The hunters spark(3)

"Oracle!!" Belial's voice rang out urgently in his mind, seeking help to prevent his impending death.

[Suggestion: a half sphere should work as cover as you descend down, but there is a 35% chance of the wings being seen.]

"I don't care, just do it!!" Belial replied, his tone laced with desperation as he pleaded with the Oracle for assistance.

[Activating Hax, Deploying 235 degrees barrier.]

With the Oracle's guidance, Belial summoned forth his power, creating a protective barrier around himself as he began his descent from the sky. His wings flapped once, then slowly he descended towards the ground below, his heart pounding with anticipation.

But before he could even reach the safety of the earth, Gael's fist shattered through the barrier, sending shockwaves of disbelief coursing through Belial's mind. Panic gripped him as he realized that his cover had been compromised, leaving him exposed to Gael's relentless onslaught.

In a desperate bid to shield himself, Belial instinctively manipulated a piece of the broken barrier to cover Gael's eyes, buying himself precious seconds to retract his wings and land on the ground below.

As he touched down, Belial's heart raced with fear and uncertainty. 

"Did anyone see..?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of battle.

[...]

As Belial grappled with the pain coursing through his body, Adrien's keen eyes caught sight of something amiss. 

"Cole-"" he began, but his words were quickly interrupted by Cole's abrupt interjection.

"Hey Jin, since when did you get students?" Cole's voice cut through the tension, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Jin sighed wearily, his expression betraying a sense of resignation. "Not so long ago. Gael was the only one that seemed promising. As for the others... they can barely pass the trials," he admitted, a note of disappointment creeping into his voice.

"And I'm sure you're the reason they are dressed up like that," Cole remarked dryly, his tone tinged with amusement.

"What? I thought that's how refined people dress here in Oasis," Jin responded, genuine confusion clouding his features.

Cole couldn't help but facepalm at Jin's obliviousness. "Never mind," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Belial winced in pain, his thoughts consumed by the agony coursing through his body.

"Oracle, why isn't the talent working?" he implored, his voice strained with discomfort.

[The talent is fully operational. Would you like to switch the mode?]

[External/ •Internal]

Belial considered his options carefully, weighing the potential benefits against the risks. With Gael's relentless assault showing no signs of abating, he knew that he needed every advantage he could get.

"Switch to external. I can handle the backlash," he declared resolutely, his determination shining through despite the pain.

[Understood. Switching to external.]

Pain surged through Belial's body, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it, it was something that his body was used to by now.

[ALERT: DANGER INCOMING]

Belial's heart skipped a beat as the warning flashed before him. "What?" he exclaimed, his senses on high alert as he scanned the surroundings for any signs of danger.

Suddenly, a large black monstrosity crashed into the clearing with a deafening thud, unleashing a powerful shockwave with its roar. Belial's eyes widened in shock as he took in the imposing figure before him.

"Where the hell did it come from?" Belial demanded, his voice tinged with disbelief as he struggled to comprehend the sudden appearance of the monstrous creature.

Adrien flinched, as if poised to spring into action and confront the threat head-on. However, Cole intervened, placing a restraining hand on Adrien's shoulder and shooting him a warning glare that spoke volumes.

"What's your deal Cole!"

"The kid can handle it"Cole reassured him

Cole's attention was fixated on his screen,

where another creature, one that had once been Cedric, was rapidly transforming before their eyes. Its skin darkened until it was entirely black, save for a red gem gleaming in the center of its chest.

[TERRORIST ATTACK PLEASE DO EVACUATE THE PREMISES] the announcer alerted the audience.

"So lex started his plan of attack, by the looks of it the mutant is probably around B+ or A- in power," Cole mused silently, his eyes narrowing. 

'Since it doesn't look like the one I fought he should be fine, and with those same eyes as the witch, I want to see if you too can also achieve 'that'.'

