Danger sense.
It wasn't a natural ability of Aleron's. Rather, it stemmed from the heightened instincts of the dragon within him.
Having obtained the abilities from the forbidden dragon, Aleron could access all of its sensory traits as well.
Without hesitation, Aleron retracted his hand and stepped back heavily. His body moved with urgent precision, narrowly dodging the incoming punch that thundered toward him.
But just then, a high-pitched whistling sound cut through the air. Aleron's body froze for an instant as pain exploded across his torso. A familiar arrow pierced straight into him.
In the distance, a young man stood calmly, a rifle in hand. A wisp of smoke curled lazily from its barrel.
It was clear who had fired the shot.
"Cognitive precision," the young man muttered under his breath.
Feeling through the mental feedback that Aleron had not yet died, the sniper acted swiftly. His hands moved fluidly as he reloaded the rifle, pressing the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
A sharp report split the air as another sniper bullet burst forth with terrifying speed. It appeared in front of Aleron in the blink of an eye as he struggled to regain his footing.
Before he could stabilize, the bullet struck him square in the chest. The impact sent a deep, jarring shock through his body, the bullet narrowly missing his heart.
Aleron's eyes widened. That same sickening sensation began crawling through his veins.
"Poison? Again?" His mind scrambled to grasp the implications. Then, it clicked.
The Genesis Coil.
His pupils contracted sharply. That accursed name echoed in his thoughts, laced with dread.
"That woman. It must be her doing. She's the reason my location was discovered so quickly."
His thoughts turned to Vela—the woman who had secretly recorded him and exposed his identity.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness swept over him.
Aleron did not panic. He immediately recognized the symptoms as the same fast-acting toxin from before.
Clenching his teeth, he plunged his dragon claws deep into his own chest. Pain flared instantly, but he forced himself to endure it. His fingers grasped something embedded within.
With a grunt, he yanked the bullet out. Blood spurted uncontrollably from the wound, splashing against the cracked, war-torn ground beneath him.
Squeltch.
A sickening sound echoed as the metal was torn from his flesh.
Just as he extracted the bullet, a sonic boom erupted beside him.
"What?" Aleron's eyes snapped in the direction of the sound.
The demon ape's massive fist hurtled toward him once again.
Bang!
Before he could react, the fist slammed into his abdomen with a brutal impact. Aleron coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent hurtling backward, his body smashing into the rubble several meters away.
By sheer chance, this violent impact caused the third bullet—already en route—to miss its intended target.
But just as the bullet seemed ready to crash into the ground and vanish, it changed course mid-flight.
Whistling viciously through the air, it locked back onto Aleron's weakened form and struck him once again in the same place.
This time, it penetrated deeper.
Bang!
Aleron could feel cracks forming within his heart. His breath came in painful bursts, though fortunately the internal damage had not reached a fatal threshold.
Cognitive precision.
This was an origin ability that allowed the Genesis Coil assassin to target him with terrifying accuracy.
That was the true danger of origin abilities.
With just one power, Aleron could barely defend himself. The enemy's aim was unerring, his instincts nearly infallible.
Unwilling to gamble with his life any longer, Aleron spread the wings on his back. With a sharp flap, he launched himself into the air, vanishing from the sniper's direct line of sight.
However, his enemies were relentless.
Still burning with rage, the demon ape snarled. It had received orders and would not rest until Aleron was obliterated.
It would destroy him and present his broken body as tribute to pacify its master and Amira.
As Aleron flew through the air, wounded and leaking blood, the young man stared after him for a moment. Then, without speaking, he strapped the rifle onto his back and activated his origin energy.
A crack appeared in the air beside him, glowing faintly with blood-red light.
From within, a strange creature emerged—mechanical, sleek, and deadly.
It looked like a mutated wolf, but its body was augmented with complex technology. Its limbs were reinforced with armor plating, and strange devices blinked across its metallic hide.
Awooooooo.
The creature let out a distorted howl, the sound half-screech and half-digital feedback.
The young man climbed onto its back, then issued a mental command.
"Chase him down. Today, we hunt him to death."
He was determined. This was a direct order from the higher-ups of the Genesis Coil. Failure was not an option.
Success, on the other hand, would earn him more genetic modifications—greater strength, more advanced beasts.
And Jerry, a man who craved power more than anything, could not afford to let this opportunity slip by.
Riding atop the wind-gale wolf, he reached into his coat and drew a short-barrel handgun. Aimed steadily, his eyes narrowed as he fired toward Aleron's fleeing figure.
Aleron sensed the danger from behind, but his options were limited.
He raced through the air at top speed, the wind biting at his skin, his breathing ragged.
His eyes scanned the area below, searching for cover, any place to hide or recover. But nothing presented itself.
Just then, the system chimed in his mind.
[Origin energy is below 10. Please be cautious with further usage.]
Aleron felt a cold chill creep through his chest.
If his origin energy depleted completely, his body would collapse. Death would follow shortly after.
As he pushed forward, a new threat emerged.
Ahead of him, a horde of abominations charged into view. Aleron's eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed them.
They were tier three abominations.
There were ten of them, and they completely blocked the path forward. Surrounding him from multiple directions, they formed a living wall of twisted flesh and claws.
Trying to go around would cost time—something he had none of.
Jerry and the demon ape were closing in fast.
"I have no choice. I have to go through them," Aleron muttered through clenched teeth.
Focusing his strength, he began to flap his wings furiously.
Once, then twice, then again and again. His movements gained speed and intensity.
Soon, his body spiraled forward with increasing velocity.
From a distance, his form resembled a drill—sharp, focused, and unstoppable.
Before the abominations could react, Aleron's spinning form pierced through them like a lance.
Screams echoed as his body tore through the grotesque creatures, eviscerating them in seconds.
One after another, the tier three abominations were decimated.
In a matter of moments, all ten had been destroyed.
The power of fusion with Ashkar surged through Aleron's veins. He was far beyond the strength of tier three enemies now. Only tier four abominations could pose a threat to him.
However, as he tore through the battlefield, both Amira and Jerry's expressions shifted dramatically.
They had seen a video like this before.
It was Vela who had shown them.
"Those abominations…" Amira whispered.
Killing all ten abominations within the same proximity triggered a hidden threshold.
It was a forbidden act.
"Command your beast. We have to flee now," the young man said urgently, abandoning all thoughts of preserving his summoned beast.