John straightened, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Got it.
Tui Lang sneered at John's seemingly calm reaction. "You're still standing? What a joke. You didn't even ntion this so-called power of yours," he taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.
John tapped the gold bracelet on his wrist, unbuckling it and tossing it into the air. The bracelet split into multiple parts, scattering throughout the battlefield. So glowed orange, others purple, positioning themselves in a wide formation around Tui Lang.
Tui Lang raised an eyebrow, glancing at the glowing markers. "What is this? So kind of joke?"
Without giving him ti to think, John activated his brass knuckles and fired off a shot, the bullet ricocheting around Tui Lang's kinetic shield with a sharp ping. The energy crackled as Tui Lang laughed, his massive fra absorbing the blow. He grinned, his muscles bulging as he rushed at John again, this ti faster.
Tui Lang's heavy fist thundered toward John again, the ground beneath him trembling with each step. He barreled forward like a human wrecking ball, his muscles bulging, confidence oozing from every movent. The ground cracked under the force of his advance, the kinetic energy swirling around him in visible waves, like ripples in the air.
John dodged to the side just in ti, his body moving with a grace that seed almost unnatural for soone so injured. His eyes flickered with orange light, taking in the incoming strike before it even landed. His Mind's Eye buzzed with Tui Lang's thoughts—rage, arrogance, and a belief that his invincibility was unquestionable.
He's relying too much on that shield, John thought, rolling out of the way of another swing. The glowing orbs from his bracelets—now scattered throughout the field—buzzed faintly, their positioning perfect. Good. That's what I want.
Tui Lang sneered, his bowl-cut hair swaying with each thunderous motion. "What's the point of dodging?" he spat, lunging again, his fist flying forward. "You can't break ! My Force Dominion will crush you before you can even touch !"
John smirked. He had seen enough. Tui Lang was formidable, yes—his Blood Iron Body was practically impenetrable, and the Force Dominion around him was a nearly impenetrable barrier of kinetic energy. But there was a gap, a weakness. John had seen it in the subtle lag between Tui Lang's attacks, a mont when the energy around him wavered. It was small—almost imperceptible—but it was there.
John weaved between Tui Lang's strikes, his mind already calculating the next move. He could feel the tension in the air, the hum of his scattered bracelets creating an invisible net around them both. He needed to get in close—close enough to deliver the final blow—but not without setting everything in motion.
Tui Lang snarled, growing more frustrated with every miss. He raised both fists, bringing them down like hamrs toward John. The impact hit the ground with a deafening crash, splintering the earth and sending rocks flying in all directions. But John wasn't there.
Instead, he had already moved, ducking low, letting the montum of Tui Lang's missed strike leave him overextended. With a swift movent, John tapped his knuckles together, the capsules in his brass knuckles clicking into place. His fingers tightened around the cold tal.
The orange and purple orbs from his bracelets lit up, casting a dim glow across the battlefield. Tui Lang looked up, confusion flashing in his eyes as he realized the orbs were all around him, circling like predatory stars.
"What is this?" Tui Lang roared, spinning around to face John. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"
John didn't respond. Instead, he darted forward with the speed of soone who knew exactly what his enemy was thinking. As Tui Lang swung again, John's body slipped between the massive arms, moving like water around the brute's strength. The kinetic energy that once protected Tui Lang seed to ripple, montarily out of sync with his movents.
Now.
In a blur, John leapt upward, pushing off the ground with every bit of strength he had left. His feet hit Tui Lang's knees, bouncing off them like a springboard, launching him higher. He grabbed hold of the giant's broad shoulders and twisted his body with a fluid grace, flipping himself upward until he perched on Tui Lang's shoulders, balancing there as the giant stumbled, trying to shake him off.
Tui Lang roared in frustration, his massive hands reaching up to swat John away. "Get off , you insect!"
But John's grip was firm, his legs coiled around Tui Lang's neck like a vice. He didn't flinch as Tui Lang's hands grazed his side. Instead, he adjusted his position, and with a final surge of energy, he raised his brass knuckles high.
