'Weak,' Hunter huffed, summing up the new monster's capabilities. The beast even retreated a bit deeper into Leo’s mind, judging the Guarding Two-tailed Shadow unworthy of its time.

He snorted, not really surprised at Hunter's reaction. This is only the entrance's guardian. There might be something stronger inside. And if there's not, I honestly won't complain. I would rather for this to go as smoothly as it can.

'Whatever,' Hunter grumbled and cut off their connection for the time being. Leo could reactivate it whenever he wanted, but just like the beast said, the monster in front of them wasn't a real danger to them, not with their matching affinities.

Then let's have some fun, shall we?

Giving Clara a quick glance, Leo nodded back towards the tunnel. "Stay away. I will deal with this as fast as possible... And please, try not to die in the meantime."

The woman's eyes darted between the gathering of monsters and Leo. "Aye..." she gulped. "I will leave it to you… Shout if you need help."

"Likewise," Leo chuckled as Clara retreated. Now, what can you tell me about our new friend, Bestiary?

Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Guarding Two-tailed Shadow

Expected Potential: F+ to E-

Weapon of choice: Claws, Shadows, Jaws

Known weaknesses: Fragile body

Special evolution in the Shadow Tail line. Found only in Rifts or Nests of said species. They guard the entrance and exit to their domain with their life. Two-tailed Shadows are unnaturally fast, often felling their prey before it can be noticed. Additionally, as a Guarding variant, they can control the Nest to some degree, and their connection to shadow affinity is slightly better than that of a Shadow Tail. It is advised to only engage those beasts if you possess an ability that disturbs their defense.

That's... a lot of information. Leo blinked. Even if most of it is pretty obvious. Thanks anyway, System.

Rolling his shoulders, Leo extended his blades again and let shadows coat the sharp surface. He didn't need any ability to deal with the guardian's defense; he had a whole affinity for this task...

The Two-tailed Shadow stiffened, and when Leo took a step towards it, the beast hissed. Instantly, the Shadow Tails behind it jumped into higher gear. They all rushed towards the Void Gate, no longer carrying about waiting in a queue.

Not gonna help you anyway. Leo snorted and, with a surge of Reinforcement, dashed towards the larger-than-average feline.

Not to be outdone in the complete beginning of the fight, the beast roared and stomped on the ground hard. In response, the entire Nest trembled, and all of the Vetilim surrounding them exploded in movement, giving Leo flashbacks from the second Cataclysm.

So that's what 'control of the Nest' means. Great... Leo grumbled as he had to change his initial direction and dodge an onslaught of Vetilim tendrils. Clara better be alright back there. This might be a bit harder than I thought...

Leo became a whirlwind of death as all the nearest tendrils closed on him. He cut and slashed at everything in sight while his tails slapped away all the offenders who tried to sneak on him. He didn't even need bloodlust, focused or not, to do this; his body simply listened to all his demands.

All the while, the Two-tailed Shadow stayed back, still overlooking the evacuation of its kin.

Alright, that's enough. Leo growled, fuelling more Essence into Reinforcement. His speed skyrocketed, and he flew past all of the tendrils, shadow spears once more forming above him.

The constructs sailed ahead, forcing the guardian to finally leave its spot. Yet, it wasn't the end of the beast's troubles as Leo followed with his own onslaught, scattering all the unfortunate Shadow Tails who remained near.

Fast. Leo admitted as his second slash just barely connected with the monster's side.

The Two-tailed Shadow shrieked, and instantly, shadows burst out of its body, hoping to skewer the Akirian. At the same time, Vetilim tendrils also caught up, snapping at Leo like an angry snake.

Just as annoying as I remembered. Leo cursed, cutting through another swarm. In the meantime, a vast amount of Essence gathered in his body, feeding on every negative feeling that flowed through him.

Just a bit more... And now!

At once, hundreds of tiny shadow blades shot out of Leo's body, raining death upon the entire chamber. The onslaught of Vetilim stopped while the few remaining Shadow Tails fell to the floor, wailing.

