The airship halted above a clearing amidst the ruins, its massive metal hull casting an ominous shadow over the battlefield. A hatch opened on the side of the flying vessel, and four figures emerged, descending slowly towards the ground.
Marshmallow watched them carefully, sizing up the threat. The first to touch down was an imposing man with a long scar on his face. Next to him landed a determined-looking young guy, followed by a stocky dude covered in battle scars. The last to descend was a guy wearing some high-tech device that covered half his face.
The scarred leader stepped forward. "I am Geolix! Wyolanders, you're fucked!"
Marshmallow smoothly materialized the Supernova Titan Hammer in his right hand. "These guys are morons. BloodLust didn't send his best men," he replied coldly. "Looks like he's underestimating us."
Geolix snarled in anger. He raised both arms to the sky, and the ground around them began to shake violently. The earth rose up, twisted and molded itself, forming dozens, then hundreds of humanoid figures. Golems of stone and earth rose from the ground, standing motionless like statues.
"Geokinesis," Lynx whispered, eyes wide with amazement. "Marshmallow, that's an A Rank who can control earth!"
But something was off. The golems remained still, like lifeless stone statues. That's when the young Novgovian stepped forward. His hands began to glow with pulsing green energy. "Come to life, creatures!" he shouted. The energy spread like a wave, engulfing each golem. One by one, the earth giants came to life. Stone eyes lit up with an unnatural light, and massive limbs began to move with surprising fluidity.
"He's infusing life into those things. He's an A Rank too," Parabellum muttered. "Must be Lifekinesis."
But it wasn't over. The third Novgovian, the one covered in scars, stepped forward. With a guttural roar, he released a wave of red energy that enveloped the golems. Before the Wyolanders' incredulous eyes, the earth giants grew in size, their bodies becoming denser and more robust.
"And that's an enhancement," Raven added. "He's not using an element, so he must be a B Rank. Two Very Unique Skills and a Unique Skill working in synergy. This is gonna be a tough fight."
Marshmallow observed the scene with icy calm. "Tough?" he said with a smile. "No. It's gonna be a bloodbath. Overdrive, Doom Patrol."
With a fluid gesture, Marshmallow summoned his ace in the hole. A purple mist condensed beside him, quickly taking shape. In moments, an imposing figure emerged: the Super Undead. Standing three meters tall, with razor-sharp claws and eyes glowing with spectral energy, the creature emanated an aura of pure destructive power.
"Use all my abilities, and here, use my hammer too," Marshmallow ordered his creation, handing over the Supernova Titan Hammer. The Super Undead grasped it swiftly. "Show them what it means to be truly powerful."
The Super Undead let out a roar that shook the very air, then launched itself into the fray. Using Marshmallow's Spatiokinesis, it teleported into the midst of the golem horde. With tremendous force, it swung the Supernova Titan Hammer repeatedly, smashing dozens of enemies with a single blow.
The golems tried to swarm it en masse, but the Super Undead was unstoppable. It used Lumokinesis to create explosions of light that disintegrated enemies at a distance. Single-handedly, it was doing something truly spectacular.
Meanwhile, some of the golems also charged at Marshmallow's group. Lynx used her Xylkinesis to create increasingly tall and robust barriers, weaving roots and branches into defensive structures that slowed the golems' advance. Parabellum launched searing fireballs, aiming for the enemies' weak points and incinerating those that managed to break through Lynx's defenses.
Raven, however, remained motionless. He had begun observing the Super Undead. The vast majority of the golem army had gone after it, with only a few fighting the Wyolanders—easily handled by Lynx and Parabellum. The Super Undead sent out Lumokinesis beams with one hand, disintegrating entire groups of golems. An instant later, it used Spatiokinesis to teleport behind enemy lines, wreaking havoc with the Supernova Titan Hammer in the other hand.
"Marshmallow, I can't believe it," Lynx exclaimed, watching the scene with wide eyes. "How is it possible that you're this powerful?"
"What is that being? It seems like an entity that shouldn't exist in the Survivor Game," Parabellum responded.
Raven nodded, still in shock. "No doubt about it. Now we're the weak ones compared to Marshmallow."
How strange fate was. They had sent Marshmallow to the Depths of Vesuvietna to make him stronger, worthy of being the Jolly Rank. But he had far exceeded every expectation. Looking at him, Raven had no doubts. Marshmallow could compete even against an opponent beyond all logic like BloodLust.
Seeing the Super Undead, the Wyolanders group began to find hope for the future. With Marshmallow as their leader, they felt they had a chance at victory.