(Soft scene break)

Xin gritted his teeth against the searing pain as he felt a spike pierce through his arm, his muscles tensing with the effort to endure the agony. With a determined resolve, he forced himself to stand, refusing to let the pain overpower him.

Just as he regained his footing, a spike came hurtling towards his neck, poised to strike a fatal blow. Xin's heart skipped a beat as he braced himself for the impact, but before the spike could find its mark, a powerful gust of wind blew it off course, sparing him from certain death.

It was Pacey who had intervened, his presence a welcome relief in the midst of chaos.

"Can you move?" he asked, his voice steady despite the urgency of the situation.

"Yes, I can," Xin replied through gritted teeth, his determination shining through despite the pain coursing through his body.

This was the first time that Pacey and Xin had encountered a monster of this nature. It was a horrific sight to behold â€" an amalgamation of beastman, and something else twisted and grotesque in its appearance.

"What is that thing.." pacey asked

"He was once a person, do not kill him. There must be a way to save him" Xin commanded 

Cedric, now transformed into a mutant, bore little resemblance to his former self. Spikes protruded from every part of his body, enveloping him in a menacing aura of danger. No longer bound by his original form, Cedric had become something altogether more terrifying" 

With a deafening roar, the monstrous creature unleashed a barrage of spikes in all directions, threatening to impale anything in its path.

Xin reacted swiftly, his instincts kicking into overdrive as he formed a barrier of sound to shield himself and Pacey from the deadly projectiles. With a focused determination, he channeled his ether into the barrier, reinforcing it against the ferocious assault.

Pacey watched in awe as Xin's barrier held firm against the onslaught, its see through surface deflecting the deadly spikes with ease. Despite the intensity of the attack, Xin remained steadfast, his resolve unyielding in the face of danger.

As he observed Xin's incredible display of strength and skill, Pacey couldn't help but marvel at the depth of Xin's abilities. "Green horn looks as if he was not that far from collapsing, but still, have this much ether?" Pacey thought to himself, his admiration for his companion growing.

As the barrage of spikes ceased, the monstrous creature's arm stretched out in a desperate attempt to grab Pacey. With lightning-fast reflexes, Pacey dodged out of harm's way, narrowly avoiding the monster's grasp.

In a swift and fluid motion, Pacey latched onto a nearby tree, its trunk adorned with sharp spikes. With a surge of strength, he tore the tree from the ground, the spikes splintering and crumbling beneath his powerful grip.

With a swift and agile movement, Pacey swung himself off of the branch, launching himself towards the monstrous creature with determination blazing in his eyes. As he closed the distance between them, he gathered his ether, channeling it into a focused attack.

With a sharp slash of wind, Pacey unleashed his attack, aiming to strike the monster with all the force he could muster. The wind sliced through the air with deadly precision, hurtling towards the creature with unstoppable momentum.

But the monster was quick to react. With a swift movement, it retaliated by launching a spike into the air, sending it hurtling towards Pacey with lethal intent. The spike arced through the air with frightening speed, narrowly missing Pacey as he dodged out of the way just in time.

Xin and Pacey exchanged a quick glance, their eyes communicating a silent understanding as they braced themselves for the next phase of the battle. With Cedric mutated into a monstrous form, their task had become exponentially more challenging, but they refused to back down.

As Cedric loomed before them, his massive form casting a menacing shadow over the forest, Xin and Pacey sprang into action. Xin focused his ether, preparing to unleash a barrage of sound-based attacks, while Pacey readied himself to counter Cedric's lightning-fast spike attacks with his own swift and agile movements.

With a roar, Cedric charged forward, his spikes bristling menacingly as he closed the distance between himself and the two hunters.

Xin unleashed a wave of sonic energy, aiming to disrupt Cedric's advance and create an opening for Pacey to exploit.

But Cedric was prepared. With lightning reflexes, he deflected Xin's attacks with ease, his massive form barely even slowing as he continued his relentless assault. Pacey darted in and out, his movements fluid and precise as he sought to find a weakness in Cedric's defenses, but the mutated creature proved to be a formidable opponent.

