Mantis Hybrid

The group of five peeked from a corner to the outside situation, seeing the army personnel and the Hybrids going at each other's throats in full rage caused their hearts to leap.

'Such display of power. Both sides... both Supernaturals and Hybrids are so terrifying?' Rua eyed them in awe.

Unlike how Seff had displayed them, he noticed that barely a few officers were using their powers like that. Most just suddenly popped out their moves, not having to create structures.

Whilst the Hybrids, coming in varying shapes and styles, they possessed different powers according to their mutations. And also possessed a particular element's power.

Some used fire and some used muscle. Some blew out sonic waves from their throats. Whilst some enlargened their tails.

Some grew thin and some grew large. It was chaos... verifying the info that he had been taught in High-School, 'Hybrids can use one element. It can be whatever, either muscle expansion or contraction, defense, fire or whatnot. While also possessing the traits of the beast they mutated into.'

But, looking at the overall battle, he could only say one thing, 'Free for all! Like ancient warfare consisting of swords and shields. There are two armies, they recognize each other through their uniform and crush the opposition uncaring of anything.'

Blood and organs flew about in the air alongside various abilities.

Mika turned back and pucked out to her heart's content.

Duth's face was pale as well. He was just one step away from joining Mika.

The other three were rather fine. Srid remained nonchalant. While Cikus analyzed seriously. And Rua simply remained focused on his task, ignoring much of the gore as he could.

"I think... we ought to just go for it. As chaotic as this battle is, we are hardly going to find a 'chance'. We just have to do it. That's all." Cikus muttered, fearing the Hybrids might hear.

"Hmm! I think otherwise though, the more chaotic this battle is, the better! If everyone's busy with their opponents. They wouldn't have the luxury to notice a group of five rushing somewhere. They might even get deterred thinking of our combined strength." Rua gave his take, before looking at Cikus and adding, "Though all this just supports what he said."

"Then... it seems our decision is final." Srid exhaled and glanced forward. The spacious street... was very wide. It was made to match the size of the Martial Gate and to surpass it.

Despite it being a popular place, its special architecture had backfired for them.

"Well then, on the count of three!" Rua raised three fingers.

***

Glancing at the barricade of vehicles and the hybrid in front of him, Seff felt a sense of urgency.

His eyes trailed along the hybrid's body.

It had a greasy, scaly tail, somewhat like a lizard. And two bones protruded out of his waist and after a curve, moved straight upwards till his head. Seff had doubts about them even having any purpose.

But it surely drew purpose from its reptilian head. Seff gritted his teeth seeing him open his mouth again.

The air converged in its mouth, creating disturbing ripples near it.

Seeing the process speed up, a pattern flashed in his eyes.

The instant the hybrid screamed, sonic booms whooshed toward Seff. The latter, in turn, froze. Not even blinking his dulled eyes.

The hybrid's grin grew as the compressed rings closed in on Seff. But soon, unease stirred inside him.

"Something's wrong..." The hybrid's pupils expanded. The instant the circles blasted into Seff's body, the latter exploded like a balloon.

"Shit! A clone!?" His eyes wandered, 'Where!?' His spine tingled. His senses screamed.

"BEHIND!" His body whirled back. His eyes locked on to the Seff rapidly advancing toward him, a glowing blaze enveloping his right arm.

"DAMN YOU!" The hybrid clenched his fists, the two bones protruding up to his head beckoned the nearby power to converge atop them. Vacuum balls formed atop each of them, on his finger's command, both of them blasted ahead, "PERISH! VACUUM BLAST!!"

The two balls tunneled through the air and slammed atop Seff. Blasting the debris into the air.

"It's over." The hybrid rubbed his nose. But his eyes remained atop the dust vigilantly. 'What's this... sensation!?'

His spine shivered, the scales on his tail stood up, his sixth sense screamed, "SHIT, ANOTHER CLONE!?"

His head spun back, his eye facing the encroaching firey palm in utter dread.

"Craft Ardere - Craft of Venomous Bites!"

The words drifted into the hybrid's ear in eerie calmness. The palm gently slapped onto his skull before moving past him.

"What the..." The hybrid tilted his head in bewilderment.

Seff calmly turned back, eyeing the five blazing nails embedded within the freak's skull. His lips moved, "Boom!"

The five nails exploded in union, creating a firework out of the hybrid's skull.

"I must go quickly!" His eyes sternly eyed the barricade. 'I hope they survive.'

***

Rua's heart bounced fiercely, his steps bashing the ground, almost leaping. His eyes didn't budge from the two white gates of the Lab that remained wide open uncaring of the chaos that ensued in front of it.

