‎The monster's claws brutally tore into the ground, flinging it forward.

‎A split second later the monster moved impossibly fast appearing in front of him appeared in front of Lucian.

‎ But its teeth sank into...air.

‎Talia gasped in shock, squinting slightly.

‎"What just happened? Did it get him?"

‎A split second later, Lucian rolled out from beneath the monster's underbelly, his dark blades flashing through the air.

‎The blades only grazed the hide on one of the creature's hind legs before it jumped away.

‎The demon was like a phantom materializing out of thin air, a short distance away.

‎Lucian grinned darkly, springing to his feet in one fluid motion.

‎" Almost had it that time. I can do this."

‎He swiftly circled the monster, getting into position.

‎The previous cut was meant to slow the monstrosity down just enough for Talia to line up the perfect shot.

‎But sadly, almost as though fate wouldn't allow things to go smoothly for once, the pristine blade had only grazed the creature's leg.

‎If only it had been just a little deeper

‎" That would have been definitely easier. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. "

‎Lucian skilfully flipped his blades, masterfully twirling them through the air.

‎The old-fashioned way involved keeping the monster busy long enough while staying alive for a long enough time for Talia to cripple it.

‎A split second later, he dashed forward, meeting the creature head-on.

‎" I just hope she's not wasting time. "

‎And so a lethal dance began with Lucian weaving in and out of the monster's attacks.

‎His heart raced, blood pumping through his veins from the furious heat of battle.

‎Lcuan jumped back, dodging a particularly dangerous swipe, brandishing his blades at his sides.

‎A crazed smile appeared on his face.

‎"Ah, this is simply exhilarating, if only Morgan were here..."

‎Lucian let out a sigh, then charged forward once more.

‎ The squinticore's claws flashed through the air time and again while Lucian danced, elusively dodging through them.

‎A few moments later, the monster's speed increased, at first imperceptibly.

‎And then more noticeably

‎Within seconds, Lucian was forced back.

‎"It's almost as though it's adapting to my attacks."

‎The realization was quite frightening.

‎Letting out a shaky breath, he glanced darkly at his arm where a long, thin scratch had pierced through the reinforced fabric of his suit.

‎"It's certainly not making this any easier."

‎He threw a furtive glance in the direction Talia was hiding, a slight frown appearing on his face.

‎" So much for being an excellent marksman."

‎Lucian almost scoffed, remembering the prideful look in Talia's eyes from before.

‎A moment later, a dark projectile whizzed through the air, soundly piercing through the creature's eye.

‎The creature let out a resounding roar.

‎Dark fetid blood gushed from the hole where its eye had been.

‎A few metres away in the shrouded cover of darkness, Talia smirked.

‎" How's that for a first shot?"

‎The squinticore's remaining slitted eye glowed with unbridled murderous fury.

‎A dark smile appeared on Lucian's face.

‎" Well, well, she's not half bad."

‎In the next moments, Lucian burst forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

‎The monster jumped forward, its form hurtling impossibly through the air.

‎Its teeth ferociously snapped through the space Lucian had been standing a few seconds earlier.

‎One of Lucian's eyes twitched unnaturally in the aftermath of the attack.

‎" That was close, he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.

‎"Too close for comfort."

‎A dark smile appeared on his face, his lips curling up in an eerie smile.

‎"I'd better get serious."

‎In the next moment, the veins on his arms pulsed, visibly popping out on his skin.

‎In the darkness, his brown eyes turned a light red, translucent highlights of red mixing with the brown.

‎His muscles bulged slightly.

‎His heart rate slowed down significantly, and his breathing became slower and deeper.

‎The Ash family technique granted the user enhanced physical prowess.

‎In some ways, it was similar to the dark family technique, but they were also vastly different.

‎While the Dark family technique increased the physical process of the user of the technique, it merely stopped at that.

‎That is what made the two techniques vastly different from each other.

‎ The Ash Family technique strengthened the user's physique both inside and out, literally.

‎It was common knowledge that the great houses all had family techniques that had been passed down from generation to generation.

‎ Nevertheless, it would be remiss to say that all family techniques were the same; in some cases, the family techniques of some of the great houses were better than others.

