Chapter 62: Battle
Leopard sneered, "It's useless, kid. With your First-Stage physique, there's no way you can break free from my Second-Stage restraint. You're already in my grasp!"
Seeing his smug expression, Su Ke felt a surge of irritation.
"You talk like you're impressive. What rank are you?"
"I'm nothing special. Just Second Stage, Level 2. A little higher than you."
"Oh, Second Stage, Level 2? Your physique may be improved, but it's not indestructible yet, right?"
"Kid, don't get any funny ideas. Even if I'm not indestructible, I'm a believer of the Evolution Cult. After beast modification, my physical strength far surpasses an ordinary Second Stage, Level 2. There's no way your strength exceeds mine!"
"No, no, I never said I'd compete with you in strength. But since your body isn't that tough, I'm relieved."
"What?"
Su Ke grinned and reached out with his right hand, grabbing Leopard's shoulder.
"Now I've got you."
Leopard: "…"
"Hey, I've got to say, that's pretty childish."
Su Ke pressed the Omnitrix symbol with his left hand and instantly switched forms.
Before Leopard could react, Su Ke lifted him up.
"Four Arms!"
Su Ke hoisted him horizontally, using his four arms to grab his head and legs.
With a sudden exertion of force, he tore him cleanly in half.
Aurora's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene.
Then he roared, "You beast!"
He raised his hand and released a massive sphere of light, hurling it at Su Ke.
Su Ke leapt high into the air and dodged.
This time he had relied on surprise. The opponent hadn't known about this transformation, and since Su Ke had grabbed his shoulder in advance, he was able to lift him before he could react.
The opponent's physique was indeed strong. In a direct contest of strength, given the large gap between them, even Four Arms might not have won. But tearing his body apart had nothing to do with pure strength—his body was sturdy, yet far from indestructible.
Now he had eliminated a highly threatening enemy.
As Aurora went mad and unleashed attacks wildly, Su Ke had no intention of confronting him head-on.
"Ghostfreak—"
He switched into Ghostfreak, turning intangible. All of Aurora's light projectiles passed straight through him, unable to strike him at all.
"You… you have another form? Good. The more forms you have, the more valuable you are to us. Be a good experimental subject!"
"Experimental subject?"
"You'll find out once you come with me! Aurora Cage!"
A barrier of condensed light suddenly formed around Su Ke, trapping him inside.
But Su Ke merely shifted slightly to the side and phased straight through it.
"What?!"
Without wasting words, Su Ke flew onto Aurora and possessed him.
Although Aurora was Second Stage, Level 3, he did not specialize in mental power and was completely unable to resist Su Ke's control.
Easily, his body was taken over.
"Let's see what you really planned to do with me—"
Ghostfreak could devour souls and naturally access memories as well.
Just as he was about to check, voices sounded behind him.
"Aurora, what happened?"
The other three had caught up.
Su Ke quickly adjusted and said through Aurora, "Damn it! That kid was hiding his strength. Leopard's been killed!"
"How is that possible? Leopard was Second Stage, and that kid was only First Stage!"
"What do we do now? If we fail the mission, our fate will be terrible!"
Aurora said, "I have a plan, but I'll need your help."
"What do you need? Just say it."
Aurora: "I'd like you to—"
Su Ke: "Go die!"
Controlling Aurora's body, he unleashed three powerful light blasts at them.
They never expected their own teammate to attack, and the strikes hit them directly.
"What's going on?!"
"Aurora, what are you doing?!"
"Are you betraying the Church?!"
The three stared in disbelief.
Su Ke sneered, "You'll find out in hell!"
Light Slash!
A blade of concentrated light cleaved one of them cleanly in half at the waist.
"Kill this traitor!"
The remaining two retaliated. One released flying knives, while the other activated beast transformation, turning into a massive bear.
One provided ranged cover, the other charged in melee.
The bear-man possessed immense strength, but the body Su Ke controlled was Second Stage, Level 3, allowing him to clash head-on.
However, this man was truly poor—already Second Stage and hadn't absorbed a single skill crystal core.
His talent was Aggregation, allowing him to condense light elements more easily into solid forms. Light under his control was more stable and easier to manipulate. His First-Stage skill was Light Bullet, and his Second-Stage skill was Light Slash.
Light Slash!
A pure white arc of light shot toward the bear-man.
He raised his arm to block, but the powerful strike left a wound so deep that bone was visible.
Meanwhile, ten flying knives sliced toward Su Ke at extreme speed.
He didn't even bother dodging, letting them embed into Aurora's body.
After all, it wasn't his body—why care?
Then he controlled Aurora's body to grab the bear-man in a tight embrace.
Activating Ghostfreak's ability, he devoured the bear-man's soul and then possessed his body.
Aurora collapsed to the ground like a lifeless puppet.
The knife-thrower approached and asked, "Is he dead?"
The bear-man replied, "He's dead. And you're next."
"What?!"
Smack!
The massive bear paw struck his head. The right half of his skull caved in instantly, and he fell lifeless to the ground.
Afterward, Su Ke devoured the bear-man's soul as well and floated out of the body.
"The souls I consume can actually be converted into spiritual power. With these two and a crystal core, breaking through to Second Stage is practically guaranteed."
In the distance, sirens wailed—the earlier man had called the police.
Moreover, the commotion from their battle had drawn plenty of attention.
"There are surveillance cameras everywhere. The secret probably won't stay hidden. Whatever. They were Evolution Cult members—killing them shouldn't matter."
After reverting, Su Ke looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, his face suddenly turning pale.
During the fight, urgency and adrenaline—if aliens even had adrenaline—had dulled his senses. He hadn't felt much at all.
Now that the battle was over and he had changed back, it hit him belatedly…
He had killed people.
He raised his hand and patted his own face.
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