Chapter 5 - Immense Strength

Ryan's grip weakened Snake's hold, making it increasingly difficult for him to coil around Ryan. The constriction grew weaker with every passing moment, clearly showing he was struggling against Ryan's strength.

Taking advantage of this weakened state of Snake, Ryan hurled Snake to the ground with nearly all his power and of course full of anger too. Nobody could touch his little brother, Aric.

Snake was thrown down at an incredible speed. As for what was happening right now, for those below the Expert Nova rank, it was hard to even catch a glimpse of Snake.

A loud booming sound was heard when Snake hit the earth. His head embedded itself in the ground while his body stuck out, writhing in an attempt to free himself from this humiliating situation.

'Stupid Cat! My power isn't suited to dealing with someone like Ryan!' he cursed inwardly. His power worked best on restricting the opponent's movement. But if the opponent was much stronger than he was, he could do nothing.

While Snake was cursing inwardly, Cat was plotting something at this moment. She knew that she needed to take Ryan by surprise. The impact of Snake hitting the ground had sent dust flying, obscuring visibility. 'This will do,' Cat thought.

WIZZ!

Unexpectedly, a teleportation portal appeared behind Ryan as he was falling from the sky. It was hard to move in the sky even for someone with power like Ryan. Not even mentioning evading or striking in the air.

This situation and opportunity was well taken by Cat for a surprise attack. A clawed attack aimed directly at Ryan's chest at an astonishing speed.

However, for someone like Ryan, this counts to nothing. Ryan swiftly countered the attack with a quick swing of his hand. The attack was deflected but did little to none damage to Cat. Then the full figure of Cat materialized before him.

"You're quite handsome, Expert Nova Ryan," Cat's voice sounded seductive.

Ryan's face flushed red at Cat's compliment, nearly lowering his guard. But he immediately clenched his hand hard enough to draw blood.

'A charm power? Just from a compliment?' Fortunately, Ryan had strong mental fortitude. Otherwise, he might have fallen under Cat's charm. His actions just now helped him to resist her power.

"Oh... Did it not work?" Cat said, still in a seductive tone.

Cat couldn't help but feel a bit impressed by Ryan's resilience. Usually, her charm power worked effortlessly, especially on men. No matter how strong they were.

Seeing her previous attack fail, Cat placed her foot on Ryan's body and pushed off strongly. She spun several times in the air before landing gracefully.

Ryan's landing was less stable; he almost fell. 'Their bodies and their strength are incredible. Who are they, really? Even when I land a hit, it doesn't seem to really affect them.'

Meanwhile, Bear was relentlessly attacking a wall of earth created by Ralph. Ralph, a Nova with Geokinesis, had the power to control the earth. It was a fascinating view right now seeing Ralph showing his mastery in controlling the earth.

His power grade was A and he was only at the age of twenty, marking him as a Nova with significant potential. However, against someone like Bear, the gap in their strength was evident.

None of Ralph's earthen walls could withstand Bear's relentless attacks. They only managed to slow Bear's approach. Ralph, Jaclyn, and Amanda, who was carrying Aric, could only retreat at this point. Nothing could be done to land any attack on Bear.

Jaclyn's Agrokinesis, the power to control plants, did not inflict the desired damage on Bear. Only small scratches were visible even though she had been using her strongest attacks all the time. 

"I can't hold on much longer! My energy is below half," Ralph shouted, drenched in sweat.

Even though Novas had extraordinary powers, they had an energy pool that determined how long and how strong their powers could be used.

Each individual's energy pool varied. Some seemed limitless, while others had very shallow pools. There were ways to increase it, which will be explained later to avoid interrupting the current events.

The size and strength of the power used also affected energy consumption. The bigger and stronger the power, the more energy it consumed.

"I'm the same. My energy is almost depleted. My attacks are having no effect," Jaclyn lamented. Imagine attacking non-stop for so long and amounted to nothing. It was a huge blow for their morale. 

Amanda, who was a Healer Nova, was more focused on treatment and healing the team. The only thing that she could do right now was to carry Aric and ensure his safety, without ways to help the team defeating their enemies.

Their mistake this time was only bringing half the team to this location. They thought the mission was merely reconnaissance and rescue.

That's why they assumed the strength of the four of them was more than enough. Especially with Ryan accompanying them.

But who would have thought they would encounter three mysterious individuals with abilities and strength on par with Ryan?

"I've contacted Fergus. He and his team will arrive in a few minutes," Amanda said.

In truth, Amanda had no idea how long it would take Fergus's team to arrive. She just wanted to give her friends and herself some hope.

Ryan was still locked in combat with Cat. Who would have thought that with her slim figure, Cat could unleash attacks with such high destructive power?

Clearly, her physical strength was extraordinary, able to rival most other Expert Novas. Though unable to match Ryan's super strength, Cat could still compete with his speed.

"Who are you, really?" Ryan asked.

"Me? Can't you see I'm just a cat," Cat replied nonchalantly.

Cat executed a low kick, targeting Ryan's legs. But Ryan easily blocked it with his hardened leg muscles. Cat's leg was thrown back.

"Snake! How long are you going to sit there?" Cat scolded.

'Ugh! I was just trying to avoid fighting Ryan,' Snake grumbled. He quickly pulled his head out of the ground.

He dusted off his clothes, covered in dirt and dust. "Do you want me to help you or help Bear?"

"Come here. Bear has no trouble handling our target. Those three Novas can't challenge Bear," Cat replied.

"Alright. Just keep me from getting hit again. I'm tired of being thrown around," Snake grumbled. He began to transform. His body elongated.

His legs turned into a large, long snake tail. Both his arms morphed slightly, resembling dragon arms with large, sharp claws.

He also had very long fangs. With part of his mask broken, the fangs were clearly visible.

"Enjoy beating me up earlier, don't you?" Snake hissed.

Snake's figure immediately vanished from sight. His transformation didn't slow him down at all. His speed now matched Cat's.

Snake's tail lashed out, striking Ryan's back. Ryan couldn't dodge because his movements were restricted by Cat. He now fell to one knee.

Blood spurted from his mouth. The force of Snake's tail was immense. This wasn't something he usually faced. It was rare for someone with Ryan's super strength to feel pain.

'What power are they using? That strike was almost a quarter of Grandpa's physical strength.' Ryan often trained with his grandfather, Agustin. So, he knew the previous attack wasn't ordinary. Matching a quarter of Agustin's strength was no easy feat. Agustin was among the strongest individuals on Earth.

"How does it feel? Enjoying the whip? But…I'm not done yet," Snake said.

Snake lashed Ryan repeatedly with his tail. Cat smartly used the opportunity to attack Ryan's blind spots continuously. That's why it was hard for Ryan to block or evade Snake's strikes.

"Hahaha! How is it, Ryan? Didn't you say to know the host first? Try getting to know your guests before welcoming them," Cat taunted.

"Ryan!" Amanda, seeing Ryan's plight, couldn't help but scream.

Amanda's scream distracted Ralph. Even for a second, Bear used the opportunity to change his attack pattern.