That strange, inhuman vision felt both natural and unnatural, but George couldnāt dwell on it. The experimental mutagenās effects were temporary, making every second in that state priceless.
Besides, the two blinding sources of warmth in the distance werenāt alone. An even brighter, scorching presence was in the sky, while another slightly dimmer one was almost upon the former.
Rodney had kept advancing toward the two evolved warriors, seemingly uncaring whether George was following him. Of course, knowing Rodney, that reckless charge disclosed his complete confidence in the fact that George would back him up.
That awareness tried to annoy George, but that feeling couldnāt exist in the new, sharp mental state he had reached. He moved his arm, gently pointing his sword forward, before his entire figure turned into a streak of dark silver light.
The same technique George had relied upon to escape the nukesā explosions showed newfound speed after the mutagen tainted his existence. He instantly crossed several blocks, deepening the cavity opened by the black silhouette, surpassing and preceding Rodney in his arrival at their opponents.
George had already picked his target, and a clinging noise resounded over the scorched and melted street when his silver sword slammed on two black blades. The burly, bald alien had reacted to his sudden charge, but the world couldnāt survive that violent clash.
Most of the cloudās smoke had spread toward more distant streets, only leaving shallow rivers in the area. Even with the flickering True Chaos released by the two evolved warriors, that energy only reached below Georgeās knees.
Nevertheless, the clash between the three swords sent sharp energy everywhere, cutting through the smoke lingering on the street and severing its very fabric, forcing it to disperse into the air.
The clash cleared the street, but neither George nor his bald opponent cared about those consequences. The two seemed to enter a contest of sheer strength, pushing on their respective blades to overpower their opponent, which George surprisingly endured thanks to the mutagen.
Of course, George immediately felt he had no chance to overpower the evolved warrior physically, but that had never been his goal. He was no mace, hammer, or other blunt instruments. George was a sword, probably the sharpest blade currently on Earth.
To the bald alienās surprise, the clash didnāt end with him squashing the silver swordsman. Instead, his superior physical strength worked against him in ways he couldnāt have possibly conceived, especially after breaking his horn.
The black swords had initially stopped the silver blade, only for the latter to pierce them slowly. Georgeās sharpness cut through those dark weapons, threatening to sever them to advance toward the alienās neck.
The burly alien began to react, but it was already too late. The silver sword suddenly cut through the black blade in his left hand, tilting to lunge at his head.
An explosion of thick black smoke happened on the building to Georgeās left. His opponent had disappeared before his blade could pierce his skull, but drops of black blood flowed down its silver tip, conveying the attackās partial success.
The smoke on the building flickered outward before the bald alien crossed it, wielding one and a half blades, his now-scarlet eyes showing vague hints of seriousness. A long cut had opened on his cheek, but True Chaos blew out of the wound, immediately fixing it.
"You arenāt that strong when I can use my mana," George mocked, instinctively using similar words to those Khan had spoken to the two alien scouts. "I guess the True Chaos canāt heal you if I cut off your head."
The blue-green thermal vision wasnāt as detailed as Georgeās previous one, but he still saw the following development with uncanny precision. Heat gathered on the severed sword and all around the bald alien, giving birth to multiple items George couldnāt help but recognize.
"Curse my big mouth," George chuckled as multiple black swords surrounded the alien evolved warrior, floating in the air and joining the two in his hands.
"Ah, well," George sighed. "It would have been strange if it were any easier."
Meanwhile, on a nearby but different spot of that charred, melted street, Rodney and the leaner, long-haired, evolved warrior stared at each other, seemingly inspecting their respective power.
A storm of clinging noises reached the area as George and his opponent engaged in a heated succession of quick exchanges. The world kept splitting around them as their swords clashed, cutting through streets, smoke, and buildings, distancing them from their companions.
Still, neither Rodney nor the leaner alien seemed to care. Despite the former being on the clock, the two kept staring at each other, waiting for their opponent to make the first move.
Rodneyās calm face didnāt reflect his hurry at all. His brown reptilian eyes moved between the face partially hidden by that long black hair and the seemingly aware creature made of smoke coiled around the alienās right arm.
That denser trail of smoke had enlarged after the alien ripped off his horn, absorbing part of the True Chaos. Its bigger tip had even gained a vague ellipse-shaped cavity, seemingly acting as a toothless mouth.
Moreover, the leaner alien exerted some control over the surrounding smoke, even saving it from the sharp energy released from the previous sword clashes. A pile of lighter True Chaos rested behind the evolved warrior, towering over his figure, ready to crash down on Rodney like one of the waves that had submerged the city.
Of course, Rodney realized that smoke could have other uses, which probably had something to do with the gaseous shape coiled around the alienās arm.
Yet, that uncertainty didnāt affect Rodneyās confidence. He remained as stern and firm as always, his reptilian eyes betraying profound machinations that culminated in words.
"Humankind is aware of your understanding of this language," Rodney announced, his mutated mana fusing with his voice, conveying emotions to speak in the Nakās language. "So, Iāll use it to warn you."
The long-haired alien obviously didnāt acknowledge that point. He didnāt even react to the announcement. He kept staring at Rondey, harboring thoughts only he could be aware of.
"Attack me however you want," Rodney challenged. "Throw anything you have at me and hope to kill me in time. Because the moment I can envision your death, it will turn into reality."