The scenery flashed, becoming a mere blur in the fading background. Traveling at this speed was Brigan. Ever since his body consumed the Geno Art, he felt bolder in his approach.
He understood from the sensation that new genes had mutated inside his body, producing another sense comparable to his five original senses. But one difference, it could evolve further.
Still, he didn't allow this new sense to cloud his awareness. With focus and closing up upon an open area, he slowed to get a vivid detail before departing once more.
Whoosh!
This was the course of action he chose. When there were places that appeared promising, he would slow his pace and then speed up again depending on what he saw. But even so, the small intervals weren't wasted.
Instead, he used his time to its absolute. Every period it took to travel, he studied how to utilize the Geno Art to its full-potential better.
Before he knew it, an hour crossed by. While maintaining alertness, he caught sounds of conflict produced in the expanse ahead. Because every moment was dire, he quickly sped to the place, exerting his max speed.
In moments of exiting the gaps between buildings to appear in an open spaced road, the scene of three people running in despair met his line of sight.
Chasing behind was a rabbit of water?
The view was truly peculiar. Although a giant by normal rabbit standards, its true height was eighty centimeters. The total of which wasn't even half of Brigan's full height. And yet, the strange beast didn't lose in regards to its counterparts of beforehand.
Each landing produced from hopping was designed to crash its victims as warnings could be gain from the footprints left embedded into the ground.
And if meeting its eyes, the dark pools of traumatizing black sockets would draw appalling quakes in the body upon contact.
All of these happening, Brigan saw and experienced. It caused numerous thoughts to surface. However, there was one main thought above all.
How did the three villagers manage to survive?
Once this concept fostered, the reason became apparent as the water rabbit leisurely glance at him, and then them. The look expressed its feelings openly. It was strong, and those running before it were weak.
He could see its view as a hunter regarding its prey. As to prove this point, when the distance reached a certain extent between the two parties, it would hop just shy of killing but quite close — always making them fall.
Of course, being terrified and confused, the three villagers played to the water rabbit's tune. To them, every miss landing was another second of a blessing bestowed upon them. If their blessings could continuing endlessly, the chance of surviving their crisis was more than a fantasy.
Having had observed plenty, Brigan initiated action to interfere. But such a movement didn't go unnoticed. As if in warning, the water rabbit's figure radiated intense violet glows.
The shade of its glows was different than just being violet. At the edges was a scarce flicker of a light indigo color.
With the message being sent, it also brought a comprehension of danger. If Brigan was determined to intrude, he would need to put his life on the line. Something which he felt he'd done but in reality, the fights prior this encounter never induced pressure like the water rabbit.
Just using his own judgment and knowledge regarding the Geno Art grades, if he applied the same concept to rank beasts, he felt that the beast and God Candidates radiating violet glows were considered Ordinary grade.
As for the water rabbit, it was on the verge of being an Extraordinary rank beast.
Straightening himself firmly, Brigan stood to full height. In this coming fight, he needed to be at his best capabilities to succeed.
Now firm, he gave advice to the running trio. "Scatter to the alley gaps!!! I will block off its path here!!!" He spoke calmly. His expression was also solid, raising no indications of wavering.
"Who..." one tried asking before being rebuked.
"Shut up and just run!!! If that guy wants to die in our stead, let him!!! Or do you want to traded places?!!" The shouter this time was a big sturdy man hiding his muscle physique under layers of body fat.
Turning his face grim, the first speaker ran off faster. He didn't give a second retort nor look back. But it wasn't just him. The other two running also came to a consensus. They were better off letting wanna be heroes take the death ax.
Regarding their thoughts and actions, Brigan didn't care. From the beginning, he chose this action to repay his dues since he believed in returning grace with greater grace. This was all to set Elber at ease once he left this place, nothing more.
With his goals sets and having already approached close to the water rabbit, he assumed a fighting stance he was most familiar using during bouts of scuffles — a boxing stance.
Tap! Tap! Tap! The bouncing of his feet echoed in the area.
Floosh! Dashing inside, he delivered a downward blow that would drive it into the ground.
During these happenings, the water rabbit didn't move. In fact, all it did was glare viciously and radiate its aura brighter. But once the incoming impact closed in, its dark pools flashed.
Showing the difference in their experience and knowledge regarding each others species, the water rabbit remained still, attempting no procedures to protect itself.
Blop! The blow was a solid hit, but the resistance felt odd. And odd indeed it was because the water rabbit's surface sunk inwardly which created a feeling of being recoiled on collision.
Bong! Bop! The water rabbit once more proved its high intelligence and hunter ability as it sent out a two-foot high kick during Brigan's repelling, landing it on his chest to send him in the air and shooting toward a pointed tree branch.
Being the place they were at, the pointed tree branch was not a standard kind. It possessed the same features the outside trees of this planet held.
Thick and razor sharp like long blades of swords.
Flying through the air at rapid speeds, Brigan was helpless in controlling his self mid-flight.
Bang! Crash! Using instinct to swing blindly behind him, and because of the insane speed he soared through the air, the branch was slightly redirected, allowing his body to take damage from a blunt type of contact.
Boom! His figure he the ground as he hacked mouthfuls of blood.
The difference between a borderline Extraordinary and an Ordinary was vast. Once more, having no weapon except for his body, it could be said that the water rabbit was his direct nemesis.
