Kal was caught in the
midst of a fierce struggle as both Narzex and Glutten tugged at him from
opposite sides. Feeling himself being swung back and forth, he retorted,
"Cease this conflict over me. There is enough of me to satisfy you
both."
"Get ahold of yourself, Nar," Glutten bellowed in fury, his voice reverberating through the chaos of the battle. "We don't have time for your nonsense." Glutten glared at Narzex, whose eyes remained dull and unfocused, as his fury grew even stronger.
[Time-lapse: 0.4⁹⁹⁹⁷]
Narzex's vital signs and mana surged.
[Time-lapse: 0.4⁹⁹⁹⁶]
His armor sunk into his skin, disappearing as his flesh was replaced by a metallic finish. He grew taller and more muscular, his body becoming more defined and imposing. His hair began to grow back, resembling the luscious mane of his prime, but with an added layer of shine and sharpness that made it seem almost like a weapon. His teeth became sharper and more pronounced, with two new tusks jutting out from his jaw, giving him a fearsome appearance.
[Time-lapse: 0.4⁹⁹⁹⁵]
All the mana shards around him started to glow with a bright purple light and began to move, forming into thick armor covering his entire body. The armor was made up of a combination of different mana elements, giving it a unique, iridescent sheen. It was almost like Narzex was encased in a cocoon of pure energy.
The armor was not just for show, as it provided Narzex with an incredible level of protection. It was almost impenetrable, able to withstand even the most powerful of attacks. In addition to its defensive properties, the armor also enhanced Narzex's physical abilities, making him faster, stronger, and more agile than ever before.
As Narzex finished his transformation, he let out a deafening roar that shook the very ground beneath them. Echoing throughout the battlefield. Kal could feel the intensity of his power, and even Glutten seemed taken aback by the sudden surge of energy. it was clear that he was ready for anything that came his way.
"Your defenses are futile," Apex interjected, as her voice resonates inside everyone's mind. "He only needs to outwait you."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of this, you bumbling baboon," Narzex roared with a thundering voice.
This made Kal chuckle at Apex, who returned the smile! Kal was thrown off his game, he always had an innate sense for the battlefield and usually stayed ten, twenty steps ahead of his opponents. However, Apex's chuckle caught him off guard. Yet this only ignited his urge to fight.
Kal sends a mental note just to her. 'Your move Haranu.' Yes! Kal had seen more than just her name.
"Let's all die here," Haranu grinned back at Kal, causing Narzex's mindless rampage to come to a halt. His dull, mad glare began to shimmer down, and his pupils reverted back to a dark brown glow.
All eyes turned towards Haranu, the Apex zone. Her devious grin surpasses even Kal's previous evil laughter. "We may not be able to gauge his level, but he surpasses us by far," she announced before leaping forward to join the battle. "Focus your anger and channel it into power. Keep your mind set on that power and aim to kill," she instructed, charging forward as the others listened intently to her plan. Even Kal stood still, tuning in to her open broadcast.
'Who announces their plan out loud?' Kal wondered to himself as he reevaluated his situation. But at least now he understood the madness behind Haranu's grin. You just need one crazy idea and no matter what your opponent plans, it all goes to ᚨːəᚨ. And willing to die is a ᚨːəᚨ all crazy idea.'
"Charge your attack until the very last second, then aim for the spot below those weird springs," Haranu instructed, continuing her plan.
"Hey! That's my head your talking about." Kal interjected.
"Thank you for confirming." Haranu grinned.
"Well! You were pretty lousy and loud with your plan." Kal retorted.
Ignoring Kal, Haranu instructed the others to do the same. "Don't listen to a word he says," she commanded before taking the final leap to cover the gap between them. "Its outer shell is weird, but that isn't its real body. Something lies beneath it."
Kal's smile faded away as Haranu continued, "The outer shell is some kind of weird absorber, like you, Glutten." Glutten turned to Kal to get a better feel. She was right, he confirmed with the others. He could feel flesh, but it was the artificial kind - a minute difference that could fool anyone but not a Gloom. Glutten didn't miss it so much as he didn't look for it, and in the heat of battle, Kal got away with that minute difference.
Haranu geared up her tails, which vibrated with a mechanical sound. "Any conventional attacks won't harm it, but everything has a weakness."
Now Kal threw a smile that made Haranu want to tuck in her tails and run. 'Not bad. Hah... ha. Ha.' Kal's laughter was a mix of two different kinds of laughs, entangled in one, and only Haranu could hear him. 'Not bad at all, Haranu Tolze.'
Haranu froze mid-flight as Kal conjured huge mana fists that went around Narzex and Glutten's grip, grabbing them in return.
One of Haranu's tails whips loose, acting on its own accord and piercing her own body. It was a fail-safe she had put in place in case she ever had to escape the creature's mind games. She wasn't sure if it was a skill or just her animal instincts warning her of a predictor. fear was not uncommon in her battles so far. She had won most of her battles through strategy, a few by luck, and some by pure strength. Running away from a fight was not in her nature, and she wasn't going to break that tradition now. Despite the fear, she knew she could win.
That is why she had placed this fail-safe, in case she needed to escape the creature's skill or her own instinctual fear. After all, every split second of hesitation would cost her her life when facing a foe faster than her. But she never expected to need it so early.
(Time-lapse: 0.4⁹⁹⁹⁴)
Kal's grin stretched even wider, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "When was the last time I had a proper warm-up?" he mused, drifting between his inner thoughts and the battlefield. "I almost forgot why I was here." His grip tightened around his opponents, relishing the feel of their armor and flesh yielding to his strength. "I could play with them some more... perhaps even file a false report? No!" he admonished the thought, crushing Glutten's hand and slightly denting Narzex's armor.
Although Glutten's reflexes attempted to pull away, they were no match for Kal's iron grip.
"I must save them and finish the job," he reminded himself, his mind racing with the possibilities. "Or the big guy will be furious," he shrugged, the thought of it sending shivers down his spine. "He's one scary dude. Just thinking of him makes my skin crawl backward." Kal's expressionless face faded into the pure void to conceal his true intentions from his opponents.
Still lost in thought, he surveyed the rubble-strewn sky, filled with dead bodies and colorful explosions that had yet to reach their zenith. "Maybe I can play for a little bit longer," he decided, his gaze fixed on Haranu. "We still have time, and it's getting interesting too."
"We stick to the plan. No one falters," Haranu's unwavering voice shattered the group's collective fear. "If we fall, we fall together, and we will make sure this sack of shit goes down with us." She Lands gracefully on a mana platform, then launches herself towards Kal once again, her eyes locked onto her target.
In a fraction of a fraction, before the others could shift from fear to fury, before they could register Haranu's words and break out, before they could return to their initial plan, Kal had already moved.
In an instant, four screens materialized around Kal, each with four hovering mana hands - two positioned close to his feet and two others farther away near his head.
The group was well aware that Kal's speed and skill had some connection to those hovering screens. With sixteen hands in play, they assumed that Kal was finally getting serious. Two hands they couldn't follow, sixteen meant they had no time to even think. So Glutten and Narzex move on pure instinct.
Glutten retracted its body towards its wrist, inching closer to Kal without releasing its previous grip. It knew that using Kal as an anchor point was a faster way to reach the screens than trying to break free from his hold. Narzex, on the other hand, had a simple mind and relied on brute force. He leaped upwards, hoping to headbutt the screens above Kal with a combination of mana and sheer power.
Haranu, still meters away, could only watch and hope that the others could interrupt Kal's skill. She saw them fly towards the screens, but they phased through them as if they were just holograms. "Get away!" She sent a mental message a bit too late.
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