‎It could be said that the Ash Family technique was, in most ways, superior to the dark family technique and that the dark family technique was the derivative of the Ash Family technique, which was why it was deficient in that it could only enhance the physical attributes of the user.

‎With the technique activated, Lucian looked like a phantom, a being born of the shadows.

‎His veins pulsed visibly under his skin.

‎His skin turned translucent, blending in with the moonlight shining down from the night sky.

‎ Talia gasped at the sight.

‎" What the hell? Is he actually going all out at this point?"

‎In the next moment, Lucian disappeared.

‎He moved with impossible speed, appearing next to the monster's side.

‎Startled, the colossus jumped back, growling threateningly.

‎Lucian took a brief moment, basking in the feeling of the roaring power coursing through his body.

‎"I'd better get this done quickly. "

‎Despite being vastly superior to the Dark family technique, the technique of the Ash family also had the same drawbacks.

‎The worst one was that it put tremendous strain on the body.

‎And as such, it could not be used for prolonged periods of time at a go.

‎Lucian crudely circulated the umbralis in his body, instantly feeling the boost in power.

‎In the next moment, he turned into a shadowy blur, moving around the creature with inhuman speed.

‎" I won't allow it to react at all, I won't allow it to disengage. I've got to finish this here and now. "

‎The Silviric blades in his hands weaved a cascade of deep gashes across the monster's.

‎The monster jumped back, or rather, it tried to.

‎But Lucian was just too fast.

‎Talia watched the spectacle that was unfolding with baited breath and awe.

‎" This guy...has he been hiding his true strength this entire time? Is that even possible?"

‎The Pyreptar Academy ensured to properly assess its students, going to great lengths to record their potential.

‎" He had us all fooled, even me?".

‎Her eyes knit together in confusion.

‎" Does Thane know about this? Is that why he stuck with him? Does he know about his true strength?"

‎In the space of a heartbeat, he zipped behind it, his dark blades flashing through its hind legs.

‎ Almost.

‎The creature jumped back, its eyes darting back and forth.

‎Fewer and fewer of his attacks were landing.

‎A horrifying realization popped into his mind.

‎" Could it be adapting? "

‎The squinticore's snout curved in an eerily human-like expression.

‎Talia frowned, her facial features darkening.

‎" Is it smiling?"

‎Her blood ran cold at the thought.

‎" Whatever you're doing, Talia, you'd better do it now!"

‎The shout carried through the air, snapping her out of the daze she was in.

‎She quickly aimed Hawk once more, training the gun on the moving creature.

‎After a few moments, she snarled in frustration.

‎" They're too fast! At this rate, I won't manage to take out its other eye, let alone help out in the fight."

‎Talia clenched her fists, gritting her teeth in fury.

‎A sense of hopelessness flared up within her, threatening to swallow her whole.

‎At the campsite, the ground was cracked and ravaged from the frenetic speed of the fight.

‎Lucian darted away into the darkness, leaping onto a massive boulder.

‎The squinticore gave chase, their forms blurring through the darkness.

‎A moment later, Lucian flipped into the air, beautifully flying over the dark creature in a bizarre game of tag.

‎The creature crushed through the massive boulder like it was paper, shredding the large rock into tiny pebbles.

‎It let out a violent roar, madly dashing after Lucian's lithe retreating figure in a grotesque game of cat and mouse.

‎"Now to lead it back."

‎His eyes hardened, glinting with determination.

‎"I hope she's ready to end this."

‎Further up the mountain, a slight tremor surged through the ground.

‎Cassius paused, staring back into the distance.

‎His ethereal eyes glowed with a strange orange light.

‎Darkness met his gaze.

‎He could barely make out a lone form sprinting up the slope with the large creature hot on its heels.

‎He let out a weary sigh and then sat down.

‎"Well, stop here for now."

‎Samantha and Amanda stared at him for a while, then the two girls followed suit, sinking to the ground.

‎"What's the matter? Can you see them from this distance?"

‎Cassius nodded slightly.

‎" Just barely. They're alright for now."

‎Just then, a loud, resounding roar rolled through the night.

‎Cassius slowly shook his head, a grim smile appearing on his face.

‎" What are you thinking, Lucian?" he muttered under his breath.

‎

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