A semi-transparent purple whip sliced through the surface of the city which was made of marble blocks. I rolled my foot and leaped backward with force. The whip cut through the air, passing beneath my feet as I retreated, retaliating by flicking my tail.
Thorn-like spikes poured down like a rain of arrows. She manoeuvred the whip as if it had a mind of its own, sweeping away the spines effortlessly. Meanwhile, landing on the ground, I extracted the bloodsucking tentacle from my unharmed upper left arm.
The tentacle shot out like a spear, embedding itself under her foot. Before she could sever it with her whip, I swiftly retracted the tentacle.
‘Strong.’
Though we exchanged multiple attacks in a short time, she was no easy opponent.
‘She possesses more than just a couple of traits.’
Presently displayed were only two traits, but I knew there was more.
‘I’ve seen the emergence of Yak horns before, it’s not a cult.’
There’s no way to hide Yak horns except by artificially removing them. Therefore, the enemy was a genetically modified human bearing Cult genes.
I knew of a similar existence to her—someone who raided the research ship with Space Dogs and attempted terrorism in this space city.‘Si-hyun Yujin.’
Although she perished, becoming part of my being, now the Yujin family was attacking me.
‘Given we’re in a council meeting, their presence isn’t unexpected here.’
Certainly unexpected, however, to meet in a regular residential area, not within Monument.
‘They’re after me.’
Perhaps they came to gather information about me from the anatomy team leader’s house.
‘I Should have concealed myself better.’
I briefly regretted it but shook it off. It was time to focus on the battle.
‘What’s confirmed right now are her transformation ability, Psychic, and an additional ability unknown to me.’
I glanced at the cross-section of my severed arm. Thanks to regeneration, the section was healing, but it would take time for the arm to fully regrow.
‘Psychic, exceptionally powerful.’
The ability utilised for my Ghost Claw materialisation usually functions as a medium-range deterrent. It’s not meant to cut off my arm metres away and turn it into a pavement.
‘There’s a supplementary ability to enhance traits and techniques.’
And it’s immensely powerful, surpassing my sole ability.
‘This won’t do.’
It seemed I needed to use
‘Insight.’
Previously obtained from capturing William, ‘Insight’ randomly reveals some of the enemy’s equipment, techniques, and abilities, limited to five uses per day. But facing such a formidable foe, I activated it.
Violet auras emanated from my eyes, and information from Code Black appeared in transparent text boxes before me.
[Name: Code Black (real name ■■ ■■)]
[Species: Human (genetically modified)]
[Status: Enhanced (Psychic Master, Dragonification, ■■ ■■)]
[Equipped Gear: ■■ ■■■■ (Unique Grade)]
[Skills: Psychic, Psychic Master, Physical Transformation, ■■■■, Dragon Heart, ■■ ■■■, among others…)]
As the information materialized, a purple whip flew towards me from Code Black. Dodging by laying flat on the ground, I activated the igniter inside my throat, unleashing a massive blaze.
‘Fire. This won’t harm me.’
Through the flames and smoke, her voice reached me from the burning road.
“I’m aware.”
Fire and smoke were mere illusions. I shot spike bones from within the thick smoke and dashed forward without looking back.
As she deflected the spike bones with her whip, I needed to act swiftly.
‘Code Black received Gallagon’s genes just like Si-hyun Yujin.’
Moreover, it was the genetic code of Black Gallagon, a higher existence than White Gallagon. Among her skills, Dragon Heart was a unique ability exclusive to Gallagons above Black Gallagon. This skill, when possessed, allows for ‘Dragonification,’ a special state similar to my ‘Symbol of Hunt’.
‘The enhanced Psychic Power and Rapid Charge.’
Though her enhanced Psychic Power seemed less than my ‘Symbol of Hunt’, what mattered was the Rapid Charge part. With Dragon Heart, she could unleash extensive mental power and energy-consuming techniques like Psychic Breath.
‘Psychic Master and Dragonification. No wonder it felt excessively potent.’
