Power Without Agility

[Battle for the Blue Feather has begun!]

"Well, seems like we are facing this alone, huh?" Henrietta said. Her limbs have turned into claws as she spoke, but unlike before, she eyed the kobold in front of her with a small frown. "Charles, activate the Integration. This is no joke."

[Beast Integration – Blessing of Duality has been activated]

[Remaining time: 3 minutes]

[Beast Energy: 24/150]

[Strength: 48 (28+20)]

[Endurance: 43 (23+20)]

[Agility: 12 (22-10)]

The pressure coming from the kobold's power was more than clear, and Charles activated his skill without hesitation. As the familiar black and white aura shrouded his body, Charles felt strength flow into him, yet his body felt sluggish, as if he was a prisoner weighed down by metal chains.

Right after he did, the kobold regained its footing, raising its staff high. The crude crystal set atop it glowed in a blueish light, beckoning the books all around it to gather. A few books of various colors flew past the barrier and circled near the scepter, the image oddly similar to moths flying towards light.

Five pages rained down from each book, each page turning into a kobold underling. Each kobold looked more battle ready than the ones they have encountered, complete with metal armor that glinted under the light and well-crafted weapons. They held a spear, a bow, a sword and shield, a club, and a chain flail complete with spikes, respectively.

The kobold with the spear even had a ride in the form of an amorphous slug-like creature without the slime. It looked like a twisted parody of a participant in a jousting match.

Then, as the kobold pointed its staff at the two, the kobold underlings attacked at the same time.

The three with close-range weapons immediately dashed towards Charles, while the other two distracted Henrietta.

Though she was able to dodge and counter the attacks, the three other kobolds went for Charles with surprising speed, catching the latter off-guard.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Unable to dodge, Charles secretly thanked his lucky stars for giving him an increased endurance, allowing the attacks from the kobolds to at least bounce.

[Anima Mirror]

Changing tactics, Charles decided to kick off random pieces of miscellany from the floor, and the three pieces each turned into a separate copy of him. Each copy radiated a strange aura, attracting the attention of the kobolds.

Then, while the kobolds were distracted, Charles attempted to land heavy hits on them, only for him to be constantly dodged as his movements were far too sluggish.

"Damn it!"

He gritted his teeth. Now, he had felt the shortcoming of the ability he had depended as his trump card.

Right as he was a bit distracted, the annoyed Henrietta had finally caught the ball part of the kobold's flail, her strong grip creating cracks on the metal ball's surface.

"You really are annoying," she spoke, fangs poking out from her upper lip, showing a trace of her true bestial nature, "I will return this back to you, then."

Then, before the panicked kobold was able to do anything, Henrietta pulled on the chain, pulling the creature with it. She swung her claws in a wide arc across the arena, turning the creature on the other end into a bloody pulp as it was slammed onto the other kobolds' armor.

The three close-range kobolds stumbled, allowing Charles the opportunity to close in and crush their skulls. As the chain almost reached Gharal, the scepter-wielding kobold, she proceeded to toss the metal ball she was holding towards it, creating a shockwave from the force of her throw.

Clang!

When the ball was mere millimeters away from the scepter-wielding kobold, it was stopped, the same blue aura as the place surrounding it before it disappeared back into a book page. The remains of the other kobolds also disappeared, turning back into pages, yet as they were completely destroyed, they were turned into shredded paper that fluttered uselessly, to be swallowed by the expansive library.

The kobold was unperturbed. In fact, it seemed to feel a mix between glee and amusement. It eyed the three clones, and with a wave of its claw, the clones disappeared. For a moment, Charles felt dizzy, it was as if his own power was rebounded.

"Well, you can't use illusion against the master of illusion in this hall, after all," Henrietta spoke, a slight hint o playful laugh slipping from her lips, "You know what? Recast the boosts, Charles. Let's pull all the stops for now,"

Charles looked at the timer of his skill,

[Time remaining: 1 minute, 23 seconds]

"I suppose that is fair,"

[Your beast's stats have increased by 10%!]

Charles concentrated on her for a second, enveloping her in the familiar multicolored aura right as she dashed forward. Her every movement was efficient and deadly, each swipe of her limbs creating grooves on the floor while the kobold dodged and attempt to use its scepter.

However, Henrietta, having figured out the creature's weakness, simply refused to relent in her attacks, forcing the creature on the defensive.

Then, he looked at the way Henrietta forced the creature to dodge.

He realized she kept on forcing the kobold to dodge onto the same three spots. Then, he knew that she was trying to give him an opportunity for a sneak attack.

Then, he ran, as fast as he could despite his reduced mobility, and aimed his fist at the creature's back, right as Henrietta swiped her claw onto its face.

Blood splattered as Henrietta's attack finally connected, while the scepter was thrown from the sheer force of the attack.

It started to flail, and in its anger, it had managed to escape Charles' grip. It jumped over Henrietta despite its short stature and landed at the edge of the arena. One of its eyes was missing, while one of its hand seemed like it was barely hanging off a few pieces of flesh.

Though it still made no noises, the death glare it gave the two as a warning while taking its scepter with its uninjured hand was enough to serve as an indication of its rage. It stood with a slight limp, as one of its legs were bent slightly out of the way.

"You want more, little thing?" Henrietta smirked, happy that her attack finally connected. Eagerly, she jumped forward, attempting to beat the creature once and for all.

However, Charles was frozen.

In front of him, there was an image. It was enveloped in a hazy red film, yet it clearly depicted Dylan, his body thrown to the wall and creating a small pool of blood beneath, matching the crimson artifact on his hand.

Pieces of broken metal fall from his bloodstained fingers before the image fades, as if it was never there.