Not all Talents were created equal even if they went by the same title. The Steel Bone Talent Nemesis had now, for example, came from a beast who couldn't make nearly as much use from it. Many creatures born with this talent were only capable of having a small portion of their bodies boosted by this talent.
Nemesis, however, was able to coat every inch of his bones in steel because of this Talent's synergy with his Adept Body. However, there was a limit to what Adept Body could do. Ultimately, this technique was meant for controlling the size of one's body and maintaining its level. This made it quite easy to handle changes to the bone, but if Nemesis wanted to fire longer or more powerful projectiles, it would no longer be related to the Adept Body.
In those cases, it would be more related to bone growth or bone arrow speed, but neither of these things could be controlled by Nemesis' original Talent.
In that case, Ryu had to figure something else out. It was thanks to this thought that he considered what would happen if Nemesis absorbed more of the same talent. Would it make no difference? Or would it make the Talent stronger? Or maybe it was that the more powerful absorbed Talent would trump the weaker one, thus erasing it from existence?
After some experimentation, making sure not to kill the last of the Elite Canis just in case there really was another phase coming, Ryu realized that things weren't so straight forward.
Sometimes, there would be no change to Nemesis at all. At other times, there would be explosive growth. At yet other times, there would seem to even be regression.
However, the one thing that Ryu noticed was that even though there was sometimes nothing, sometimes progress, and sometimes regression, the more Nemesis consumed, and as the Talent numbers crossed the dozens into the hundreds, the trajectory was always upward.
At some point, the changes stopped all together. It was then that Ryu realized that Nemesis had come to the end of the line, not in terms of absorbing Talents, but in changes that could be made to his new Bone Control Talent.
At that moment, Nemesis began to morph.
Blood trickled down his lush coat, fusing with his crimson and almost appearing invisible as silver bones began to tear a path out from his skin.
The bones began to form plates of sheet armor, covering Nemesis' body, legs, and even head. From afar, it looked as though Ryu had covered his partner from head to toe in a heavy cavalry armor. But, closer up, it looked far more beautiful than just this.
Nemesis' crimson mane waved about in the wind, his body alternating in silver armor and his lush red coat. His head was covered in a protective covering of metal, almost making him look like a Canis in this regard, but far more powerful.
Now, with a single thought, Nemesis could lengthen his horn to dozens of meters. And, with another, he could send it spiraling outside like a javelin thrown by a giant, sheering apart the wind and shattering the skies beneath his might.
Nemesis' eyes glowed an eerie crimson beneath his face of metal, his body rippling with power and strength.
At that moment, Ryu finally killed the last of the Canis, making that matter seem like nothing more than a joke.
As expected, the moment he did, the ground began to rumble again. Ryu looked off into the distance and smile.
"How about we get you a petrification ability now?"
"~Nie! NIE!"
…
The stench of Alpha Rotting Wolves hung in the air. It made one feel as though they were breathing in rancid hot sauce. It had the same tingly, sharp smell as the spicy sauces. But, it also somehow carried the odor of bad eggs.
Somehow, though, Ryu hardly had to lift a finger even though this was already the third wave. Nemesis plowed through the wolves, his front legs covered in spikes that trampled them to death.
With just a single touch, the wolves would immediately go numb before their bodies began to crackle and pop as a thin layer of stone appeared upon them.
Very soon, this 'thin' layer began to dig into their bodies, latching onto their skin, then muscle, then bone. By the time Nemesis' hooves struck down completely, the wolves could only be shattered into a pile of stone and rubble.
The third wave was completely slaughtered, leaving the land of red clay in desolation.
"There's nothing worth getting from them." Ryu looked toward the Rotting Wolves.
Technically, the Rotting Wolves had toxic saliva and claws that acted as quite a potent poison if one was caught by their jaws. But, such an ability didn't suit Nemesis.
Nemesis' teeth were obviously quite strong due to his Steel Body Talent, however with his battle style, it was rare for him to stop and bite something. It was more worth it to just trample over them. On top of that, he obviously didn't have claws.
There was a possibility that the Toxic Claws Talent could be evolved to work with Nemesis' spikes and horn, but with how strong Nemesis' petrification ability was, there was no need to potentially suppress the effect by introducing a new poison.
The most important thing Ryu had learned during their experimentation was that more was not always better. Even though reaching a maximum quantity in one Talent allowed for the most perfect result, this wouldn't hold true if it was two different Talents clashing.
If the synergy was off, it could very well ruin Nemesis.
"I think we should lean into your petrification ability. There's a special spirit type creature that would be perfect, though I'm not sure if it would be possible to gain their Talent. If you could gain those flames, though…"
"~Nie! Nie!"
Nemesis stomped his hooves in excitement, loving the feeling of growing more powerful everyday.
At that moment, the world suddenly quaked again.
Ryu's gaze narrowed, but he soon realized that it wasn't an enemy.
A pillar of light descended before the pair, splitting into three.
A choice? A reward? Both?