Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 152: Ways To Go

One way or another, this was going to come to an end. And despite Caleb’s reply, Luc was determined to take him away.

It was an unexpected discovery, and with the recent changes coming their way, Luc was determined to get all the power he could to their side — even if he had to force said person.

In the heart of the dying smoke and scorched earth, Caleb and Jess had their backs to each other, assessing the strength of the group of five. "These guys are strong..." The catwoman said under her breath.

"I know." Caleb replied in a seemingly calm tone. The hooded individuals were fortunate to employ a fire spell, or things would have been very bad for them.

Caleb and Jess had a high resistance to flames. But Jess’s resistance was on the weaker side of things due to her lower mana capacity. As long as there was sufficient mana, their resistance worked.

With Jess’s hands and feet magically restrained, she would have failed to respond in time had they gone for the kill or whatever they intended to do with her — this was what scared Caleb into abandoning all precautions.

"Can you get us out of this circle?" Jess asked, staring up at the giant magic circle. Just like what she experienced before, the effects of the magic poles were slowly draining her reserves.

Casting spells or using abilities would just be a waste of mana, as the magic poles would disrupt the spell and absorb the gathered mana.

"You don’t have to worry," Caleb reassured. "I don’t need mana to get us out of here..." His gaze shifted towards the far back, where he spotted a certain adventurer making his own plans.

"..."

Jess didn’t have a reply, and she didn’t need one. She trusted her partner with her life. If Caleb said everything was fine, then it was. The catwoman had seen the kinds of things Caleb could do, and honestly, she doubted that there was anyone in the world who could stand against him.

"Besides," Caleb suddenly added. "We have something of a backup in case things go south."

"Huh?" Jess looked over her shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"I’ll explain later... For now, focus. The smoke is clearing..." Caleb instructed as he got ready for a fight. The catwoman nodded as she too got ready for a fight.

"I can only take one of them, Caleb." Jess confessed nervously, her nails extending into sharp claws. "Can you handle the rest?"

"Trust me, sweetheart. No one will be harming a hair on your head." His reply brought a smile to the Catwoman’s face.

Most of the smoke finally cleared, restoring the full vision of everyone around. With touches lighting up the surroundings and the enhanced vision of everyone present, the darkness of the night was no issue.

Commander Axel looked at Caleb with a bit of sweat on his brow. Seeing him again brought back some memories of his fight with the demon generals.

’Will this be enough?’ Axel genuinely wondered. ’His physical strength is no joke... And the way he appears nonchalant makes me more nervous.’ In all honesty, Commander Axel preferred not to fight Caleb.

The commander turned to look at Luc, knowing a fight was inevitable. "Don’t engage without my say so..." Axel said to his men, getting several nods in reply.

"You look better in person than in the posters," Luc commented calmly, withdrawing the dual short swords at his waist. "Are you sure you won’t change your mind?"

"..."

Caleb did not reply, making the head figure nod. "That’s alright..." Looking towards his men, he instructed. "Take care of the cat. I’ll handle the man myself."

The hooded figures nodded as they equipped themselves with their weapons. Without hesitation, all four charged at Jess, ignoring the fact that Caleb was still standing beside Jess.

"Quite bold of you guys to ignore me!"

Caleb exclaimed as he grabbed Jess by the waist and spun her around and above himself, coming to face the four individuals who were already upon them. With a devilish smirk, he swung his right hand in a wide arc.

Just like Jess, Caleb had extended his nails into claws. Unlike Jess’s cat claws, however, Caleb’s claws were draconic in nature, with red, sleek-looking scales coating his hand.

More than just the flames, Caleb integrated the essential transformative genes needed for scale and claw formation, claiming the hardened defence and attack power of a dragon.

Caleb’s response was fast and precise, taking the four individuals by surprise. They swiftly changed trajectory as they attempted to get out of the claws’ path.

’Shit!’

Caleb’s senses picked up on the leader’s movements, forcing him to abandon his attack to protect Jess. Luc was a lot faster compared to his companions.

The moment Caleb turned his back on him, Luc made his move, going for Jess instead. With his right sword, Luc lunged at Jess, aiming for a piercing attack.

Forced to rely on his superior speed, Caleb used the momentum from his swipe to turn on his heel, lifting himself off the ground as he pulled Jess into an embrace, shielding her with his back against the incoming attack.

’!’

Luc’s eyes widened in shock as the unexpected move caught him off guard. He tried to veer away from Caleb, but he was already too close. The attack was not meant to kill Jess, only to incapacitate her.

He couldn’t understand why Caleb would recklessly throw himself into the sword’s path. The reply to his question came right after.

CLANG!

"Huh?"

The attack that was supposed to go through Caleb’s back failed to pierce his clothes. Moreover, it felt like the attack clashed with something extremely hard, producing a rebound force that pushed both parties back.

"What the hell was that?!"

Luc asked out loud, watching as Caleb and Jess rolled to a stop. Even if Luc factored in the scales covering Caleb’s hand extending to his back, the lack of mana should have weakened the scales’ defensive properties.

How was he supposed to know the clothes Caleb was wearing weren’t just clothes, but a shapeshifting piece of defensive armour?

His men came to land beside him, awaiting further instructions. No one could tell what they were thinking or what expressions they wore under the hood.

But if the reactions from the knights and bounty hunters were anything to go by, then they must be as shocked as everyone else.

Jess was held in a tight embrace, protected from the rough ground. ’This might not be as easy as we thought.’ She thought through gritted teeth. ’Even with how strong I’ve gotten, it’s still not enough!’

"Don’t be hard on yourself." The catwoman heard Caleb say. "You still have ways to go."