The roar shook the entire street.
Windows shattered.
Dust fell from the ruined buildings.
Kael didn't retreat.
He stared at the creature rising from beneath the black tree.
The system finally managed to reveal something.
[Partial Analysis Successful.]
[UNKNOWN GUARDIAN]
Classification: Elite Beast
Evolution Stage: Stage 1 — Awakened
Level: 11
Strength: ???
Agility: ???
Vitality: ???
Endurance: ???
Perception: ???
[Skills]
Earthshaker — Level 3
Root Control — Level 4
Guardian Instinct — Level 3
[Ability]
Evolutionary Absorption
[Status]
Bound to Evolutionary Resource
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Level eleven."
The Blackscale Panther had been Level 9.
This thing was even stronger.
And it had something else.
A direct connection to the evolutionary crystal.
Kael activated Threat Detection.
The result was immediate.
[Extreme Threat.]
[Direct confrontation strongly discouraged.]
Kael ignored the warning.
Not because he thought he could win.
Because he didn't intend to fight it normally.
His eyes moved across the battlefield.
The black tree.
The crystal.
The cracked pavement.
The surrounding buildings.
The roots spreading beneath the street.
Then the Guardian moved.
BOOM!
A massive limb struck the ground.
The pavement erupted upward.
Kael jumped.
Another strike followed.
He landed on the roof of an abandoned vehicle.
A root burst through the ground beneath him.
Kael leapt again.
[Threat Detection: active.]
He could see them now.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
The roots weren't random.
They followed the Guardian's movements.
Kael landed on a broken balcony.
The Guardian looked up.
Its eyes locked onto him.
Kael smiled.
"Too slow."
The creature roared.
A wave of force swept through the street.
Kael was thrown from the balcony.
He twisted in midair and activated Blackhide.
THUD!
He landed hard.
Pain shot through his legs.
But he immediately stood.
[Impact detected.]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
[Impact Resistance adaptation progressing.]
Adaptation: 0.57% → 0.61%
Kael grinned.
"Keep hitting me."
The Guardian charged.
Kael ran toward it.
At the last moment, he turned.
The Guardian's attack smashed into the building beside him.
Kael jumped onto its arm.
The creature shook violently.
Kael held on.
"Let's see what you're hiding."
He activated Blood Scent.
Nothing.
The creature wasn't bleeding.
Enhanced Hearing.
He heard something beneath its body.
A pulse.
The crystal.
Kael's eyes widened.
"The core isn't inside you."
He looked toward the black tree.
"It's beneath you."
The Guardian suddenly threw him away.
Kael flew across the street.
He crashed through a wall.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then his fingers tightened around the metal weapon.
He stood.
The Guardian was already approaching.
Kael wiped dust from his face.
"Alright."
He looked at the battlefield again.
"Let's make this interesting."
[Combat Analysis]
Target: Unknown Guardian
Primary Defense: Root Control
Primary Strength: Physical Power
Weakness: Unknown
Resource Connection: Confirmed
Kael opened Web Control.
He fired a strand toward a nearby building.
Then another.
And another.
He began moving between structures.
The Guardian followed.
Kael wasn't attacking.
He was studying.
Every attack.
Every movement.
Every root.
Every delay.
The Guardian swung.
Kael dodged.
A root appeared.
Kael jumped.
Another root followed.
He changed direction.
The Guardian roared.
Kael noticed something.
The roots always appeared slightly before the Guardian attacked.
"There's a connection."
Kael accelerated.
The Guardian attacked again.
Kael dodged left.
A root appeared.
He jumped over it.
Another came from behind.
He twisted.
The root missed.
Kael landed.
His eyes were shining.
"I understand."
The Guardian wasn't controlling the roots independently.
The roots were responding to its intent.
Which meant—
if he could disrupt its movement—
he could disrupt the roots.
Kael activated Web Control.
Several strands shot outward.
One attached to the Guardian's leg.
Another to its arm.
Another wrapped around a nearby pillar.
Kael pulled.
The Guardian resisted.
Kael pulled harder.
His muscles strained.
[Strength output increased.]
The Guardian moved.
Kael's feet slid backward.
Then—
SNAP.
The first web broke.
Kael didn't panic.
He expected it.
The second broke.
Then the third.
But the Guardian had been forced to stop for less than a second.
That was enough.
Kael sprinted toward the black tree.
The Guardian immediately turned.
The ground exploded.
Kael jumped.
A root missed his foot by centimeters.
Another appeared.
He landed on it.
Then ran along it.
The Guardian roared.
Kael reached the tree.
The crystal was directly beneath him.
A pulse of energy passed through the ground.
Kael could feel it.
Warm.
Powerful.
Alive.
His Adaptive Evolution reacted instantly.
[Extremely concentrated evolutionary energy detected.]
[Natural adaptation response triggered.]
[Absorption possible.]
[Warning: Resource currently bonded to Guardian.]
Kael stared at the crystal.
"Absorption possible..."
He smiled.
"That's all I needed."
The Guardian charged.
Kael jumped from the tree.
The Guardian smashed into it.
The entire black tree shook.
A crack appeared in the ground.
The crystal became visible.
Kael landed.
He immediately drove his metal weapon into the crack.
CRACK!
The Guardian froze.
The crystal flashed.
A wave of energy erupted.
Kael was thrown backward.
[Evolutionary Resource destabilized.]
[Guardian connection weakening.]
Kael stared.
He had found its weakness.
The crystal wasn't just powering the Guardian.
It was anchoring it.
Kael stood.
The Guardian turned toward him.
Its movements were slower.
Not much.
But enough.
Kael tightened his grip.
"Now we're fighting."
The Guardian charged.
Kael charged too.
The two collided.
Kael ducked beneath the first strike.
He stepped over a root.
Blocked another attack.
Moved around its side.
Then struck the cracked ground again.
CRACK!
The crystal flashed.
The Guardian staggered.
Kael attacked again.
CRACK!
Another pulse.
The Guardian roared.
Kael's system exploded with notifications.
[Evolutionary pressure increasing.]
[Dangerous environmental exposure detected.]
[Adaptation developing.]
Adaptation: 0.61% → 0.69%
New adaptation developing.
[Evolutionary Energy Resistance]
Effect: Slightly increases resistance to intense evolutionary energy.
Kael smiled.
His body was changing.
The Guardian attacked again.
Kael dodged.
Then he saw it.
A narrow opening beneath the creature.
The crystal was exposed.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He jumped.
The Guardian tried to stop him.
Kael activated Blackhide.
Then Web Control.
A web pulled his body sideways.
The Guardian missed.
Kael landed beside the crystal.
He raised his weapon.
And struck.
CRACK!
The crystal split.
A brilliant wave of energy swept through the entire street.
The Guardian stopped.
Its body began losing its strange glow.
Kael stared.
Then the system appeared.
[Evolutionary Resource destroyed.]
[Guardian connection severed.]
[Unknown Guardian entering weakened state.]
Kael slowly raised his weapon.
The creature was still standing.
Still dangerous.
But now—
it was no longer being powered by the crystal.
Kael smiled.
"Round two."
The Guardian roared.
And charged.
Kael rushed forward to meet it.
This time—
he wasn't running.