Chapter 16. The Clash 1

Chapter 16: Chapter 16. The Clash 1''Shadow manipulation''. The form of Kailen's shadow creatures turned ephemeral, his shadow creatures transforming into ethereal masses of shadows. They gravitated towards Kailen, forming an obsidian armor around his whole body, his face included. Kailen was honestly entranced at the amount of power that coursed through his veins. '' So this is the power of an A ranked awakened'' Kailen mused as he navigated the forest, realizing further that he may even be stronger than the ordinary A ranked awakened. Serving as a shadow armor that donned his whole being, his shadow creatures whose ranks had increased compared to the time when he fought Ice, would now boost his strength to new heights. This was also coupled with the fact that he never seemed to run out of worldly natural energy due to the presence of the system. ''System, can you help me locate the wyvern's dwelling?'' Not too hopeful about the system providing him any sort of support, Kailen's attempt at sighing was interrupted by the system's notification. [I will direct you to the wyvern's dwelling. Don't expect anything more from me tsk] ''At least that makes things a little bit easier'' Kailen ignored the annoyed and prideful mannerisms of the system, dwelling on the positives. He followed the system's directions, traversing long distances the system deemed as short cuts to the wyvern's dwelling. Kailen's obsidian form sited the direction the system had instructed him towards as the wyvern's dwelling. ''Looks like it decided to relocate'' Kailen mused, realizing that the environment was completely different compared to where he had encountered the creature for the first time. The thick forest seemed eerily quiet. As Kailen drew deeper into the inner regions of the forest, a strong presence brushed past Kailen's senses. ''It knows I'm here'' Confirming Kailen's words, the still trees begun to move. Kailen took a few steps back, activating shadow manipulation to enhance his detection capabilities and prepare to attack the enemy. Szzzzzzzzzrt Rather than the familiar face of the adversary whose egg the system had tasked him to steal, what greeted him was a massive stream of electricity. However, Kailen's perception had developed since the last time they met. He was not a puny E ranked awakened anymore. Coupled with shadow manipulation, he could accurately determine the location of his opponent through sensing it's shadow. He was also able to determine the trajectory of the attack by sensing the shadow movements reflected by the attack. Kailen narrowly evaded the attack, then called unto the shadows. The tenebrous shadows answered his summons, as a shadow katana with an obsidian appearance was weaved into his hands. Then without waiting for the wyvern to make it's appearance, Kailen's obsidian figure blurred, or rather, moved. ''Attacking it from a close range is the best option. The position of its eyes generates a weakness for close ranged attacks'' Kailen had just arrived at the location his enemy, only to realize that the spot was currently empty. His senses throttled, then his figure blurred. A bolt of lightning shot from above him, obliterating the ground where Kailen previously stood into smithereens. a massive crater appearing in the ground. ''Damnation... It can fly?'' Kailen cursed, noticing the deep reddish draconic figure flapping it's wings above him. The system had not told him that the wyvern could fly. Also,the creature now had a long tail, with a piercing arrow tip edge at the tail's end. [The creature, however still an A ranked diabolic beast, has evolved in the few days you've been playing around, granting it the wings a wyvern should have, and that badass tail of course. Unlike you, the creature is serious about improving it's strength. Tsk] The system's antics rung in Kailen's mind, however this was no time to focus on any other thing considering the situation he had found himself in. It was not like the system would help him out. ''You are not the only one who can fly, bastard'' Answering the beckon of Kailen, the tenebrous shadows assumed the form of a whirlwind, moving beneath Kailen's feet. They propelled him towards his adversary who had decided to take the battle into the skies. The creature launched a flurry of lightning attacks towards Kailen. Darkhaven evaded and parried the attacks with swift precision. With each second that passed, he reinforced his Katana and obsidian body with the shadows in the vicinity. However, the creature's body was as hard as steel. At this point, this creature could be at the peak of the A rank in terms of strength. Anytime his Katana came into contact with the creature's body, he felt like his weapon had hit an unbreakable wall. Obsidian and reddish figure blurred in the sky, each second a giveaway for multiple exchanges. Lightning attacks were parried and evaded by Katana. Arrowtip tail clashed with obsidian body several times. However neither backed down. The exchange continued for several prolonged moments. The creature had all the time in the world to continue the battle, however Kailen didn't. Having exhausted most of the time left to complete the mission because of the long distances he had traversed in the forest to get to the wyvern's dwelling, he had a few minutes or hours left to complete this mission. If this exchange continued the way it was, he would fail the mission. Kailen continued to exchange attacks with the enemy, studying it to see if he would notify a weak spot. The catastrophe their fight had weaved was nothing to scoff at. Anywhere they traversed, flora and fauna suffered. The battle continued, albeit the two remained at a stalemate, unable to harm the other. Kailen noticed something during the exchange. When he attacked various parts of the creature's body to study its reactions in an attempt to identify it's weak spot, it would use its body, tail or wings as defense, not in the least bothered about the opponent wounding it. However, it was as though the creature was intentionally guarding its chest region. The wyvern went to the extent of meeting Kailen's attacks with its head or tail, or it flew a few meters back, whenever an attack almost made contact with its chest. Then it hit Kailen. Kailen had read a lot about awakened reptilian creatures during the time he was serious with his studies. If there was one area of their bodies that was their weak spot, it was their chest. ''So that's how it is''. A cold smile graced Kailen's obsidian face.