Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1742 Warped

The fear practically poured out of the Slothʼs pores in a tangible stench. Part of it was surely the fact the man hadnʼt taken any time to properly cleanse himself in an unknowable amount of time, but the other part... Sylas could feel it from his very Will itself.

However, while Sylas sensed fear, what he didnʼt sense was surprise. In fact, the Sloth seemed to be inwardly kicking himself, the fluctuations radiating from him coming with a hesitation as he tried to decide whether he should stay or go.

That said, Sylas didnʼt seem surprised by this either.

All of a sudden, a battlefield that should have been in absolute chaos was cornered by just three men. The others seemed to be frozen in place, at least at first.

But slowly, they began to rot and crumble, their skin sinking to the point it licked against their bones until even the small bits of flesh that remained atrophied into ash.

They collapsed in on themselves, falling from the air and turning into dust motes riding the wind long before they touched the ground.

Sylas felt the wave of death hit him, but his Will only shook once before he shrugged it off entirely. A vibration came from his Madness Key, one that was growing more and more fervent with every passing moment. But Sylas ignored it, the rattling of his Scorned Wraps being tuned out just the same.

The Sloth hurried to expand the distance between them while Sylas tried to read the stats of the Glutton. Unfortunately, for the first time in a long while, his attempt was rebuffed. This time, however, it wasnʼt a stat that caused it. Instead, the Will of the Glutton was too powerful for him to pierce through.

The gait of the Glutton was slow, his almost bare feet-wrapped by Scorned Wraps-gliding along the ground as though he was too lazy to lift them. But unlike the Sloth, this wasnʼt a lazy man. In fact, it was a man who seemed willing to do anything to satiate himself.

A man with an appetite that knew no bounds.

Sylas saw something else, though.

ʼHe wants to stay connected to the ground. Why is that?ʼ

There was something odd about the Gluttonʼs gait. Though it seemed natural, he kept both feet in contact with the ground even as he moved. Granted, one was far more firmly pressed than the other, but the truth was plain to see nonetheless.

Sylas was someone who always took into account every little detail. But they mostly remained in the background of his mind until it was relevant. For some reason, his mind was telling him that this was relevant right this very moment.

ʼInteresting.ʼ

The Glutton didnʼt speak. At some point, he stopped in the middle of the road, his gaze focused on Sylas as he raised a hand. And then, a blade of deep brown formed in the skies, forming so fast and with such fearsome sturdiness that everything of substance and tangible form around it shattered in a violent expulsion event.

The blade descended right upon Sylasʼ head, the flap of the Hollow Wingʼs wings a small bit too late to react despite Sylasʼ forethought and command.

PUCHI.

Blood flew and three wings were torn from the beastʼs body.

The roar and whine of the Hollow Wing filled the skies, but Sylas reached out a hand of his own, enveloping the Hollow Wing in a dome of his own telekinesis.

Unfortunately, this only survived for but a moment before it shattered.

Sylas felt a pulse radiate outward as though the Glutton was imprinting his Will onto the world. In that moment, Sylas found that he couldnʼt muster up his telekinesis to move or work for him at all.

A realization bloomed in his heart. This was the first time he was truly facing a master of telekinesis. In fact, the Glutton might very well be an expert in Telekinetic Martial Arts as well.

They fell through the air, blood falling in a rain. The Hollow Wing tried to catch itself, but with only three wings to one side, flying had become an impossibility. Even if it had had telekinetic abilities like Gogo did, what good would it have done in such a domain?

ʼStrong,ʼ Sylas acknowledged.

He hadnʼt had this thought when he faced Salivar despite the latterʼs talent. But this Glutton... maybe he had underestimated him too much based on his experience with the Sloth.

While the Glutton might very well be ruled as much by his Sin as the Sloth was, the difference was that while the Slothʼs vice was laziness that ultimately came out to help Sylas in the end, the Gluttonʼs insatiable appetite, if anything, worked against Sylas.

This man was willing to do anything to fill his belly.

In that case... the approach was going to have to be different.

Whatever protections Sylas had on his eyes vanished and it sounded as though a world of glass had shattered.

The Gluttonʼs telekinetic domain was torn to shreds, and in that brief instant, Sylas both caught himself and sent the Hollow Wing and its three wings back into the Hibernation Realm.

This lasted only for a short while, because in the next breath, six bat-like wings appeared to Sylasʼ back, horns growing from his forehead as dark shadows formed around his eyes. His claws grew and extended, grey scales wrapping around his skin.

His Scorned Wraps danced, small flames flickering along them. He combined both the evolution in his Vipermancy and his Scorned Wraps to obscure the vision of the system, successfully fusing with the Hollow Wing.

It didnʼt give him any boosts in stats; however, right now... no matter how many stats he gained, it would be worthless.

What he needed the absolute most this very second were the Hollow Wingʼs abilities.

That alone would be enough.

Sylas was just about to move when something even he didnʼt expect happened.

The Sloth acted first, appearing right behind him.

Sylas cursed as the world warped and slowed, a focused domain appearing right around him.