My Talent's Name Is Generator

Golden light flickered around his arms, and his hands transformed, elongating into enormous, giant claws.

He let out a low growl, muscles coiling with tension, then plunged both claws into the monster's neck. The crimson-scaled beast thrashed violently, chains snapping in every direction as it tried to shake him off, but Vaelix held firm.

With a brutal pull, he tore upward.

The sound was sickening, a mix of tearing flesh and grinding metal, as he ripped the monster's head clean off. The body convulsed once, twice, and then went completely still, its red eyes dimming to nothing.

Vaelix rose to his feet on the creature's back, holding its massive head in his claws. For a brief second, everything fell silent, the roars, the rattling chains, even the rumbling abyss seemed to pause. Then he threw his head back and roared.

When his voice faded, he turned his gaze toward me. Our eyes met across the distance, his burning gold; mine, cold and steady. Then he dropped the severed head to the ground with a dull thud and turned away.

Without another glance, Vaelix burst forward again, sprinting down his path toward the distant gates, his golden aura blazing in full force. Even from afar, I could feel the sheer pressure rolling off him. He wasn't holding back anymore.

"Let's go," I called out, my voice cutting through the noise. The others nodded faintly, and I rushed forward on my own path.

The wind screamed past my ears as I ran, the ground beneath my feet glowing faintly with golden lines of Essence. But I had barely covered any distance when a heavy crash shook the path behind me. My shield shattered like glass, and through the cracks burst another monster, just like the one Vaelix had faced.

Four thick legs slammed onto the road, each step cracking the stone. Its lion-like head turned toward me, scales glinting crimson under the twin suns. Chains sprouted from its back, twisting and writhing in the air like living tentacles.

'Is it programmed this way?' I thought grimly, watching it roar.

The sound hit like a shockwave. The path trembled under its power, and I steadied myself, scanning its presence. No level indicators appeared but my instincts told me it was strong. Weaker than the one Vaelix fought, maybe, but still dangerous.

Then it attacked.

The five chains shot out at once, cutting through the air with terrifying speed. I reached for my Essence and felt a jolt of frustration, my reserves were still weak from the last trial. I decided to increase it.

"[Sovereign Reversal]."

Violet vortexes bloomed around me, spinning wildly, devouring the incoming chains. The space around us shimmered as the energy from their strikes was absorbed and redirected to my generator core. The impact was still brutal, each clash felt like thunder but the technique held.

The monster let out a low, frustrated growl. Its eyes flashed red, and it lunged straight at me, claws raised high.

It was fast.

I reacted on instinct, opening more vortexes in the air to intercept the blow. One after another, they shattered under the pressure.

The last one exploded in a flash of violet light, and I used that burst to leap aside. The monster's claw slammed into the ground where I'd been, sending cracks racing across the path.

I landed on its back in a single motion, grabbing hold of two of the chains extending from its spine. A wave of corruption burned against my palms instantly. It tried to crawl into me, cold, invasive, foul. I let go before it could spread too far and pressed both hands flat on its back.

"Firestorm," I muttered.

A surge of violet fire burst from my palms, tearing through its body from within.

The creature screamed, a horrible, guttural sound that echoed across the abyss. Its body convulsed once, then began turning to ash, the fire consuming it entirely.

When it finally stopped moving, I landed softly on the path. With a small wave of my hand, the fire died out, leaving only gray dust scattered across the glowing stones.

I exhaled slowly.

And looked at the others.

Primus moved like a burning shadow, his body wreathed in crimson flames that flickered and flared with every motion.

The monster's chains whipped toward him, slamming into the ground and cracking the stone, but he was faster.

Each chain that passed him only fueled his fire as he ignited the air around him, pushing his body far beyond its limits.

The heat distorted the air as he darted beneath the monster's neck, his fist glowing molten red. He slammed both fists into the creature's throat, and in that instant, fire burst from his arms like twin jets.

A concentrated beam of flame tore through the beast's throat, blasting upward and out the back of its head.

The monster convulsed, its roar turning into a gurgled hiss before its entire body collapsed in burning ruin. Primus exhaled slowly, steam rising from his skin as he straightened up.

Steve's approach was sharper, colder.

Blue lightning crackled across his body, tracing the edges of his blade. As the chains lashed toward him, he moved like a flicker of light—vanishing and reappearing in bursts of thunder.

The monster's claws sliced through afterimages as Steve appeared high above it, his sword raised behind him.

With a single flash, he spun midair, performing a full 360-degree arc. The sword's edge gleamed blue, releasing a sharp burst of lightning as it descended.

The strike cleaved straight through the monster's throat, the blade cutting clean through bone and scale. Its head split apart before it even understood what had happened.

North moved in complete silence. A swirl of wind carried her forward, blurring her figure as she appeared right below the monster's chin.

Both her blades glimmered faint green before she thrust them upward into the creature's throat.

Wind Essence surged, and violent blades of air spiraled out from her weapons, shredding the flesh from within.

The creature let out a strangled roar before collapsing as its neck was torn apart completely. North pulled her blades free and stepped back.