Lucy and I stood still, unsure of what to do. From what I had gathered, the guy in front of us had killed several students—many of whom had been close to our capsules. Thank god Lucy woke up in time to protect us from this crazed Defect. Were Adam and Lumine okay?
"I've tried to kill this guy multiple times, but he just won't go down. He's just as strong as me." Lucy's gaze shifted toward me, her expression one of confusion. "By the way, why do you look different from what I expected? Wasn't your spiritual creature supposed to be a wasp?"
"It was supposed to be a wasp, but at the last moment, I saw an unknown insect egg and felt a strange connection to it. So I took a gamble and chose it. Turns out, it was an Orchid Mantis egg—with an affinity for the Ice element." A proud grin spread across my face.
Lucy stared at me in disbelief. "What in the world did you just say?"
Before she could continue, the boy in front of us lunged without warning.
Because of the sudden attack, neither Lucy nor I had time to react properly—we were still adjusting to our transformed bodies. However, my newfound agility allowed me to evade his punch, while Lucy instinctively coiled her tail around herself, forming a defensive shield.
The scene was breathtaking. It hadn't even been a day since she transformed, yet she was already adapting, moving with fluidity and instinct. The title of 'genius' suited her well.
Then came the next shock. When the boy with clawed paws swung at Lucy's tail, it suddenly erupted into flames. He recoiled, hissing in pain before leaping backward several meters. It made sense—Lucy had bonded with a fire-type creature. But being able to wield her element so soon after awakening was nothing short of miraculous.
"You said your mantis has an affinity for Ice, right? Can you use your element to create a skill?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Use my element? But how?
"Can you tell me how it's done?" I asked hesitantly.
"Just imagine how you'd use your Ice element. I created 'Flare Body'—so now I can ignite my entire form whenever I want." Her proud smirk was infectious.
So, I needed to envision my own technique. Countless ideas flooded my mind, but one stood out. If I could coat my arms in ice—forming deadly, scythe-like blades—I could turn my strikes into lethal weapons.
[Skill created. Skill Name: Ice Scythe
Level: A
Description: User forms unbreakable, razor-sharp ice scythes around their arms, replacing their natural limbs with lethal weapons.
Rank: Unique (This skill is exclusive to the user. No one else in the world can replicate or use it.)]
A Unique skill? That meant I was the only one capable of wielding it.
I didn't have time to dwell on the significance of this. First, we had to take down this Defect before he could slaughter more people.
Focusing, I channeled my ice energy to my arms. A chilling aura spread through my veins, condensing at my forearms. Slowly, ice began forming over my mantis-like appendages, solidifying into long, wickedly sharp scythes that glistened with a faint blue hue.
Pain flared as the transformation completed, but compared to the agony of my initial awakening, it was nothing.
[Your grabbles have been replaced with Ice Scythes. As a result of your Unique Skill, they are permanent and indestructible.]
So my old mantis claws were gone? I wasn't too upset about that. Those tiny, alien-like grabbers weren't exactly intimidating. But now? Now, I had something deadly—something fitting.
"Holy shit, you actually replaced part of your arms with ice scythes!" Lucy exclaimed, astonished.
I barely had time to respond. While we were talking our enemy—had been gathering earth energy around his arms. The dirt and stone thickened, forming massive gauntlets. Just like us, he had likely bonded with an elemental creature and was instinctively creating skills.
He lunged at Lucy again, this time with rock-encased fists.
She tried to shield herself, but his enhanced strength overwhelmed her. The impact sent her flying several meters. My heart pounded—if that had been me in her place, I would have been crushed instantly.
I moved without thinking, using my agility to dart around him. With lightning speed, I slashed at his legs, aiming to cripple him. But my blades barely scratched him. His connection to the Earth element had granted him absurdly high defense.
Damn it.
I rushed back to Lucy, who was sprawled unconscious. I tried to shake her awake, but she wouldn't respond. And with him standing there, watching, I knew I couldn't afford to focus on her right now.
He charged at me next. I barely managed to dodge his punches, using my speed to weave around him. But then—he did something unexpected.
Summoning a ball of compressed earth, he hurled it at us.
Shit! I had to move!
I darted in the opposite direction, carrying Lucy with me. As I ran, I spotted something on his uniform—a name card.
Cassadine.
And right below that—
[Spirit Talent: S-level
Spiritual creature type: Bear]
S-level?! He was the third person at our school who got S level of talent...
It suddenly made sense. He must have received an elemental egg from the government—one meant to nurture top-tier talents. And his bonded creature… it had to be some kind of powerful bear. Even with a bear affinity, he had lost control. If he couldn't withstand his creature's will… just how terrifying was it?
My grip tightened. I needed to end this—fast.
I lunged at his neck, my ice scythe like hands slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
A loud crack echoed through the chamber.
Blood trickled from his throat. I had wounded him, but I hadn't landed a clean kill. He staggered, glaring at me with blood-red eyes.
I didn't give him a chance to recover. I dashed around him, striking repeatedly—aiming for his limbs, his joints, anywhere that would slow him down. Each time, he tried to retaliate, but my superior speed let me evade his blows. He couldn't touch me.
But then—
The ground trembled. Cassadine roared and slammed his fists into the floor. A dome of rock erupted around him, encasing him in an impenetrable barrier.
Damn it. He had sealed himself in.
I stood there, panting, watching the earth barrier in front of me.
This wasn't over yet.