Cassian and Cain were running through the dense forest, weaving between towering trees and leaping over gnarled roots. Behind them, the thudding of heavy footsteps echoed, accompanied by the sharp whirring of metal—signals of the monster relentlessly pursuing them.
"Even if we team up, I think we'll still have a hard time defeating that monster," Cain said, panting, sweat glistening on his forehead.
Suddenly, a barrage of sharp rods tore through the air. Cain reacted instantly, grabbing Cassian and diving to the side. The rods pierced the ground where they'd just been.
"He throws rods if we're far," Cain grunted as they landed hard on the ground. "But up close, he uses those damn spike-braids like whips."
Cassian rolled to his feet. "I'll use my clones to bait him. Once he focuses on them, use everything you've got. But we need open ground. If we fight here, we'll set the whole forest ablaze."
"Alright," Cain said.
The monster's guttural growl echoed behind them. "A human... and a demon... teaming up? How?.... There's something wrong here."
As they sprinted, The monster's palm bloomed with spikes—tiny rods forming, then launching toward them.
"Shit!" Cain cursed, sensing the incoming danger. "Hide! Behind those trees!"
They dove behind thick trunks just as the spikes tore through the air with gunshot speed, splintering bark and cracking the wood. The trees groaned and toppled.
As the last of the barrage ceased, Cain and Cassian broke cover and dashed onward.
"We have to move faster!" Cain wheezed.
"What rank do you think it is?" Cassian asked, glancing sideways.
"Could be C-rank... maybe even at the peak level of C-rank. We're in trouble", Cain replied.
They pushed themselves until they burst into an open clearing, a circular patch of land where the grass was short and no trees grew.
The monster emerged behind them. "You... can't... hide... anymore."
Both Cassian and Cain turned to face the monster, eyes narrowed.
[Skill Activated: Cloning]
Summoned: 21 clones
-210 Energy
Clones Available: 19
Energy: 0/320
Cassian staggered, knees buckling. "I'm tired. I can't summon more."
"Then grant me control," Cain said.
Cassian nodded, "summon the rest of the clones when we need it".
[You have granted Cain the authority to summon clones.]
Cain smirked. "Okay, Let's do this."
The clones dispersed, spreading in a wide area around the monster.
The monster hesitated, head swiveling to identify who to attack first. Cain charged forward, flames erupting around him.
"Fire Blast!" he shouted, unleashing a torrent of fire. It struck the monster square in the chest, making it stagger.
"Fire Pillar!" Cain followed, and a column of flame roared upward, engulfing the monster.
He leapt back and regrouped with Cassian, flames still swirling around his arms. "Charging up again. Hold him off."
The clones responded immediately, dashing at the monster.
"KREAGHHHH!" the beast screamed. A wave of killing intent rippled out, but the clones held their ground.
They leapt, but before they could strike, the monster released a nova of spikes in every direction.
The clones shuddered.
[Your clones are now poisoned]
[New resistance unlocked: Poison Resistance 0]
[New Quest: Defeat the Monster]
Cassian swore. "I thought that monster can only paralyzed its opponents, I didn't know those spikes were poisonous too."
Despite the poison, the clones kept attacking, punching, kicking. The monster grunted, striking some down, but they regrouped like ants.
"Humans... using our kind to gain power... this energy... this cloning ability... so they managed to kill him," the monster growled.
The monster seized a clone and hurled it toward Cassian. He ducked, barely avoiding it.
"These empty shells won't stop me!"
Cain raised his hands high. Above him, a fireball the size of a boulder began to form, pulsing with heat.
"I hope this is enough," he muttered.
Cassian froze. "That... that's too big. Cain!" he shouted.
Cain didn't turn. "Get out of here!"
Snapping out of his awe, Cassian shouted to the clones, "Hold him!" Then he dashed into a nearby cave, deeper and deeper.
Cain's fireball surged, casting a searing light. With a final shout, he hurled it.
The explosion was cataclysmic. The whole area shook. A shockwave roared outward, sending debris flying. Trees outside the clearing burst into flame.
In the nearby city, alarms blared as residents watched the firestorm erupt over Mount Arayat.
Cassian, deep underground, braced as the walls shook. Debris buried him, cutting off light.
[20 clones have died due to explosion]
[+5 Fire Resistance]
[Fire Resistance: 16]
Cassian coughed, clawing upward through soil and rubble. He emerged, bruised and dirtied.
Cain was standing amid smoldering ground. Cassian limped over. "Did you kill that monste—"
He stopped. The ground was scorched, trees burning. And the monster still stood.
It had shielded itself with spikes, a shell of metal to survive.
Blood dripped from it. Burns covered its body. But its eyes still blazed.
"I see now... that demon... was your clone. Not just a shell. It had your energy. It felt like you. But not hollow."
The monster staggered forward. Cassian and Cain braced themselves, breathing hard.
"What do you mean?" Cassian asked.
"You don't understand, do you? Your clones... can evolve. One was not empty. You gave it a soul."
Cassian blinked. "I... gave it a soul?"
The monster coughed violently. "Six years ago... your kind stormed our kingdom. You destroyed the pact with the Protectors. You took the gifts of this world and twisted them."
Cain frowned. "Six years ago, there was a global disaster. Quakes, storms, floods. Isn't that was a natural disaster."
"That's the doing of one of your kind," the monster growled. "We fell. You rose. And now, you use our sacred arts as weapons."
Its voice was bitter, cracked with grief and rage.
Cassian looked at his hand, then he face the monster, "the way you talk as if you guys are the victims here, your kind kills millions of people".
There's a angry expression on Cassian's face.
Cain stepped closer. "This world is full of things we don't understand. But we didn't destroy your people."
The monster lowered its head. "Maybe not you. But your leaders did."
It coughed up blood. One of its braids fell, charred to the root.
Cassian clenched his fists. "Then we'll fix it. After this fight, we'll uncover the truth."
Cain ignited his fists again. "But first, we survive."
The monster roared, spikes forming once more. The battle wasn't over.
Not yet.