Almost like an aloof tyrant's palace, whose gates didn't shut even as an opposing army stood right in front of it. Almost welcoming it. Daring it to live after stepping through.

The rest were no better, nobody had the guts to take a peek around. They feared that one glance and their demise would be spelled.

Their hearts squeezed tighter with every step. Their throats dried. But their strides remained ever vigorous upon their destination.

'Go, g, go!! Don't stop, don't think, run, just run, run!!' Rua's eyes burned from desperation, he constantly felt a force pushing him onward, cheering him on, telling him he could make it. 'Mom, Dad! Stay alive, stay strong. I will be there soon.'

His eyes lit up, the gates were growing closer. The instant he jumped past the two tracks marking the gates' area, he would receive his guaranteed security.

"Hmm!? Where are... YOU LOT RUNNING TO!?" Goosebumps crouched down Rua's body, unwillingly, intractably, his head hurled back.

He couldn't even see anything else, besides those two horrendous yellow vertical eyes.

The instant he felt them pierce through his sockets and see through him like an open book, he knew he had spelled his death.

'We're fucked!' Rua's palms snapped shut tightly, in an instant, he screamed, his voice muffled from his fear, "RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK! RUN WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!!"

Inadvertently, Mika's head turned, the sight she took in caused her heart to skip a beat. 'Oh my sorry ass, what the heck is that monstrosity?' Her eyes scrutinized it from head to toe, 'What hybrid? It's a total beast!'

Adorned in blood, its deathly sharp scythe-like hands glistened in glee. Its deformed body covered in a green hard shell. Its triangular head had two antennas popping out. Two thin and short, translucent vestigial wings fluttered in vain behind him.

Peeking another glance helplessly, Rua couldn't help but mutter the closest thing that popped up in his mind related to that thing, 'Mantis! Fucking mantises. We are doomed. Such a big boss really had to place his sight on kids??'

Rua had the urge to stop and give him a lecture on the strong-prey-on-strong theory. But he persisted.

"DIE!!" The instant the mantis-hybrid took one step, its next was right behind Rua.

Rua's hair stood on edge, his eyes flickered. Instinctively, his body rolled forward.

A clear and sharp sound of air being split in two reached his air. He rapidly thanked his stars for being on his side.

'Shit!! This creature isn't something we can defeat in ten years, much less in our current state. Mantisses have terrific speed, deadly sharp claws, hard shells, and more.' Rua bit his lip, while rolling forward, he leapt up and began running with his tail tucked.

'At least my gymnastics, whom everybody ridiculed me for, are coming to a use.' Rua wanted to cry.

'No! Don't lose hope, we are close!' His eyes lit up, 'Approximately ten more steps. We can do this.'

"Hoho! I see what you lot are up to." His menacing voice struck like drums in the groups' ears.

"Live... Live if you can kill me! Hahaha!" Rua felt himself about to chock over, 'What kind of malice is this. This hatred, why?' His eyes turned back, clearly seeing it almost teleport behind him again.

A part of him commanded to duck again. Whilst the other half ordered to jump. A scream came from the depths of his mind, 'JUMP!!'

Using his well-built legs to their full, he leapt up and squeezed his legs near his waist.

His eyes glanced down at the two scythes, one at where his waist would've beeb... and the other at where he would've ducked at.

A terrifying image of his death gripped him, 'YOU DAMNED!'

Composing himself, his eyes suddenly flickered schemely, 'A chance!' Still in mid-air, he slammed both his feet onto its ugly head and propelled himself past the gate. 'I MADE IT!!'

Right after, Mika, carrying herself on her nimble legs jumped through the safe boundary of the gate.

The mantis stood stupefied, its eyes trembling as he sized up Rua eying him in avid apprehension.

"You... YOU BRAT!" The mantis's hawk-like eyes blurred toward the other three. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!"

Rua's sixth sense screamed, his eyes dashed toward his allies.

As he screamed at the top of his lungs, some strange thing blurred past his eyes, one second it was there, the next, it was gone, "CIKUS! DUCK DOWN!!"

Like a jolt of lightning, Cikus's body kneeled. 'What the...' A dreadful sound emanated from right above him. Causing him to wearily look up.

"YOU FOOL! DON'T STOP!" Mika's agitated voice was next to snap him out.

"SHIT!" Instantly, edged by his survival instincts, his body rushed to get away.

"DON'T KID WITH ME!!" The mantis roared, his scythe held diagonally, slashed down into a cross.

Rua's breath froze, his body tensed into a rock. And into his trembling eyes, the sight of Cikus shakily crawling forward like a baby, slowly collapsed into four parts. Into a puddle of his own blood.