Novel Full Chapter 806: 806: New Skills
Chapter 806: Chapter 806: New Skills
Rapid Life Siphon(A) activated, its body pulsing as it projected a shimmering aura. The skill amplified the life absorption of any stingers lodged in nearby targets, drawing energy from the guard’s successfully landed strikes to heal itself.
In seconds, the tree completely withered into a dry husk before Kain’s tearful eyes as a faint glow enveloped Two, its carapace mending micro-cracks as it darted through follow up attacks from Guard One, its wings cutting precise arcs to avoid the worst of the assault.
However, Kain’s pain didn’t end there. His meticulously cultivated grounds filled with rare and precious spiritual plants and fruit-bearing spiritual plants with wonderous effects continued to be wrecked.
One’s barrage was ferocious, but Two’s healing using nearby trees for fuel kept it in the fight as it waited for a suitable counterattack, its movements growing sharper as it absorbed more energy. The duel ended with One’s superior aggression forcing Two to yield, much to Kain’s happiness. If the battle didn’t quickly end, he would have simply called the fight to an end in order to put a stop to the destruction of his spiritual trees.
Next, Guard Three faced Guard Four in a more tactical exchange. Three’s strategy hinged on precision, its stingers aimed at weak points in Four’s carapace. It activated Khepric Reprisal (SSS), using the life energy it had stored and channelling it into a devastating blast. The strike erupted as a pulse of green light, cracking the ground beneath and forcing Four to retreat. Four responded with Amber Shield (S), its body encased in a translucent amber shell that shimmered like Queen’s Amber Preservation. The shell absorbed Three’s attack, reflecting a portion of the energy back as a shockwave that staggered Three. The duel settled into a stalemate, Three’s precision countered by Four’s defensive resilience, until Kain called it off to preserve their energy.
Guard Five, the last to fight, challenged Guard One, the victor of the first bout. Five’s form was particularly striking, its amber veins more pronounced, giving its carapace a molten glow. It activated HiveSync Overdrive(SSS), syncing with Queen’s HiveField, which now faintly extended beyond its normal boundaries to their current location due to the lotus’s influence. Five’s stats surged, its wings moving with impossible coordination as it wove through One’s barrage. Its stingers struck with surgical precision. One fought valiantly, but Five’s enhanced abilities and greater accuracy in its strikes overwhelmed it, ending the match decisively.
Kain opened his System interface, the crystal terminal in his mind projecting the guards’ updated profiles:
Profile Details are virtually identical for all 5 guards (with slight variations in skill mastery)
Nickname: Guard One/Two/Three/Four/Five
Species: Aurelian Khepri Vespid Sentinels (Tertiary Contract)
Description: Elite protectors of the hive, evolved under Queen’s Khepri lineage and all made female guards under Eve’s genetic influence. Their combined wind and life attributes make them formidable warriors, with improved regeneration, coordination, and an all round boost in abilities tied to their Mother’s (proto)domain.
Quality: Diamond
Spiritual Power Grade: Green (Peak)
Type: Insect-type (Wasp)
Attributes: Wind, Life
Skills:
SSS – Sovereign Sting Drill: Launches a strike powered by rotational wind energy. Depending on the amount of wind energy used, the strike may be heavy enough to subtly warp gravity around it.
SSS – Khepric Reprisal: Converts absorbed life energy into a devastating counterattack, with damage scaling based on absorbed energy.
S – Amber Shield: A weakened version of the Queen’s Amber Preservation. It forms a temporary amber-like shell that absorbs and reflects a portion of incoming damage.
S – HiveSync Overdrive: Synchronizes with Queen’s HiveField, boosting stats and coordination for precise, formation-based attacks.
A – Rapid Life Siphon: Stingers absorb life energy from the struck target more rapidly.
System Rating: N/A (As a subordinate member of a hive mind, Vespid guards cannot realize a Domain and their potential for growth is tied to Queen)
Kain nodded, satisfied. The leap from Platinum to Diamond quality was evident in their speed, power, and synergy.
A sudden stir in his star space broke his focus. A new presence pulsed, dull and sleepy. Kain released it, and a sixth Vespid Sentinel materialized, its form subtly different from the other five that had been fighting.
It was slightly larger, its carapace darker with thicker amber veins that pulsed like molten rivers. Most striking was its abdomen, tipped with twin stingers shaped like prongs, unlike the single stingers of the others. Its wings thrummed with a deeper tone, and its movements carried an aggressive confidence.
But despite its intimidating aura, it had a sleepy, innocent quality. Like a child just waking up from a nap. This was clearly a newborn guard.
Kain’s mind flashed to Eve’s upgraded skill: Eve’s Sovereign Mandate, now with a 1/10 chance of causing favorable mutations in offspring. “A mutation,” he murmured, excitement flickering. Was this a sign of more unique guards to come? He checked its System profile, but it matched the others’ exactly, showing no distinct skills despite its physical differences.
Curious, Kain sent the newborn to spar with Guard Five, the previous victor. He wasn’t super optimistic about the newborn’s chances considering it lacked the battle experience and skill proficiency of the others, but the duel did not go in the direction Kain expected.
The mutated guard moved with relentless precision that was completely opposite its originally docile demeanour, its twin stingers firing in alternation, eliminating the need to pause between attacks while it waited for the stinger to regrow. While Guard Five launched a Sovereign Sting Drill, the newborn countered with its own, each stinger striking twice as frequently due to its dual setup.
Five’s HiveSync Overdrive kept it competitive, but the newborn’s relentless pace—striking without pause—overwhelmed it. The mutated guard’s prongs pierced Five’s carapace, siphoning life energy with Rapid Life Siphon before finishing with a Khepric Reprisal that sent Five tumbling.
Kain’s eyes gleamed. The mutation didn’t show in the System, likely due to the difference in strength being due to a physical change rather than a skill, but its impact was undeniable.