The world seed to slow as John's Mind's Eye honed in on the perfect mont. His vision locked onto Tui Lang's thoughts, the giant's mind scrambling in disbelief. He's actually going to try it, Tui Lang's thoughts echoed. He thinks he can break !
But John knew better. His knuckles glowed faintly, the refined ammo inside pulsing with power. With a deep breath, John brought his fist down in one swift motion, slamming the brass knuckles into the top of Tui Lang's skull.
There was a sharp, deafening crack as the impact connected, the force of the punch reverberating through the air. The bullet from John's knuckles fired directly into Tui Lang's skull, the kinetic energy rippling outward in a shockwave. For a split second, Tui Lang's body froze, the kinetic shield around him shattering like glass.
His knees buckled, and with a final, guttural groan, Tui Lang collapsed forward, his enormous body crashing into the dirt. John stood over him, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his brow as the adrenaline began to fade. Blood seeped from the gash in his ankle, and he dropped to one knee, gripping the wound tightly to slow the flow.
Rosana rushed forward, her eyes wide with concern as she knelt beside him. "What the hell was all of that?" she demanded, scanning him for other injuries. "I didn't know you could do all of that!"
John chuckled weakly, leaning back against a tree for support. "Well… it helps when I'm not tied down by strings," he muttered, referencing his earlier fight. "I struggle with people who like to keep a distance. But up close? I'm a different beast."
Ty, who had been watching in silence, nodded slowly. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze locked on the faint glow of John's bracelets. Maybe I should trust him, Ty thought, the battle replaying in his mind. Still... those bracelets. They feel...
out of place. Sothing about them isn't sitting right with .
As Ty's thoughts swirled, his attention was drawn to John, who stood once more, wincing as he put pressure on his injured ankle. John towered over Tui Lang's lifeless body, his breath still labored. Blood dripped from the giant's skull, staining the earth beneath him.
John lifted his hand, his bracelets shifting as if alive, retracting one by one back onto his forearm and back into their usual positions. All except for one.
That bracelet hovered over Tui Lang's body for a mont, pulsing faintly. Then, without warning, it turned a pale, ghostly white and latched onto the dead man's form. A faint shimr surrounded it, and for a brief second, Ty thought he saw Tui Lang's essence, like a shadowy figure, being sucked into the bracelet.
The once-white glow dulled, turning light brown before slamming back into John's arm with a force that made him flinch.
Ty snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice sharp.
John turned to him, flexing his wrist as the bracelet settled back into place. Rosana stood as well, her expression just as confused.
"Oh, these?" John said, glancing at the bracelets with a casual shrug. "They don't just create waypoints. They also steal the outward skill of the person I kill. One-ti usage kind of deal. It's not great—has a ti limit—but it's unique enough. Niche." He scratched his head.
"Never used it much since, well… I don't exactly spend my life killing people."
Ty's eyes flicked from John's bracelets to Tui Lang's body, the unease in his gut only growing. Outward skills? He thought about the implications—what it ant to carry the abilities of those you killed. It was practical, sure, but the thought of using soone else's power like that... it unsettled him.
Rosana crossed her arms, tilting her head as she studied John. "And you've had that... ability all this ti? What's the limit?"
John leaned back against the tree, taking a deep breath. "Once I use the skill, it's gone. The bracelet absorbs the energy and gives one shot with it. That's all. Then it fades, and I move on."
Ty frowned, still eyeing the bracelets. "And what about the other ones? They seem... strange."
John looked down at his wrists, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, they're not from here," he admitted with a faint smile. "Got them from a place far from where you guys are from. They've been useful, though. Saved my ass more tis than I can count." Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
Rosana gave him a sideways glance. "Still, you have to admit… it's a bit unnerving. Stealing abilities from people you've killed? That's heavy."
John shrugged, brushing off the concern. "It's not like I go around collecting powers for fun. But in the heat of battle… well, you use what you've got."
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