Even more so, she was confident that there was no lack of substance or resolve in her attacks, however, this guy seemed to have turned into something else entirely. The only way to explain this sudden shift was,'All this time, he was hiding his true skills!' She cursed inwardly, 'Fuck!' A switch blatantly tripped in her mind and she vicariously understood that this guy was certainly dangerous. A dose of reality check hit her and she realized that he is indeed capable of slaughtering her in cold blood. The hair behind her neck stood up and an unnerving chill seeped across her spine. Fear creeped in like lightning.The more she engaged him in the fight, the more she started to see the difference in their skills. He was merciless, cunning, ruthless and unforgiving. Every move was refined and yet incredibly profane. She felt like she was being pulled inside, more and more into a never-ending tunnel with no light, no warmth, and no sound. Just pitch black darkness, sickening nausea, and a
"Go ahead! Try that…", The man turned his neck and uttered, "But beware of the consequences that will come when you fail!" The spooky calmness and spine-chilling confidence in his voice made chill run up Lyra's spine. This wasn't a reply she would expect from someone who is unprepared to face the consequence. Although she did have the opportunity to call out his bluff and try something funny, her instincts were telling her that it would be best not mess with him for the time being.She was keeping watch on even the tiniest bit of his movements. The way he sat, the way he settled, his build, his clothing, his gloomy mask, even his breathing. She couldn't find even a single wasted movement, neither was there any opening to corner him.They arrived at the perimeter of an estate with numerous towering structures lined in a symmetric circular pattern. The design of each building was of varying intricacy. The colony was loaded with cutting-edge cybernetics, but it also had dedicated vegeta
Ellen looked at her associate and calmed herself. "Alright! I'll humor you. What do you propose then?"The assassin finally nodded assertively,"Good! Now It's only fair if I reiterate everything with my own words."He continued, "So you see. My team has found out that your organization has dormant potential and a significant skillset. Apparently, that's still not enough. A treacherous monopoly is strongly embedded within the system that you won't be overcome." "What you need right now is a catalyst. So allow us to be that catalyst. We wanna offer you exclusive access to "The Chaos Sequence" in exchange for your resources, manpower, and information via this gigantic network that you have built over the years. In short, my team wants to do exclusive partnerships with your organization for an equal exchange of value."The three women frowned at his words. They froze a little until Ellen spoke, "Wait! What do you mean by exclusive access? Haven't you guys already made the technique pu
"Alright! I've had enough of your 'shit test'. This conversation is going nowhere. I'm leaving."Their tone of discourse was juvenile and immature, as if they weren't taking him seriously. As a result, he had run out of patience. However, just as he was about to reach for the gate, he realized his feet were stuck in thick tar. Both of his eyes were drawn to blurry figures approaching him like enraged bloodhounds. The situation was going downhill. "Is this your FUCKING playground?" Lena clutched his left shoulder tightly enough to force him into submission, "Don't think you can just come and go, you arrogant asshole!""She told you to stop." Miriam uttered as he grabbed the assassin's other shoulder with anger, An overwhelming pressure brooded over his shoulder, strongly pressing his knees into the ground. The temperature of the room dropped severely. Both Lena and Miriam grabbed both his shoulders from behind with razor-sharp bloodlust. A ghastly resonance loomed over his neck.Ly
Creed was often offering him tips on how to improve his cognitive dissonance, shooting technique, target-panic, and grip strength. Previously, he had no notion what his errors were. However, after numerous sessions with him, Kendrick discovered he needed to work on several aspects of his technique and not just one. Unfortunately, all of his faults are now coming back to bite him in the ass.~ThumpHis so-called 'self-training' was plagued with blunders and faults, and as a result, his body had strongly integrated those useless foundations into muscle memory. This was due to excessive self-tutoring and self-reliance rather than seeking periodic expert guidance. He couldn't identify little faults in his technique throughout the early stages of his development, and now those small mistakes have accumulated into big irreversible defects.~ThumpThis messed up form, habits, and faulty foundations were the entire reason he couldn't enhance his accuracy because the erroneous stiffness kept
As they changed colors, they increased their speed as well. He had to act fast, as the orbs were becoming more and more difficult to catch. He scanned the grid, looking for patterns in the orbs' movements, trying to anticipate their next moves. As he caught more and more orbs, his movements became more fluid and precise.The grid was now full of a blur of colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, all swirling around the grid. Popping a whole grid into a volatile colorful canvas. What's more weird was that these orbs were bouncing not just against the grid's inescapable boundary but against each other as well making it even harder to catch.There was no set trajectory, no defined path, no reasonable pattern. The grid was getting more and more chaotic with each passing second. And if that wasn't crazy enough, Kendric also saw a ghostly palm opposite to him trying to catch the orbs before he could, snatching his chance of getting slower orbs even more. This ghostly p
