DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SERIES/COVER ART INVOLVED IN THIS STORY.
ERGOAN: Siren can't use esper powers. I decided to prevent him from being able to do so for balancing reasons, and because his sense of logic would overwrite his morality and he'd just consume everyone to gain enough power to beat the Evolved.
GOMT8: I responded to your review through a PM. Thank you for the review, and thanks again for the link.
GUEST: Even so, it's still extremely awkward to write, especially since Clara is 30+ years old (she has no assigned age because I didn't think that would be important). As for future Prototype crossovers; it's possible, but I don't have anything specific planned right now. If you have suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.
Chapter 38
Turning Tables
"I know how to beat you now!" roared Laren as he jumped at the two girls. The electric esper looked shocked and terrified—probably because of the injury her friend sustained and because of Laren's approach.
That teleporting girl makes it nearly impossible to hit those two because she can just teleport away. However, if she doesn't see the attack coming, she can't dodge it! Just gather enough Infected, and we can swarm them with numbers. Slow, but it should work.
Laren blinked in surprise when lighting built up around the electric esper. Her head was hung a little lower than usual, and he could faintly make out an expression of disbelief and shock all across her face. That disbelief and shock quickly turned to unrestrained fury as the girl spread her arms out, shrieking as electricity fired in every direction from her.
Laren squinted slightly as he was blinded momentarily by the light show. The next second, the force of the girl's attack pushed him—and the nearby Hunters—back like dolls. Grunting as he flipped in the air, he felt his feet slam into a rooftop, his body skidding to a stop.
"Kuroko!"
He heard her before he saw her. The electric esper was shouting the name of her downed friend, presumably, while trying to reach her. Laren growled slightly, his head swiveling towards the sound of the girl's voice as he looked for her.
Her blast had caused smoke and debris to rise into the air, obscuring his vision. He leapt forward, knowing that if he couldn't see her, she most likely couldn't see him. Fortunately for him, he could hear the electric esper talking to her friend, trying to assure her that everything will be alright.
He smirked slightly as he moved towards the sound of the panicked voice of Misaka Mikoto.
*Page Break*
"Kuroko, Kuroko!" shouted Mikoto, sliding to her knees next to her friend. Her arm was obviously broken and torn in various placed, a testament to the immense strength of the Hunters.
How is her body not in pieces right now?
"O-" Kuroko stopped speaking for a second as she violently coughed. "Onee-sama, are you ok?"
Mikoto sighed in relief upon hearing her friend's voice. "Kuroko, you're going to be ok. I'm going to get you out of here, and we're going to patch you up."
Kuroko was shaking her head before Mikoto could finish the sentence. "Remember what Aleister said? We won't get any more chances after this. We have to stall Laren long enough for—" she coughed again, wheezing slightly.
Mikoto's eyes suddenly widened as she saw a figure darting about in the smoke. Acting on instinct, she picked up Kuroko, ignoring the girl's cry of agony and ran, just as Laren came flying out of the smoke, landing right were Kuroko had been lying.
Realizing she had nowhere else to go, Mikoto whirled around, gently setting Kuroko down before turning to face an approaching Laren. Before they could begin fighting, however, Mikoto felt something brushing against her foot. Looking down, she blinked when she saw a smiling Kuroko, her good arm—the one that hadn't just been shredded by the Hunter—brushing against her leg.
Suddenly, the two were on a different rooftop, a decent distance from Laren. Mikoto immediately knelt next to Kuroko, looking the girl over. "How badly are you injured? Can you tell if you've broken anything other than—"
"I—" Kuroko stopped and took a shaky breath. "I moved out of the way on instinct when the Hunter tried to hit me. He hit me with his palm—" Words failed her as she gave a wet cough.
Mikoto looked down at her friend. Part of her was terrified, but part was relieved. "If the Hunter didn't scratch you, you're not infected, but the bones in your arm have cut through you in various places, and being smacked across the rooftop tore you up pretty badly too…"
Mikoto bit her lip, wondering what to do. "Onee-sama," Kuroko began. "We need to keep on fighting. The others are counting on us to do our part. Academy City itself is counting on us. We don't have the luxury of failure. I can still teleport you around, but I can't grab onto you. Nor can I—ah!" Kuroko let out a yelp of pain and hissed. "Oh no," she whispered, her eyes widening. "The shock is wearing off and I'm beginning to feel the pain," she choked out while gasping.
