Chapter 378 - Taming Trails - 7

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 07:40

Chapter 378 -378 – Taming Trails – 7 Lin was about to be crushed. However, the agent received several light cuts on his lower back, shallow wounds that, while not causing deep injuries, were sufficiently unexpected to make him straighten and allow Lin to spin and recover. Ren had struck from afar while the agent was focused on Lin, his light phantom claws finding meat. Each cut purified a small amount of abyssal energy, making for a weak but painful effect. The crane manifested again only in Lin’s legs, extending her reach just enough for her feet to connect with the agent’s shoulders while her hands found his wrists. She used his own momentum and strength to create a perfect fulcrum, launching herself over him in an impossible arc while dragging him forward by the imbalance. The agent staggered, but instead of falling, he roared and sank his legs into the earth. The ground collapsed beneath him while he took advantage to launch a rain of stone projectiles in all directions, hoping to hit both Lin and Ren. The attack was desperate, unfocused, the wild thrashing of a wounded beast. But Lin was already running along the wall of the enormous stone bowl he himself had created with the last attack, her panther paws finding purchase on the nearly vertical surfaces. Each projectile created handholds that she used to change direction unpredictably. Her movements were so fluid and supernatural, they seemed as if gravity itself bent to her will. Ren had covered himself with his armor and hadn’t taken significant damage either, but had been left outside the “pit”. From his position, he could see the battle’s ebb and flow, looking for opportunities to contribute while trying to approach. “Stop running around everywhere!” the agent roared, frustration leaking through his transformed voice. “Running?” Lin smiled, reaching the upper edge of the cylinder. “I’m barely jogging…” She launched herself downward, the crane manifesting completely this time. But instead of flying in a straight line, she began tracing tight circles around the agent, striking his torso on multiple occasions. Each orbit was tighter than the last, a descending spiral that built momentum with every revolution. Her wings created air currents that lifted dust and leaves, obscuring vision and adding chaos to an already complex battlefield. The agent tried to cover himself and follow her movement, but she was too fast. Each time he turned to aim at her, she had already changed position. His earth attacks began to become erratic, desperate. Stone spikes erupted randomly from the ground and the careful control he’d displayed earlier devolved into wild thrashing. Lin waited for the exact moment when he launched his broadest attack again… an explosion of rocks in all directions that would even damage himself. The desperation in the move was obvious, the last resort of someone who had lost control. She changed to panther immediately, allowing herself to be hit by some stones. The impacts hurt, but her enhanced durability let her push through the pain. More importantly, they provided cover for her real approach. The agent raised his arms to block, but Lin wasn’t attacking where he expected. She twisted on the ground, her panther claws finding the exposed side that the golden mold had left vulnerable. This time it wasn’t a martial arts strike. It was pure animal force. Claws that sank into exposed flesh and dragged downward, opening bleeding furrows that painted the ground crimson. The sound was wet, terrible, the rending of meat and the scrape of claw against bone. The agent howled, a sound that was barely human. But Lin was no longer there. She had used the same momentum to launch herself upward again, changing to crane to gain altitude. Her movements flowed like water, each transition between forms so smooth it seemed like a single, continuous motion. “I’m going to kill you!” he bellowed, ignoring the pain. Both fists sank into the ground, and the entire area became a bigger chaos. The terrain rose and fell like a stormy ocean, rains of rock pursuing Lin as she glided between the trees. Ren was pushed backward again, forced to retreat. Follow new episodes on the "N0vel1st.c0m". But Lin had been observing his patterns. Each time he used his earth control massively, there was a moment, barely a fraction of a second, where he had to concentrate completely on maintaining his armor’s integrity. Massive earth manipulation demanded total focus. There it was. The tell she’d been waiting for: a slight tightening around his eyes, a momentary stillness in his breathing, the small pause that preceded his largest attacks. Lin dove, changing to panther just before impact. But she didn’t attack his head or torso, she attacked his arms buried in the earth, the extensions he was using to channel his power. Her claws found the exact points where his armor had been weakened, cutting tendons and muscles that controlled his transformed hands. The agent lost control of his massive attack. The wave of rock collapsed on him, partially burying him in the pit while Lin rose as a crane again. Dust and debris filled the air, and for a moment, silence reclaimed the forest. “Your problem,” Lin said, her voice barely raised but perfectly audible in the sudden quiet, “is that you think like a beast. Brute force, intimidation, massive destruction.” She continued rising until she was directly above him, a dark silhouette against the canopy. “But I think like a true predator… A human.” She dropped once more with all her strength. The impact was like a hammer blow. It connected with the head armor, yes, but the golden mold had done more damage than either of them had realized. Her previous attacks, and his own, had systematically weakened the structure. The agent’s defense shattered. It finally gave way under the accumulated damage. His form diminished gradually until returning to something relatively more human, though covered in wounds and breathing laboriously. Lin landed with grace, observing him with the cold evaluation of a predator that has defeated its prey. There was no satisfaction in her expression, only professional assessment. The hunt was over, but the real work was just beginning. The agent spat blood, his eyes still burning with hatred despite his weakened condition. His vision was clouded, swimming in and out of focus as shock began to set in. He needed his scorpion to heal him, but there were still moments before it could stabilize after the internal attack from the golden mold. The ‘golden corruption’ was still eating at his connection, interfering with the regeneration that should have already begun. Lin raised her leg, poised and ready to extract the answers Ren needed to know. The interrogation would be thorough, efficient, and ultimately successful. But just when it seemed everything was over, the sound of wings beating came from above. A shadow fell over them.

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