Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

"ARRGH!" Silas's agonized scream echoed through the deserted training grounds, a raw, guttural sound that seemed to resonate with the very stones beneath his knees.

He looked down in horror as a blade protruded from his chest, its metal slick with his blood, glistening under the harsh lights. Each beat of his heart seemed to pulse more blood out of the wound, each drop feeding the cold ground beneath him. Silas gasped, his vision blurring as his own blood poured freely, staining his clothes and splattering onto the sand.

"Damn it... just what kind of ability does this bastard have?!" Silas raged silently, feeling the pain radiate in waves as Sensei Josh twisted the blade with slow, cruel deliberation.

Silas gritted his teeth, forcing down the pain that threatened to engulf him. His fingers dug into the earth beneath him as he willed himself to rise. Gasping with effort, he staggered to his feet, eyes blazing with a newfound fury. Without a second thought, he pivoted sharply, swinging his fist with every ounce of strength he could summon toward Josh's face.

*BAM!*

The impact was brutal, sending a shockwave of force rippling through the air. Silas's punch landed squarely on Sensei Josh's face, connecting with a sickening crunch of bone. The sheer power behind the strike sent Josh flying backward, his body lifted from the ground and hurled several meters before it collided heavily with the floor. Silas's heart pounded as he watched Josh crumple, a small satisfaction growing within him. But he knew it wasn't over.

Breathing heavily, Silas looked down at the blade still embedded in his chest. With a steadying breath, he wrapped his blood-slicked fingers around the hilt, his grip tightening as he prepared to pull it free. In one swift, agonizing motion, he tore the blade from his flesh, gritting his teeth against the fresh surge of pain as blood flowed down his torso. But he knew that pain was temporary.

Already, the torn skin and tissue began to mend, knitting together under the influence of his enhanced healing ability. Within seconds, his chest was smooth and unmarked, leaving only the memory of pain behind.

Once healed, Silas lifted his gaze, eyes locking onto Sensei Josh, who was now picking himself up, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth with a look of mocking defiance. But there was something else in Josh's gaze—something that hinted at the tiniest flicker of fear. Silas took a step forward, and he saw Josh flinch, however slight, confirming his suspicions.

"What ability does this guy have?" Silas wondered, clenching his fists tightly as he pondered the strange fight unfolding before him. "None of my attacks are doing anything lasting. It's like I'm fighting a shadow, a hologram… or some kind of projection."

The realization dawned slowly, his mind piecing together the clues.

"Wait… a hologram. An illusion?" His jaw tightened as everything began to make sense. "Of course! It's all an illusion. That explains why my attacks don't seem to hurt him, why he keeps reappearing in different places like he's teleporting. And my soul points… they're not increasing when I hit him with my scythe. Normally, the scythe would draw power from my enemies' souls, but there's been nothing this whole time. That's because I'm not facing a real body. Just a trick of light and shadows."

Silas clenched his fists, his face darkening as he glared at Sensei Josh. "He's a Grade 4 mutant… that must be why his illusions can hurt me even though I can't harm him in return. Clever. But this ends now."

He tightened his grip, allowing a sneer to cross his face. "Damn illusionists. It's just a matter of time before I exhaust my stamina on these phantoms, and once I'm spent, the real coward will come out to finish me off."

But a cruel smile flickered on Silas's lips. "Fortunately for me, I've got a little trick up my sleeve as well. Total soul recovery…"

He flexed his fingers, feeling power surge through him as he gathered his resolve. With newfound clarity, he dismissed his scythe, the weapon vanishing from his hand, and prepared himself to close the distance between them with pure, unrelenting force.

[Active Skill: Lightning Dash Activated]

With a burst of energy, Silas activated his skill, propelling himself forward in an instant. Moving at near-inhuman speeds, he covered the ground between them in the blink of an eye, appearing mere inches from Josh's face. His right arm pulled back, he delivered a punch with all the force his body could muster.

*BAM!*

The punch landed with an impact that reverberated through the entire training ground, sending dust and debris spiraling into the air. The blow shattered Josh's jaw, twisting his head at an unnatural angle as it separated from his neck. Read new adventures at empire

The headless body collapsed to the ground in a sickening spurt of blood—but just as quickly, it dissolved into nothingness.

Anticipating the next illusion, Silas spun around, his eyes narrowing as he saw Sensei Josh reappear, blade in hand, preparing to strike from behind. But Silas was ready. He sidestepped the incoming attack with precise timing, watching as the blade sliced through empty air. Before Josh could react, Silas countered with another devastating punch, sending him flying backward yet again.

*BAM!*

Josh's form dissipated on impact, fading into thin air as the illusion shattered. Silas scanned his surroundings, his muscles coiled, ready to react. His eyes darted across the battlefield, waiting for the next ambush, his senses heightened as he braced himself.

A low chuckle interrupted the silence, and Sensei Josh's voice echoed from all around.

"So, you've figured it out, haven't you?" he sneered. "You know what my mutant ability is, but that won't make a difference. I hope you're ready to meet your end." He snapped his fingers, and four identical copies of himself materialized around Silas, each armed and glowering, their eyes glinting with malicious intent.

"Tsk." Silas rolled his eyes in irritation, but he didn't hesitate. Pulling his right arm back, he let dark energy flow through him, manifesting as glowing, razor-sharp claws that extended from his fingers, gleaming ominously.

[Active Skill: Soul Claws Activated]

Without wasting a second, he unleashed the claws, watching as five dark, ethereal claws shot forward with deadly accuracy, slicing through the air toward the clones of Sensei Josh.

The first line of clones raised their weapons in a desperate attempt to block, but as soon as their defenses dropped, the next wave of claws found their mark, ripping through flesh and bone with unrestrained power. In moments, the illusions crumbled to the ground, their heads severed from their bodies before dissolving into dust.

A faint sound—like a stifled cough—caught Silas's attention. He turned slowly, his gaze honing in on a small figure hiding several meters away, half-obscured by a fallen rock. Sensei Josh was slumped against it, blood trickling from his nose, his chest heaving with labored breaths as he tried to maintain control.

"Did he… really destroy my Grade 4 illusions like they were nothing?" Josh's thoughts were frantic, his mind reeling from the realization of Silas's strength. He was drained, his stamina nearly gone from the repeated exertion of crafting and controlling the illusions. Each breath felt heavier, each heartbeat a painful reminder of his vulnerability. "I thought… he would have been dead by now. But somehow, he…"

Before he could finish the thought, the rock he was hiding behind was wrenched away, lifted effortlessly into the air and tossed aside as though it weighed nothing. Josh looked up, his face draining of color as Silas loomed over him, his expression dark and unfeeling, his gaze hard and unyielding.

"Found you." Silas's voice was a low, cold whisper, devoid of any sympathy or restraint. His eyes glowed with a dangerous light, casting shadows across his face that made him look almost inhuman. The menace in his voice sent a chill down Josh's spine, his body frozen as he stared into the face of his own impending doom.