Mikoto's fists clenched. "Crap! We can't leave but you're in no position to fight!"
"I-it's ok, Onee-sama. I know you can beat him. Knock him down and keep him that way until Siren can consume him. I can still teleport around with you, but—"
Mikoto's eyes widened as she thought of something. Turning around, she ran to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the ground. Taking a small breath, she fired a large blast of electricity at the ground, watching as the road was torn apart upon impact. Running back to Kuroko, she gently picked up her friend and carried her over to the edge of the rooftop.
"You see that crater down there?" asked Mikoto. "I need you to teleport us to it." Kuroko only nodded, shutting her eyes in concentration, and the next thing she knew, Mikoto was standing on the road next to the crater she created. Various Infected shuffled about, drawing closer, and reminding Mikoto that she needed to hurry.
Reaching out with her palm, lighting snaked from her fingertips, burrowing itself into the brown earth that she had exposed by destroying the road. She watched with satisfaction as clouds of iron rose from the dirt, coming together in the palm of her hand to form a long, thin sword.
The clouds of iron vibrated in her hand, turning the sword into something of a chainsaw. As the Infected around her drew closer, she whirled around, reaching out with her sword and cutting them to pieces almost instantly.
When the closest Infected fell to the ground with various missing body parts, she turned to Kuroko. "Alright, Kuroko," she began. "Try teleporting to the hospital, and wait there. I've got a score to settle."
*Page Break*
Grevin gasped as Siren's foot slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards. The Evolved's Whipfists shot out, piercing Siren's shoulders and pulling him along. The Prototype grunted as Grevin suddenly lurched forward, slamming his head against Siren's.
He stumbled back before jumping backwards, flipping in the air and planting his hands on the ground before using them to spring away. Grevin swung his Whipfist around to try and hit Siren, only to growl when the Prototype dashed out of the way. Siren frowned as he glanced at the Evolved.
Alright, his communications are gone, and he's alone out here. The only problem is if he tries to destroy my earpiece.
Siren formed his own Whipfist before swinging it at Grevin, who mirrored the action. The Evolved's Whipfist tangled with Siren's and for a minute, the two were locked together. Grevin instantly swung out with his other Whipfist, aiming at Siren's side.
Siren held up his free hand, forming his Shield and allowing Grevin's Whipfist to bounce off. Instead of yanking on the Whipfist he currently had, Siren charged forward, holding the Shield out in front of him. He heard Grevin shout in surprise and jump out of the way. At the same time, Siren felt his own Whipfist being tugged, and yanked back, his increased strength overpowering the Evolved and dragging him back to the ground.
As Grevin slammed into the street, Siren jumped into the air, replacing his Shield and Whipfist with a pair of Hammerfists, and dove towards the downed Evolved. Grevin rolled out of the way the moment he could, narrowly avoiding Siren's attack.
Bouncing backwards, Grevin back flipped over an Infected, quickly giving it a slight tap on the neck. The Infected doubled over as tentacles writhed around its body. Siren's eyes widened as Grevin spun around, kicking the Infected at him.
The Prototype jumped out of the way as the Infected landed, watching as the creature bounced across the street while tentacles fired from its body in every direction. Various other Infected, as well as inanimate objects, were grabbed and instantly pulled into a central point around the Infected.
Bio-bombs.
Luke's memories offered information on the practice of using biological organisms as bombs, but that particular Evolved had never tried doing so, nor did he know how to.
I guess consuming Grevin should give me the ability to do that.
Said Evolved was repeating the action, using one Whipfist to reel in stray Infected and using his other hand to quickly poke them in the neck, all before launching them at Siren. The silver-haired fighter dodged and ducked, jumping around and looking for an opportunity to attack Grevin.
He's a lot faster than Clara was when she was throwing around those bio-bombs.
A Whipfist formed on his arm and Siren launched it forward, aiming at the Evolved. However, Grevin sidestepped, just before throwing an Infected that was in his arms. Siren braced himself as the Infected slammed into him, tendrils shooting out and dragging various objects—both living and nonliving—towards him and slamming them against him.
He fell from the air, flipping and pointing his hands at the ground as he formed his Hammerfists. He slammed into the street, spikes erupting from the ground in a triangle-shaped pattern, heading straight for Grevin, forcing him to jump into the air to avoid being impaled.
