Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Chapter 173 Rare ability

Silas felt a deep, instinctual unease as the creature's oppressive aura pressed against him like an invisible weight. The air around him seemed heavier, each breath more labored than the last.

"The guardian of the chamber? Why would a Realm's god need a guardian?" Silas muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as they traced the hulking figure before him. The longer he observed, the clearer it became—this being was far more formidable than any adversary he had faced.

"This aura... it's even more intense than Ozivox's," he thought grimly, tightening his grip on his weapon. His knuckles whitened as anticipation surged through his veins.

The guardian remained still, its piercing gaze locked onto Silas with an almost unnerving intensity. Then, with deliberate and calculated movements, it raised its massive hands. The ground beneath them rippled unnaturally, dark voids swirling into existence across the rocky terrain.

From the voids emerged an army of creatures, grotesque reflections of the guardian itself. Though smaller and less imposing, they were no less menacing. Their green skin glistened under the chamber's eerie light, their pointed ears twitching, and razor-sharp fangs glinting as they let out guttural growls. Their auras were noticeably weaker, but their sheer numbers more than compensated for it.

[Grade: 3.]

Silas's gaze swept over the horde that materialized, their numbers swelling until they seemed to form an unending sea of green.

"A mutant that can summon others? Interesting," he mused aloud, his lips curving into a faint smirk despite the tension. "If only I could get my hands on an ability like that."

His eyes flicked back to the guardian, who watched him with an unreadable expression.

"Well," Silas murmured, "I've got some tricks of my own. Let me show you."

He raised his hand, summoning his Grade 5 Soul Devourer scythe. The weapon materialized in a swirl of black energy, its ominous glow casting long, jagged shadows. The weight of the scythe felt familiar, almost comforting, as Silas readied himself for battle.

[Skill Card: Clone has been activated.]

[Skill Card: Clone has been activated.]

[Skill Card: Clone has been activated.]

As the system notifications flashed, three identical copies of Silas stepped out from his shadow, each wielding a scythe identical to his own. Their eyes gleamed with the same cold determination, their presence adding a menacing symmetry to the battlefield.

"Let's see how your summons fare against mine," Silas challenged, his voice low but unwavering.

The clones mirrored his movements as he stepped forward, the confrontation teetering on the edge of eruption.

Even as Silas summoned close to fifty clones in rapid succession, the guardian remained unfazed. It stood motionless, its expression void of emotion, a living statue radiating menace.

Without warning, the guardian thrust its right hand forward. Its summoned creatures responded immediately, letting out deafening battle cries as they charged toward Silas and his clones. Silas raised his scythe and extended his own hand, and his clones surged forward to meet the oncoming tide.

The clash was instantaneous and explosive.

CLANG!

The sound of weapons colliding reverberated through the chamber, shaking the rocky walls. Sparks flew as scythes met blades, the air filled with the chaotic symphony of battle. Silas's clones moved with inhuman speed, far outpacing the mutants. Yet even with their advantage, the skirmish was fierce. Those too slow to react fell to the mutants' ruthless strikes, their forms vanishing into black mist.

One clone regained its footing and lunged, its scythe cutting through the air in a deadly arc. A mutant barely raised its blade in time to block, the force of the strike pushing it back. Before it could recover, the clone sidestepped with lightning speed, evading a retaliatory slash.

With a swift counter, the scythe cleaved through the mutant's neck. SLASH! Dark purple blood sprayed across the battlefield as the creature's severed head flew through the air. Its body collapsed lifelessly, a grotesque heap on the ground.

The battlefield was chaos. Silas's clones and the mutants clashed relentlessly, neither side yielding. For every mutant that fell to the scythes, a clone was cut down in turn. The rocky floor grew slick with blood, the air thick with the stench of death and decay.

Silas watched from a distance, his scythe poised as he studied the scene with cold calculation. His gaze shifted to the guardian, still standing motionless amidst the carnage.

"While they're occupied, I'll deal with the head of the snake," he muttered, his eyes narrowing.

With a determined grip on his scythe, Silas surged forward, his boots crunching against the bloodied ground. However, his path was abruptly blocked as three mutants leapt into his way, their guttural growls echoing in the chamber.

The creatures bared their fangs, letting out ear-piercing battle cries before lunging at him simultaneously. Silas didn't hesitate. He darted toward the first mutant, his movements fluid and precise.

SLASH!

His scythe carved through its neck with surgical precision, severing its head in one clean stroke. Dark blood sprayed in a violent arc, staining the rocky ground as the creature's lifeless body toppled.

