Too late? Maybe…, the exobeast charged towards Leo, fully displaying its enhanced speed. As he ran, flashbacks quickly emerged in his head, as he recalled information about the rage phenomenon.
Information is power, if you have information about your opponent, you are halfway to defeating him.
The rage phenomenon is a state an exobeast enters after it gets agitated and angered to an extent. After this transformation, it receives a special surge of adrenaline. Which leads to a great increase in its strength, lethality, aggression, and a lot of other attributes.
This phenomenon causes it to possess a special strength, in the form of pressure. The area around it produces great pressure which affects enemies psychologically. This hardly occurs, as it requires a lot of conditions to be met before it is activated.
The pressure exerted by the exobeast increases exponentially due to this phenomenon, as it feels like the victim is placed in a sea of poisonous snakes, which affects concentration considerably.
It is recorded that 5% of cadet’s death in the graduation training comes as a result of cadets encountering this situation.
Clark quickly realized the danger his friend was in, as he quickly retrieved the sniper rifle. 50 sniper bullets were provided to all groups for the training and he already used 10 bullets in the last exobeast battles. He quickly released 12 bullets in quick succession, as he accurately aimed at the exobeast's eye.
The ape brought its head down as it predicted it, the bullet flew past it harmlessly. It avoided any bullet hitting its eye, but tanked the rest bullets with its thick skin.
Clark immediately became focused, as he freed himself of all distractions. Leo was fast but the exobeast was faster, their distance kept getting nearer as the exobeast’s subordinates also charged forward in pursuit.
All he saw at the moment was the exobeast, as he shot another 8 times consecutively. Poof!!! Blood flowed as the 8th bullet got its eye. It bellowed in rage as it glared with its other eye at him. His co-ordination has already improved considerably with Leo since the start of their training.
Immediately after the bullet connected, the ape glared at him. Leo took hold of this lapse in concentration to release a powerful backward sword strike. Ding!!! The sword accurately connected to the ape’s neck; blood flowed, but unfortunately for them, this exobeast was simply a tank.
The injury was not too deep, so he decisively pulled back. To his surprise, the sword refused to move as it got stuck in its throat. The ape slammed down with both its hands-on him, as he still struggled to pull the sword out.
He skillfully dodged the slam rolling backward, but this was not a tv show where the protagonist gets away stylishly. The shockwave alone from the slam hit his back, as he coughed out blood.
He staggered backward, but still recovered as he immediately leaped further backward, his face pale. Cold sweat soaked his back, as he realized that he just brushed his teeth with death. But the ape was surely not going to allow him to rest, as it pulled the sword from its neck and threw it at him.
He was caught off guard, so his reaction slowed considerably. He closed his eyes in resignation, as he failed to react in time. He reflexively raised his hands in a futile attempt to block the sword.
Ding!!! Surprisingly, Clark was already there as he blocked with his sword. He was already on his way when his friend engaged the exobeast. His entrance was just like a superhero arriving at a desperate moment to save the day.
But he didn’t get relish in it for long, as the ape spoiled the mood by roaring at him in a rage with its awful voice. Its strong and deep vocal cords enhanced the sound it made, as the air visibly distorted from the extreme sound.
After the clash, he skillfully caught the free-falling sword, threw it to Leo as he re-engaged the ape. This engagement clearly indicated his genius and how fast he improved over the last few days.
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! He bravely fought with the exobeast, and surprisingly the beast was forced to stop its offensive as it defended with its fists passively. Its subordinates finally arrived, as 3 apes quickly lunged at him.
He didn’t even look, as he stabbed 3 times to the side swiftly before ending the combo with a huge slash at the exobeast, which it defended against with its fists.
Leo gaped in astonishment at how his friend suppressed the exobeast, conveniently squashing 3 subordinate ape’s brains in the process also. The 3 attacking subordinate apes died, each from a stab to its brain.
He couldn’t help but sigh, as he wondered, “this guy is this strong now. He has been hiding his real improvement”. To be precise, it was better to say not hiding his strength but that the situation simply didn’t call for it.
“I still have a long way to go”, he silently muttered as he re-entered the battle. As they both fought the exobeast, its underlings died in droves as it constantly grew angrier the more it fought.