Without Infected to throw, Siren knew he had a clear shot at Grevin. With a roar, he launched himself into the air, yanking the spikes back into his fists. Quickly forming his Blade in one hand and a Claw in the other, he spun in the air, holding out the longer weapon in an attempt to cut Grevin.
The Evolved, though slower, barely managed to dodge the attack, but before he could get out of the way, Siren reached out with his Claw, three of the bladed digits piercing Grevin's chest. Before his opponent could react, Siren had replaced his Blade with another Claw, wrapping it around Grevin and flipping backwards, pointing Grevin's head at the ground as he let gravity take hold.
They fell to the street with a crash, kicking up debris and Infected in every direction. For a moment, the two shape shifters didn't move. Then, Siren felt Grevin twist out of his grasp, whirling around on the ground until he could stand up. Siren dove out of the way as Grevin hauled himself to his feet.
The Prototype failed to stand before Grevin attacked, lashing out with his Whipfists. Both weapons dug into Siren's chest, and Grevin turned around, throwing Siren over his head, but maintaining his hold. The action resulted in Siren slamming into the ground headfirst, with Grevin's Whipfists still in his body.
Grevin tried spinning around, but Siren planted a hand on the ground, reinforcing it with his Musclemass power. Grevin found himself unable to drag Siren, and looked back, only to shout in surprise as Siren yanked on his Whipfist with a powerful limb that was reinforced with Musclemass.
Siren jumped to his feet, still holding on to the Whipfist. He began spinning in a circle, whirling the Evolved around before letting go, watching as Grevin went flying into a building, causing Siren to smirk.
He's got no chance of winning this. He can barely hurt me, and he can't call for backup. Still, I need to remain calm; never a smart idea to underestimate these guys.
To prove his point, Grevin shot out of the building, spreading his limbs and unleashing an animal-like shriek as red mist erupted from his body. Siren's eyes widened as he realized what he had just let Grevin do. With a grunt, he dashed forward, jumping into the air and forming his Claws. He pounced at the other shape shifter, only to miss and watch with no small amount of annoyance as the Evolved plummeted to the ground, all while turning to Siren, and giving him a cocky wave.
Siren's head snapped up as he heard the sounds of approaching Hunters—three of them, to be exact. With a growl, Siren swung around to face Grevin, only to be treated to a face-full of Grevin's Whipfists. Temporarily blinded by the blades in his face, Siren fell to the ground, landing with a thud.
Before he could recover, he felt something land on top of him—something heavy. He grunted as a foot slammed into his chest repeatedly. His hands flew up to his face, and he quickly yanked the Whipfists out. He focused on regenerating at least one eye so that he could see, and when sight finally returned to him, he saw Grevin raising both hands over his head.
Siren kicked out with his legs, disrupting the Evolved's attack and breaking free. He rolled away, his other eye already regenerating, along with the rest of his face. He spun around, ready to face the Evolved once more, only to jump back in surprise as a Hunter came crashing through cars as it charged him.
Siren vaulted over the creature, planting his hand on its back for support before forming Claws on his free hand and digging into the Hunter's back. Powerful muscles and a thick hide prevented him from doing any real damage, but it was enough to stun the Hunter.
Great. Now that I've killed Luke, the other Evolved are more paranoid when fighting me. I should expect them to call in backup when we battle.
Sure enough, more Hunters came bounding over the rooftops, jaws hanging open, showing their yellow, bloody teeth. Turning around, he quickly spotted Grevin running up the side of a nearby building. "Oh no you don't," Siren growled as he took off after the Evolved. Dodging blows from the approaching Hunters, Siren made his way to the same building, quickly jumping up the side, only occasionally planting his feet on the wall as he launched himself upwards again and again.
Because of his superior speed, he soon caught up to Grevin. The Evolved had yet to notice him, so Siren quickly formed his Whipfist and sent it flying at Grevin. The weapon buried itself in the Evolved's back, much to his surprise and fury. Siren yanked Grevin back down, jumping from the wall and tackling the other shape shifter midair as the two began falling.
Siren pointed Grevin's head at the ground, frowning as the Evolved slashed at him with his Whipfists, but to no avail. With the ground quickly approaching, Siren braced for impact, silently hoping that no Hunter would crash into them. Luckily, no such thing happened, and the two shape shifters soon hit the ground with a thunderous crash. Grevin momentarily went limp in Siren's arms, but just as Siren pulled back his fist, Grevin sat up, his head making painful contact with Siren's.
