Chapter 312: Showcasing Abilities (2)
On the other side, Ethan was locked in a fierce one-on-one battle against the speed-type alien.
At first, the alien dominated the fight.
It moved far too fast for his eyes to follow, and Ethan could only see blurred flashes.
But later on, the situation shifted drastically when he finally revealed his Tier 2 ability, bringing the battle under control.
To do this, he spread shadows across a three-meter area around him, letting darkness flow along the ground like a thin, living layer.
Every time the alien stepped into it, the shadows reacted, sending clear cues about its next move.
So, Ethan could retreat safely using his [Shadow Cloak].
After that, he would immediately counterattack—binding the enemy with shadows before delivering a precise, deadly slash.
But there was a problem.
His skill was not made for penetration, and the alien’s sturdy physique was difficult to damage.
Luckily, Elena had given him some clues about the alien’s weakness—to coat his attacks with pure spiritual energy.
Now the situation was on his side, but he still needed to land a decisive blow.
"[Shadow Forge]—Sharpen Knives," Ethan called out as he emerged from the shadows near a large tree.
In the next moment, a barrage of knives shot forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
It sliced through the air, all aimed at the alien’s legs. Then struck one after another, embedding deep into its body.
Yet the alien showed no reaction.
Though it had already been pierced multiple times by shadow energy, it remained unmoved—as if it did not care about its condition at all.
But one thing Ethan noticed—the alien had finally slowed down. He could now restrain it more easily using his shadow shackles.
However, that small advantage did not last. The alien did not retreat. Instead, it went berserk.
Its eyes glowed a dangerous red, and its presence suddenly surged. Just like the other one-armed alien, its ability was greatly boosted.
In the next moment, it broke free from every restriction on its body.
Crack! Snap!
The shadows binding it shattered one by one.
"ROAR..."
Without even looking at Ethan, it suddenly dashed away—straight toward another human fighting a mutated pest nearby.
Since Ethan was too difficult to deal with, changing its target was the better choice.
Realizing this, Ethan reacted at once and tried to stop it.
But he was too late.
The alien had already accelerated, rushing toward General Kaiser’s area.
Along the way, it no longer cared about the mutated pests it once controlled—anything in its path, it killed.
Its mind held only one thought: Devour the cores... and restore its depleted energy.
"General Kaiser, be careful. The alien seems to be frenzied and heading toward your direction," Ethan said through telepathy as he rushed after it.
He also warned the others to stay alert, throwing the team into chaos as they shifted between defending and attacking the mutated pests.
"Roger," General Kaiser replied. He paused his attack and quickly scanned his surroundings.
He was about to brace himself when a stern voice cut in.
"General, retreat... The alien is far too overpowered. Engaging it head-on is too dangerous," Lieutenant Fern said.
He was observing from above the trees, using his invisibility to monitor the battlefield.
Even though he could not see the alien clearly, the destruction left in its wake as it rushed forward was enough to reveal its terrifying strength.
From that alone, Lieutenant Fern reached a clear conclusion.
They were no match for it right now.
A single hit from the alien would be enough to take one of them down.
Hearing this, Ethan supported his call and ordered a retreat for now.
Without hesitation, the team followed the order.
And before the alien could reach them, General Kaiser and his squad vanished one by one, leaving behind only the scattered corpses of mutated pests.
"ROAARRR...!"
Another furious roar echoed as the alien failed to catch its prey.
But it did not lose momentum. Instead, it turned and charged toward another group—heading straight for Uncle Anthony’s area.
"Uncle Anthony, Lydia... it’s heading your way. Retreat now!!" Lieutenant Fern warned, noticing the swarm of mutated pests closing in with it.
Without hesitation, the others pulled back, leaving the battlefield and hiding into space for the meantime.
From above, Lieutenant Fern kept observing the battlefield, relaying the situation to everyone and telling them exactly when to strike.
Soon, General Kaiser and his team reappeared at their previous position.
They moved like ghosts.
They appeared when the alien was on the other side, then struck the remaining mutated pests, and the moment the alien turned toward them—they vanished again.
These repeated guerrilla tactics threw the alien into confusion, as its targets kept disappearing just before it could attack.
The only thing it could do was smash the ground, tearing everything apart in frustration.
