Chapter 13 – Power
The creature blinked with its wide eyes before it flew toward Jack again, its claws extending forward as if all it needed was to get him in its claws and the battle would be over. Jack knew that very well. Those claws were, after all, quite literally as sharp as long knives, so any contact would leave deep lacerations in his body.
He had to avoid them at all costs. With that in mind, Jack quickly channeled his Aether and ran to meet the bird halfway. Swinging the sword wildly, he clashed with the claws in a loud spark of fire.
BANG
The sword screeched upon impact, making Jack retract before attacking again, only for the monster to use its claws to defend. The two clashed several times in a few seconds, shaking the entire hallway.
"S-Should we help him…" Alex muttered, his face filled with fear and worry. He had never seen a bird that big before in his life—it simply looked horrifying.
"What are you going to do? It's way stronger than you," Luna replied as she watched the fight intently. "It's better not to try to hinder him. He is clearly standing his ground."
Yet, even as she said those words, Luna had to clench her fists to stop them from shaking. Her eyes were filled with worry that she tried to hide to the best of her abilities.
In several instances, Jack barely deflected or dodged the claws as the two exchanged blows. No side seemed to be controlling the fight. Jack kept trying to deliver the lethal hit while the monster's movements grew even more frantic and brutal.
The boy had no real fighting technique to use; he was simply moving based on his instincts and what he thought was appropriate.
'Hm…' Liliana watched the scene with a surprised look. 'He has no real training in swordsmanship, and he certainly didn't fight before. Yet…'
His movements were impressive—his use of his instincts and the different variables of the battle was ridiculously accurate. What made it even more terrifying was that it was all purely talent.
That kind of thing was simply ridiculous. How much awareness and intelligence does one normal human being have?
It baffled Liliana completely. 'Hm, not bad… Not bad at all,' she mused as a smile formed on her face. 'I already knew you were a bit special, but… I'm getting my expectations blown out of the window.'
Meanwhile, unaware of her thoughts, Jack moved throughout the hallway, dodging and hitting. He had clashed with the monster dozens of times. His arms were getting numb from the continuous hits.
'I can't break its defenses without using Mind Manipulation… But if I use that skill, I risk getting that backlash, and that would be my death.' As he ducked another swinging claw, he thrust his sword to stab the monster, only for it to easily fly back and dodge it.
"Hah… Hah…" He breathed heavily as he put his arms down, shaking them a bit to feel them again.
The bird landed on its feet and stared at him again before it flew forward. Jack readied himself for the attack; however, at that moment, something different happened.
Instead of swinging its claws or opening its beak, the monster swung its wing, and out of it, several feathers flew forward, glistening under the rays of the sun.
'Shit!' Jack's eyes widened as he quickly tried to dodge to the side, only for the feathers to plunge into his shoulder, sinking deep.
"Agh…"
"Jack!" Luna yelled.
The boy quickly recovered, swallowing the sharp pain as he swung his sword, pushing the monster away.
'Dammit, that hit deep…' He looked at the two injuries in his left shoulder and clenched his teeth. 'That was my mistake. I couldn't predict what it was going to do. Liliana had told me that it didn't have one single trick up its sleeves…'
Now he knew that it could launch its feathers as projectiles, which made the situation even worse. However, Jack still received valuable information.
Sucking a deep breath, he adjusted his position and aimed the sword at the monster. 'I can kill him now.'
As much as he was in a very disadvantageous situation, Jack felt calm and collected. He now had a clear image of the monster's attacks, patterns, and how it liked to fight. He read it properly, and he was confident he could counter the attacks coming at him with enough tricks.
With that in mind, Jack dashed forward, aiming to end the battle in the next altercation.
Meanwhile, Alex and Luna watched with their hands on their chests, barely able to contain their worry. Yet, as if the situation wasn't already bad enough, they suddenly heard loud sounds coming from behind. Turning around, they saw four Undead rushing toward them from the other side of the hallway.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Alex yelled. "Where did they come from?!"
"They heard the noises," Luna replied as she took a fighting stance. "We need to kill them."
"How…? We only have one weapon between the two of us," Alex replied.
"We will share. I can fight with my hands, so I will hold three of them while you deal with the fourth one. Then, we will exchange roles. Understood?"
"O-Ok! I will try my best!"
With that, Luna stepped forward as she attracted the monsters' attention before she moved into one of the classrooms, dragging three of them with her.
Alex held his iron bar in his hand as he gulped. 'I can do it. I can do it. I will use my new ability.'
Thinking of the name of the skill, he immediately felt energy coursing through his body. Then, a beautiful golden aura formed around him, one so bright and pure it felt like the golden rays of the sun.
'I feel… stronger,' he thought in awe as he stared at his own body. Then, an excited smile appeared on his face. "Haha, so cool!"
"RAWR!!"
Feeling more confident, Alex attacked the monster.
SwishSwish
'He will attack with his claws, and then he will send feathers to try and use my disadvantage.' Jack correctly predicted, dodging the claws before he deflected the feathers with his sword. Then he swung the sword. The blade barely missed the monster, taking some of its feathers along with a small cut to its stomach.
Even though their battle had been going for several minutes, the monster didn't seem that exhausted. Jack, on the other hand, was reaching the end of his stamina. He didn't even have enough time to recover from fighting earlier.
"Hah…" He wiped the sweat off his face.
The monster noticed that and amped its attacks, going all in to finish its target. Swinging its claws, it aimed for Jack's head. The latter tried to take a step back, only for his leg to slip.
'Shit!' he cursed as he found himself falling back without realizing. The bird saw that and went fully in, taking the advantage to poke his eyes out. It all happened in a split second.
However…
Jack's horrified expression quickly shifted as he suddenly moved his hand and, with a quick swing, stabbed the bird in the back. The creature screeched, realizing what had just happened. However, by then, the battle was over.
BANG
Falling to the ground, Jack quickly rolled around and stabbed the monster again in the throat, severing its head with ease. Blood gushed out, splashing against Jack's face, but he didn't care as he fell back, breathing heavily.
He was exhausted from the fight.
[You have killed a Level 3 Evolved Dove.]
[You have gained +100 Experience Points.]
[You have gained +2 to all stats.]
[You have gained +2 Extra Points.]