The Prototype stumbled back, blood pouring over his eyes, temporarily blinding him. He felt a foot connect with his chest, just before something incredibly large tackled him from behind. Siren instantly realized that a Hunter was on top of him, and grunted in surprise when the creature picked him up in its jaw, shaking its head from side to side like a shark to tear him to pieces.
Siren mentally cursed the creature, all while pulling back his free hand and forming a Hammerfist. He slammed the mace-like limb on the head of the Hunter, causing it to stumble and let go of him. The moment his feet hit the ground, Siren jumped into the air, raising both fists over his head, his non-Hammerfist hand quickly forming into the weapon of choice before he dropped, slamming both Hammerfists on the head of the Hunter. The creature gave a weak groan before tentacles shot out from Siren's body, partially consuming the beast.
Before the other Hunters could intervene, Siren turned around, only to see Grevin trying to reach his other Hunters. With an annoyed groan, Siren shot off after him, jumping through the air and allowing his superior speed to do its work. He could tell that Grevin would reach the Hunters before he'd reach Grevin, so the two creatures would probably try to stop Siren the moment he got close.
Frowning, he spread his limbs and glided forward, all before angling his body downwards and diving forwards, arms held still at his sides. He aimed at the Hunters that Grevin would surely meet soon, and waited as his body flew at the beasts.
As he neared them, he flipped forward, aiming his feet at the ground and crashed into it, the force generated by his attack sending both the Hunters and Grevin flying. The Evolved gave a shout of surprise, failing to recover quickly. Siren jumped into the air after him, forming Claws on both his hands, and pounced at the Evolved, Claws fanned out and ready to shred the viral being.
Unfortunately, said viral being managed to recover, and twisted out of the way. Siren ended up missing him by a few inches, which only made him more frustrated. His thoughts were cut short, however, as a deafening roar sounded throughout the area. Siren smirked at the sound of the Leader Hydra's roar.
That thing's still alive…let's hope it stays that way.
*Page Break*
Rika grinned as her fist made contact with Clara's head, the gloves doing their work as a small burst of electricity sent the Evolved stumbling back in surprise. Rika moved forward, aiming a high kick at Clara's head. The Evolved tried to block with her forearm, but a burst of electricity from the boot momentarily stunned her. Rika, seeing an opportunity, sprang forward, slamming her head into Clara's face.
In the distance, she could hear the roars of the Leader Hydra as it battled Ares. The creature's timing had been impeccable, and Rika planned on making full use of the opportunity by beating Clara to the point where the woman wasn't capable of walking, much less fighting.
I'd have to get past her healing factor and damage her to the point where she's too weak to heal, but whatever; I don't care how long it takes.
Said healing factor was probably the thing that put the Evolved so far above any of the other Infected—save for the Prototypes—and Rika knew it was an issue that had to be addressed. With a growl, she sprang forward, noting the faint blue light from the gloves, indicating that she had two or three more strikes left before the gloves needed recharging.
Luckily I've got the boots!
A wordless roar tore past Rika's lips as she launched herself at Clara, aiming a kick at the woman's head. Said woman craned her neck to the side, her entire body leaning in the same direction to avoid the kick. Her hand shot out, grabbing Rika by the ankle and slamming her into the ground. With the limb encased in her Musclemass power, the throw had much more power behind it.
Still, Rika recovered quickly, planting her hands on the ground and lashing out with her foot. Clara jumped over her kick, raising both hands over her head as she prepared to slam them down on Rika. The dark-haired girl raised her arms, catching Clara's wrists. The force behind Clara's attack was enough to activate the gloves, tricking them into thinking that Rika had punched something. The devices discharged electricity, and while the armguards protected Rika's arms, Clara wasn't so lucky.
Lightning snaked up Clara's arms, causing her to grunt from a mixture of surprise and pain. Rika let go of the Evolved, jumping to her feet as Clara stumbled back. The Evolved's resistance to electrical attacks wasn't as complete as what the Prototypes had to offer—mostly because the Prototypes were quite literally made of a stronger substance.
Rika smirked as she realized that her attacks were that much more effective against Clara than against Ares. With the Prototype busy with the Leader Hydra, Rika was free to punish this Evolved for what she did.
And punish her she would.
