If you'd ask what Phase 2 was, the denizens of glade Solitude would have told you a variety of different strokes. We would tell you that it was an ambitious move, others would tell you that it was a hair rained idea and that it was going to get a lot of people killed, and then others would tell you it was the wild ambition of a mad man hungry for power. But deep down, they knew that phase two was the only other thing they could fall on if for some reason or the other their plans encountered a snag, and that snag had to be if their formations got disorganized before they were able to get to the Nest.
And even worse being disorganized was not just the scenario that would prompt them to put the plan into motion, but if they had to deal with way more Darklings than expected and if there had been losses amongst themselves. It was crazy but it was the only way, which was why the moment Phase 2 was called, half the fighters turned around and suddenly began to run for their lives, heading straight back to the Glade and the protection of it's boundaries. Cole on the other hand had to do one thing and one thing only….. he had to give himself up…. At least long enough for his people to get back to the Glade.
He landed in the middle of the Darkling army with a loud shout, throwing a [Chaos Blast] into their midst to make as loud of an explosion as he could possibly make. Then he attacked, activating [Wrath Drive] and falling into a rhythm as he ducked under wild attacks and retaliated with his blade and his claws acting as an auxiliary weapon form [Black Demon Swordsmanship] to show it's absolute power. Luckily for all of them, Cole was still the target, the one that they all wanted to get a piece of and the Darklings answered the call en masse. A few of them still broke off to chase after the Aspirants, but it was nothing they couldn't handle so he wasn't worried.
Honestly this was what Cole had been aiming for, while he would need to do this again when thing had slowed down, this was a chance for him to train a bit. But this time he was not using any of his skills, it was ambitious but he was going to see just how far he could push [Wrath Drive] [Black Demon Swordsmanship] and [Demonic Constitution]. These were the passive skills that were the bread and utter of all his fights, and he wanted to see just how much better he could get if he chose to be more conscious of them rather than just letting the system guide his movements and instincts in his usage of them.
He stepped back and pivoted on his right foot, turning to the side as a massive Ursaling's claw smashed into the location he was just standing in, he had evaded the attack with barely a hair's breath difference. His sword was flexible enough to surge upwards and into the creatures throat and out the top of it's head before Cole ducked, squatting down low as another massive darkling leaped over his head and smashed into the body of the already deceased Ursaling, Cole stabbed Black Malakai upward in the process making sure to stab the darkling as it flew above him.
He got back up, his motion very un-human like as he ran forwards and jumped into the air, going into a spin as he held Black Malakai extended out from his body. A couple of chitterlings that had taken to jumping into the air were shredded into dust as his body got close enough to them. Cole then landed on the back of another Crocodile darkling which prompted the creature to let out a startled roar as it buckled itself widely, attempting to throw him off. But Cole found his balance, it was weird because he was not with his armor but being in total and complete control of his body meant that he could adjust his body weight with slight micro-motions that kept him centered on the back of the Crocodile without having to feel the need to hold on to something or jump off.
A chitterling jumped at him, but the hilt of Black Malakai smashed into its face as in that moment Cole shifted the sword into a dual blades staff. The middle was the hilt while two meter long blades extended out from the it. He spun it around and stabbed into the head of an Ursaling by his side and then used his greatly increased strength to raise the impaled beast over his head and smashed it into another group of darklings heading for him, and with enough force to eliminate some of them, and through it all he was still on the back of the buckling Crocodile, as if it was some sort of mount. Though he would have happily taken Morgan in his Direwolf King Mechanoid form.
Cole shifted Black Malakai into an Axe that he slashed down with all of his power, succeeding in splitting the head of the Crocodile underneath him in twain, and it's body jerked to a sudden stop and Cole yanked the one sided axe out then transforming it into a massive dual blades axe. He turned it, meeting the edge face the ground and the sky and he turned and utilized all of his power to slap the axe blade into the body of the person that had thought they could sneak up on him. The fact that it was the darkling woman was even more of a bonus and she was smashed into what was left of the forest, bringing down quite a few trees in the process. Much to his shock all the Darklings around locked up and screamed as if they were the ones that had been hit, heck some of them even died.
It was crazy, and Cole was more than happy to watch as he observed not just his enemies but also his own body. He had never noticed this before as he had been always so focused on his fights, specifically his opponents, or perhaps he was only noticing this change for the first time due to the recent racial refinement, either way regardless of what it was, Cole could feel every nerve, muscle and bone in his body. He had complete and total control over it and even more son the energy he felt flowing and rushing through his body like a thousand rivers at the same time. He didn't know how to describe it, he felt alive, strong, swift…. He felt Dangerous.
His sense were all working in tandem with his domain to give him an awareness of his surroundings that was downright preternatural. He shook his head as he crouched down, returning Black Malakai back to its normal form then sheathing behind his back. Then he sat down, still on the back of the crocodile one leg hanging off the massive beast that was twice as long and wide as you'd expect a crocodile to be, then he waited. It didn't take too long for the Darklings to reorient themselves, but they made no moves as it seemed as if Cole was waiting for them. He shifted his attention back to the forest and waited, and before long the Darkling woman came out of it, leaves and twigs along with wood chips stuck onto and in her body.
She was furious, that much was obvious from her expression, but she was still ready and willing to talk which was one thing that was going in Cole's favor. He was stalling for time, the Aspirants will be back and he was keeping himself ready for what would most definitely be a wild ride to conclude this epic duel between man and darkling. He was sure the directors responsible for the stream would have a field day, and then he paused, his eyes widening as he suddenly remembered that every moment spent in this game… or this universe was being streamed and he was bound by contract to see it through, which meant that so many secret things that he had to keep this himself he had spoken out, comfortable with himself and forgetting he was being streamed.
"Fuck!"
"Unfortunately that is not biologically possible for both of us, but ultimately we can experiment enough to see what can be possible….. we could usher in another race of darklings and take over Endless Pangea for all eternity." Cole scrunched his face in confusion then asked.
"huh?"
"Don't look so daft my love why the hell do you think I've desperately wanted you back so…. Did you think it's because I wanted to eat you…. Well I do want to eat darling, in more ways than one but….. ever since that day, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. So I kept sending them after you, to bring you home to me….BUT YOU REFUSED TO COME BACK!" her voice rose into a pitcher octave as her features transformed into something out of a horror movie before morphing back to normal as she gave what she was probably thinking was a demure smile.
"Baby...come with me…. I'll put the world at your feet and show you things you have never seen or felt before....join me... or I WILL BURN YOUR FUCKING GLADE TO THE GROUND!"
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