...
"You will only be a burden."
When Shin heard those words, he could not help but feel a little uncomfortable. But he knew that what David was saying was true. He and Leonard would only be a burden if they got involved in this battle.
He might be able to fight Shaun earlier despite him having a lower realm, but that was only because of the latter going easy on him during their battle. He took advantage of the carelessness of his opponent during the battle.
But this time, he knew that Shaun would no longer be foolish now that he had become a mutated monster.
A single look at these mutated humans was more than enough for Shin to tell that they had a certain degree of intelligence. But at the same time, he could also see that they were not conscious enough to be called alive.
As he observed the three mutated humans in front of them, he suddenly heard David's voice coming through voice transmission. "Just continue following the path that I have told you and you will find the simple hut in the distance. Walk toward it alongside Leonard and you will find the Head Priestess. She will then do the rest."
Shin nodded his head heavily while wearing a solemn look.
"We will create a path for you two, so make sure to be ready and take that opportunity to break through to the best of your abilities. We will not be able to take care of you once these guys went on a rampage," said David, informing Shin and Leonard to be ready while also signaling the others that they could start.
But surprisingly enough, the three mutated monsters seemed to have understood their conversation and quickly went into action.
Bang! Bang!
Swoosh!
Shaun, who was now a mindless mutated human, lunged forward while thrusting his short spears forward.
"Leave this guy to me. I have some grudge with him that I have yet to settle when he is still in his conscious self," said Laurent as he suddenly appeared in front of Shaun, intercepting the latter.
At the same time, he also thrust his spear forward, challenging Shaun head-on. And when the latter saw that, he quickly halted his advance and swung his short spears at Laurent instead.
The spear that Laurent was using was longer in length, so it was natural for him to have a farther reach compared to the short spears that Shaun had.
Clang!
The loud sound of clashing metals reverberated in the whole area, signifying the strength behind the collision of the two spears despite their seemingly casual movements.
Shaun quickly retreated as he saw that Laurent quickly borrowed the force from the collision and twirled his sword around him to generate more momentum. And right after he switched the spear from his right hand to his left hand, he suddenly thrust it forward.
Clang!
Shaun was barely able to swing his short spears up and redirected the trajectory of his opponent's spear up, saving him from being stabbed by it.
But at the same time, he was thrown into an awkward spot as he lost his footing during his retreat.
Bang!
Right at that moment, Laurent suddenly took a large step forward before planting his foot firmly on the ground with a powerful stomp. His foot sank to the ground, throwing dirt and rock fragments in the air.
He then strengthened his hips and channeled his strength on his spear as he swung it down. He even borrowed the momentum of his movements to generate more force during the swing while also infusing his Natural Force on the spear.
Swoosh!
Shaun sensed the danger coming from the technique that Laurent just used. Despite his not having any memory of the latter, he could sense the deep hatred coming from the person.
Even though he did not have his consciousness right now, his body could still remember the martial arts that he had learned throughout his life, so his body acted according to instincts.
If it was before, his body would not be able to keep up with his thoughts, making him unable to respond to this move of his opponent, especially with that smooth series of movements.
But now that his body underwent a mutation, his reaction speed reached a much higher degree, which gave him the ability to respond.
Bang!
He suddenly spread his feet wide and squatted down while crossing his spears above his head. At the same time, purple energy gathered on both of his spears while also releasing some hint of black hue.
Bang!
It was at that moment when Laurent's spear fell and landed on the crossed short spears.
Shaun's feet sank to the ground due to the strong impact. But aside from that, there were no noticeable injuries on his body.
Seeing that, Laurent could not help but wear a deep frown as he knew how much strength he had put on that attack just now. He must admit that the current Shaun was way different from before, not just his appearance.
…
During the time when Laurent was dealing with Shaun, who underwent a mutated transformation, Vincent and Jerimiah clashed against the other two mutated subjects.