Rika planted a kick in the center of the Evolved's stomach, a sizable amount of lighting discharging from her foot as Clara was pushed back. The Evolved was clearly annoyed with the constant lighting-based attacks she was facing, because she bounced back, red mist gathering around her body.
Rika made the mistake of pausing in confusion, only to realize that Clara was calling for more Infected. The dark-haired girl cursed under her breath as Clara let out a loud roar, the red mist around her body exploding in a massive cloud. Knowing that more Infected would soon arrive, Rika dashed forward, jumping into the air with a roar and bringing both fists down in an attempt to hit Clara.
The woman rolled out of the way, stopping on all fours and lifting a massive piece of the road off the ground and holding it over her head. With a grunt, the woman threw the makeshift weapon, causing Rika to dive out of the way. The moment Rika moved, the Evolved was in front of her, foot cocked back in preparation for a kick. Rika's eyes widened as Clara's foot met her midsection, causing her to cough as the force of the kick forced the air from her lungs. Rika was sent flying backwards by Clara's kick and she could feel something break.
Rika landed with a grunt, rolling across the street to help absorb the impact. She finally came to a messy stop, the broken ribs and organs beneath quickly repairing themselves. Rika spat out a bit of blood before looking back at Clara, who was already charging in for another attack. Rika narrowed her eyes and raised a hand to her earpiece.
"Mikoto, lightning please," she said. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and Rika paused with worry as Clara approached. Finally, the gloves and boots sparked as Mikoto channeled power from somewhere. Rika grinned before sprinting forward at Clara. The woman had her own fist cocked back as she approached, a wide grin on her face.
The two both punched at the same time, and both landed a hit. Clara's fist slammed into Rika's cheek, while Rika's fist found Clara's cheek. The Musclemass-empowered fist that hit Rika sent her flying, but at the same time, Rika's punch sent Clara flying as well, plus, the woman suffered the electrical shock delivered by the gloves. Rika found herself bouncing across the street once more before skidding to a stop, slightly annoyed that Clara had managed to land two hits like that.
Rika rose to her full height, raising her hand and aiming her palm at Clara. With her free hand, she pushed the button on her glove, and watched as a blast of electricity was sent in Clara's direction. The female Evolved, clearly not expecting such an attack, was caught completely off guard, and thrown backwards by the blast of electricity.
Rika rushed forward, fully intent on beating the Evolved into submission if she had to. Her footsteps created cracks in the street from her weight, and by the time she was in a full sprint, the earth would crack and split wherever she stepped.
This was the bitch that murdered my family.
Her anger pushed her, and she sped up, eyes shrinking in fury as she tackled her family's murderer. Clara grunted, but a grin quickly spread across her face as she grappled with Rika. Rika's leg shot forward, but Clara blocked with her own leg. Unfortunately for the Evolved, the electricity discharge by Rika's boots threw her off, causing her to jerk her foot back as the dark-haired girl made contact.
Rika seized the moment and kicked again, only for Clara to block again. The electricity discharged into Clara, causing her to make a noise that was something of a cross between a moan and a growl. The boots and gloves were the only thing preventing the electricity from doubling back into Rika, but she couldn't move away—not when her hands were interlocked with Clara's and the two were pushing with all their might to gain an advantage over the other.
Suddenly, Clara leaned back, allowing herself to fall backwards. Rika yelped as she stumbled forward, falling on Clara. The Evolved raised her legs—both still healing after the attacks Rika performed—and planted them on Rika's stomach. Though her legs weren't at their full strength, Clara was still able to exert a considerable amount of force, and shoved Rika away hard enough to send the girl stumbling backwards.
Clara dove out of the way as Rika regained her balance. Rika growled, eyes narrowing at the female Evolved before she whirled around, facing Clara, holding one arm forward and pointing the palm at her. A smirk spread across Rika's face as she pushed the button.
Eat lighting, bitch!
*Page Break*
Ares swung his Blade to cut through the tendrils that had been holding his leg. The moment he did so, more tendrils coiled around his arm, quickly dragging him backwards and slamming him into the ground.
The Prototype growled as he cut himself free for what felt like the millionth time. Rolling away from the massive Hydra-arm that slammed into the ground, he jumped to his feet, attempting to put some distance between himself and the Leader Hydra. Again, the creature fired a barrage of tendrils at him, all while fending off the Hunters that Ares can regurgitated.
