Ascension Code: Reborn in the DC Universe - Chapter 0129

Erick was in a different training room, a vast underground environment designed specifically for extreme combat and adaptation testing, with walls reinforced by multiple layers of impact-absorbing materials and hologram generators that simulated real-life threat scenarios. He dodged several laser shots aimed at him with impressive grace and speed, his body moving in fluid and precise arcs that seemed to dance between the red and blue beams that cut through the air in unpredictable and lethal patterns.

Each dodge was executed at the limit, his muscles and tendons responding with superhuman speed as lasers grazed his skin, some so close that the residual heat left faint burn marks in the air around him. One of the main reasons he was dodging impossible shots with such mastery—shots coming from behind his head, shots coming from angles he couldn’t see with his normal vision—was all thanks to his morphology at that moment, a profound and controlled transformation that completely altered his body structure to maximize survival and offensive power amidst the chaos of intense training.

His body was different from its normal state, an almost alien sight that reflected the advanced level of control he had developed over his physical form. His black hair was completely absent, leaving his head entirely bald and smooth, and different eyes protruded all over his head, multiple visual organs arranged in circular and lateral patterns that allowed a peripheral vision of almost three hundred and sixty degrees, capturing movements, heat, and even minute variations in light that the brain processed in real time with crystal clarity.

Not only was his head altered, but also a large part of his body, a fluid and organic metamorphosis that reconfigured tissues, bones, and muscles into new and functional structures. His arms, which were once normal, muscular arms with green skin, were now six different limbs, three on the left side and three on the right, each projecting from shoulders reinforced with long, powerful tentacles that moved with coordinated independence, like living extensions of his will.

Tentacles projected from these new limbs with extreme flexibility and concentrated strength.

One of these tentacles had a normal hand, completely identical to a normal human hand, with agile and articulated fingers that allowed for fine manipulation even in the midst of combat. Another tentacle possessed a spear-like tip made of hardened flesh, sharp and capable of piercing resistant materials with penetrating impact.

And another, a blade at the tip, which glowed with an incandescent orange light, generated by a concentration of internal thermal energy that made the cutting edge hot enough to melt metal on contact. He swung his arm with the blade and sliced ​​a drone flying around him in half, the fluid, powerful movement separating the device into two clean parts that fell smoking to the training room floor, sparks flying as exposed circuits failed.

On his other left arm, one end of which was covered in armor resembling that of a crab or insect, was a pincer that, with a swooping motion, grabbed one of the drones in mid-air and crushed it in half, its chitinous jaws closing with brutal force, smashing metal, plastic, and electronic components into a deformed mass of debris dripping oil and sparks.

On another tentacle, the tip was rounded with several spines made of a chitinous carapace, a dense, protruding mass that served as an impact weapon. Using this tip like a flail, he struck and destroyed drones flying around him, the heavy blows crushing metallic carcasses and sending fragments flying in all directions with metallic sounds echoing through the wide room.

And on the last tentacle, this one with an even stranger shape, the tip was altered like the barrel of an organic rifle, with internal chambers that concentrated energy. He pointed this tentacle at a drone flying in the distance. A concentrated burst of flames, like lightning, pierced the drone, causing it to explode in mid-air in a bright, noisy fireball, molten fragments raining down on the reinforced floor.

More drones flew around him in coordinated swarms, firing incessant lasers, and even two-and-a-half-meter-tall robots, wielding hammers and spears, rushed toward him, raising their weapons to strike him with brute mechanical force, their heavy footsteps making the ground tremble slightly as they approached in attack formation.

At that moment, his legs were undergoing a profound and rapid transformation. His legs, all the way to his torso, were changing, transforming his entire lower body into that of a horse, turning him into an imposing centaur, with muscular pasterns, powerful hooves, and an equine structure that combined speed, strength, and stability.