Okay, fixed! Read along my readers and pce!
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" The painful cry echoed, suppressing the agony of the injury while healing it rapidly. Amidst his screams, Brigan could admit the damage he suffered was the first experience of its kind. Never had he been hurt to the point his torso felt shattered.
Just examine the surroundings of footprints was more than enough evidence to show how strong the attack dealt appeared.
Rubbing his chest, he shot back to his feet glaring at the water rabbit. Its speed was frightening and its timing even more so. If he continued to regard it as a mindless beast, it might really have the capabilities to end his life.
"I understand now, things here have the ability to evolve, and that includes you right," he stated confidently. The words were a question, but the way he spoke was declaring a fact.
"Starting now, I will view you as the barrier I will overcome." He spoke again, using the talk to recover further. Once giving acknowledgment to water rabbit's strength, he entered his boxing stance.
Only this time, his arms and front leg was slightly raised unconsciously for supporting kicks. If ancient people were to see, they would understand it as a stance from a lost fighting style called Muay Thai.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Again he started bouncing, but he made no action to be the offender. Merely from the short exchange prior, he realized that because he was forced to swing downward, he had abandoned his support to stay rooted on the ground by the recoil that would follow.
Then with the water rabbit's additional actions, it was the same as icing on a cake. Like the three running villagers before, everything was calculated to secure helplessness in the victim to resemble a hunter when hunting prey.
Crack!
The water rabbit hopped, leaving indented footprints as it speared itself forward for a frontal attack. With bad angling for a strike, Brigan dodged the body charge while opening more space between them.
Blop!
The water rabbit didn't quit. It quickly repeated its former actions of blitzing.
Crack!
He carefully observed, analyzing the height in which each charge would produce.
Blop! Crack!
Around him, the earth continuously depressed on every hop.
Blop! Crack!
Four times...
Blop! Crack!
Five times...
Blop! Crack!
At that moment, he saw an opportunity. Crouching down lower, he didn't shy from the attacking beast. Instead, he met the water rabbit's chest charge with a rising knee strike.
With the two attacks closing the distance, the water rabbit took a hit underneath.
Blop!
As prior, the blow felt similar to hitting jelly. But damaging it wasn't Brigan's goal. His real aim was to lift the water rabbit higher in the air, the same as it did him.
After all, when receiving the water rabbit's cunningness, the properties on how its body worked was also understood by Brigan. The water rabbit couldn't control what got repelled. Instead, it could only use the ground to stop its own recoil.
Bang! Crack!
His remaining foot on the ground caved the soil in from the collision as bulging veins sprouted to the surface of his leg.
"I'm not done!!!" He shouted, his body flickering in a violet radiance as he healed the aching pain coursing through his foot.
Blop!
Before allowing it to distance far on the repelling, he sent a lightning roadhouse kick to steer it to a cluster of sharp branches.
Snap! Whoosh!
Brigan stood stunned. The tree he targeted to help him end the fight rustled before a shadowy item cut the branches and a figure concealed in darkness dashed from the spot.
Still at a loss for words, he mindlessly watched the one arm shadowy figure escape. Only seeing the water rabbit recover and make its own slip did his mind reboot.
Quickly, he feet sped in chase toward the shadow instead of the beast. But there was a reason for his action as well. From the time he saw the shadowy figure, and to the time it was leaving his sight, he sensed a greater crisis on letting it go than the water rabbit.
"Stop!!! Who are you?!! Why did you save that thing?!!" He yelled annoyed. If he was to allow that water rabbit to roam around in the village, there was no telling what may come of the villagers by nightfall.
"I said wait!!!" Taking up a large rock twice the size of his hand, Brigan pulled his arm back before launching it forward.
The shadowy figure dodge without looking behind. However, the gap between the two became smaller as Brigan exerted more energy to catch up.
"Are you the one behind the monster invasions?!!" Brigan loudly asked. His hope was to stall the shadowy figure in any way he could.
Hearing a snort in reply, he didn't notice the next happenings as another sound echoed out.
Plik!
Due to the morning rising sun and traveling near the surroundings of shadows, the darkness concealed the black blade's motion as scattered pieces of dirt flew toward Brigan face. "Dang!!! You're petty!!!" He retorted. Thankful that his reflexes enable him to avoid most of it, but disappoint that some still got into his left eye.
"Where?" Scanning ahead, he spotted the shadowy figure heading toward a high slope as a violet glow radiated from its shoes. The glow was bright enough to provide awareness regarding its location as he resumed the pursuit. "There!!!" He exclaimed relieved.
After being chased around the village, the shadowy figure finally arrived at its targeted goal as it jumped over the edge while vanishing from Brigan's view.
However, right before it left sight, Brigan was shocked again. The reason being, up until the moment it jumped over the edge, he thought it only possessed its left sword arm.
But it then revealed its right arm as it used it to leverage the jump.
"You are really petty!!!" He roared as he also arrived at the edge of the slope. And if one were to look down themselves, they would see nothing but the ground below.
Moving his hand off the edge, Brigan slightly felt a touch of moisture on his hand. Inspecting the edge closer, he saw a receding water spot that was evaporating fast.
"Hmm..." Thinking on it, he moved his hand in the same position he saw the shadowy figure take to support its weight. Once doing that, the evaporating liquid seemed to match in the same location where his thumb rested.
"Impossible!" He would never accept this truth.
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