*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
The helpless Possessed landed with a thud after the merciless assault from the two young wielders. Mane was still on fire, and Abelard's entire body was covered with his combat armor. Two large earth gauntlets were on Abe's hands. One didn't need to be hit by that to know that it would be a painful experience.
"It is strong" Abe remarked. "It is" Mane assented. Abelard had been trying to break through the Possessed jaw to reach the device, but its bones were unusually hard in that particular area.
"It isn't easy to destroy the core of a Possessed. The areas that house the core are usually so well protected that it takes something special to break through them" 6th chimed in. Unfortunately Mane was the only one who could hear him. 6th was right. Mane was able to easily destroy the leader's core because of Absolute Darkness. That skill ignored all physical defenses. The leader might as well been naked. But it was different with Abelard. Although Abelard had told Mane where the core was located, it was just a general description. If Mane attempted to get the core and failed, it would be moved from its location to another part of the body. That's right. The cores weren't stationary objects. They changed locations when compromised; almost as if they had minds of their own. They didn't need the Possessed to do that for them. Once the core felt threatened, it would change its location and become even more difficult to find. So Mane couldn't take that risk.
"Do you have a stronger skill?" Mane asked as the two boys watched the Possessed shakily get out of the ditch that had been created after the last attack.
"I do: a glow" Abe replied succinctly. Mane had his brows raised in surprise. Although he asked the question, he didn't expect too much. Abelard hadn't created any unusual phenomenon when he broke through, so Mane was certain that he hadn't awakened any new glows. But his friend actually had something that could work. He wondered if he had missed anything.
"Spirit Scan"
NAME: Abe
AGE: 11
HEALTH POINTS: 3800/3800
BLOODLINE: *True Blood Wyvern
BLOODLINE RANK: Rank 15 (partially unlocked)
RACE: *Zandorian Remnant (100%)
LEVEL: Profound Stage 6 (Level 46.45)
POWER LEVEL: 260,000
WIELDER TYPE: Dual Wielder (Energy Wielder; Scholar)
SPECIALTY: Strength, Intelligence, and Vitality
GLOWS: Earth's Darling Boy; *Incomplete Transformation [Wyvern]
BREATHS: *True Hubris
"So that's what I missed" Mane noticed that he didn't truly pay attention to the glow column. There was obviously a change. The number of glows were the same, but the descriptions were different. The formerly locked glow was now unlocked: Incomplete Transformation [Wyvern]. It was still incomplete, but Mane reckoned that it was just a question of when it will be complete, not whether it will ever be complete.
"Augendae: Spirit Scan – Incomplete Transformation [Wyvern]"
GLOW: Incomplete Transformation [Wyvern]: A partial transformation into the mythical wyvern. Allows the user to be filled with the power of nobility and flames. The claws and wings of the dragon's cousin are at the user's disposal. Be careful however, for if your inner energy runs out, your blood will fill that void.
"What a powerful skill. But it isn't without cost" Mane frowned after he read the description that appeared before his eyes. Mane had a plethora of powerful glows. And all of them came at great cost. Abe's glow was no different. If he had no inner energy available he could still use the glow, but his life force was the price for such a decision. And even if Abelard had inner energy, Mane suspected that the skill would still be a great burden on his young body. Otherwise Abelard would have used it already.
"It is a powerful glow indeed. Congratulations Abelard" Mane praised his friend all the same. His masters had told him before that the drawbacks of a glow gradually disappear as one grows and develops along with it. In the future this glow would be a powerful tool in Abelard's arsenal. He could truly be referred to now as a Blood Wyvern's descendant.
"How did you know?" Abelard asked surprised. "It is a Spiritualist skill" Mane answered. "I can see a few things" Mane continued.
"Okay" Abelard nodded. He knew Mane was a Spiritualist. Everyone in the team did. And they knew that the abilities of a spiritualist were not as narrow as they initially assumed they were. He was a bit surprised though that Mane was able to see through his abilities and he didn't feel a thing. Since he was a scholar he should be able to tell when someone is prying on him. But he would ask his friend more about that after the fight is over.
"Transform. How much time do you need?" Mane asked. "A few seconds I suppose" Abelard answered. "Good. Then I can go all out" Mane smirked as he dashed towards the Possessed, flames trailing behind him and creating cracks on the ground.
"I have to ask him to help me understand fire better when we get back" Abelard smiled bitterly seeing how truly powerful Mane's flames were. He helped Mane understand earth better. It was time for the blond boy to return the favor.