It's different this time. Last time, it felt like I was fighting some mindless animal. Now…it's almost…desperate. Almost like it's trying to stall me, rather than kill me. But then again, this thing is probably one of Mercer's creations. He must be controlling it, he's gotto be.
He cut through most of the tendrils that had been fired in his general direction, but again, one or two slipped through, and managed to drag him back. It had been like this ever since the Leader Hydra had appeared; it would do everything in its power to prevent him from leaving. After realizing that the Evolved were no longer in contact—probably because their earpieces had been destroyed—Ares had decided to stay behind and deal with the Leader Hydra. He couldn't exactly go prancing around the city looking for his Evolved with this thing chasing after him and shredding through his Infected army.
He grunted as he avoided a tendril that had tried pinning him to the ground by impaling him. Twisting his body to dodge it, he curled into a ball, reaching out with his Blade and slicing through the two tendrils wrapped around his left leg. With them out of the way, he leapt backwards, watching as another Hunter was tossed aside by the Leader Hydra. The creature turned on him and rushed forward as fast as it could. Activating his Tendrils power, Ares sent his own barrage at the Leader Hydra, only for it to counter with an attack that was almost identical in nature.
His tendrils intertwined with the Leader Hydra's, and Ares kept it busy while issuing a mental command to his Hunters to attack from behind. Several of the hulking beasts pounced on the back of the Leader Hydra, desperately trying to pierce its thick hide with little progress.
The Leader Hydra only shot out more tendrils, wrapping them around the Hunters and slowly prying them off its back while fending off Ares' tendrils.
Good grief, what the fuck did Mercer do to this thing to make it fight for him like this?
The Leader Hydra began slithering forward, throwing aside Infected and cars alike as it approached Ares. The Prototype jumped back, retracting his tendrils as the Leader Hydra shot more at him. Twin Shields formed on his arms, and he held them up around him, feeling the impact as the tendrils bounced off. The Shields held up, blocking the Leader Hydra's attacks, but Ares knew that he had to find a way to kill this thing before his Evolved were killed.
If I go running around the city without any way to contact the others, this thing will just chase me and destroy Infected as it moves. No, it has to be stopped here.
He spread his arms, allowing massive spikes to grow out of the Shields as they stabbed at any tendrils that were still nearby. The tendrils retracted momentarily to avoid being impaled, and Ares took the opportunity to dive to the ground, eyeing the Leader Hydra as he fell. His arms transformed into Hammerfists, and the moment he hit the ground, he jumped into the air, moving towards the Leader Hydra.
The creature began firing its tendrils at him, giving him its attention. Ares issued a mental command to the surrounding Infected, and watched as Hunters and lesser Infected alike threw themselves at the Leader Hydra to try and slow it down as much as possible. For a second, the beast focused on the Infected attacking it, giving Ares the window of opportunity he needed.
He dashed forward, pumping biomass into his legs and running as fast as he could. Before the Leader Hydra could react, Ares threw his entire body forward, aiming an outstretched Hammerfist at the Leader Hydra. The creature seemed to notice him at the last second, because it stretched its body out of the way, much to Ares' surprise.
The Prototype's attack didn't actually make contact with the Leader Hydra; instead, he ended up slamming into the ground behind it, though he was still very close to it. The shockwave generated by his attack still damaged the creature a little, but the ground he landed on and the Infected around him where what was most affected.
Whirling around, Ares raising his fist high into the air before slamming it down, sending tendrils through the ground that rose from the street as large spikes. Several of the spikes impaled the Leader Hydra's lower body, causing it to shriek in fury. Ares jumped back, still watching the creature. Deciding to experiment, Ares turned around and ran. However, before he got far, several tendrils shot into his back, dragging him back onto the battlefield.
Rolling on his side, Ares glanced back at the Leader Hydra with a frown. The creature wasn't as focused on killing him as it was stalling him, so either Mercer had an amazing degree of control over it over long distances or he was still somewhere very close.
No…that wouldn't make sense. He's not that stupid; he knows he can't beat me on his own, so he's trying to stall me while he tries to consume the Evolved.
Ares' eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind—a thought that he had considered for some time, but had never found the opportunity to make it a reality. For the first time since the fight started, Ares let a small smirk cross his face.
This…might actually work in my favor.
Explanations/Clarifications
Ares' Behavior: I just thought I'd tell you all that there is indeed a reason for Ares' strange behavior (why he's not desperately trying to save the Evolved). That reason will soon be revealed.