Psychic Master is a passive effect automatically granted to Cults with Yak horns. It enhances Psychic abilities in melee, ranged, buff, and crowd control categories.
‘She’s simultaneously using multiple abilities in Dragonification.’
During the fight with Si-hyun Yujin Yujin, I took advantage of her inability to use multiple abilities simultaneously. But applying that strategy against Black was impossible.
‘Moreover, there was a unique-grade equipment in the enhanced state that wasn’t visible through Insight. I might not know what the enhanced state means, but I can guess the unique-grade equipment. In a black upper garment, if it’s unique grade, there’s only one I know of. ‘Black Shroud.’
It’s one of the relic-grade enhanced suits only Cults can obtain, allowing the wearer to evade death once every three days. Even against attacks turning the entire body to dust, they’ll survive as long as the cooldown isn’t active. In other words, to defeat Black, I need to kill her twice.’
“Whether it’s the possessed skills or the equipment, she’s an opponent I can never face with this body. If only I had Psionium like when fighting Si-hyun Yujin, but here, that solution isn’t available.’Symbol of Hunt’ Is necessary.’
‘Now’s not the time to worry about the aftermath. Breaking into any nearby house, I swiftly activated the ‘Symbol of Hunt’.
‘Although I couldn’t see it through Insight, there might be tracking abilities as well.’
Even while my body transformed into a combat-optimized form, I constantly surveilled the surroundings through auxiliary organs.’
‘She’s coming.’
I sensed Black getting closer beyond the wall. Her body emanated intense Psychic Power.
‘Oh no!’
Her whip struck the wall, initiating the house’s collapse. Not content with merely destroying the house, Psychic struck furniture, charging towards me.
‘Urgh!’
The transformation was barely complete when her whip struck my head. It was a shock similar to being hit by a plasma launcher. The difference was, back then, I wasn’t in the state of Symbolic Hunting. But not now.
‘Just endure.’
The struck area’s exterior peeled away, but it wasn’t fatal. Such wounds would quickly heal due to enhanced regeneration.
I put strength into my legs and forcefully slammed the ground. Flying out through the collapsing house toward the enemy, I caught her off guard with my speed, causing a slight twitch in her eyebrows. Her right hand gracefully moved, aiming the whip at my side.
I defended using the shield-shaped exterior formed on my wrist by the ‘Symbol of Hunt’. The sound of scraping metal and sparks emerged as her enhanced Psychic attacked. However, it couldn’t pierce through my reinforced exterior, strengthened by three effects: Type, Trait, and Symbolic Hunting.
‘…Impressive.’
Just before my horn would penetrate her abdomen, her left hand extended widely. Simultaneously, my body seemed suspended in thin air, then forcefully thrown backward.
Even while rebounding from an intangible force, I extended a tentacle towards her. Anticipating my counter, she swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding my tentacle. The collision ended in my disadvantage.
I crashed into the ruins of a collapsing building. Wooden debris and concrete from the ceiling rained down on me.
“Tch.”
I suspected she possessed Yak horns, but she also had a defensive superpower. The technique she just used was ‘Reflection.’ It’s a Psychic power that deflects attacks coming from the direction one’s facing. Not all attacks are deflected, but Psychic attacks can’t be blocked.
‘The odds aren’t in my favor.’
To bypass Reflection, I’d need to directly target with a Psychic attack or aim indirectly. Among my psychic abilities, I only have one attack attribute: Psychic Breath.
‘It won’t be easy, but…’
It’s not impossible. I rose from the rubble. At that moment, Black aimed her whip precisely where I was and swung it. Confident in my tracking abilities, I evaded the whip and grabbed a broken wooden table from the debris, hurling it in her direction.
“Tricks won’t work.”
With a cold voice, the two clashed.
‘Tricks, huh?’
All part of the plan. I fled the pile of ruins. From behind, she pursued with the summoned whip.
Perhaps due to the Black Shroud’s enhancement effect or possessing a technique to enhance physical abilities, she effortlessly chased me. The long whip hissed like a serpent, striking my back. While running, I concentrated on my sensory organs, but completely dodging was impossible.