Jerimiah positioned himself in front of 'Prototype I' as it swung its fist down, releasing a series of clanking sounds coming from the chains wrapped around it.
Despite the huge difference in body size, Jerimiah did not show any sign of fear. He courageously advanced forward as he covered his entire body with his Natural Force.
Crimson energy enveloped him as he stared at the descending fist of the mutated subject. He waited for the right moment before stomping on the ground with a forward step as he threw his fist up, planning to fight strength with strength.
Ha!
Bang!
With a roar, Jerimiah sent that upward punch to the descending fist of his opponent. And despite the huge difference in their weight classes, he managed to outpower the latter, forcing Prototype I to take a couple of steps back to nullify the force from the impact.
Jerimiah did not immediately follow up his attack as he maintained his posture while staring at the mutated subject with his cold eyes.
From the perspective of the latter, it seemed like Jerimiah was staring at it as if it was some sort of prey. Despite not having its consciousness and intelligence, Prototype I felt a sudden shiver on its entire body after being stared upon by Jerimiah that way.
Its instincts were telling it that this was someone that it could not afford to provoke!
Roar!
But since it was now nothing but a mindless creature that was moving according to its slaughtering nature, Prototype I did not back down and instead release a deafening roar that shook its surroundings, shaking off the 'fear' that it was feeling.
After that, it ferociously charged forward before brandishing its huge scimitar at Jerimiah.
Jerimiah smirked before welcoming the incoming attack with his fist. He threw a powerful punch while channeling a large amount of Natural Force on his attacking fist.
Boom!
…
Clank!
Clang! Clang!
At the same time, when that clash was happening, Vincent was exchanging blows against the mutated subject that had the label of 'Subject 007'.
It wielded its pair of swords while brandishing them at Vincent with raw strength and speed. Just by relying on the overwhelming advantage of its massive body, this mutated subject swung its swords without restraint.
And despite it being 'blind', it was still able to sense the position of its opponent without a problem and continued its attack.
Vincent, on the other hand, nimbly dodged the attacks of the mutated subject with ease. He circled around the latter while looking for the right opportunity to strike. He was like a venomous snake that was patiently waiting before revealing its fangs.
From time to time, some of the attacks of Subject 007 were covering a large area, which forced Vincent to either block or deflect them.
But he did not dare to engage in more exchange since he knew that he was on the weaker side when it come to body statistics. If he tried to face this opponent head-on, then he would only be putting himself in a disadvantageous position that would lead to his demise.
Instead, he relied on the only advantage that he had, which was his speed and mobility. He continued to avoid any frontal confrontation before ending this battle with one absolute strike.
…
Shin and Leonard observed the battles while waiting for the signal to move.
David, on the other hand, squinted his eyes as he stared at the three mutated humans with extreme focus. 'The strength and power of these three are definitely exceeding their previous abilities. It was as if all the stats that they used to have increased by a large margin while also enhancing the weaknesses that they previously have.'
By relying on his Enlighted Eyes, David could see the previous states that the three mutants originally had and deduce their original strengths.
'Artificial Mutants – this is clearly similar to the secret project that the Hextech Laboratory was conducting while using the 'Project Genius' as a front. From what I've heard, it is an immoral and illegal experiment that is concerning the creation of an army made of super soldiers that possessed peak talents and superhuman strengths.'
David was having an uneasy feeling as he closely observed the three mutants fighting his comrades.
He then paused for a moment and turned to the side, staring at the deeper parts of the woods nearby. His eyes seemed to be able to bypass the obstruction of the trees and bushes as he stared at a particular figure observing them from the dark.
'And there is another one that seemed to be in a much perfect state compared to these three. Just what are those guys planning to achieve?' thought David to himself before having a helpless sigh.
'First, let's find out how much progress these guys have achieved before I report it to master. Tsk! Why is it I am always dealing with this troublesome job?' he added as he got ready to fight.
...
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om