I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 46: Warfront [part 5]

A thunderous roar shook the battlefield as the two monstrous generals collided in a burst of violence.

Night Terror and the lizard hellion unleash blood-curdling shrieks, drowning out even the cacophony of the surrounding melee.

Onlookers scattered as the attack of the generals clashed with the unstoppable force of a volcanic eruption. The earth itself seemed to tremble in terror at the titanic energies barely contained within these bloody avatars of war.

As they grappled, veins bulged from their straining necks covered by armor-like hide and scale.

Bicep muscles knotted as sinewy arms shoved against each other with enough strength to cleave metals.

Showers of sparks erupted anytime their claws raked across toughened exterior plates, screeching with the promise of pain to come the moment softer innards were exposed.

Beady reptilian eyes bore into four glowing crimson orbs shining with gleeful malice.

Fangs dripping with ropey drool repeatedly snapped, brushing against scales and patchy fur, but they were unable to find an opening.

These fighters knew no gentle sparring, no pulled punches. Every collision signaled a lethal intent to completely beat the other into pulverized bone fragments.

Two unstoppable forces channeling the rage of entire armies behind each devastating attack. Neither could surrender without first experiencing the ultimate agony of utter and complete defeat.

They broke apart, chests heaving, yet looking undaunted. Their disc-flattened pupils narrowed to bestial slits as they circled each other, their predatory focus locked on the enemy’s hide.

Chilling bellows raised goosebumps from all within earshot even over the ongoing tumult.

There was a split-second pause... then the combatants hurtled through the air once more.

This time Night Terror attacked like a wrecking ball, clamping bone-shearing jaws through the scale and into the muscle at the vulnerable juncture between neck and shoulder.

Before the victorious shrieks faded, the lizard retaliated with a cutting slash, opening ribbons of flesh that immediately wept with a glossy fluid.

Ruthless brutality became a form of artistry in their bid to dominate... and desecrate.

Nearby, Northern slipped furtively between the forms of warring monsters who were completely oblivious to his presence.

Mesmerized by the sounds of the cataclysmic duel raging somewhere ahead, he crept even closer.

There was something he needed to see after all. From the moment he heard their thunderous growl, Northern sprang into action, skillfully losing his guardian angel and finding his way to where the growl came from.

Northern flowed between moving mountains of muscles and armor while his questing eyes scanned the distance.

Finally, his gaze landed on the epic clash between the generals and widened at the spectacle.

Never had he witnessed such raw, unrestrained power given monstrous form.

They seemed more like forces of nature than mere physical entities as they grappled for advantage.

The overflow of energy almost crackled against Northern’s skin even from his distance.

He yearned to study their battle dance more closely, to learn the intricacies of combat mastery personified.

Checking that no threats lurked in his immediate vicinity, Northern slipped nearer, ducking behind the bulk of lumbering monsters.

Between the ongoing chaos and their total absorption in their duel, the generals took no notice of him.

At last, the vantage allowed Northern to closely track the ebb and flow of attacks, feints, and counters.

He watched raptly even though his own continued survival demanded that he be aware of surrounding foes.

A triumphant roar refocused Northern’s gaze just as the lizard landed a brutal downward slash with knifelike claws.

The unexpected move caught Night Terror off guard, resulting in a lengthy wound from neck to abdomen.

Crimson blood flowed as the general staggered back, vital fluids rapidly forming a spreading pool beneath its massive furred feet.

Though merely an observer, Northern could not deny a swell of strange protectiveness over the four-eyed warrior who was now at a disadvantage.

’...you can’t die here... you are mine to kill.’

Without conscious thought, he summoned his clone, visualizing it in existence near the struggling Night Terror.

Northern’s clone landed solidly between the hulking Night Terror and his advancing lizard adversary, before rushing the latter with an unthinking urgency that was meant to forestall the intended killing blow.