*Boom*
Mane's explosive figure rushed right into the path of the Possessed and delivered a vicious kick to its midsection. However the strange creature was prepared for his arrival and used its retrieved rod to block the attack. It was pushed back a few feet though; but it was better than being hit directly. Once it stabilized itself it dashed forwards for a counter. It swung its rod angrily.
*Boom*
Mane was pushed back by the strength of the powerful swing. The hands that held his weapons were splintered from the strength of the attack.
"Star Flicker"
"Prideful Sword: Dance of the Half-Moon"
"Bloodied Blade: Crazed Cut of the Blade King"
*Boom*
Mane quickly returned the favor with his favorite moves, but the Possessed was once again prepared for that unusual burst in speed Mane occasionally displayed. It was slowly understanding his moves and was able to prepare for them. It brought its rod before its body just in time to avoid the devastating blow.
*Boom*
The two charged at each other and found themselves locked in a stalemate. As they looked at each other's face, the Possessed saw Mane's lips slowly curve into a smile and had a bad feeling.
"Switch!" that was what it heard before Mane suddenly disappeared from its sight. In his place, and approaching his domineering pride was a strange creature. It resembled the human it was fighting with a few minutes ago, but this human seemed to have undergone a transformation. There was a long horn in the middle of the human's forehead, and his eyes were now a golden yellow color. He wasn't wearing the armor he wore before. In its place were red scales that covered his entire body. Claws replaced his nails, and there were two huge wings that were strangely connected to his arms. The wings were long and slender; they had dark red blades lining their edges. The Possessed didn't know what was going on, but it had an inherent fear of the human now.
Abe balled his fingers into a fist and struck the Possessed with all the power he could master. Flames covered his fists and latched onto the Possessed that had already been tormented enough by Mane's flames.
*Boom*
The Possessed felt the power behind the strike. It quickly put its rod in the way and avoided the fatal attack. But it was still knocked back several feet by the attack. Unfortunately there was no respite for it. Mane was behind the Possessed. He had anticipated this and was waiting for it. With its back facing the young Supreme it didn't notice anything until it was too late. When it felt the approach of more fire it knew it had made a mistake for forgetting about the other threat on the battlefield. It was still midair, so it couldn't do anything to avoid Mane's assault.
"Flickering Burst" Mane was more than happy to employ the use of his most dangerous unarmed technique. This was the technique he developed from combining Star Flicker and Extreme Burst. He had danced around some names and finally settled on this one. It was difficult to use it in battle. But when someone was sent to you in such a helpless manner, what else could you ask for.
*Boom*
The Possessed was knocked back towards Abelard. The power of Flickering burst had destroyed most of the bones in its body and turned them to dust. Although it could heal, Flickering Burst was an attack that left remnants of inner energy in the victim's body. So right now Mane's inner energy was interfering with its healing. As it struggled to heal the damages, it tried to bring up its rod to try an attack so that it wouldn't be on the receiving end.
"How?" it growled angrily upon realizing that its rod wasn't in its hand anymore. The weapon was missing. As it flew through the air it did the only thing it could: turning its head around to locate the weapon. It found the rod, but it wasn't pleased with what it saw. The rod was in Mane's hand, and the stubborn fellow was chasing after the Possessed. Mane was determined to leave no paths of escape.
"True Hubris" Abe muttered and sent his bladed wing straight through the Possessed's jaw. His powerful wings did cut into the jaw, but it wasn't enough. Even with the momentum of the Possessed, he wasn't able to breakthrough its bone. However before the Possessed could smile in relief, Mane struck it powerfully from behind with its own rod.
*Boom*
The heartless boy struck its head. The extra addition of force pushed the Possessed's jaw and forced Abe's wings through the bone and into the core.
*Crack*
"Go to bed now" Mane muttered when he heard the crushing sound. He looked to Abelard who gave him a thumbs up. The eyes of the Possessed were vacant like before, but this time it didn't make any movements. It was truly dead now. As if on cue, both young wielders allowed their flames to consume the Possessed and incinerated the creature that was born from the death of two Zandorians.
Once everything was over, Mane walked over to the place they had left the assassin. His injuries were grave and rendered him immobile. And even more fortuitous for the duo, the assassin had lost consciousness. Mane picked him up and the two boys walked towards the dome.
"If anyone can give us some answers-" Mane started
"Then it has to be him" Abelard finished.
"After this I'm going to take a long nap" Mane yawned in exhaustion. The battle against the Possessed was a tiring one.
Abelard laughed and said, "Only a nap? I'm hibernating."