NOVEL NEXT Chapter 228: A Divine Judge
Before Nox's eyes, something strange was happening.
Immediately, he clicked his fingers. Adam's muscles swirled, expanding beneath his skin, and his veins pulsed with raw power. He was emitting radiant heat, and a fierce aura burst from his body. Nox didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he could see that Adam was growing larger and larger at a rapid pace within a couple of seconds.
BANG!
The ground beneath his feet caved and cracked, unable to withstand his strength. Merely looking at him, Nox could tell the monstrosity standing before him was much more powerful than the Adam he had thoroughly trashed just a few minutes ago.
Now there was something bestial and unrestrained about the two-meter-tall figure. The aura he emitted was wild and chaotic, kicking up dust and debris in the air. Curved blades protruded from where his arms were supposed to be, gleaming under the glare of sunlight. His face looked more bestial, with curved horns, and his eyes were purple and slit-like, similar to those belonging to predators.
'So this is the mutant-class Awaken?' Nox thought calmly as he stared at the mini-giant looming in front of him. 'This class... shouldn't it be considered a monster class as well?'
With that grotesque appearance, Nox wondered how the people in charge of grading hadn't included it in the monster class. After all, as of this moment, Adam was no different from any wild monster—only that he appeared more dominating.
"Still not scared, huh?" Adam sneered, irritation flashing in his bestial eyes as he charged forward. His sudden movement caused a resounding bang as the cracked ground caved in further. Nox's composure was rubbing him the wrong way.
Nox remained standing and summoned his dagger. Adam's feet carried him closer, and he thrust his bladed arms forward, aiming to slice Nox in two.
Clang!
A resounding clang echoed through the air as Nox parried the attack with his dagger. The ground beneath him broke apart, and he skidded backward, leaving a trail on the ground.
"With the help of gigantism, even my strength increases exponentially!" Adam grinned as one of his knees shot forward, with precision, toward Nox's midsection.
"Too slow," Nox muttered. He kicked the ground with a loud boom, generating a mini sonic boom beneath his feet as he executed a graceful acrobatic maneuver in the air.
A sneer crossed Adam's monstrous face as he leaped forward and slashed his bladed arm down.
However, Nox twisted his body midair, causing Adam's eyes to widen in surprise. H-how is he controlling his body midair?!
Distracted by his disbelief, Adam failed to notice the leg that slammed into the side of his elbow. His blade ended up biting into his other arm.
"ARGHHHH!" A pained, bestial cry escaped Adam's lips as he staggered back, clutching his now-bloody arm dripping with dark blood.
Nox landed lightly on his feet and charged in again. In a blink of an eye, he crossed the distance, and the dagger in his grasp flashed.
"Let me help you with that!"
This was the last thing Adam heard before his left arm thudded to the ground, and an arc of blood shot out. For a moment, he didn't feel the pain as he glanced at Nox, whose dagger dripped with dark blood—his blood.
"You... you bastard!" Adam shouted. "You think you can kill me so easily? Watch this!"
Adam's severed limb began to grow back at a rapid pace. Nox's eyes flashed sharply as he recognized the skill.
Regeneration.
"Well, I guess I'll go with my initial plan," Nox yawned.
Adam's eyes trembled in fear. Before he could ask what was wrong, Nox's dagger bit into his chest, spilling blood onto the ground. Adam kicked off the ground, forcing a disengagement from the dagger, and lifted his arm to attack.
But his opponent was too nimble.
Thud!
His limbs were severed again!
Adam let out another enraged roar, staggering backward as his freshly regenerated limbs fell to the ground once more. Sure, he could regenerate, but the pain... the pain was intense and could drive anyone mad.
"Tsk. Weakling. I actually thought you'd be something special." Nox sneered, his tone cold and detached. He flicked the blood from his dagger with a casual motion, the dark liquid flying off in neat lines. "You'll regenerate, sure. But regeneration doesn't mean much when I can cut faster than you can heal."
I need to attack from a distance, Adam thought, his eyes flashing with a calculative gleam. He's clearly an expert in melee combat... If I attack from range, I might win this fight.
Fortunately, he didn't just possess mutation-based skills. Being the son of a wealthy duke came with other advantages.
"Argh! Bone Spike!" Adam shouted as he aimed his arm at Nox. The bones twisted strangely, forming gun barrels. A sharp whoosh sounded as numerous bone spikes exploded out from his arms.
The meter-long spikes hummed through the air toward Nox, but Nox charged headlong at them.
"He's getting closer, dammit!" Adam's expression faltered.
Suddenly, his scalp tingled as Nox's body flickered from sight. The bone spikes stabbed into the ground, missing their mark.
Adam's white hair stood on end. A moment later, Nox seemed to pop out of thin air, and Adam's barrel-shaped arms were severed.
"You sleepy little..." Adam, blinded by pain, charged again, swinging his blade wildly.
Swish!
With the help of Divine Velocity, it seemed as if Nox had teleported.
Swish!
Nox ducked beneath Adam's slash and swept his legs out from under him. The mutant staggered backward, nearly tripping.
"It seems you'd rather die than speak," Nox's voice echoed, cold and calm. "Since that's the case, I'll just get rid of you and find my teammates myself."
Before Adam could recover, Nox was upon him again. With terrifying speed, Nox's daggers sliced through Adam's body over a dozen times per second. Divine Velocity was fully activated!
Adam could only see a blur—the afterimage of Nox's dagger. He tried desperately to parry, but his reaction time was lacking. He attempted to retreat and gain distance, but Nox read his intentions and followed closely.
Damn it! Damn it! Adam's mind raced. He had more tricks up his sleeve, but there was no chance to use them!
Slice! Slice! Slice!
Nox was just too fast!
Another arm fell, followed by a leg. A sharp shing echoed as Adam's torso was dismembered entirely. Nox's new dagger was this powerful—sharp enough to cut through bone like a hot knife through butter.
"ARGH!" Adam writhed in pain, his glowing purple slit-like eyes burning with fury. His torso crashed to the ground, and the mysterious realm offered no relief from the pain.
Luckily, regeneration kicked in.
Shing!
"You're just delaying the inevitable." Nox stood over Adam, his dagger dripping with blood. His eyes were cold, dark, and unforgiving—like those of a divine judge about to deliver a final verdict.
"I-I'll tear you apart!" Adam roared, trying to rise with his stumps.
But he was silenced as the dagger sliced through the air. His purple eyes reflected the cold steel just before blood erupted, and his horns thudded to the ground.
Before Adam could register the pain, the dagger descended, shattering his skull into countless fragments.
Nox flicked the remaining blood from his dagger and turned just in time to see Adam's body burst into a shower of white light.
"Now, let's find my teammates," Nox muttered. He walked to the edge of the mountain and listened carefully. The sound of intense fighting echoed in the distance.
"I hope I'm not too late." With that, Nox zoomed toward the noise, leaving an afterimage in his wake.
....
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