Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 52: Overwhelming Predator

Finn flipped back, hopping atop the desecrated van that sat on the curb just as the hunter's blade completely cut through the engine.

"The traits of a golem–? Are you eating rocks now?" Finn asked between breaths, not stopping his movements as he jumped from the van as another strike came.

This time, the hunter used the aspect of the rock-skinned creature to smash his fist into the nose of the vehicle, completely crushing it like an aluminum can of soda. The impacted van was knocked back, crashing into the dormant cars behind it on the street.

"They don't taste so bad, you know. There is a chewy center, in fact," Crow answered, recalling the stone-skinned aspect as his flesh returned to normal, as if sinking into his pores.

Finn circled around with a rapid sprint, opting to get behind the hunter amidst his rambling. Seeing the back of Crow exposed for even a moment encouraged him to dash right in, kicking off with a burst of wind–

["Gale Blessing"] [2:59]

The air practically carried his feet as he closed in, swiping his dagger for the back of his target's neck. Right as his blade neared its destination, the turned hunter crouched down with frightening agility.

Finn witnessed it, replaceing himself open to being counterattacked by that brutal cleaver. As that split-second of life-and-death crossed, he watched the complexion of the apathetic killer shift into a dark green once more, as his muscles swelled and his veins expanded.

["Orc Shift"]

"--Replication."

Between himself and the crouched hunter, he placed a doppelganger of himself meant to be no more than a meatshield in that moment. The cleaver cut straight into the fake's torso, completely eviscerating it in that single strike.

"How cruel," Crow playfully remarked as the replica was dispersed into black gunk. "Is that any way to treat yourself, Finn?"

Finn found himself immediately pursued by the hunter, who didn't waste a single moment recklessly closing in again with endless persistence. There was a glint on that cleaver; a blood-red shine that he recognized.

["Critical Mark"]

The hunter-class ability imbued a singular critical strike into the next attack, allowing for devastating power behind the blow.

Finn wanted nothing to do with challenging that strike, opting to place as much distance between himself and it without wasting a moment.

["Hydrostatic Pressure"] [0:59]

Like soda bubbling up at a rapid pace from carbonation, the blood in his legs seemed to ignite as he leapt up. The jump didn't require his knees to be bent, allowing him to move vertically a dozen meters into the air, even more so than he planned.

Crow's critical strike only managed to hit the air, leaving a trail of scarlet light as the wind hissed.

'--Ah, that worked better than expected,' Finn thought, looking down to replace the nightfallen city block below in full view.

He was thankful for the ability granted from the essence of the spiders, using that thought to bring his next move as he descended right into the reach of the hunter again. It was a risky maneuver, though one worth trying as he placed his palm down right below him amidst his fall:

["Summon: Grand Widow"] [Mana: -450] [200/2100]

Emerging from a brief coalescence of light directly beneath him, the massive, eight-legged beast was manifested, allowing him to stand atop its back. It was able to land safely with its fantastical anatomy, granting him a harmless landing as well.

Crow was already sprinting right towards his position, licking his lips, "--Thanks for the meal."

Without seeing it, Finn found the arachnid's head struck by the cleaver, having been thrown. He knew what was coming next, already preparing himself as the hunter warped straight to the cleaver's position, plucking it from the spider.

Finn didn't shy away, leaping off of the arachnid's back as he blocked the cleaver with his own blade. As he pressed against his foe blade-to-blade, the emotionless expression written upon the predator's face was one that didn't seem yet challenged.

["Turn Shadow"]

Finn stumbled forward as the resistance against his dagger vanished, witnessing the man before him sink into the shadows. He quickly spun around, replaceing himself losing sight of the hunter completely.

Beneath the gaze of night, the city was all but shadow, leaving it a perfect playground for such a skill.

"Pay attention, or you'll get eaten up."

The delicate words spoken brought Finn to spin around, though only replaceing himself striking at a shadow that retreated. It was just then that he felt the presence from behind, swerving to the side to evade purely on instinct–

Perhaps a moment too late, or just a moment early enough, he found the sharpness of a blade sliding across his chest as he moved himself. It could've been a lethal strike, though the glancing blow still left a laceration on his torso, stretching from one pec to the other.

Crow began to wield a smile at the successful strike, "So sloppy. Really, I'm starting to wonder if your heart's in it, Finn."

["Phantom Flow"]

It was becoming crystal clear to the young man just what kind of threat he faced as he skated back on the rolling darkness.

'I don't know just what lengths this guy's arsenal goes to. For all I know, he's eaten a hundred different creatures–I have to be ready for anything, at any moment,' he thought to himself.

As he slid back, he found that the hunter wasn't pursuing as normal, instead locking his eyes on him. That unmoving stance and gaze; Finn recognized what it may mean.

["Turn Shadow"] [2:59]

Just as he sank down into the ethereal form devoid of light, he found the figure vanishing and reappearing right behind where he was once standing. He witnessed it from the shadows: a mere fraction of a second away from death.

'That was Blink Slash–shit, I could've died,' Finn thought, using the darkness to quickly swim across the street, using his puddle-like form to slip beneath the entrance into a rundown coffee shop.