He towered over the robots, lifted himself up with power, reared like a horse, and charged at high speed, passing them in an overwhelming charge, his hooves echoing like war drums as he dodged and trampled minor obstacles. While his rifle-like arm continued firing, flaming shots hitting multiple targets, his blade-like arm, like a whip, sliced ​​through the robots before him, incandescent blades slicing through metal armor and internal circuits with surgical precision and controlled violence.

A giant robot with a shield and a sword intercepted him head-on, a heavy, armored machine designed for direct confrontation. Seeing the robot trying to stop him, he decided to test his own strength. His arms, his six tentacles, vanished, retracting and reabsorbing into his main body structure with organic fluidity. He threw his now-normal arms forward, which instantly merged into a mass of flesh, transforming into a shield made of dense, reinforced chitin—a resistant, curved organic barrier covering his centaur torso.

He increased the speed of his horse, crashing with full force into the robot, the frontal impact being brutal and decisive. The shock was so strong that it sent the robot flying over Erick’s body, as if a car at high speed had hit him, the machine being launched backward in an uncontrolled trajectory, mechanical parts breaking off in the air before falling to the ground completely destroyed, its torso crushed, circuits exposed, and sparks flying from broken joints.

Erick passed by him, smiling victoriously, his centaur body still in motion as it gradually slowed down. His arms separated, transforming back into form, then back to his normal form, returning to the humanoid configuration with green skin and defined muscles. And he looked at the level of destruction caused by his new abilities—shattered drones scattered across the floor, robots cut in half, crushed or pierced, laser marks and explosions on the walls and floor—and a satisfied smile appeared on his face, his multiple eyes blinking as his bald head reflected the artificial lights of the training room.

The air was thick with the smell of burnt metal, melted circuits, and ozone, a silent testament to the power he continued to develop and refine to confront the ever-increasing threats the world presented.

The training room was now relatively silent, with only the low hum of the recovery systems activating to clear the debris and prepare for the next cycle. Erick breathed in a controlled manner, feeling each new muscular and sensory structure settle back into its base form, his body still vibrating with the energy of the recent transformation. Each tentacle, each extra eye, each morphological alteration represented a step forward in his relentless pursuit of physical and tactical superiority, allowing him to face impossible situations with growing confidence. The satisfied smile remained, reflecting not only the victory in training, but the certainty that those skills would be crucial in the challenges to come, especially with the missions Jade was carrying out on his behalf.

A light shone intensely beside Erick, a soft, controlled flash that cut through the ozone-laden, burnt-metal air of the training room, revealing the holographic figure of the Doctor materializing with impeccable precision. The Doctor surveyed the surrounding destruction—shattered drones scattered across the reinforced floor, twisted and smoking giant robots, deep impact marks on the walls, and the lingering smell of melted circuitry—and spoke in an analytical and impressed tone:

“Impressive, sir. You’ve truly undergone a dramatic evolution.”

At that moment, Erick’s body rippled like a living liquid surface, an organic wave that coursed through every inch of his altered form. His arms returned to normal, the multiple tentacles retracting and merging again into muscular humanoid limbs with uniform green skin. His head, the multiple eyes, began to gradually disappear from the smooth bald head, the extra visual organs retracting into the skull while black hair began to sprout again in short, orderly strands.

The equine part of his body also began to transform, the powerful legs and hooves merging and reorganizing into normal human limbs, the equine muscles contracting and remodeling until the entire lower structure returned to its usual bipedal configuration. When it was all over, the six-foot-tall young man stood in place, in the center of the devastated room, his body now completely restored to its base appearance, with its characteristic green skin, defined muscles, and imposing presence even in human form.

He looked at his arms, flexing his fingers with slow, deliberate movements, impressed by a smile of genuine satisfaction that lit up his face. Turning to the Doctor, he commented in a calm, reflective voice:

“Indeed, since the last mission, I’ve made tremendous progress. Apparently, pushing my brain to its limits has had greater effects than we imagined.”

The Doctor tilted his holographic head slightly, processing the information with his usual precision, and asked directly:

“And that brings changes. How do you feel?”