Boom!
From a distance, Elena saw this and felt slightly amused by their precise coordination.
But she had no intention of letting the battle drag on. Maintaining their abilities drained their spiritual energy faster.
And the longer it lasted, the worse it would become for them. So she had to finish her enemy quickly and help the others.
With sharp focus, she turned her attention back to the alien before her.
The alien was now struggling, pushing itself for one final stand.
Though it continued to unleash its wind-poison attacks without pause, she noticed they were no longer as fast as before.
So she dodged each strike with ease, waiting and searching for the perfect opening once again.
Then—the alien slowed.
Its movements faltered for just a moment. And that was all she needed.
"[Spatial Slash]," Elena called out.
Whoosh!
A single, clean strike cut through the air— and the alien’s head was finally severed.
Thud!
Elena panted heavily, looking at the alien’s black blood that released a foul, choking smell, but her expression remained calm.
She quickly took a sip of well water before storing its head in her [Inventory].
She would inspect her prize later—the Tier One core—since she still had a job to finish.
Without wasting any more time, she immediately moved toward the other battlefield.
On the other side, Ethan was about to unleash another attack to stop the fast-moving alien when Elena suddenly reappeared beside him.
Before he could even ask what happened, Elena’s eyes glowed a faint golden-green.
Then murmured a word,"[Infinite Seconds]."
Time slowed in her perception.
Everything around her dragged into slow motion as she stepped forward, following it with a spatial strike aimed at the alien’s sturdy legs.
"[Spatial Slash]!"
Whoosh!
"Arrrgggghh—!"
The alien was struck directly and slammed into the ground with heavy force.
Seeing the impact land cleanly, Elena smirked slightly, satisfied with her sudden ambush that gave it no time to react.
But the simultaneous use of her abilities drained her core, and dizziness hit her instantly.
Her body soon wavered.
"Elena..." Ethan called out in alarm, quickly catching her just before she fell to the ground.
"I’m fine. Just my spiritual energy was depleted."
Ethan sighed and quickly took out a bottle of well water.
"Here, drink this."
The situation had unfolded too fast, leaving him slightly stunned by her action.
Elena noticed his expression and, for a moment, couldn’t help but think of Baby Leo—the same blank, shocked look when he was overwhelmed.
"What are you thinking, silly? I’m fine. Go finish it. Don’t let it escape."
Ethan snapped back to focus and, without warning, lifted Elena into his arms.
’Oh come on... is this necessary? You could just put me down,’ Elena thought, rolling her eyes. But she didn’t interrupt his focus.
His expression then turned sharp, as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"[Shadow Clones]," he muttered.
In an instant, ten shadowy figures emerged—each one identical to him.
"Tier-2 ability," Elena whispered, recognizing it from his past life.
"Hmph." Ethan responded briefly, then ordered his clones forward toward the limping alien.
With one leg already severed, its speed advantage was gone.
But its body remained extremely sturdy—meaning it would take either overwhelming force or a clean finishing blow to kill it.
However, with ten clones, each carrying fifty percent of his power, that was more than enough to finish it.
"[Shadow Forge]—Thorny Vines."
The shadow clones moved in unison, their voices merging as one as they activated the skill together, forming a single concentrated force of power.
Then dark vines erupted from the ground, surging forward to bind the creature.
The alien resisted at first, roaring and trying to tear them apart with its bare hands.
But the vines were stronger than before.
They tightened, twisting as they wrapped around it, then crushed down with overwhelming force.
Flesh was squeezed under relentless pressure, along with bones cracking and breaking under the strain.
And after a few seconds— the alien’s body gave out.
It collapsed violently into the ground, leaving nothing behind but foul, dark blood splattered across the area.
Ethan took a deep breath and cancelled his shadow clones. The skill was powerful, but it drained most of his remaining spiritual energy.
"It’s your turn to drink. And please put me down," Elena said, carefully studying him to check if he had overused his ability.
Luckily, he seemed fine.
Before the two could continue their brief exchange, the mutated pests—previously controlled—suddenly broke formation and fled the battlefield.
They looked confused, but instinct took over as staying here meant death.
At the same time, General Kaiser and the others began advancing toward Elena and Ethan’s position, cutting down the remaining mutated pests as they moved.