Zeus's trait was, if I remember correctly, that he said he could transform all. I doubt it was a grammatical error. I guess he means he can transform all things, Kara thought.
This clone is yet to attack. I guess I'll take my time. It probably won't attack me before I attack it. It's probably some kind of restriction placed on all the products of this null space, Kara thought.
She sat down. Her back then fell to the ground. She was resting.
The only incentive to execute these clones is the time factor. However, I can't rush in. After all, once I go at it, things are bound to get pretty ballistic.
Kara understood the urgency; she just deemed her victory to be more important.
If I do that... no, that won't work. What if I... no, that won't work as well.
Kara stood up. She began pacing around.
She took a step forward, then moved in circles. She stopped. She then began jumping until she stopped for some reason.
There's no monster here, except if these clones count as one.
I can't evolve monsters in the absence of one. I'll have to gamble on the possibility this clone would satisfy the condition.
Hmm. That's too risky. I'd need a fallback plan just in case.
What else could I do? I doubt anyone would think mana pulses would be effective, especially since they probably imitate our general stats as well.
"Come," Kara chanted. Her mana skin was a monster-like skirt connected to her palm via a string.
"Skill no. 2," she chanted.
Kara's ability allowed her to evolve monsters at will. It could be used against all monsters. When used on monsters, the moment the skill was activated, she possessed control of said monster. There was just one drawback: Kara's ability was ineffective against other vessels and hunters.
Unlike some of the other vessels, she'd already found a way to circumvent this issue—a loophole she attained after raising her evolution rate and bypassing the fifth wall of restriction.
Kara could now manipulate and store monsters in a special arsenal. This sub-trait allowed her to store and summon certain monsters after she'd evolved them previously. However, this in itself was not perfect.
The drawback was simple: Kara could only store dungeon fodder like goblins. She could evolve all monsters and use them in the moment; however, she could only save fodder monsters for the future. An evolved fodder was definitely still beyond a normal one, but for some reason, Kara hadn't been able to get it up to boss levels of strength.
Another drawback was versatility. Most dungeon fodder could only use small weapons. Evolving them only improved weapon proficiency and strength.
"I'm still pretty limited," she said.
Her spell no. 2 had summoned a grand goblin.
It was 100 times as strong, tens of times faster than a regular goblin.
"Charge, grand goblin," she commanded.
Kara knew the attack of the lone beast wouldn't be enough, so she was definitely planning something interesting.
The evolved beast charged. It hit the clone straight to the face. The spin it suffered was unexpected. The clone fell to the ground. The impact was apparent; however, the clone was without a scratch.
Conditions met. Now let's see if this thing counts as a monster, as it should.
Her eyes glowed red. She felt a surge of power. This translated to her feeling her presence expand. Kara had noted this feeling to be linked to the activation of her technique.
The clone's eyes turned normal from their original black. The evolution of the monster had begun. Its hair now resembled Zeus's golden.
What's going on?
The evolution made it look a lot like Zeus himself. That would have been an issue, but thank God I got control of this beast.
The clones couldn't speak, but they possessed intelligence.
They could think, but it wasn't really an objective consciousness governing them. It was more so something instinctive—subconscious, you could say.
Beast, the clone had heard.
Transform, it thought.
Original's skill—transform all.
New state, the clone thought.
Kara's control over the beast had come undone.
Originally, the clone was considered a beast and, as such, could be subject to Kara's skill. But with its new state, this was no longer the case.
Kara commanded the clone to step forward, and it did. When it reached where she was, she ordered the clone to kneel.
It knelt. All seemed well. Now Kara thought she'd need to kill this defenseless opponent.
Ha.
She laughed.
The floor beneath her rose abruptly as the clone seized it, ripping the ground upward like a sheet and hurling her backward. Her body slammed against the invisible surface behind her before she could regain balance.
In the next instant, the clone closed the distance.
A fist crashed into her ribs—sharp, precise, and heavy enough to knock the breath out of her lungs. Before she could react, another blow came from the opposite side, then another, each strike faster than the last.
Left. Right. A crushing jab to her midsection.
Her body jerked with each impact, her footing completely gone. The clone didn't pause—it pressed forward relentlessly.
A backhand strike sent her spinning. Before she could hit the ground, a knee drove into her stomach mid-air, folding her in half. The force alone sent shockwaves through her body.
She tried to guard, raising her arms, but the clone adapted instantly.
A downward hammer blow crashed onto her guard, forcing her arms apart. A follow-up strike slammed into her shoulder, then another into her chest, each one heavier than the last.
The rhythm of the attacks was suffocating.
No wasted motion. No hesitation.
A final kick landed squarely against her torso, sending her skidding across the ground.
After the flurry of attacks, Kara was in shock. She ordered the goblin to intervene. The grand goblin threw a punch, which was caught by the clone. The clone wound backward and prepared its own punch. It broke the goblin's unrestrained hand.
Left, right, jabs were sent until the goblin's pulse was no more.
Kara was truly on her own.
She did her best. No—she couldn't do her best. Why? Simply because of the hand she was dealt. Her skills were just a bad matchup.
Not just now, but in general, with cases like this involving vessels.
I thought that because of everything I got from the fifth wall, I was equipped with enough knowledge. It seems I was gravely mistaken.
There was no time for regret. The clone walked up to the vessel, its eyes looking dead straight into her soul, its intent all too clear.
Kara conceded. She knew there was nothing she could do at this point, so she wouldn't extend her own suffering and fight—at least, that's what she thought.
The clone raised its hand. A blade spawned out of nowhere. It was about to swing it and end everything.
"Screw this!" Kara shouted as she fired mana pulses at the clone.
She knew the effect would be nonexistent. She just did. It was a knee-jerk reaction.
The little smoke cleared. She met its eyes—no scratch, just steam oozing off the targeted body.
Her eyes immediately teared up. The blade was driven downward, and then she was—
She wasn't dead.
"Ahhh," she let out, her tears still present.
How am I not dead?
"Hang in there. I'll get this, and then we'll go help the others," a voice said.
Kara looked up. She was shocked to see Victor.
How was he here? Did he get transported here alongside her?
Go help the others when we're done. Does that mean he's done? Does that mean he's already beaten his paired clone?
Wait, wasn't he paired up with Xander's clone?