Erick looked at his own hands once more, slowly rotating them as if testing the sensation of each joint and muscle, smiled, and spoke with deep sincerity:

“I feel great. I feel like it doesn’t matter what shape I’m in. It’s like everything is natural.”

And at that instant, Erick’s body changed once more, a fluid and impressive transformation that began at his feet and rose like a controlled wave. He grew tall rapidly, reaching a height of 2.30 meters, his bone structure expanding with subtle sounds of tissues rearranging themselves. His head changed into that of a green lion with dense, imposing black manes that cascaded around his powerful neck, his bright, penetrating blue eyes conveying intelligence and controlled ferocity.

From his forehead rose curved, sturdy horns, projecting forward with sharp points. From his back, large, membranous wings unfolded, partially open with pulsating veins visible beneath the green skin. His arms transformed into powerful, muscular, and broad gorilla hands, with extremely sharp claws that gleamed under the room’s lights. From the lower part of his body, an equine transformation unfolded, turning him into an extremely muscular and powerful horse in his lower body, strong hind legs and heavy hooves anchoring him to the ground with impressive stability. The tail, which was supposed to be that of a normal horse, changed to project like the head of a serpent, alive and sinuous, with small eyes and visible fangs.

He turned to the Doctor and spoke, his voice now hoarse, deeper, reverberating powerfully through the walls of the training room, making them vibrate slightly with each syllable:

“I can maintain this form as if it were my natural form.”

“And I feel that each transformation has a greater force. A unique power. However, they are more serious,” he reverberated, his deep tone echoing like a restrained thunderclap. His face furrowed for a moment, an expression of intense concentration crossing his leonine features. His body undulated again, his wings folding, his horns retracting, his gorilla hands returning to normal, his equine form dissolving, and his lion’s head returning to its usual human appearance. And he returned to his original form as a human, the six-foot-tall young man breathing steadily as he readjusted.

“I feel that different forms consume a colossal amount of energy. I’ll have to increase my calorie intake even further if I want to maintain these forms for an extended period, or even during combat. It’s one thing to maintain these forms passively. It’s even possible to remain in them for hours or even days, but the problem comes with the calorie intake. From the moment I’m in combat, the colossal amount of energy required to maintain these massive forms is gigantic.”

Immediately afterwards, Doctor scratched his chin, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling of the training room, his eyes focused on some distant point as he processed the limitations of his power.

“Perhaps I have a solution. I’ll try to design something to help you. Maybe a new type of nutritious, high-calorie pasta could help us with this energy supply.”

Erick smiled, his face returning to its previous satisfied expression, and spoke in a light tone:

“That would be great. Preferably with good taste.”

And the Doctor responded efficiently:

” It can leave.”

The training room remained silent after the demonstration, with the automated systems beginning to clear the debris in the background, while Erick and the Doctor continued their conversation about the implications of the new transformations. Each morphological change that Erick had displayed demonstrated not only advanced control, but also a deep understanding of the energy limitations involved, from passive forms that could be sustained for long periods to the explosive demands of combat that required a massive caloric supply.

The Doctor, as a dedicated AI, was already internally processing possible formulas for the new nutritional paste, considering caloric density, palatability, and ease of quick ingestion. Erick, in turn, flexed his fingers again, feeling the return to his base form as a comfortable anchor, knowing that each transformation tested brought him closer to a higher level of power and versatility. The residual light from the Doctor’s appearance still lingered faintly in the air, illuminating the contours of the devastated room like a silent testament to the continuous evolution that defined his training.

The walls still reverberated with the echo of the hybrid form’s hoarse, powerful voice, a physical reminder of the strength he could channel. Erick remained thoughtful for a few more moments, mentally analyzing the sensations of each transformation—the lightness of the wings, the power of the equine legs, the precision of the anterior tentacles, the ferocity of the leonine head—and how natural they all felt, like logical extensions of his will. The Doctor watched in silence, cataloging each piece of data for future optimizations, ensuring that the technological support kept pace with Erick’s impressive biological growth.