Genetic Ascension

Sylas' gaze flashed with a cold light. It seemed that whenever he got into trouble, it came in endless waves. However, every time it happened, he seemed to become more and more used to it. His body, which had begun to cool down after the battle, suddenly began to heat up once again. As he rolled, he left Archibald behind a tree and the direction of the arrow had already been retraced through his mind. In an instant, he had already pulled out a ballista bolt. By the time he had popped back up to his feet, the bolt had appeared at the edge of his visualization range, and he launched it at full speed. The archer didn't expect that an attack would suddenly appear dozens of meters from Sylas' location. They were so focused on Sylas himself that they weren't prepared. Still, they were incredibly skilled and reacted quickly. In fact, the moment they sent out the arrow, they had already begun to move. And, because of the delay, they had already made it a decent distance away. But Sylas hadn't expected to actually hit them. He just wanted them to know that he wasn't an easy target. Sometimes, deterrence was the best sort of defense. Psychological warfare was no less important than real combat. Sylas leaned to the side and grabbed out, pulling the back of Archibald's lab coat and hauling him over a shoulder again. In just a few blinks, he had already curved around several trees and continued to accelerate. He checked his body state to see if he could use Fusion now but realized quickly that he was still injured. However, he had a vague understanding that he was actually quite close to being able to take this next step. 'The upgrades to my Paths should have also subtly made it easier to Fuse while also being injured…'

"Carry this." Sylas said coldly. Before Archibald could react, the Hero's Heart tower shield appeared in his hands. The engineer lurched forward but still managed to hold on. Whether he had levels or not, he was still a grown man. Holding up 50 pounds was difficult, but if it meant protecting his life, he could still do it. "If you don't want to die, keep holding it up."

Having been hauled over Sylas' shoulder, Archibald's position was awkward to say the least. He could only rely on his shoulders and biceps to hold the tower shield up, and with the speed Sylas was moving at, the jostling around was making 50 pounds feel a lot more like double that. The only support Sylas could give him was making sure he didn't have to worry about falling off, but other than that, there was nothing else they could do. At that moment, another arrow came. Sylas didn't miss a beat, activating Basic Aetherflow. The shield slammed downward and was almost ripped out of the engineer's control. But the rebound against the ground was quick and sharp, even lessening the burden on him for a small second. BANG!

A shockwave rippled out, and a spherical shield appeared around them. The arrow coming from the distance deflected, being sent spiraling into the distance. Sylas caught it with his telekinesis and sent it flying back from where it came just as fast. He didn't stop his steps even a single time, his pace increasing. His control over his body had reached an unprecedented level, but running with someone on his back had thrown his balance off and plummeted his efficiency. Unless he was willing to use <Madness Control> now, it wasn't easy to counter that loss in efficiency, so at best, he could output around 90 Speed or so. But the more he got used to it, the more he accelerated, and the faster his pace became. Soon, he had surpassed 100 Speed, and then 110. He ended up reaching a cap at 120 despite the fact his real Speed was 140, but he didn't seem to mind it at all. Not only was he injured, but he was now carrying over 200 pounds on his shoulder. To be able to hit this pace at all was a testament to his Constitution and Strength. At the same time, he strained his senses, paying attention to every little ripple in the surroundings. Suddenly, he felt a spike of danger. However, there was nothing detected in his visualization. Even so, he responded to his instinct, knowing that it had to come from his Luck. The shield slammed into the ground again, rippling outward. The moment the ripple of energy hit the energy shield, it appeared in Sylas' visualization, but that was also the exact same moment he noticed it break through. It exceeded 400 points of Damage. Sylas' expression flickered. Just who was chasing after him like this? He could feel his lungs screaming, his heart rate increasing. Veins bulged across his body, and he dug deep. There was nowhere to dodge. A roar came from Sylas' mouth, something that he truly never expected from himself. He rolled his shoulder forward and twisted his hips. In that instant of time, Archibald's body twisted as well, and the shield in his arms spun. Sylas used his telekinesis to lessen the load on the engineer's joints and shoulders, pulling the shield right into the path of the coming arrow. BANG!

Archibald screamed, and Sylas shook, his forward momentum having taken a hit due to his sudden movement and the impact of the arrow. Sylas took a step back, and the soil beneath his feet sunk. His green irises flashed in the night, but he felt something boiling inside of him. It was beyond adrenaline, beyond fear. For a moment, he seemed to strip away the mask that covered his face, and his Will blazed. [Title Upgraded] [A Flexible Will > A Burning Will] [Your Will is truly one of a kind. While immature and still growing, it burns with a furious intent. Continue to forge it, young man] [+20 Will]

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