Time and again, Xin and Pacey launched coordinated attacks, their movements synchronized in perfect harmony as they sought to outmaneuver Cedric and find a way to turn the tide of battle in their favor.

Yet, despite their best efforts, they found themselves unable to penetrate Cedric's defenses, his spikes proving to be an impenetrable defense against their attacks .

As Xin and Pacey continued their relentless assault against Cedric, Xin's keen intellect raced to find a solution to their predicament. With Cedric's defenses proving to be nearly impenetrable, they needed to find a way to amplify their attacks and break through his formidable barrier.

In a moment of inspiration, Xin's mind latched onto a scientific principle: the interaction between wind and sound.

 'Wind has the potential to enhance the propagation of sound waves, increasing their intensity and range.' 

With this knowledge in mind, Xin formulated a plan to combine their powers in a coordinated assault against Cedric.

"Pacey, follow my lead," Xin called out, his voice firm with determination as he prepared to put his plan into action.

Pacey nodded in understanding, his trust in Xin's intellect unwavering as he stood ready to execute whatever strategy Xin had devised.

With a swift motion, Xin summoned forth a powerful gust of wind, directing it towards Cedric with pinpoint accuracy. As the wind buffeted Cedric's massive form, Pacey seized the opportunity to unleash a devastating sonic attack, channeling his ether into a focused blast of sound that reverberated through the air with incredible force.

The combined assault struck Cedric with incredible intensity, causing him to stagger for a moment under the onslaught. For the first time since the battle began, cracks began to appear in Cedric's defenses, his monstrous form showing signs of wear and tear under the relentless barrage.

But despite their efforts, Cedric remained standing, his resilience proving to be greater than they had anticipated. The damage inflicted by their combined attack was significant, but it was not enough to defeat him outright.

"Release," lex commanded, 

the monstrous creature began to thrash about uncontrollably. His massive arms swung wildly, demolishing trees and sending debris flying in all directions. Painful spikes erupted from his body, causing him to scream out in agony as he writhed in torment.

Xin summoned a dome of wind and sound to shield them from Cedric's fury. Together, they huddled within the protective barrier, bracing themselves for the onslaught to come.

But even as they sought refuge within their makeshift shelter, Xin's control over his Hax proved to be less than perfect. Despite his immense ether, the strain of maintaining the dome proved to be too much, and cracks began to form in its structure.

With a sickening crunch, the barrier shattered under the force of Cedric's attack, leaving Xin and Pacey vulnerable to the full brunt of his assault. Xin closed his eyes and covered his head, steeling himself for the impact as the spikes hurtled towards them with deadly precision.

But just as the spikes were about to strike, the onslaught came to an abrupt halt. A metallic thud reverberated through the air, followed by the sickening sound of bones being crushed under immense pressure.

Crunch!

Xin cautiously opened his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest as he surveyed the scene before him. To his astonishment, he saw Cedric lying on the ground, motionless and defeated, his monstrous form reduced to nothing more than a lifeless husk. 

As the chaos subsided, Xin's gaze fell upon the figure standing before him, clad in armor and blood on his gloves. 

His heart sank as recognition dawned upon him, and horror washed over his features as he realized the horror of the situation unfolded before his eyes, and a wave of intense emotion washed over him, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

Cedric, once a enemy turned ally, now stood before him in his original form, stripped of the monstrous visage that had consumed him. Xin's mind raced with conflicting emotions as he grappled with the sight before him.

In that moment, Xin's resolve wavered, his heart heavy with the burden of uncertainty. He had never wanted to see Cedric suffer, never wanted to see him reduced to this state of lifelessness, he wanted to help him. And yet, despite his best intentions, he had been unable to prevent the inevitable.

Torn between his emotions and the harsh reality of the situation, Xin stood frozen in place, his mind racing as he struggled to find a way forward.