In essence, the level of complexity of the patterns in the Echoes of Future was contingent upon the decisions made by the player. Incorrect decisions result in a heightened level of complexity, while correct decisions maintain a steady rate of progression while concurrently elevating the score. As Creed contemplated this concept, he was jolted out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder."It's fine! don't worry… it was your first try after all!!""Are you trying to patronize me?" Creed glared at Kendrick,"uhm… No! I wasn't!""Really! then why are u grinning ?""Well… to be honest.. You are so good at archery that most of the time I forget that we are almost the same age. Your shitty gaming skills makes me happy, because it proves that you are a better archer and I'm a better gamer!""Yeah!! We might be the same age but don't forget I'm still your instructor." Creed shoved the EchoCube at his chest, "Now, put this back inside before I come back…"Creed shot a glare at him before head
Inside the Military base of Bhu-lok: A young woman in her early twenties was seated at a desk. Her toned physique was a testament to her discipline and athleticism, the result of countless hours spent honing her form. Her features were delicate and refined, with high cheekbones and a chiseled jawline that lent her an air of sophistication. Grisha was busy wrapping up her tasks and delegating responsibilities to her successor. In the corner of the room, Alia sat at her desk, fervently signing documents. Despite her grumpy demeanor, Alia exuded a captivating aura of sadness that demanded attention.Breaking the silence, Alia asked in a stern tone, "When is your ascension?""In 10 days," Grisha replied matter-of-factly."I see that you've chosen the forceful approach! It suits you well," commented Alia."It's either a slow, relaxed path or a quick, forceful one," Grisha explained. "I'm only a couple of points away from crossing the 90-point barrier of my Heart Chakra. Once I do that, I
A few days later inside the archery facility, Target 101, Kendrik was still busting his ass on the endurance range. However, today for some reason, he was more enthusiastic than ever. Although, his expression told that he was really struggling but the subtleties of his body language during the practice hinted otherwise.Though his limbs were twitching with pain, body drenched with sweat, and veins burst with blood rush, regardless, he was still humming as if he was enjoying his training regime. This shouldn't come as a surprise since he was finally noticing some changes in his shots. Over the past few days Kendrik noticed that his accuracy has slightly increased and he has finally gotten a hang of the customized training regime. This training regime was extremely taxing but after everyday's practice and consistent effort he realized that starting from scratch—as Creed advised—was not bad advice after all. He was also diligently taking the pill that Creed prescribed, and coincident
Creed walked out of the medical facility feeling despondent. He was undoubtedly thinking about the discussion that he just had. He continued to mutter to himself, agitatedly. "What a stupid facade…""And what the hell was I even thinking?? Of Course, she's not gonna tell me shit!! This must be what they call the classified information!! Not to mention that grumpy old man was also sitting right there gawking like a freaking viper!!""Meh… Whatever!! It doesn't matter… At least, now I know that there are more variables in the picture.""Argh fuck!!" Creed cursed under his breath, slapping his forehead with frustration. "What was I even thinking, promising that scumbag Varun a favor? I got nothing in return... what a waste of time!!"Creed went back to his home with no leads at all. Finding 'Eos' and getting him to talk about his unusual weapon was his only lead. Unfortunately, with him leaving without a trace, Creed was out of options now. Nevertheless, one thing was crystal clear. If
Varun stared at him for a few seconds before smiling, "If you are that desperate, alright fine. But don't back off later, or I'll shank your ass in your sleep.""Just take me to her," Creed ignored Varun's warning.Varun led Creed to another floor, and as they walked, Creed couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the efficient, advanced, state-of-the-art equipment in this medical facility. This facility had by far the most efficient, advanced, state of the art equipment available to humans. It reminded him how difficult it was to bridge that gap between privilege and non privilege.Compared to this, the hospitals available to the general public were absolutely garbage. Creed was creeped out by how well funded, and well designed this facility was. It almost seemed as if he arrived like a planetary hyperspace launch station."So this is what true aristocratic privilege looks like?" Creed whispered, "What'd you say?""Uhm… I said… I've never seen a hospital like this before!
