E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn’t Exist

They tore through the barriers like paper. Each impact thundered, pulverizing stone and soil, ripping the defenses apart with terrifying ease.

The beast screeched, its yellow tail still anchored in the earth, trying desperately to sustain the walls—but the moment its defenses faltered, Aiden's weapon shifted.

The twin hammers unraveled in midair, vines twisting and reforming. In their place a massive odachi materialized, its curved blade glistening with a cruel sheen of green. Aiden raised it high above his head, and with brutal precision, brought it crashing down.

The great odachi cleaved through the scorpion's yellow tail in one devastating stroke.

SHRRAAEEEHHH!

The beast screamed, its voice like grinding stone and metal tearing apart. Its severed tail writhed on the ground, twitching violently before shriveling away.

"Too slow," Aiden muttered inside the avatar, already moving.

The monster lashed out with its remaining tails—black and silver, striking with blinding speed.

But Aiden twisted his massive frame like a seasoned athlete, vines flexing with agility unnatural for a creature his size. He caught both tails in his enormous vine hands.

The ground split beneath his planted feet as he heaved.

"UP YOU GO!"

With terrifying strength, Aiden lifted the colossal beast overhead and hurled it like a sack of rubble.

The scorpion's body crashed into Quint, its bulk slamming into the dark emissary's chest and smashing him against the rocky gorge wall. The impact left a spiderweb of cracks radiating outward.

Quint staggered, coughing, his body battered and bruised. But what stunned him more wasn't the pain—it was the realization. He looked down at his hand, and his face went pale.

The yellow elemental orb was gone.

Across the battlefield, Aiden lifted his vine-arm. Nestled in his palm was a glowing yellow sphere, pulsing faintly with elemental energy. He turned it slowly, letting the light dance across his twisted grin.

"How…?!" Quint's mind reeled. He hadn't even seen Aiden move.

Aiden's laughter echoed from the mouth of the vine warrior.

"Don't be so flustered. Stealing things perfectly? That's my specialty. In fact—" his grin widened, "—you could call me a divine thief."

Quingt's eye twitched with rage.

At that moment, Clara descended gracefully, floating down onto the avatar's massive shoulder. Her eyes sparkled with both awe and restrained worry.

"Good job. With that tail out of the way, things should be much easier now," she said.

The giant avatar's head turned slightly toward her. Aiden's tone, however, grew serious.

"About that… I have good news and bad news."

Clara frowned immediately. She didn't like where this was going. Her instincts screamed caution, but she forced herself to keep her expression calm.

If the enemy sensed fear, it would only make the fight worse.

"Alright… tell me the bad news first," she asked, her tone steady.

Inside, Aiden exhaled, his voice dropping lower than she expected.

"The bad news… is that maintaining this avatar is draining me dry. My energy reserves are almost gone. Even if I abandon this form and fall back to the gorilla-beast mode, it won't solve the problem. At best…" his voice trailed, grim, "…I've got only a few fleeting moments left to fight."

With the yellow orb firmly in his grip, Aiden felt a sense of relief settle into his chest. "Well, thankfully," he muttered, raising the glowing sphere slightly, "we've managed to deal with the Dark Emissary's biggest threat."

Clara exhaled, her armor battered and sparking in places, but her eyes lit up for a brief moment of hope. Yet before either of them could savor the small victory, a sudden ripple of invisible force surged through the air.

Aiden's entire body stiffened as the pull wrenched at his hand. "What—?!" he gasped, the orb slipping from his grip as though torn away by an unseen chain.

In the blink of an eye, the sphere shot through the air, carried by a force he couldn't resist.

Quingt, with effortless grace, leapt high onto the scorpion beast's armored back. He caught the orb midair and landed silently, as if the colossal monster beneath him was nothing more than a podium built for his triumph.

The yellow light pulsed in his hand, bathing his face in an eerie glow. Though his expression remained calm and collected, Aiden was certain—deep in his gut—that Quingt was fuming.

That cold silence felt sharper than any shout of rage, like a blade drawn but yet to strike.

"I must admit," Quint's voice carried over the battlefield, smooth and venomous, "you heroes are… exceptional. Few have ever withstood my might for so long. For that, you have my respect."

Aiden blinked, caught off guard. Against his better judgment, he actually nodded. "Well… you could say that again."

