Genetic Ascension

Chapter 413: Eighth

Sylas appeared before the Clypsian, unleashing the attack of his second pauldron as the first recovered. At the same time, he geared up a kick, ready to fade into a combo in the first instant.

But the man reacted first. His fist suddenly flashed, vanishing from Sylas’ vision and his visualization only to appear right before his nose.

Sylas had never seen such a Skill before, and he was somewhat doubtful that it was a Skill at all. He didn’t sense any Aether at all.

Was it a Gene Talent?

BANG!

Sylas couldn’t dodge. The fist landed solidly on his face. If not for his upgraded Aether Skin, he might have even suffered a fractured skull.

His head whipped back and he allowed the momentum to carry him back into a backflip.

Three ballista bolts appeared in the path of the Clypsian, exploding across his robust body and barely causing him to take a single step back.

Sylas regained his bearings, his ringing ears and stinging nose barely managing to calm in a few seconds.

The Clypsian, though, was still a step faster. His body flashed much like his fist before had. This time, his hand chopped down like an ax, carrying a blinding arc of Aether along with it. For a moment, Sylas thought he was facing off against a metallic man.

The cold was beginning to seep into his bones and goosebumps flared across his skin.

He was getting slower.

He was so close but the oppression of this cold was too much. Had he not upgraded his Will, he would already be an ice statue.

Sylas’ Aether circulated in a violent torrent and he activated <Arctic King’s Domain>.

Since he couldn’t end this battle early, he would have to force this man into a battle of attrition… one he could hopefully end more quickly than not.

He suffered another blow to the gut on purpose, focusing instead on completing the Skill. However, he was shocked to find that it wasn’t worth it.

What should have been his most potent poison bounced off the body of the man much like his telekinesis had.

‘Is this Rune Soul? Is his Will just that high? Is it a Comprehension?’

It was hard to think when all the air in his body had just been forcefully expelled. One of his ribs snapped out of place and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The Clypsian was fast to follow up, appearing by Sylas’ side as he rolled against the ground. His foot rose high into the skies and he smashed downward with an ax kick that flashed so quickly it almost looked like a guillotine falling from above.

Sylas barely managed to push himself out of the way, making himself lighter and using his telekinesis and a push from his arm and tail all at once. Thanks to that, he managed to push himself more than seven meters out of the way.

He glided backward on the balls of his feet, blood leaking from his lips and his gaze sharp and serious.

This man was strong. Even if he wasn’t wasting so much of his Wisdom and split minds defending against this cold, he would be hard-pressed to find an easy path to victory.

Sylas took a breath, his mind becoming unprecedentedly focused.

He was going to have to give up something to gain something.

<Mirror Step>

His body separated into 10 clones and he immediately began to feel the harsh cutting of the winds as he diverted his attention away from it.

He rushed forward as Azrael’s sword appeared high in the air, separating into several shadows all at once.

His clones and himself circled the Clypsian from every direction.

Sylas punched out, and though he was in front of the man, his Aetherflow managed a fist from behind him.

Who said his telekinesis only had to follow one direction? Even if he punched from the left, his power could just as easily come from above. This would give the illusion that all of his clones were real.

The man was taken aback, having been pretty sure that they were mirror images. And because this time Sylas was using Basic Aetherflow, the man couldn’t dismiss his telekinesis nearly as easily.

The sword shadows fell from above and the man was suddenly wary. It was hard to tell which one was real now. He didn’t trust his eyes.

BANG!

At that moment, a ballista bolt suddenly appeared beneath his chin and knocked his head upward.

A sword shadow fell from the skies and the man’s eyes opened wide… as it passed right through his forehead without causing even the slightest hint of damage.

A cold sweat matted the Clypsian’s back as he realized he couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t anymore.

He was bombarded from all sides by attacks. Realizing that he couldn’t remain so passive, he lunged at one of the clones but ended up hitting nothing but air.

Sylas’ gaze only became colder and colder, sending out a series of punches, kicks, and sudden ballista bolts to knock the man off balance.

The man suddenly unleashed a roar that dispersed a pulse of Aether in all directions, but Sylas was ready for it. He had seen people counter him in this way far too many times.

He cast <Arctic Howl Mutant> at the same time and the man found himself frozen for a brief instant.

A counter Skill came soon afterward, but the moment it did, a ballista bolt knocked his head to the side in a rain of splinters and exploded wood.

At that same instant, another sword shadow fell from above.

The man swiped at it, frustrated and thinking it to be another fake…

Only for <Momentum Shift> and Sylas’ Gluttony Seed to spear it right through his throat.

The man’s eyes widened as the sword shattered on impact, its Durability having run its course.

However, not before the sword’s tip was lodged into his neck.