"Is this your hidden card? Your big move?" Alex asked genuinely. Why would the man waste so much time talking just make a pair of extra hands made of rocks and sand?
"Boy, it seems there is one thing you lack heavily, its knowledge. But it's not your fault. The place you were born is backward. These are the feared weapons of the Rank 3 One-eyed Rock Python's Claw that I developed after years of research on the Demon Beast. You won't understand without first experiencing it yourself." Francis was a little upset seeing his greatest creation being belittled by a young man. It's not easy to make a new Elemental or Martial skills.
If a person can create even the Lowest grade skills of the Black Rank, then he would be respected by many sects and the big clans and be given an olive branch to jump on their side.
Martial and elemental techniques are mostly derived from the Demon Beast innate abilities.
If his technique were to be graded, then it would rank as low-Grade Yellow Ranked Elemental Skill, in terms of power and complexity, which was very commendable.
"I don't need to experience your third rate imitation of the Rank 3 Demon Beast because I know you can't make use of it fully since you don't have the Bloodline related to the Rock python or any earth element-based bloodline." Alex knew about the Demon Beast that Francis was talking about since it was mentioned in the Demon Beast compendium he had read in his free time.
"Brat!" Francis was furious at the moment because Alex said the exact thing which he regretted the most for not possessing.
The fake imitation of the One-eyed Rock python behind his back moved as if it had a mind of its own. Francis ran while brandishing his new claws towards Alex.
Facing Francis at present, Alex felt a considerable pressure. It had to be said that to Alex, a Late-Stage Elemental Gathering Realm Cultivator was very challenging.
He was standing his ground only because of the Berserk Pill, whose effects are going to expire soon; therefore, Alex needs to make haste. But even so, Alex did not cower. Instead, he curled his lips up, forming a hint of a smile. Shortly after, his sword glowed after being covered in energy.
Spiritual sense covered Francis and the entire ground around the two of them. Alex immediately entered a highly focused state, and his brain started working as a computer to process every single data being scanned by the Spiritual Sense and then making a strategy based on that data to defeat his opponent quickly.
Just as Francis arrived in the ten-meter range, Alex swung his sword sending a Qi Slash towards the ground between them, causing dust and rocks to rise in the air, making git harder to see each other with naked eyes.
Whoosh
Francis rushed out while clearing the dust particles from his path by creating a gale with a slash of his Sword. But Alex had vanished from his earlier place.
Francis didn't want to waste time because it takes a massive toll on his body, mind, and Qi to keep the Claws of the One-eyed Rock Python activated. So he looked around, but even after the dust cleared, he couldn't find the silhouette of Alex.
'Fuck. Is he waiting for my Qi to exhaust?' Francis felt a headache; it was hard to make these pairs of arms that were connected to his mind to work as a real limb, without having any preparation time.
But fortunately for him, Alex was also time-bound.
The air behind Francis moved, and a sword appeared from thin air striking at the joint between the Claws and the butler's back.
Francis operated the arms with his mind, so when the attack coming from behind him, he turned his head and directed the Claws to moves as he is thinking.
One of the claws moved back and caught Alex's blade producing orange sparks to fly in the air while the other claw moved to pierce a hole in Alex's chest.
Alex bent down and dodged the claw before sending a kick to hit Francis's ass.
Bang!
"You...!" Francis did not think he had become old, but the kick finally made him realize it as he stumbled forward, feeling massive pain in his hips.
To get revenge, Francis threw a Talisman scroll towards Alex when he least expected it, or so the butler thought naively.
As if Alex had precognition about the oncoming Top grade Rank 2 explosion type Talisman scroll, he rushed to the right just as the scroll was going to leave Francis's hand, causing the butler to become dumbfounded.
Boom!
Without even getting the chance to bleed his heart over wasting a precious talisman scroll, Francis moved his claws to block Alex's sword slash incoming from a dead angle.
Bang!
Francis's hands were free, so he used them and stabbed at Alex's stomach.
But then, Francis saw something that blinded his dog's eyes and made him unable to believe what he was seeing. A pair of hands stretched out from behind Alex each holds a dagger and moved to Alex's front to block the butler's sword going any forward.
Francis's eyes met Alex's unwittingly as he was asking about the mystery behind those two extra hands appearing from behind the young man; that was a mistake.
Alex's eyes glowed slightly in violet color, causing Francis to become stiff upon seeing it.
Francis suddenly saw Alex's face and body changing into the father of Count Nathan. The expression of the Late Old Count was that of disappointment as he looked at his butler, who he left to take care of Nathan.
"You disappoint me, Butler Francis!"
"Co...Count York... No! You are not real!." Francis felt something affecting his mind, he tried to resist it, which caused his surrounding to blur suddenly, but just when his powerful soul succeeded in coming out of the illusion, sharp pain from his arms and legs hit Francis head like a thunderbolt.
The butler saw his limbs detaching from his body after being cut by four long whips or rope-like things having their end covering the handle of four sharp daggers.
Francis's eyes spotted the human-like skin covering the exterior of those weird things.
'Mo... Monster! Alex Mordrake is... a Monster. I was fighting with a Monster all this... time,' Francis thought in horror as he saw the places from where those multiple abnormal things were extending out from Alex's body.
---------------------------------------------------------(Read Authors Note: Important)
Authors Note: My new Novel 'The Wolf of Aragnar' is out and it's very exciting. Please do give it a read after finishing this chapter. You can find the new Novels link in the synopsis or just search the name. Be sure to add it to your library, I will update it with two chapters every day.
--\u003eI have participated in Writing Prompt Contest #134 with my second Novel. Please do vote for 'The Wolf of Aragnar' to help me win it.