giant size to batter the thing around and had it wrapped up in hundreds of green tendrils that were clearly sucking the lifeforce out of the monster.

The numerous flashing spells also carved deeply into the reptilian monstrosity, leaving gashes all over its body.

Of course, the high-level creature got in some hits of its own.

Its claws and teeth tore into Marcus and ripped out giant chunks of his body. But just like the Doomsday Monster he had taken the form of, his regeneration was astoundingly quick.

"I guess we're in luck. I was wondering why he did not head directly for us and was only sending out those tendrils. It seems he was more attracted to this thing than us." Quillon said.

His observation was apt, though it did come with some other complications.

Certainly, the monster held the bulk of Marcus' attention, but it was far from being on their side.

Once they got involved, it was just as likely to target any of them as it was Marcus. Its presence would add more variables to their already difficult operation.

"We'll do as we planned then, though be ready to adapt to whatever might happened. Lyra, Quillon, keep Aerial and I safe while we try and connect with Marcus. With any luck, we'll be able to get him back."

The four of the jumped into action, racing through the air just a couple of meters below the ceiling of the chamber.

They managed to get within around five kilometers of Marcus before he finally took notice of them.

Naturally, each of them had quite a bit of energy within them thanks to their high levels, and Marcus wanted to draw them in and drain them.

That was one of the few instincts still driving him.

"I've got them."

Quillon's sword flashed and the tendrils snaking towards them were sliced apart.

More quickly took their place, but this time they found themselves destroyed by Lyra's flames.

She had taken on a form that allowed her to peer into potential futures, and while she had not found one where they brought Marcus back to his senses yet, she was helping to guide them away from the worse ones.

Apparently in the fifty most likely futures, they failed, and some or all of them ended up being eaten.

It seemed that they truly had their work cut out for them.

"We need to stay away from the head. Things never end well if we head there. Let's go towards the center of mass instead. I've got a better feeling about that location." Lyra said, informing them all of her visions.

Roxene had figured that they would have an easier time connecting to him if they were closer to his mind, but Lyra had not seen anything good coming of it. So, Roxene decided to trust her judgment.

Looking into the future was not easy on her though.

Roxene could see blood flowing out of Lyra's nose already, and her eyes were horribly bloodshot. Even the weakest of time manipulation abilities were harsh on the user, and whatever power Lyra was wielding clearly was not simple.

Still, it was the only guide that they had to go by, and Rexene knew that none of them could afford to hold back here. Lyra would just have to push through.

"Stop! Right below us! Marcus' core is there! I've seen a future where Roxen and Aeriel are able to reach him. But everything after that is muddled. There are just too many possibilities for me to parse through all of them."

It was not exactly what they were looking for, but it was a start. Certainly, it beat ending up eaten by their friend and having their mana and life force drained until they became dried up husks.

Quillon carved them a way through the tendrils that were constantly assailing them, and fortunately they were able to land on Marcus' back.

"Why is it moist and smells like that?" Lyra complained once they set down.

Marcus had fully taken on the guise of the Doomsday Worm, and the creature was as repulsive as it was dreadful.

"Ten Greatest Techniques, Absolute Field."

With a single slash of his sword, Quillon cut through every single tendril within five kilometers of them. Giving their group a bit of breathing room to work.

Marcus did not ignore this obviously threatening attack as he had so many others.

A horrid discordant roar erupted from his mouth and shook the entire chamber they were in.

"He's definitely angry now. Try and reach out to him. We don't have much longer be he really starts paying attention to us." Quillon said as he prepared for his next big attack.

Roxene and Aerial nodded their heads and focused inwardly.

Both of them had a strong connection to Marcus, and now that they were so close, they tried send their thoughts out to him.

For a moment they were there, calling out to him, but the response they received was a screech of rage and anguish.

This broke the link between them, and Roxene and Aerial were visibly knocked back.

For a few seconds, the protection that Roxene had extend to Aerial lapsed, and the superior spirit of wind and light starting screaming again.

"Damn it! He's resisting us! All we managed to reach was the feral monster he had become." Roxene growled in frustration.

She had extended her soul over Aerial again and was protecting her, but doing so put her under some strain.

"Brace yourselves! An attack is coming!"

Lyra's warning only gave them a few seconds to react before a giant blast of acid swept over Marcus' body.

During the brief time that he had been distracted by Roxene and Aerila's intrusion, the monster that Marcus was fighting had begun a vicious counterattack.

It made it difficult to keep their position, although it also delayed any reprisal that Marcus was likely to send their way.

With his current size, they were like insects to him. While the giant reptilian monster possessed a far greater threat.

Once they were able to get their bearing again, Roxene and Aerial tried again.

This time they were not as forceful, but they still were unable to reach Marcus' consciousness. It felt disconnected from the rest of him.

"I think I found him!" Aerial shouted.

"This whole body is just a shell made around him. Marcus' true form is buried deep inside. We need to cut our way in to reach him."