Geolix watched the scene with growing horror. His golems, which should have been unstoppable, were being swept away like twigs in the wind. "This doesn't make any sense," he stammered, watching his creations fall one after another under the Super Undead's blows. "This isn't a fight anymore. It's a massacre! Damn you, BloodLust! You told us the Wyolanders' Jolly Rank was a pushover. May you be damned, you fucking bastard!"
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Marshmallow smiled, observing the scene with cold indifference. "That's what happens when you underestimate your opponent from the start," he said, giving his companions a meaningful look. "And you, my dear friends, should be grateful for it. After all, you're learning a valuable lesson today." Then he used his Spatiokinesis to move quickly and appear just a step away from Geolix. Geolix snarled in anger and fear. He unleashed a wave of sharp rocks against Marshmallow, but he simply raised a finger, using small beams of Lumokinesis to disintegrate them in an instant.
"You're first," he said, staring at the Novgovian with cold, detached eyes.
Geolix tried to react, but it was too late. Marshmallow grabbed his arm, easily immobilizing him. Then, with a fluid motion, he pierced the Novgovian's stomach with his arm, making him scream in pain. Blood sprayed everywhere as Marshmallow withdrew his arm and left the Novgovian on the ground, dying.
The other two Wyolanders watched the scene in horror as Marshmallow approached the second Novgovian, the one with Lifekinesis, who was desperately trying to escape. With a quick movement, Marshmallow gave him such a hard slap that the Novgovian's head flew off his body, spraying blood everywhere.
Now there was still the third one, the one covered in scars. He was running away too, but Marshmallow immobilized him with Stasis Shock. He observed him coldly, seeing fear freeze his soul.
"Please, don't do it," the Novgovian begged with a trembling voice. "We've lost, we underestimated you. Let me live a little longer."
"No. I'll take your Unique Skill. And your heart too."
With surgical precision, Marshmallow swiftly thrust his right hand into the Novgovian's chest and ripped out his heart. Then he crushed the still-beating heart in his hand, as the Novgovian let out a final, weak moan while spewing blood profusely.
Congratulations! You’ve just obtained the Very Unique Skill “Geokinesis”!
Congratulations! You’ve just obtained the Unique Skill “Fortification”!
Congratulations! You’ve just obtained the Very Unique Skill “Lifekinesis"!
At that moment, the battle had concluded. The golems created by the Novgovians all collapsed to the ground inexorably. Marshmallow had just stolen two Very Unique Skills and a Unique Skill. Now he too could create the same golems. With his powers, he could even create much, much more powerful ones.
However, Marshmallow knew someone was missing. "Where's the fourth?" he asked, looking around.
As if in response to his question, a voice echoed through the air: "Here, Marshmallow. I've been waiting for this moment."
The fourth Novgovian emerged from behind a ruined column, his visual device glowing with a greenish light. "I've transmitted every moment of this battle," he said with an evil smile. "And my master is very pleased with your abilities, Marshmallow."
The realization hit Marshmallow like a punch to the gut. BloodLust knew about his power to inherit the abilities of defeated enemies. He had orchestrated all of this not to defeat him, but to make him stronger.
Marshmallow stared at him with cold, detached eyes. "What do you mean?"
The Novgovian slowly approached, his smile widening disturbingly. "My master wanted to put you to the test. It seems you've passed this test with flying colors."
Marshmallow stiffened, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. "BloodLust? A test?"
The Novgovian laughed. "As you might have guessed, these weren't the best men of the Novgovians, but you can't say they were the worst either. Thanks to this device, BloodLust has seen everything. He wanted to see how you'd handle it, Marshmallow. But I see it more as a gift from my master, just to balance the forces a bit. He wouldn't want the challenge to be too easy when you meet."
"You're underestimating me, BloodLust," Marshmallow growled. Then he fixed his gaze on the Novgovian for a moment, before raising his hand and materializing a rock spire beneath him. The man screamed in pain as the spire pierced his body, lifting him off the ground.
"Don't misunderstand me," Marshmallow said. "I'm not afraid of your master. And when we meet, he'll find out I'm not the same as I was at the beginning of the Survivor Game."
With a brusque gesture, Marshmallow made the rock spire disappear, letting the Novgovian's lifeless body fall to the ground. Then, with a small flash of Lumokinesis, he destroyed the Novgovian's device, ending the transmission.
His companions watched him in silence, still shocked by what they had just witnessed. But Marshmallow knew there was no time to rest. The Survivor Game continued, and he was more determined than ever to win.