Without pause, Silas pivoted toward the second mutant. Before it could react, his scythe tore through its chest, the force of the strike ripping it apart. The creature's twisted scream was cut short as its remains crumpled into a heap.

He turned to the third mutant, which hesitated for a brief moment. That hesitation was its undoing. Silas closed the distance in a heartbeat, his scythe slicing through the air with deadly intent, severing the mutant cleanly into two equal halves. Before the divided body and its head could hit the ground, Silas darted toward the last mutant.

His movements were swift and precise, and with one powerful swing, he took its head clean off.

A series of dull thuds echoed through the chamber as the lifeless bodies collapsed onto the cold floor. Silas didn't waste a second. He turned his gaze toward the guardian, his focus razor-sharp, and began charging forward with unwavering determination.

When he was only a few meters away, Silas leaped into the air, his scythe raised high above his head. He brought the blade down with force, aiming for the guardian's skull. But just as the scythe was about to connect, the guardian stepped back with a calm precision that made the attack miss entirely.

The scythe struck the floor with a loud clang, sending small shards of stone flying. Before Silas could recover, the guardian swiped its massive blade forward, releasing a wave of raw, crackling energy.

The energy tore through the space between them, heading straight for Silas at blinding speed. He barely had time to process what was happening before the energy struck him, sending him hurtling backward. Silas crashed to the ground and slid several meters, the force of the attack leaving his body aching.

As he tried to steady himself, he saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye. The guardian had closed the distance between them in an instant. Its blade swung down toward him with deadly intent. Silas reacted instinctively, raising his scythe to block the blow. The weapons collided with a deafening clang, but even though he had managed to deflect the strike, the sheer power behind it sent him skidding backward yet again.

Silas came to a stop, his body screaming in protest. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back onto his feet without taking a moment to catch his breath. He charged forward once more, closing the gap between him and the guardian.

Within striking distance, Silas swung his scythe, the blade cutting through the air with incredible speed. The guardian, however, stood motionless, unfazed. As the scythe was about to connect, the guardian disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

Silas's eyes widened in shock as he saw the guardian reappear at the same spot it had been standing earlier, right in front of the entrance door.

"A teleportation ability?" Silas muttered under his breath. "No, this feels different…"

Before he could finish his thought, the guardian suddenly reappeared in front of him. Its blade came down hard, striking Silas directly in the chest. His armor absorbed most of the blow, but the impact still sent searing pain through his body, as if the armor wasn't even there.

The guardian didn't stop. It advanced again, swinging its blade with deadly precision. This time, Silas managed to sidestep at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the strike. He seized the opportunity and punched forward with his left fist, aiming for the guardian's head.

But before his fist could make contact, the guardian vanished again, reappearing at the spot where it had struck him earlier.

"This isn't teleportation," Silas realized, narrowing his eyes as he analyzed the situation. "It's something else entirely."

Dashing forward with blinding speed, Silas swung his scythe again. The guardian blocked the strike with its blade, but Silas didn't let up. He immediately launched another punch toward the guardian's head.

Once more, the guardian disappeared, reappearing in the same spot it had left seconds earlier.

"He's not teleporting," Silas muttered, piecing together the puzzle. "He's rewinding to places he's already been."

The guardian didn't give him much time to think. It swung its blade at Silas, and though he managed to block it with his scythe, the sheer force of the attack sent him stumbling back.

Rewind ability is quite rare, and only a few humans and mutats has such ability.

The ability helps the user to rewind and return back to a location that was marked by themselves. A new location is marked whenever they use the ability. However, if they are far from the location they marked, it will be impossible for them to rewind. Also, the mark only lasts for ten seconds before it vanish and once it's gone they'll be unable to return back to it.

The rewind ability is indeed a powerful ability, but it can also be considered useless against tougher opponents. Some users who are yet to master the ability perfectly find it hard to adapt whenever they swap locations. Only those who have many years of training can easily adapt when they switch locations.

The key to countering a rewind ability lay in speed and observation. A fast and sharp opponent could anticipate the user's movements, striking at the exact spot they would reappear.

As the guardian swung its blade again, Silas dodged and retaliated with his scythe. The guardian vanished, just as expected. Silas didn't hesitate—he shifted his gaze to the side and sprinted toward the spot where he predicted the guardian would reappear.

Just as he approached, the guardian materialized in the exact location Silas had anticipated.

"Gotcha," Silas smirked. Without a moment's delay, he slashed his scythe forward with all his strength. The blade shimmered in the dim light as it closed in on the guardian.

"""

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