Creed opened his straining eyes pulsating with throbbing agony. As the vision grew slowly, he could see nothing past the blur of lights and shadows. He tried to move his limbs, but a sharp pain shot up his arm. He groaned in pain. All he had were the brief flashbacks of memories from the night before. The Formless beast, the Serpent Woman, and most importantly, Eos' daunting trickery.He tried to move, but he immediately felt restrained. His naked body was wet. His body was completely naked and afloat in a viscous fluid. His eyeballs jittered once he saw the silver edges of curved encasing. He was trapped in a box like a barbie doll.Panic flooded inside his mind when he realized he was inside a bionic pod. He knew what had happened to him? Creed immediately struggled against the restraints, but they held firm. Soon, he heard footsteps approaching, and a door swished open."Ah!! Mr. Gryffon, you're awake!!" A voice landed in his ear. It was a woman's voice, calm and professional. "Hm
The serpent woman's spine-curling screams pushed even the Formless beast to his limits, causing him to reconsider his position in the hierarchy of dominance, as they served as a warning and clear indication of the carnage she was capable of unleashing.She issued an open threat against the formless beast that he must not take another step forward. This situation was way beyond Creed's caliber. ~GRRRARGGGGGGHHHHSoon enough, the formless beast also roared on top of his lungs. His killing intent directed at the serpent woman forcefully standing between him and Creed. Both creatures relentlessly tried to force each into submission but were also greatly wary of each other's powers.Creed was encountering a clash between two superior predominant entities. The last thing Creed wanted to do was fuck around and find out. Right now, His atoms in his body were screaming at him to run away but his body was in dreary paralysis because of her presence. However, the next second, the snake woman
With a roar, the ferocious beast charged at Creed, its killing intent crystal clear. Creed's heart pounded in his chest as he braced himself for impact. His sword sliced through the beast's flesh. But that was not good news, but quite the opposite. As Creed's sword locked inside the creature's body, the beast taunted him with a cruel grin. Creed's heart sank as he realized he had made a fatal mistake.The cunning bastard rendered his sword orbit completely useless with his flawless strategy by letting him dig his sword into his own non vital organs. Creed's hair stood straight behind his neck as he understood how intelligent this abnormality was."Fuck! Is this it?" ~huff ~huff ~huff "I guess… I bit more than i could chew— "Before Creed could finish his sentence, his breaths turned shallow. The beast viciously ripped his arm from his shoulder. The beast then slammed him to the ground with such force that Creed felt his bones shatter beneath him. ~arggghhhHe wheezed much oxygen
The next instant, Grisha's eyes were splashed with His blood, which finally forced her to return to reality. She was even more surprised by Creed's frantic scream."LIEUTENANT, SNAP OUT OF IT!! I CAN'T HOLD HIM FOR TOO LONG!!!""You change your mind??" Grisha yelled, "Now is not the time!! Just FUCKING DO SOMETHING!! Don't make me regret my decision!!"Grisha's eyes changed to the deepest shade of purple the following instant. Her eyes radiated an atmosphere that was more viscous than molasses. The earth beneath her feet darkened, appearing to be on fire.A rhythmic shockwave erupted and spewed noxious gas into the air. A razor-sharp crescent slice spread into the air, illuminating it with a neon brilliance. The sword stroke struck the beast in the chest, pushing him away from Creed.She appeared right next to Creed and pulled him up from the ground. "How long does your berserk skill last?" She asked, "5 more minutes! then i'll probably pass out!" Creed answers, "Yours?""6 minute
Grisha let out a bellow of frustration, "Shit! I have to go back! We need to help him!"Creed's mouth twisted into a sinister grin. "No! Wait!" he hissed. "This is our opportunity. Let's run, Lieutenant. We can't handle this anomaly. But now, while it's distracted, we might be able to slip away. It's our only chance.""You heartless bastard!" Grisha spat."What?" Creed jerked his head in surprise."You're going to leave him behind?""Why not?" Creed nodded immediately. "I did everything I could! But it didn't work out. What else can we do here but save ourselves?"Grisha clicked her tongue in vexation. "I'll never understand you. What if he has a family waiting for him?""Lieutenant, stop wasting time. That creature is no joke. If we stood a chance, I would have helped, but we don't. Besides, I don't even know the guy. Why should I risk my neck for him?""You're despicable. ASSHOLE!" Grisha jeered, "You know what? Just fuck off... I'll help him myself."Creed's eyebrows twitched viole
"For fuck's sake, Lieutenant!! It's my soul radix that's keeping him paralyzed! Happy now?" Creed replied in frenzy and ran like a lunatic, leaving them behind, "Trust me we are still within his reach. Stop with the questions and fucking run!!""Oh Crap!!" Grisha immediately understood why Creed was pressing them to run. "Should have told us earlier, you idiot!!"Grisha, realizing her stupidity, grabbed Eos by his arm and bolted forward once again. The ground caved inside with her feet from the impact. However, just after taking a couple steps she felt a claw sinking deep inside the armor's back plate reaching all the way to her spine.Blood gushed out like a fountain, as if a dam had burst within Grisha's body, staining the ground crimson and creating a pool of death beneath her. Eos was frozen in shock for a moment, but the sight of her bloodied back snapped him out of it. The beast was so close that its foul breath rubbed against his neck, draining the life out of veins. He wanted