Read Novel Full Chapter 233: Pinball
Chapter 233: Pinball
’What just happened?!’
And...
’Lost Expanse?’
Vale wished he could take his time to decipher the message, but the three Aps dared not give Vale a single breath.
’Quick...’
He felt he needed to wrap it up quickly. Though that was much easier said than done — on paper, these beasts surpassed him in power.
Though Vale could bridge that gap with his cunning.
Vale screamed as he ran at them.
"I won’t hurt you! I’m your friend!"
The effect was lessened, but one of them still hesitated, causing her to lag behind the other two Aps who continued advancing ahead of her.
’Or at least I think it’s her...’
Sex was irrelevant.
Vale transformed his skin to enhance the gauntlet, then cloaked his arm and legs in Aether. Finally, he shrunk his form down to the smallest he could.
By the time he’d entered their range, he stood only a few centimeters taller than Toy.
Instead of lashing out or trying to disarm them, Vale dove forward and rolled past the lead Ap directly in front of him.
The Mutant quickly punished Vale by sending a cross swipe with its spear, which Vale was forced to block with his gauntlets.
’Ouch.’
As the side of the spear bashed into the gauntlet, his arms rattled.
But, as a result of the attack, Vale was sent sliding at an unnatural speed, his friction-reducing ability allowing him to glide across the ground without slowing.
As Vale slid across the ground past the two Aps at the front, he dropped to his knees and sliced at the heel tendon of the lagging Ap behind them.
The beast dropped to its knees and cried out.
"Greeeak..."
Vale laughed then flipped and scratched at the ground with the claws of the gauntlet, eventually screeching to a halt several meters away, now facing the three Aps again.
"That was a good first experiment, wouldn’t you say, my friends."
Calling them friends had zero effect this time. Too much blood had been shed and aggression shown.
"Hey, hey! Hit me!"
Vale shivered, scared by a sudden shriek Awilix had let off.
’That damned cat!’
’Why is she asking to be hit?!’
"Dumbass! I’m not even moving!"
Vale shook his head then focused on his own foes, blocking out Awilix’s nonsensical screaming.
The kneeling Piscari Ap behind the other two pointed at Vale.
"You! Enemy!"
"Awe, don’t be like that."
Vale could feel his blood pumping.
The injured Piscari Ap tried to stand, but failed to place any weight on its right ankle. It would be immobilized, and soon to be slaughtered.
Vale gave them no time to process or come up with a countermeasure as he ran and jumped above the fallen beast lying between him and the other two Aps.
While Salome and Ximena were resistant to the friction attack, it was only due to being able to counter the knockback with their wings.
’Hit me! You bastard!’
Vale gave the injured Ap no choice in that matter. He swung down forcing it to swing its spear up.
As the spear made for his chest, Vale pivoted his attack into defense, placing his gauntlet in the spear’s path.
Vale smiled as his body flipped and the world went upside down. Vale shot toward the ceiling at terrifying speed as he glanced down and noticed he’d swiped the injured Ap’s spear to the side while launching himself upward.
’Sorry to steal your move, Toy.’
Vale reinforced his ankles so they wouldn’t snap just before his feet contacted the ceiling. Then, he increased his weight with [Intermediate Shapeshifting] as much as he could, activated [Embrace], and kicked off the ceiling.
The injured one who had knocked him up looked at him in horror. The other two Aps on the ground were closing in from either side of the injured one, but they’d be too late to assist.
Without thinking, the beast swung its spear in an arc at the falling Vale.
Vale glanced at the blade as it bit into his oblique.
"Dumbass."
Not only did his body not lose momentum, but it gained some as his path changed to a horizontal plane toward the nearest healthy Ap standing beside the injured one.
As Vale’s direction changed, he kicked the bone spear out of the injured beast’s hands then turned his attention toward the closest of the two uninjured Aps standing a short distance away.
Vale smiled wickedly.
’Die.’
He threw his gauntlet out in front of him. The beast had no time to react.
Vale’s fist slammed into the beast at the neck, then carried through until Vale’s [Iron Claw] poked out of its nape covered in blood.
[Piscari Ap has been slain.]
[+4 Aether]
’Fuck yeah! That’s the shit!’
A rush of oxytocin coursed through his body and ate away at his rationality.
Vale caught the dead Ap’s spear as the beast sank into the ground, then he turned and launched the polearm at the last uninjured Piscari Ap standing several meters away.
The fish person easily batted the bone spear away, which soon rattled to the floor, then sank.
"Hey, you! Let’s just hug it out, alright?"
"Enemy!"
Vale laughed then began sauntering toward the remaining ’male’ Piscari Ap.
"Yeah, yeah..."
Vale felt he had gained the upper hand.
If they hadn’t deactivated that passive on-hit effect by now, it meant they couldn’t.
The Mutants would not only be worried about defending, but also attacking. How was one supposed to win a fight under those conditions?
Vale chuckled then charged.
Daring not to send a swipe, the beast thrust its spear at Vale.
Vale leaned back as he shifted his legs and formed a ball of flesh on the back of his head, dragging it down to build momentum.
The spear passed over Vale’s face, scraping his nose, a little blood flying into the air.
"Got you!"
Vale used his shapeshifting to form the flesh on the back of his head into a foot-like form. It planted against the ground and kicked, flinging him back upright.
As his body shot up, he deactivated [Embrace] and wrapped his arms around the fish.
The bastard didn’t seem to understand at first, but it wasn’t going to give Vale an out. It was stronger. If Vale wanted to grapple, why not indulge.
The Mutant dropped its spear then hugged Vale, trying to snap his spine.
"See, a friendly hug."
Then, Vale activated [Embrace] again.
The armor shot to life and cut through the entire chest of the fish.
The two released their grips on each other, and then the fish stumbled away.
’Eugh...’
Vale — the man with a foot growing out of the back of his head — winced in disgust.
"GRREREAAAK!"
The still alive beast shrieked as its intestines started falling out of its body. It tried its best to hold in its entrails, but they kept pouring out.
The beast held its stomach in one hand and its liver in another, before it finally slumped over.
[Piscari Ap has been slain.]
[+4 Aether]
Vale felt the bloodlust again, but he couldn’t bring himself to cheer due to the vile nature of the kill.
Vale deactivated [Embrace] again, causing the ghastly mix of blood and guts to fall from underneath the armor.
’I guess now I know it’s a viable fighting strategy...’
Not that it was one he’d like to ever use.