The weight of the battle intensified as Dave faced his stronger clone. The jagged terrain of the mountainous wasteland around him felt more oppressive with each step. His body ached, but his mind was focused on one goal—mastering his Matter Control ability. The system had pushed his clone's strength even further, making it a perfect opponent for what he needed: a brutal challenge to push him past his limits.
The clone wasted no time, launching a barrage of sharp, stone spears formed from the surrounding earth. With a flick of its hand, the rocks levitated and shot toward Dave with blinding speed.
Dave narrowed his eyes, extending his hand and willing the earth beneath him to shift. The ground responded, rising up in a massive wall of stone to block the incoming projectiles. The spears clashed against his barrier, shattering into fragments.
'I need more control,' Dave thought, concentrating. It wasn't enough to create basic shields. He had to go beyond, to wield the very elements of the world with precision.
The clone wasn't finished. It raised both arms, and the earth shook violently. Massive boulders the size of cars rose from the ground, and with a simple gesture, the clone sent them hurtling toward Dave.
"Not this time," Dave muttered under his breath, focusing hard.
He extended his hands, feeling the matter around him as though it were a part of his own body. With a sharp movement, he stopped the boulders mid-air, their momentum halted by his control. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he gritted his teeth. He could feel the resistance, the sheer weight of the massive rocks testing the limits of his ability. Slowly, carefully, he directed the boulders to orbit him, circling like planets around a star.
But the clone was relentless. It pushed its power further, summoning a hurricane of dust and stone, the wind howling as the ground beneath them fractured and split. Dave's controlled boulders wobbled under the strain of the chaotic forces. He needed to think fast.
'Stay focused. Break it down,' Dave reminded himself, analyzing the situation. The clone was powerful—far more skilled than before—but that was what he needed. If he could outmaneuver his copy, he'd prove his mastery.
Dave slammed his hand into the ground, reaching deep into the core of the earth, and with a surge of effort, he called forth a towering spike of obsidian. The black, gleaming rock shot upward, aimed directly at his clone, but the copy anticipated the move, dissolving the spike mid-air with its own Matter Control.
The clone smirked, its eyes flashing with the same determination that burned in Dave's.
'It's adapting,' Dave thought, his mind racing. His clone was learning to counter his moves with precision. He couldn't rely on brute force. He had to be smarter, faster, more creative.
He shifted his approach. Instead of forming massive structures, he focused on the finer details. The earth around his feet started to shift, and in seconds, hundreds of tiny needles rose from the ground, each as sharp as steel. With a wave of his hand, the needles shot toward his clone, but this time, he didn't stop there. As the clone dodged to the left, Dave manipulated the air itself, redirecting the needles mid-flight.
Caught off guard, the clone was forced to use more of its power, erecting a stone shield to block the incoming projectiles. But Dave was already two steps ahead. He used the dust from the shattered shield to form a dense cloud, obscuring the clone's vision.
'Now,' Dave thought, taking advantage of the confusion. He summoned a wave of molten lava from beneath the earth, directing it toward the clone with precision. The searing heat radiated through the battlefield, the ground bubbling and cracking under the intense pressure.
The clone countered, lifting massive chunks of rock to block the molten flow, but it was slower this time. Dave pressed the attack, reshaping the lava into serpentine streams that coiled around the clone, tightening like a noose.
The clone responded by freezing the molten rock mid-air, turning the once-fluid material into solid stone. But Dave wasn't done yet. With a fierce concentration, he shattered the frozen mass into thousands of shards, sending them raining down like daggers.
For the first time, the clone faltered. It couldn't keep up with the speed of Dave's newfound control. Each shard of rock was a potential weapon, each grain of dust a tool at his disposal. He manipulated the earth with such precision that the battlefield became an extension of his own will.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles trembling from the strain. The system had warned him that this level of training would push him to his limits, and it had. But the progress was undeniable. He could feel his mastery of Matter Control growing with every clash, every adjustment in his technique.
The clone, now visibly damaged from the onslaught, prepared one final attack. It gathered every ounce of its power, the ground beneath it shifting violently as it summoned a massive wave of earth, towering above Dave like a tidal wave.
'This is it,' Dave thought, steeling himself. He extended both hands, feeling the raw power of the earth beneath him, and with a roar of determination, he slammed his palms into the ground. The wave stopped, its momentum halted by his control, and with a final, crushing force, he sent it crashing down on the clone.
The clone was buried under the weight of the earth, disappearing beneath the rubble. Dave stood over the battlefield, panting, his body trembling from the effort.
He had done it. His control over Matter had reached a new level.
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Host, your mastery over Matter Control has increased significantly. However, you are not finished. There is still more to learn."
Dave wiped the sweat from his brow and stood tall, his gaze focused.
"Enough with matter for now. It's time to move on." His lips curled into a smirk as he whispered, "Let's start with Mind Control."
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