I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Northern stood ten meters away from the hideous monster, every sound drowned out by the grave silence around them.

The surrounding monsters stared in silence, even the generals that stood together in the corners showed slight interest, giving occasional side glances.

Northern held the Mortal Blade up, looked at it for a second, then smiled. Looking back at the monster, the onyx blade disintegrated into white sparks.

The hideous creature raised its browless eyes with a visible sneer.

But Northern simply smiled viciously, and in two seconds, another weapon began materializing in his hand.

They were the few things he picked up from the war; a long, silvery sword was in his right hand, and a dagger was in his left hand.

'I've never tried using dual weapons but I've always wanted to…'

Northern looked at the monster who was still staring at him indifferently.

At once, both of them darted towards each other, traversing the distance between them with a blurring speed.

Northern's eyes widened as his legs propelled his body to movement. Every move felt easier to execute now, than when he used to have loads of thoughts in his head and no experience to pull any of them off.

Since his clone had gone through a molding process by engaging in real-time battle with the onerous leader and had now burnt that experience into his own body, Northern's capabilities had increased by leaps and bounds.

He made a sharp stop in the middle of swinging the silvery sword at the approaching monster.

It was a sneaky move; anyone would expect that their attacks would at least clash. However, being able to put an abrupt stop to his attack after shooting off at full speed also showed a great deal of control that even the generals marveled at.

The hideous monster raised its axe over its head, blocking his swinging sword. Its axe whirled through the air with a bludgeoning force, and by the time it recovered from the attack and was about to strike, Northern was no longer there.

He had anticipated the monster's countering strike and pivoted away in the nick of time. His boots scraped the hard earth as he changed directions within a blink.

Northern's dagger flashed like liquid silver, deflecting the axe's backswing before it could dig into his exposed side.

Gnashing its teeth, the hellion pressed its advantage, raining down a hailstorm of overhead chops; the weight of each blow caused the ground to tremble.

Northern's heart raced as he took on every blow, his every nerve ending coming alive with an odd excitement.

'Is this how it feels to know what you're doing in a battle.'

The deafening clang of steel against steel reverberated through the air as his blade and dagger collided with the creature's massive axe.

He danced back, his lithe feet carrying him out of reach of the sweeping arc, only for him to dart in again with blinding speed.

Blow after blow rained down in a flurry of silver flashes, the dagger in his left hand joining the deadly fray.

The monster bellowed, its axe sweeping out in a horizontal arc, but Northern was already moving. He dropped into a crouch, the blade whistling over his head as he leaned forward and lashed out with the dagger.

The monster belatedly noticing the coming dagger, threw its hands up and tried to parry the steel with his axe, but he was sent reeling back a few steps.

It stopped, intensely glaring at Northern.

"What? Are you unhappy with the fight because you are losing?" Northern retorted, swirling the dagger in his hand with a smug smirk plastered to his face.

The monster stared silently for a few seconds, rigid cords of veins forming on its forehead as its mouth formed a downturned grin.

Northern braced his legs, raising the long sword in his right hand, with the dagger in his left positioned a little low so it could dive in as support when needed.

With a thunderous roar, the hideous monster lunged forward, its movements now infused with an even greater ferocity and strength.

The ground shook beneath its weight as it closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

Northern's eyes narrowed, his smirk fading as he braced himself for the oncoming assault.

He shifted his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground, ready to meet the monster head-on. The air crackled with anticipation as the clash between them became imminent.

As the monster swung its massive axe, Northern reacted with lightning-fast reflexes.

He parried the blow with his silvery long sword, the clash of metal ringing out in the surrounding silence.

"–ick!"

He gritted his teeth with widened eyes as the force of the impact sent shockwaves through his arms. He almost tripped as a result, but he held his ground, supporting his entire body with a quick placement of his leg.

That had to come from his clone dealing with the terrifying strikes of the onerous lizard. Northern had instructed it to use its legs as support to withstand the blows for a little more time till Night Terror joined.

'I don't know if I'm to be happy or terrified seeing myself play out these things…'

His increase in skill was so fast that it came off as unreal to Northern… somehow he felt like a cheat.

Northern quickly focused his gaze on the foe before him.

The monster, undeterred by the unsuccessful strike, unleashed a flurry of attacks, each one more powerful than the last.

Northern's dagger became a blur as he deflected the onslaught, his movements precise and calculated.

However, the monster's increased strength began to take its toll.

Northern's arms strained under the relentless blows, and he could feel his energy waning.

Gritting his teeth, Northern grimaced.

With a sudden burst of speed, he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a devastating strike from the monster's axe.

Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward, his long sword and dagger poised to strike.

But the monster was one step ahead. It anticipated Northern's move and swiped its massive hand, knocking the weapons out of his grasp.

The long sword and dagger clattered to the ground, leaving Northern momentarily defenseless.

The monster seized the opportunity and launched a brutal counterattack with a slight grin on its hideous face.

Its fists pounded against Northern's body, sending a shockwave of pain through his entire being.

He flew through the air and landed with a roll, spitting blood as he tried to get up.

He supported his body with his hand and knees for a couple of seconds, as he coughed up a bit more blood.

'This bastard… that last strike, he didn't hesitate. In fact, it looked like he was smiling.'

Northern grabbed the sand and spat out blood one last time before looking at the hideous monster who was staring grimly at him.

'I guess I still have a long way to go, huh… just you wait. I'll be the one to end you.'

The monster strolled towards him and stretched its clawed hand. Northern looked at the hand, disgusted, but he didn't really have a choice.

He had to embrace these monsters… at least for now.

It wasn't like he had expected that he would defeat this death guardian of his.

All he had intended to do was test how good he had become and he had seen it. He was good enough to hold his own against a Hellion-ranked monster.

Killing one might be suicidal, but now he knew he could survive should he encounter one; compared to his first encounter with Night Terror.

Northern gritted his teeth, his eyes shimmering with dark flames of ecstasy.

'Crap… just thinking about being able to kill Night Terror one day is bringing joy to my very bones. I just want to go to war already!'