Despite the ruptured exterior and bleeding, I gritted through it.
‘…Gotta endure.’
Appearing weaker is the most effective lure. As long as it’s not a fatal blow or disadvantageous in combat, it’s fine. Of course, enduring excruciating pain with a clear mind was challenging.
‘Thankfully, there’s pain reduction.’
If I hadn’t had that ability, I would have screamed in agony.
“Is this not enough?”
Code Black said that, now wielding psychokinesis from her left hand as well. The snake with two heads hissed threateningly.
‘This is unexpected.’
I hadn’t anticipated this. Originally, I was planning to head to the subway station underground. But if I keep taking these attacks, before I initiate the lure, my body will be completely battered.
‘Let’s go to the basement.’
I changed direction and dashed towards a nearby house. Breaking through the wall and entering, cultists inside gaped at me. Ignoring them, I descended into the basement. Behind me, the cultist who had been screaming in terror was torn to shreds by Black’s unleashed psychokinetic powers. Blood gushed up the stairs, followed by the sound of her footsteps.
“So even beasts act like beasts? Choosing a dead-end to flee.”
Her voice echoed from the stairs. I readied myself in a corner of the dimly lit basement. I unleashed a psychokinetic breath that I had prepared in advance.
“?!”
A purple sun, made from the essence of pure psychokinetic power, flashed. The concentrated heat of the psychokinetic power, enough to destroy everything in its path.
‘Krk!’
She dispelled her psychokinetic ability and hastily aimed her hands at the heat wave. From her hands emerged black orbs, transforming into heat waves similar to the psychokinetic breath I had unleashed. The clash between the purple and black psychokinetic forces echoed throughout the entire administrative district, shaking the foundations of the underground basement.
Just the shockwaves were peeling away my external layers, and the acidic blood, flowing out, evaporated due to the effects of the psychokinetic power. The tip of my monstrous tentacle, split by the collision, turned into dust and scattered.
‘Kkkuh!’
Not just me, but she seemed to be in extreme pain. Her Black Shroud protected her body, but her hands, used for the breath, were covered in blood. The psychokinetic breath I unleashed and the one she fired annihilated each other.
However, to anyone witnessing us standing atop the ruins, she would clearly seem victorious. My entire outer layer was nearly torn away, except for my palms, while she remained unscathed. To any observer, she appeared far superior.
“It was unexpected, but it seems I’ve won.”
She said that calmly. I spat out flames toward her. Using fire and smoke as a smokescreen, I escaped the basement through the broken ceiling.
The phenomenon that had just occurred with Black was due to the ‘Physical Adjustment’ ability. Physical Adjustment is an advanced support psychokinetic power that a psychic can bestow upon another psychic.
It allows the psychic to instantly teleport the recipient, making their body temporarily intangible due to the powerful abilities, nullifying the effects of any poison.
However, the range of teleportation is short, and while the adjustment is active, the psychic bestowing it becomes completely immobilized.
‘There are two enemies!’ I speculated that there might be a hidden psychic acting as her accomplice. The range of Physical Adjustment is a maximum radius of 1km.
While the recipient is under its effects, the psychic bestowing it is rendered completely powerless.
‘They won’t just let me be.’
They’d likely not leave me alone even if I continued to run.
‘When the ‘Symbol of the Hunt’ status ends, it’ll be over.’
Their objective is to capture me, not to kill.
If they wanted to kill, they could have showered me with psychokinetic breaths.
‘They are also wary of me.’
Since I already received a blow, for a while, they will probably fight passively. Of course, that time won’t be long. Once all my strengths are revealed, it will truly be over.
‘How do I break through?’
As I pondered that, the part of the monstrous tentacle behind my head twitched.
“■■giya.”
‘How do I strategize?’
｢Big baby!｣
At the familiar vibration, I swiftly looked up.
The ground I stood on trembled. Concrete laid on the road cracked open, and from within, dozens of long, thick tentacles emerged.
｢We’ve arrived.｣
From the exploding concrete hole emerged a giant pink jellyfish, well over 5 metres tall.
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