Cain challenged Cassian for the position of "Master." The two arrived at a secluded location—an open field resembling a farm, surrounded by a ring of trees. It was a place where no one would be affected by their battle.
[Cain has challenged your position as Master]
[Whoever wins will become the Master; the loser must obey the winner]
[Once a month, the loser may challenge the Master to reclaim the title]
Cassian sighed. "This is troublesome. To think that I'm the original, yet my position as Master can be taken away..."
"Don't worry," Cain smirked. "I won't use your cloning ability. My power alone is enough to take you down."
Two clones summoned by Cain stood off to the side, acting like referees.
"3... 2... 1... Go!" one of the clones shouted.
Both Cain and Cassian rushed toward each other. Cain extended his right arm, flames engulfing his claws, and swiped at Cassian.
Cassian ducked to avoid the strike and countered with a punch, but Cain dodged and retaliated with a powerful knee to Cassian's torso.
Cain grabbed Cassian with his right hand. Light gathered in his palm before releasing a massive burst of flames—it looked like an explosion.
[-10 HP]
Cassian was sent flying, but quickly stood up. His body wasn't burned, though his clothes were scorched.
"Good thing I invested 10 stat points into fire resistance. I had a feeling this clone might rebel, and since his power is fire-based, I made the right call."
[Resistance Stats]
[Fire Resistance: 11]
"Even if the fire didn't do much, the impact still caused damage," Cassian muttered as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Cassian smirked and summoned ten clones.
[Skill Activated: Cloning]
[You have summoned 10 clones]
[Clones Available: 25]
[-100 Energy Consumed]
[Health: 170/180]
[Energy: 40/190]
Ten clones appeared and charged toward Cain. "Don't say this is unfair—this is my ability," Cassian grinned.
Cain growled, gritting his teeth. He swiped his arm, releasing a massive wave of flames. "Burn to ashes!" he roared.
His eyes widened—Cassian and his clones emerged through the fire, unaffected.
They charged through the flames. As they closed in, they leapt toward Cain. Cassian struck Cain in the face with his knee before rolling away. His clones followed with hit-and-run tactics—punching, kicking, retreating, and attacking from all angles.
Though they only managed to scratch Cain, their relentless method began to frustrate him. Enraged, Cain unleashed a devastating counter.
"Fire Pillar!" he shouted.
Flames erupted from his feet and soared skyward. The explosion was so powerful it sent everyone flying. The heat was intense, burning Cassian and his clones.
[The fire is too powerful—your fire resistance couldn't handle it]
[-50 HP]
[Health: 120/180]
"Damn, that hurt… Is this really the extent of his power, or is there more?" Cassian muttered, standing with his remaining clones.
"I'm sure that attack must have cost him a lot of energy," he thought.
Cain hurled multiple fireballs. Cassian's clones shielded him, blocking them all.
"Try blocking this!" Cain roared. He formed a flaming javelin and hurled it. It hit one of the clones and exploded.
The blast sent several clones flying. Cassian crossed his arms in an X-shape to shield himself.
"I underestimated Cain... Wait, maybe I can just cancel the cloning skill," Cassian thought.
He attempted to cancel the summon to remove Cain.
Cain's eyes widened as he felt energy trying to restrain him—but he released a surge of power, breaking free.
[Cain rejected the skill cancellation]
"Sh*t. If that doesn't work, then I'll use this!" Cassian activated another skill.
[Skill Activated: Clone Control]
[Transferring Consciousness...]
[Please choose one of your clones]
[Selected Clone: Cain]
Cassian collapsed as his consciousness transferred into Cain's body.
Cain winced in pain, clutching his head.
[The target 'Cain' rejected the transfer]
Cassian's consciousness returned to his body. He stood up, frustrated.
"Damn it, I didn't know that skill could fail…"
Most of his clones were down. Only two remained standing.
The three of them surrounded Cain and attacked from all sides.
Cain gathered flames in his arm, preparing a counter—but before he could act, the same restraining force hit him.
[Clone Cancellation Failed]
Cassian noticed that whenever he tried to cancel the summon to remove Cain, Cain resisted—but was momentarily restrained.
Cassian used that brief moment to strike. He and his clones pinned Cain down and began a barrage of punches.
Cassian punched with his left, then his right, again and again. Every time Cain tried to use his power, Cassian attempted another cancel, forcing the restraint again.
Blood splattered. Still, Cassian didn't stop.
"My knuckles are breaking… Cain, why won't you just give up?" he thought, screaming with exertion.
"I give up!" Cain finally shouted, choosing to forfeit. Cassian stood, exhausted. Cain lay on the ground, motionless.
[You have defeated the challenger]
[You remain the Master of all clones]
[Special Clones may challenge you once per month for the title of Master]
[As Master, you hold authority over all clones, including special ones. However, special clones retain the right to challenge for leadership]
[Being the original doesn't guarantee you will always be Master]
Cain chose to give up—not because he couldn't defeat Cassian, but because Cassian had managed to find a way to restrain him. A situation where he couldn't fight back wasn't worth pursuing. Cain was far more powerful than Cassian; even after being repeatedly beaten, he didn't suffer any fatal injuries. His jaw remained intact, and none of his teeth were knocked out. In contrast, Cassian's knuckles were already starting to break from punching him nonstop.
Cain also realized that there was no point in continuing the fight for the position—at least not for now. If he challenged Cassian again, Cassian would likely use the same method to restrain him. Rather than wasting his strength, Cain decided to concede for the time being so he could find a way to counter the restraint method.
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