Chương 109: Battle on Two Fronts
Taking a deep breath, Esau kept his gaze fixed upon his doppelgänger with a razor-sharp focus, his heart pounding in sync with the even breaths he took. Then the stillness shattered as they both charged forward, meeting in an explosive collision.
The doppelgänger struck first, lunging with ferocious intent, claws slashing in a deadly arc aimed at Esau's neck. Esau ducked underneath, stepping in close to come up with a devastating hook to the body. It struck with incredible force launching the doppelgänger up off the ground yet it recovered in no time at all.
The tails swept along the ground to take out Esau's leg as it flew through the air. Esau hopped back, his feet barely clearing the reach of the whip-like tail and countered by extending his own claws, slashing upward in diagonal strikes.
Yet using the tails, the doppelgänger twisted his body around the strikes, its movements smooth and effortless, dodging just enough for Esau's claws to miss by a hairsbreadth before landing in a crouch. Yet in the instant it was on the ground, the doppelgänger was upon Esau again, delivering a rapid series of high-speed punches and kicks.
They were fast and fluid, seamlessly flowing from one to the next without pause, constantly building up the momentum. Esau dodged as best as he could, but when the tails came into the mix it became almost impossible and eventually, he was forced to block a few. Each impact reverberated through his forearms, absorbing the shocks as his doppelgängers attacks came in relentless succession.
A cross aimed at his jaw was slapped to one side and Esau carried around with the same limp, stepping in close to land an elbow. The doppelgänger shifted at the last second, letting the elbow graze past and responded with a vicious knee aimed at Esau's midsection.
Esau countered with his own knee that struck his doppelgängers thigh, breaking the moment of the attack. Even then the two were forced to step back, both adjusting their stances before they pressed forward once more.
As the doppelgänger came in, his claws extended out as he swung them like blades with such force that Esau could hear them slicing through the air. Ducking, weaving and spinning, Esau narrowly missed the claws but was forced to concede ground as he used his own claws to parry a few as the doppelgänger pressed its attack using its tails in conjunction.
Seizing a brief opening, Esau lashed out with his own tail, wrapping it around the doppelgängers wrist and with a tug, pulled him off balance and toward him. Esau then stepped forward and with a shout, drove his first into the doppelgängers stomach with such force that the bones of his arms broke.
Yet the power behind the strike was monumental sending the doppelgänger careening through the air like a ragdoll.
Panting heavily, Esau looked down at his arm which hissed with steam as his healing factor kicked in even as the limb hung limply down at his side. Then he looked up, seeing his doppelgänger already recovering and frowned. The disparity in durability was too great. Even his explosive strength was only able to keep his opponent down for a scant second before he got up.
As his doppelgänger got to its feet, it quickly rushed forward and Esau spun, his tail swinging out to strike at the doppelgänger. Yet it jumped over the tail and brought its own tails down upon him. Esau leapt to one side, rolling to his feet and turning to duck under a jumping roundhouse kick yet was forced to raise his guard to block the spinning hook kick that came soon after.
Even then, his single arm wasn't enough to block the strike completely and it collided with his cheek. The impact sent Esau reeling, but with his other arm healed he managed to keep his guard up, bracing himself as the doppelgänger came in with renewed aggression.
A left hook was knocked to one side, Esau grabbing its arm and pulling it forward. Then with a swift twist brought his knee up into its gut, feeling the solid resistance of muscle and bone against his strike.
Unfazed though, the doppelgänger used its superior strength to break free from Esau's hold and using the momentum, delivered a brutal uppercut that clipped Esau's chin forcing him back a step. It followed up with a claw strike, but Esau managed to intercept with his own, sparks flying as their razor-sharp edges scraped against one another.
Then they collided once more, their movements blurring with speed as they exchanged a relentless sequence of blows. The doppelgänger launched a combination, a right cross to Esau's temple which was narrowly dodged followed up with a spinning back kick aimed at his ribs. Esau raised his arms just in time, blocking the kick yet the impact rattled his bones. Even then, Esau didn't miss a beat and retaliated with a jab-cross that struck clean against his doppelgängers face who just smiled.