The clone’s intervention bought precious seconds for the four-eyed general to regain its equilibrium, but also drew the full brunt of the enemy’s lethal focus.

Night Terror gave Northern’s clone a vicious cold glare.

At that moment, Northern’s eyes widened.

’No way...’

The onyx blade clashed deafeningly against crude claws as the two generals at first saw only an obstacle to crush beneath claws and jaws.

The clone rolled away to evade slashing talons, springing upright with its dark blade at the ready. Crimson blood coated the cold onyx metal, but no fatal mark had yet tainted it.

A sibilant hiss betraying irritation curled from the lizard’s fanged maw.

This small interloper had proven to be unexpectedly resilient, in contrast to the tissue-paper defenses of most small entities.

Dark eyes narrowed, recognizing something uncanny in the way the figure moved— utterly silent save for the ring of steel—which radiated an aura of a whispering shadow. It did not fight like any conventional warm-blood.

As the lizard circled more warily, Night Terror shook off its pained daze and focused on Northern. At first its hellfire eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Few would risk themselves so freely for a monster, especially amidst such a desperate struggle between warring races. The monster probably understood well that what Northern wanted more than anything was also to have a taste of its blood.

Night Terror raised its chin and looked away indifferently. The clone did not respond, or show any emotion in particular, it couldn’t, even if Northern wanted it to.

The seasoned fighter just stared expressionlessly. And shifted its gaze as their lizard adversary jumped into a ferocious onslaught.

For the first few seconds of engaged battle with the bipedal lizard, Northern’s clone struggled while Night Terror stood and watched as it desperately blocked the bone-shattering attacks of the lizard’s claws.

But as the clone continued holding its own, countering ferocious attacks with determined focus, a glimmer of curiosity flickered across Night Terror’s vulpine features.

It could see the desperation in its attempt to stay alive. One single mistake and he would die. Night Terror’s feral face creased into a puzzled frown on four malicious eyes.

Just who or what was this being, and to what end? Even after he had almost died by its hand, he was still desperately fighting to protect... Why?

A wholly visceral sense of familiarity teased the edges of Night Terror’s consciousness...

Monsters were quite easy to fool... a sense of kinship overwhelmed it. Its eyes gleamed even more viciously as the white-haired human desperately warded off the lizard’s enormous attacks.

Still cradling gushing wounds, Night Terror nevertheless strode forward to reassert its dominance in this duel.

Behind the grim-visaged mask, Northern transmitted rapid-fire battle plans and tactical analysis along the shadow clone’s link even as the clone itself deftly parried all fangs and claws aimed its way.

His perception from the clone’s point of view felt different, it felt better than the last time.

Undoubtedly, this was probably owed to the fact that he upgraded the talent, but with the number of attacks that had slipped past the clone’s defense, it should long be a pile of dust by now.

But it was still standing with a cold formality.

Night Terror initiated a wordless rhythm of slashes and bites serving to drive their opponent back one step...then another... and another.

Meanwhile, Northern observed and calculated, his keen gaze marking the tiniest advantageous openings in the lizard’s reptilian facade.

The clone lunged forward with uncanny timing, striking weak points and fading away before any retaliation struck home.

They chipped steadily at the formidable scales, carving nicks and scratches that soon redoubled to more sizable gashes.

Northern instructed the clone as to which ones to target, maximizing blood loss and fatigue.

They made the hellion bleed out until its movements became slow and its eyes took on a dim cast.

United by a silent directive, the clone and Night Terror began dismantling their enemy piece by piece.

It might not fall easily, but inevitable defeat now seemed assured thanks to their coordinated savagery.

Northern keenly focused all his senses on Night Terror’s movement, the way he attacked, and its brute ferocity. Blend with the shadows... then hit hard. Repeat until only one remains standing.

Northern’s focus sharpened, he concentrated through his own eyes and even through his link with the clone.

That was not something he could do before but he didn’t have the time to care because he was busy devouring every move and decision on the ever-shifting battlefield.