Moon examined the status screens of his new skills. The Swordmaster had done excellent work evolving these abilities before Moon copied them.
'He saved several thousand lives worth of evolution costs. The skills aren't bad either, they are pretty good.'
[Piercing Sword]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Level: MAX]
[Details: You are proficient with the sword, whether its to attack or parry. Your sword strikes have 100% Armor Piercing Effect. No defensive equipnt can reduce damage from your blade attacks.]
[Bird Dance]
[Rank: Epic]
[Level: MAX]
[Details: Unleashes a rapid, flowing sequence of slashes that mimics the unpredictable flight patterns of birds. Attack speed 100%. Attack power 100%.]
Reading through the effects of his mastered skills, Moon was more than satisfied with their end results. [Bird Dance] was his first Epic-rank close-combat skill, representing a significant milestone in his developnt.
He could now engage and eliminate S-rank beasts using purely physical combat techniques when necessary. The versatility this provided was invaluable for tactical flexibility.
Moon had effectively beco an S-rank threat across multiple specializations: magical combat, physical fighting, healing support, and utility applications. Few awakeners achieved such comprehensive capability.
After a few hours of travel toward his second target base, Moon arrived at the approach to the next captured facility. And, as he expected, he was ambushed while making his way up a hillside that provided obvious advantages for ambushers.
Having anticipated attacks at such a disadvantageous location, Moon dealt with the intercept team efficiently and effectively. He eliminated them so quickly that the group had no opportunity to alert their companions at the base about his presence.
Moon was confident that his arrival had gone completely unnoticed by the outcasts inside the second base. The previous Swordmaster had been too arrogant initially to take proper precautions, and once he'd discovered Moon's true power, Moon had never given him breathing room—let alone ti to communicate with his allies.
After crossing the hills that separated him from the base, Moon finally had clear sight of his second objective.
The carnage around the defensive walls was noticeably less than what he'd observed at Bastion Base.
The bodies of fallen awakeners had been completely stripped of weapons, armor, and all other valuable equipnt—claid as spoils of war by the victorious outcasts. A few beast corpses were scattered around the periter, but other beasts were already nibbling on them.
Suddenly, the communication device in Moon's pocket began vibrating with an incoming transmission.
'This is probably the leader of the second base trying to contact the Swordmaster,' Moon realized, his eyes on the base just ahead.
Moon had retrieved the communication equipnt from the defeated Swordmaster's corpse, knowing that spying on the enemy communications would provide valuable information.
He pulled out the device and listened to the transmission without responding.
The voice on the other end sounded impatient, clearly expecting an imdiate response from soone who would never answer again.
Moon smiled grimly, considering his next step of action. He could try to mimic the Swordmaster's voice, but there was a small complication.
Mimicking a dead man wasn't exactly easy.
Alternatively, radio silence from "Jason" would likely make the person speaking more alert and defensive, it might also create uncertainty and fear among the ranks.
After a few seconds of thinking, Moon decided to ignore the man. He was almost at their doorstep, anyways.
Moon pocketed the device again and continued his approach, prepared to reclaim another base.
♢♢♢♢
The beasts were consuming the remains of fallen humans and their own deceased companions when the surrounding temperature suddenly spiked to a noticeable level.
The more perceptive creatures raised their heads to investigate the disturbance. By the ti, they found the source of heat…they were already dead.
BOOM!
Violent, crackling flas erupted across their ranks, devouring everything in their path. So creatures were incinerated in a heartbeat, reduced to drifting ash, while others were left as blackened corpses—but none escaped the sa end: death Moon opened the battle by unleashing two massive fireballs at once, then continued hurling them at his enemies without stopping, utterly unafraid of pushing himself into a mana-deprived state.
By the ti he'd unleashed fifteen powerful fireball attacks, every beast positioned in front of the base gates and surrounding vicinity had been killed alongside a few awakeners.
Awakeners stationed on the facility's tall defensive walls attempted to stop his advance with ranged attacks, but their efforts proved futile. Arrows and spells missed their target due to Moon's constant repositioning and use of earthen barriers for cover.
As Moon approached the base alone, walking calmly through the field of burning corpses, a figure erged from the main entrance—a man wearing long, magical robes who Moon thought was presumably the sa person who had been attempting radio contact, judging by the powerful aura radiating from him.
Beside the robed leader stood a muscle-packed black panther, slightly smaller than the Panthora Moon had eliminated during the S-rank gate, but clearly another S-rank based on its presence.
'What exactly is this organization?' Moon wondered as he looked at the two S-Rankers on the opposition. 'These outcasts and beasts are working together like a team, fighting alongside each other with obvious partnership. What could their ultimate objective possibly be?'
The power of the organization was very concerning. Random criminal groups would never achieve this level of interspecies cooperation or power. This suggested sothing far more dangerous than simple banditry or resource theft.
But those questions could wait until after he'd completed his mission and extracted information from whatever survivors he chose to leave alive.
The mage and his panther companion didn't wait for Moon to make the first move. They launched their own offensive imdiately.
The panther leaped gracefully from the tall defensive wall, landing on the ground nimbly, two dark gems in its eye sockets locked onto Moon's figure.
ROARRR!!
The beast released a bone-chilling roar that seed to pierce directly into Moon's consciousness. For a mont, his body refused to respond to his command— his muscles locked in place as if frozen.
'A stunning ability built into its roar!' Moon realized with interest.
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