The moment the words left his mouth, both Quingt and Clara turned and stared at him blankly. Aiden froze, awkward realization sinking in. "Uh… sorry," he muttered.

Quingt cleared his throat with deliberate calm, then resumed, his tone sharpening into steel. "Respect, however, will not save you. Your struggle ends here."

The instant those words fell, his eyes ignited in a blazing yellow glow—mirroring the orb clutched in his palm.

Aiden's face hardened as his stomach dropped. "No…" he whispered through clenched teeth. "Don't tell me… he's using that broken ability again."

But this wasn't the same as before. Aiden noticed something different.

The orb's light didn't just pulse—it bled into the scorpion beast, seeping into its wounds like liquid sunlight. "Wait…" he thought in alarm, "is this… a third ability?!"

What Aiden didn't know was that Quint's beast-taming power extended beyond control.

By binding a captured creature's essence to himself, he could borrow its abilities—temporarily. With the orb, the cost was negated, granting him nearly limitless potential.

And the one he chose now was the most dangerous of all: restoration.

The ground trembled as the massive scorpion's torn tail began to regrow, yellow chitin knitting itself together like time was being reversed. Aiden cursed under his breath.

He had underestimated the orb's true power. If he'd known Quint could do more than this, he would have destroyed it the moment it fell into his hands again.

The restored tail cracked like a whip, swaying menacingly behind the beast, glowing in its terrible rebirth.

Clara staggered forward, her armor dented and sparking with failing energy. She was holding on, but barely—and Aiden could tell. She wasn't just fighting; she was acting. Pretending. Her strength was nearly gone.

Meanwhile, Aiden himself was running on fumes. Maintaining the colossal vine avatar drained him with every passing second.

His body screamed for rest, but there was none to be found—not while the beast still blocked their only escape.

"Damn it…" he thought, sweat dripping from his brow inside the avatar's chest. "We're cornered. No exit. No retreat."

Clara glanced at him, her breathing ragged but her eyes steady. Despite everything, she forced a smirk. "So… what's the plan now, partner?"

Aiden clenched his vine-forged fists, glaring at the scorpion beast and the man atop it. His lips twisted into a grim smile.

"The plan?" he muttered, voice low. "The plan is… we fight until the end. Because, well there's no other choice."

The scorpion let out an ear-splitting screech, tails slamming into the ground like war drums. The gorge shook with its fury, dust and stone raining down from the cliffs above.

Quint's calm, glowing eyes locked on them with deadly certainty.

The battle wasn't over. It was only getting worse.

To be continued…...

Author's Note:

And that's where I'll leave you hanging for now—right at the edge of disaster! 😈

Quint has taken back the orb, the scorpion beast is fully restored, and Aiden and Clara are out of stamina, battered, and basically running on pure willpower. So… what happens next? That's for the next chapter.

But before you rush off, let's talk a bit.

First of all—what do you think about Quint's ability? Personally, I think it's both terrifying and genius.

The fact that he can borrow abilities from the beasts he tames makes him a walking cheat code, especially with that orb boosting him.

If you were in Aiden's shoes, would you have destroyed the orb the moment you got it—or would you have tried to use it? I'd love to hear your take.

Now, let's talk strategy. Aiden and Clara are clearly in a tight spot. If you were the one fighting alongside them, what kind of plan would you try?

Would you go for Quint first, even though he's crazy strong, or focus on crippling the beast again?

Also, let's not forget Clara. Her tech suit is damaged and barely functioning. Do you think she still has a hidden trump card up her sleeve, or is it time for Aiden to step up with something we haven't seen yet?

Maybe there's a transformation, a hidden ability, or even an emotional breakthrough coming.

Finally—I want to know which part of this fight was your favorite so far. Was it the teamwork? The despair of seeing the beast restored? Or Quint's cold, smug confidence?

Drop your thoughts in the comments! Reader theories are always my favorite part to go through, and who knows—you might just predict what's coming next.

HERE IS THE CHAP GUYS DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT.

HERE IS THE CHAP GUYS DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT.

HERE IS THE CHAP GUYS DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAP.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAP.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

That's the chapter, everyone!

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review—it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more chapters for you all.

Your support means everything, so let me know what you think:

✨ Who's your favorite character so far?

✨ What do you think will happen next with Aiden and Clara?

✨ Any wild theories? I love reading them!

Stay tuned—the next chapter is coming soon.

– Ultra