It then retaliated with a downward slash, but Esau met it with his own, their claws locking in mid-air, creating a gridlock of pure strength and tenacity. It was a contest Esau was losing as he was forced to his knees, the muscles of his body straining as his doppelgänger pressed down on him with all its strength.
Not willing to give up, Esau's tail whipped around to smack at his doppelgängers knee causing it to buckle. Taking advantage of the brief stumble, Esau broke the gridlock forcing his doppelgängers arms to swing out to the side leaving him completely open.
He leapt forward and slammed his elbow into its face following up with a roundhouse kick that sent it crashing to the ground. Before Esau could follow up though, the doppelgänger rolled away, pushing up onto its hands and spinning, tails whipping out, forcing Esau to back away as he could barely keep up with the speed the two tails came at him.
One suddenly thrust at his face, his head leaning to the side just barely avoiding it while the other swept low. His timing was off and he was sent stumbling as the doppelgänger landed on its feet and leapt at him, claws slashing down upon his exposed side.
Esau twisted midfall, his own claws extending to parry the attack, deflecting it just enough to avoid serious injury. But the doppelgänger pressed on, its claws retracting in an instant as it once more closed the distance.
Once more though, Esau recovered and began to find his rhythm, long since used to how his doppelgänger fought and have since found the means to capitalise on openings despite the use of tails to prevent that. However, this time was different as the doppelgänger gave a chillingly, confident smirk, one of its tails glowing.
Using the last kick in his doppelgängers combination to his advantage, Esau took the blow to his guard, while jumping back, allowing himself to be launched back creating distance. As he landed, skidding along the ground, Esau watched as the tail separated from his doppelgänger, shadowy red energy slowly coalescing to take shape.
There, beside his doppelgänger was an exact replica.
Frowning heavily, Esau looked upon the two clones, each with a single red tail whipping furiously behind them as they crouched down low. His heart pounded heavily as Esau tensed up, but he didn't falter as his stance shifted.
Rather than wait for them to come to him, Esau charged forward first, his tail whipping out forcing the two to jump in different directions. Esau knew he had to take out the clone first, he had no idea of the limits or what it was capable of, but he was trusting his instincts.
It fought in the same way as his doppelgänger, relying on its healing factor while coming at Esau with an unrelenting offence even when on the back foot. But unlike the two tails, it was no faster or stronger than him, physically, they were on par and here, Esau's superior skills shined.
Blow after blow landed unanswered as Esau used his tail to try and keep the original at a distance while pressing the attack upon the clone. Yet it was not enough, the original managing to use its own tail to suppress Esau's, rushing in close to deliver a strike to his side that sent Esau stumbling.
Regaining his balance quickly though, Esau quickly found himself under assault from both opponents. They moved in perfect sync, mirroring each other's attacks in a dance of lethal precision. He ducked under a high kick from the clone, but the original met him down low with a swift uppercut. Esau managed to deflect it, only to find himself barraged with a flurry of strikes from both sides.
Every instinct at him screamed at him to focus his attention on isolating one, but the relentless and perfect teamwork between his foes forced him onto the defensive. His movements became more frantic as he evaded claws, tails, kicks and fists. He found brief opportunities to retaliate, landing a blow here or there, but each hit was quickly neutralised by the seamless coordination of the doppelgänger and its clone.
As the two advanced, Esau felt his control over the flow of the battle slipping from him, the exhaustion of fighting two individuals just as fast and strong as him weighing heavily on him. His mind raced, struggling to devise a new tactic, but his opponents gave him no time. They closed in, their strikes connecting with brutal precision, driving him further back.
With one final surge of speed, the two foes combined their strength, slamming Esau backwards. He landed hard, gasping as he struggled to pull himself to his feet, his mind a blur of strategies, his body straining from the relentless assault.
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