Transcendent Gene-Chapter 288: The Old Duke [4]

BANG!

The sound of his body hitting the meteor was incredibly loud. His back flattened against its surface, and his energy immediately dispersed.

Gio’s vision went black for only half a second before it came back, but his mind was all over the place and it felt like all of the wind had been knocked out of his body.

In that brief moment, his energy acted as a cushion and spread across the meteor. Not only did it absorb most of the force of impact, but it also allowed Gio to hit the meteor without being pierced by any of the sharp protrusions in its surface.

The force had to go somewhere and the shattering of his shield wasn’t enough to absorb it all. Plus, if it was just a shield, was it worth calling it an imitation of another Sequence’s abilities?

It was much more than that. The structure Gio created was his own invention, something that only became possible because of one of the Sequences the tower awarded him. It was called [Crystal Lattice], and though its overall abilities were useless, it helped him survive in a time when he had nothing.

[Crystal Lattice] merely gave him the ability to create lattice structures out of a crystalline material that was almost similar to diamond. Its hardness was only a few levels worse, and in return, it gained a flexibility that similar materials couldn’t dream of.

The Sequence seemed useless for a long time. Compared to the offensive Sequences he’d received beforehand, it didn’t have any worth whatsoever.

That was until he started experimenting with the structure.

As it turned out, the "lattice" in the name was a relative term. It wasn’t restricted to only a single design pattern. The Sequence was able to create any sort of interlaced structure out of the crystalline material as long as it formed a sort of lattice in the end.

It took years of training. Gio even swapped out much more useful Sequences at times in favor of [Crystal Lattice], and in the end, he was able to create something impervious.

It was a net that could protect him from anything. Even if the most massive monster in the world attacked him, the net created by millions of interlaced lattices could absorb all of its force and disperse it within its own threads.

And if Gio didn’t want to disperse the force, he could use the net itself as a medium to send it back the way it came.

He didn’t personally have to be strong when he could turn the opponent’s strength against them.

Now, the current Gio couldn’t create millions of patterns, each of which was individually smaller than a palm, and weave them together in time.

However, he had the muscle memory of that time. He had the "Skill" he created in the past. His current body wasn’t used to moving energy in such patterns, but his heart and mind remembered them clearly.

The lattice shattering on impact was proof of its weakness, but he acted fast enough to almost secure its structure. Its counterforce snapped into the meteor and disrupted its structural stability.

Though Gio had the wind knocked out of him, there was no pain. He felt like he’d belly flopped into a pool. Once that feeling passed, it was more like he was riding the meteor.

His eyes returned to focus and his consciousness stabilized. The cold wind against his skin kept his attention on the world around him, and soon enough, he was back on his feet.

"Huu..."

’I’m good. That was risky.’

He celebrated his success with a sharp inhale. The world around him was moving like a blur, but that didn’t mean the meteor was moving down an uninhibited path. It was shooting through the streets of Lyverne, its ends slamming against the surrounding infrastructure.

The sounds of buildings collapsing after being ripped apart were almost as loud as the roaring winds, but Gio wasn’t affected by any of it.

’The impact was a lot louder than it should’ve been because of the incomplete lattice, but it worked in my favor.’

The impact sounded like it killed him on contact. If he were meant to judge his own state based on the sound alone, he’d think his body was splattered across the front of the meteor.

The Old Duke thought the same. He watched the meteor fly for several dozen meters before it crashed into the ground. The various pieces of debris came apart and flew into the surroundings, and within the falling debris, the sight of a human-shaped shadow was barely visible.

’A...shadow?’

A frown instantly formed on his face. There shouldn’t have been anything left to form a shadow. Why was there a humanoid shape in the distance?

’I felt the explosion.’

The Old Duke was directly holding together the meteor with his power, after all. He felt as Gio’s body splattered across its surface initially.

How was he meant to know that it was only an illusion formed by virtual energy?

’He couldn’t have survived.’

The Old Duke’s pride didn’t allow him to accept it. He had found a way to lift a portion of the suppression and make himself stronger than anyone else. Sure, that level of strength was still minuscule in comparison to his true power, but that didn’t mean he was weak enough to be challenged by any ordinary grunt.

He had to check.

Voom!

He pushed his arms towards the ground. A wave of telekinetic force slammed into the concrete and forced him into the air.

Gio saw his shadow in the distance as well.

’I’m surprisingly unharmed.’

To him, it felt like a short ride through a blurred world before he was falling to the ground again, but it must’ve looked insane from the outside.

’Unfortunately, it isn’t over yet. He must’ve seen me somehow. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be coming this way.’

Gio could feel his stamina running low. He wouldn’t be able to freely use his energy after spending most of it on the lattice, so combat was the last thing he wanted.

’Then...’

He looked up at the shadow in the sky. The sun made it difficult to make out his features, but Gio knew the Old Duke was staring back at him.

"See you later, bitch."

He only spared enough time to say his farewells before covering himself in energy once more.

[Surge]

The Old Duke didn’t hear the words he said, but that didn’t matter. The mere instant of eye contact between them was enough to provoke him.

"This little shit...!"

He growled through gnashed teeth and slammed his arm down in fury.

VOOOOOOM!

A huge wave of telekinetic energy destroyed every building around him, but it was too late for him to attack Gio unless he started another chase.

And though he wanted to kill the grunt who survived where no other had survived, he knew he had bigger priorities.

Lyverne was a mess. It was becoming more of a mess with every passing second, and without him involved, the fight between the rebels and his own forces was relatively even.

The only way for him to pursue Gio was by abandoning everything he’d worked to establish since the scenario began and even some of what he’d established before that moment.

The signature of that virtual blue energy. Messy black hair that he didn’t bother to style, green eyes that were close to turquoise, and caramel colored skin.

The Old Duke watched the blur of blue electricity that was fading into the distance and took a second to note down every little bit of Gio’s appearance and aura.

’Maybe you aren’t a grunt, after all.’

He admitted that someone who could escape him couldn’t be someone ordinary.

And if he wasn’t someone ordinary, then they’d meet again in the future.

He would get his revenge then.

Though...how long would it be before the Old Duke noticed what was missing? How long would it take before he realized who had stolen his clue cards?

It could only be imagined how much his fury and hatred for Gio would multiply when that time came.

Fortunately for him, it wouldn’t happen until the situation in Lyverne was a bit calmer. Until the Old Duke stopped to consider the clues instead of focusing on his small empire, it was impossible for him to feel the disappearance of nigh-weightless objects.

In the end, Gio was able to get away with only a shattered arm. The entire interaction lasted no longer than thirty minutes, so the rest of his party had to still be in the mansion.

He rushed in that direction while assuming the best. If he was lucky, they’d be leaving with treasure when he arrived.

However, even if the Old Duke wasn’t present, the mansion wasn’t a place that could be entered and left at will.

In order to reach the treasure they sought, Shiro, Serene, and Neriah had no choice but to confront the army that was awaiting them.

As for how that confrontation was going...