Its body flashed around the room at speeds rivaling some of the fastest land mammals.
The soldiers seeing it was unsafe to continue using firearms switched to a assortment of metallic gloves, combat daggers, batons and other weapons suited for hand to hand combat, though curiously it could be noted that the 2nd Regiment Captain whipped out a rapier and short sword.
Brutal crunches filled the room as the Blessed flew into the soldiers with no care for its own body.
And as desperately as they resisted, as skilled as they were, the Blessed far outstripped their strength with each untrained yet deadly punch carrying at least tens of kilograms more force than what a human could ever muster.
Bodies crumpled to the floor, bones shattered, some with ruptured organs, incapacitated but not dead thanks to their armors nanofiber mesh.
Stepping in front of the half liquified beast the 1st Regiment Captain landed a uppercut on its skull, unhinging it jaw and shattering parts of the skull to reveal the twitching brain inside.
The Blessed fell to the ground stunned by the unexpected strength of what it had thought to be beneath it after he had received "Gods" light.
It staggered upwards, remaining eye flashing with malicious glee it reached into its leg, tearing away the flesh there to reveal a miniaturised reactor.
And then, it began to glow.
Seeing this the ARSF soldiers began to quickly back away from the glowing thing, they had finally realised what they were up against was not a regular Blessed that simply had enhanced physical functions, no this one had been granted a fragment.
Leaping forwards its unhinged jaw spewed liquid electricity towards the wary group causing many sprayed by the electric wave to collapse to the floor convulsing as it seeped through their armor.
It then leapt up into the air and the half destroyed thing landed on Magnus grappling him to the floor.
Its claws of bone, which was really just its skeleton ripping out its flesh, scratched and clawed at Magnus's face with mindless ferocity.
Electricity arched across its shell of a body causing Magnus's muscles to spasm erratically further locking down his ability to fight back.
And then in a voice that suggested its vocal cords had melted it rasped.
"DIE HERETIC"
In response to its words Magnus in one swift movement drove his dagger into the creatures exposed brain.
And yet it still lived, heart beating through the force of its enhanced body and brain thinking due to its manipulation of electricity.
Magnus and the Blessed grappled one another across the ground ripping at each others flesh.
The Blessed was almost overwhelmingly stronger, if not for the fact it was simple brutality against Magnus's superior close combat skills and experience Magnus would have had his final rest far sooner than he intended.
Around him the ARSF soldiers finished attempting to drag their spamming comrades to safety and tried to assist Magnus in wrenching the cursed thing off him only to be blasted away by white hot lightning that crackled around the blessed
As Magnus and the Blessed continued their grapple on the floor the Blessed's superior strength and stamina began to show its effect.
With every passing second the Blessed seemed to slip pass more of Magnus's desperate defence removing patches of skin and meat.
Flesh against Bone, Bone against Flesh the relentless onslaught of attacks from both sides did not diminish in ferocity.
A few meters away from them the 1st regiment captain calmly raised a strange pistol.
It's design was like that of ancient weaponry during the days humanity had first discovered steam, a brass coloured pistol with cogs running across its body and numerous ticking gears on the insides.
Aiming it at the thrashing pair he pressed down on the trigger, the cogs fired and the sound of springs rang clear even in the panicked environment.
A single crystalline orb erupted from its mouth and wizzed narrowly over Magnus's shoulder slamming into the Blessed's half burnt and half bone head.
A surge of electricity erupted from the creature blasting everyone onto the walls.
It struggled as the crystal grew across its body with revolting speed, once again electricity erupted from its body but this time the crystal seemed to absorb the blast not letting a drop of power escape.
A single minute after its being shot it was completely encased in the shimmering gems.
Attempting to stand up Magnus collapsed to the floor, his blood forming spiderwebs in the cracked floor tiles.
"Magnus...You are unfit to continue further it seems the 3rd Regiment will have to remain to protect you"
Magnus looked up at the emotionless visage of the 1st Regiment Captain and let out a small chuckle.
"Take half of them with you Lucian, even if your worried about me as 1st Captain you should remain impartial as much as possible"
Lucian the 1st Regiment Captain stared at Magnus for a few silent silent seconds before sighing and nodded.
As they left the circular altar room the Second Regiment Captain threw a totem she had pulled from who knows where at Magnus, with a bemused expression he grabbed it out of the air and gave her a small wave.
Around his battered body three soldiers formed a rough circle, the other two inspecting the unconscious bodies with delicate yet uncaring movements, they quickly began to administer aid to the more injured and gradually moved to the less injured.
Soon the room sank into a oddly peaceful rhythm, the soldiers bandaged and disinfected the wounded and in the centre of the room in the crater was a gleaming gemstone two meters high.
Crash!
The quiet peace was interrupted by a shadowy figure that appeared in the entranceway.
Slamming the rifle she was carrying onto the ground the 4th Regiment Captain Lilin stepped out of the shadows her helmet unable to conceal he amusement at the situation before her.
Magnus let out a low groan of annoyance mixed with laughter.
"Dealt with your Blessed Lilin?"
Lilin removed her helmet releasing her long black hair that had been confined within, her dark brown eyes gleamed with a serious yet joyful energy.
"Of course I did, though by the looks of it you were less than competent in dealing with yours. Seems your getting rusty, why don't you just retire with your 'advanced' age?"
Magnus gave Lilin a rather amused smile and responded in a slightly upbeat tone.
"I just turned twenty a few months ago, and considering your only a year younger than me doesn't that make you almost as old and retireable as me? Not to mention the Blessed we fought had been granted a fragment so it wasn't some run of the mill fodder like the one you fought"
That not much of an argument considering you, Lucian and Aurora fought it together. Anyhow speaking of them where is Lucian and Aurora?"
Magnus pushed his battered body further against the wall.
"They went ahead to hunt down the remaining cultists, a temple of this size won't attract one of 'those' to grant more than two blessings and considering we've already taken one and you the other they will be in no danger."
Lilin gave a half nod and began walking towards the exit.
"I'll go make the 4th surround this temple. no point in letting any run"
"Sure sure, leave the poor battered man to bleed out, why not"