Chapter 6: Ambush

Having walked a couple more hours, they ran into more creatures but none were spirit beast so they were easily defeated by Hopper . Angel was able to absorb their soul energy. Soul energy was what he called the aura he saw around living beings.

Now he was strong enough to punch holes easily through a tree and his speed and reaction time had also improved as he tested his fighting prowess on a creature.

It soon became dark. Shining along the boundless dark skies were stars that lit up the night sky. From Angel's point of view he could see multiple moons in the sky.

'I wonder how big this world is?' He questioned while pressing on forward.

After walking for another hour he still couldn't find any shelter so he decided to settle down under the shade of a tree. He sat down, laying his back against the trunk of the tree.

He patted the head of the rabbit next to him " You did good today Hopper, you don't have to keep watch during the night so rest up."

'Since my Spatial Perception stays on passively it should still work even while I'm asleep.' Thought Angel.

Soon they both fell asleep, but what Angel didn't know is that they were being watched from a distance. High up in the sky far from them was a figure observing them. It was a bird similar in appearance to a falcon except it was 2 meters tall. With long steel like claws and a beak that seem like could drill through the ground. Its flapping wings glistening with a metallic luster while looking down fiercely at its prey.

The bird started close in on them and when it was about 120 meters above them it started to dive straight down.The birds diving speed was so fast that in the span of a second it was already half way closed on to it's targets.

In that one second Angel was jolted awake by the fast moving creature moving into his field of perception.

Not having enough time to process what was going on as soon as he opens his eyes he sees the bird as close as 10 meters from him giving him little time to react he instantly dodges to his right barely missing its sharp metallic claws.

But while regaining his balance and getting himself on his feet he heard a helpless dying whimper.

As Angel looks up he sees Hopper being torn apart by the bird feeding on the stomach of the helpless rabbit who was the only companion Angel has had since being born.

"NNOOOOOOOO" crying angrily Angel rushed the bird, balling his fist he punched the bird who was relishing in its meal.

When his fist connected against the birds neck it flinched back in pain. Annoyed by the disturbance it looked at Angel with anger for interrupting its meal.

Angel who was enraged ignored the bird's fierce look and went for another punch aiming its wings but this time the bird retaliated swiping its claws at Angel's torso aiming to cut the boy in half.

Angel sensing the danger of the attack jumped back, he then ran around the bird getting behind it and jumping on its back. He to a hold of its metallic feathers with his left hand and started to send a barrage of punches at the birds back.

Sadly for Angel he couldn't get past the bird's defenses as its back was covered in metallic feathers providing it protection.The bird started to shake and wriggle to make Angel get of it but the boy held on tight and kept on punching it while screaming at the top of his lungs.

Soon his right hand started to bleed profusely from punching the metallic feather's over and over again. The bird started too flap its wings trying to fly up, but this made Angel angrier.

"You bastard you think I'm going to let you get away."

He uses his right hand to grip a bunch of its feather he ripped them of the birds back causing it to bleed from that spot. Screeching in pain the bird stops flapping it wings and turned its head back to Angel to peck at him. But Angel dodges this and punches it in its beak stunning it for a moment.

Taking advantage of that chance Angel put all his remaining strength into one last punch at the spot were he ripped out the feathers. The strike pierced through the bird's skin. Pushing his fist as deep as he could Angel tore through the birds insides . The bird resisted for a couple more seconds before dropping dead.

Angel was breathing heavily while still of the back of the bird with his hand inside. Taking out his hand and jumping of the bird he looked for Hopper's body.

When he finally sees what was left of him he broke down crying on his knees. This rabbit who kept him safe and alive when he had no strength was now dead because of him. All that was left of him was the lower half of his torso as his head and upper body was eaten.

Angel cried for a couple more minutes before calming down he picked up the body gently. Suddenly his eyes glowed and in the stomach of the remaining part of Hopper's body there was still his spirit core. He dug into the body and took out the white core. His body instantly tried to abosrb the essence of the core but he resisted.

'Since spirit cores house the essence of a spirit beast soul I wonder if Hopper's soul is still in tact in this core.' He thought trying to comfort himself.

Never did it come to mind to absorb the core as Angel didn't want to benefit from his friend's death. Putting the core in his pocket, he turns toward the lifeless bird lying on the ground. He could see that this bird was also a spirit beast and that its core was in the upper part of it chest. Angel dug it out and looked at the black metallic spirit core in his hand.

Looking up at the bird he said out loud "You on the other hand I have no problem with absorbing your core."

He closed his eyes and focused on absorbing the spirit core. Slowly he felt skin become harder and stronger. When he open his eyes he could see that all his skin was converted to metal. Then a line of words popped in his head.

Metal Mimicry: Allows you to transform the outermost layer of your body into metal.

'This is so cool , now when I fight I don't have to worry about dodging so much.'

Turning off the ability his skin went back to normal and he tested the activation a few more times to make sure he had the hang of it.

Angel buried Hopper in a hole he made next to the tree and stabbed a metal feather on top of his grave as a tribute to show he had avenged him.

Then he moved far away from the corpse of the bird who he thought might attract other creatures and found another tree to sleep on.

As he stared up at the stars slowly dozing off he wondered what else this world had in store for him.