Only the Guarding Two-tailed Shadow stood tall, its eyes blazing with fury.

Liked that? Leo grinned. A small modification to Eruption, supported by over half of my Essence, and we are finally alone. No more running and hiding.

The beast hissed, evidently not agreeing with his thoughts. Shadows began to pool underneath it, slowly climbing the Voidling's body, almost doubling its size. And then, out of nowhere, the overgrown beast split, forming two identical monsters.

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"What?" Leo muttered, scanning the Voidlings.

Guarding Two-tailed Shadow (Voidling) | Rank: F+ | LVL: 12 | Type: Shadow, Grace, Surface, Special

Same thing, but each of them has only one tail. Interesting... Not wasting any more time, Leo sprinted forward, his blades covered in both Kiss of Death and shadows.

On the opposite side, the two beasts refused to meet Leo head-on and sprinted in opposite directions. Before he could reach the nearest one, the Voidlings jumped into the darkness covering the walls around them.

Now, that's just rude. Leo scowled as he was left alone in the chamber. For a moment, he considered going back to Clara, yet before that could happen, something moved in the corner of his vision.

A colossal mass of shadows burst out of the ceiling and shot right toward him, its sharp tip ready to burn a hole through his body. To make matters worse, a second later, a similar construct joined the first, firing from a different angle.

Leo growled and jumped away, removing himself from the path of each projectile. However, instead of crashing into the ground, the shadow constructs disappeared once more, only to shoot out of a different wall a second later, their target obvious.

I see how it is... The question is, how to deal with this without taking any unnecessary risks?

As Leo pondered his choices, the game of cat and mouse continued. With each missed strike, the mass of shadows, that he now recognized as the split Voidling, tried again and again.

What if I do that?

The moment both shadows came close, Leo summoned a good chunk of Essence into his hand and let it ignite in a bright explosion of light. A hiss echoed in his ears as he dodged, shielding his eyes with the other hand.

Alright, maybe I overdid it a bit. Leo snorted as he gazed down at the two swirling pools of shadows on the ground. With nowhere to hide anymore, they tried to reform into their former bodies, yet it was far too late.

Leo pounced, claws digging into both constructs as Devour surged to consume everything in sight. Muffled screeches exploded from the deformed beasts, but Leo didn't give in until no Essence remained in their bodies. He had enough of this annoyance.

Guarding Two-tailed Shadow (LVL: 12) slain | Experience awarded | 31 Ether gained

Devour consumed: +1 Vision

And done. Leo sighed as the last of the guardian faded into dust. Not bad, but it could have gone better… Though I pity anyone who will go against it without any ability that affects Essence. It might have reformed if I didn't have Devour...

With a light shake of his head, Leo approached the large, square Nesting Gate. A mass of red and violet, filled with thousands of shining stars, swirled within the arch, bringing back the memories of the last Void Gate he had seen.

Good times... He snorted before calling out loud. "Clara! If you're still here, you can come out."

As only silence answered his call, for a moment, Leo began to worry that maybe Vetilim or even his own attacks had killed the woman. Thankfully, just when he was about to enter the Gate, Clara peeked out of the tunnel.

"Oh thank god you're alive," she muttered, the light upon her hand illuminating the area. "This is the last fucking time I'm agreeing to Holden's plan. Those bloody tentacles almost skewered me... Nothing like the hentai I watched on the net..."

Leo stopped mid step, his eyes snapping towards the woman. Really? That’s what’s in your head now? What is wrong with you people...

"Shite, I said that out loud, didn't I?" Clara grimaced, looking anywhere but at Leo.

Of course you did, for fuck's sake. He grumbled internally, but on the outside, he just shook his head. "Nah, didn't hear a thing... So the portal..."

Clara nodded right away, "Right, the portal. Are we going in now, or do you need to recover? I had only seen a bit of your fight before I had to run, but man..."

"You're staying here," Leo cut her off.

"What? Why?"

With a long sigh, Leo motioned to the Nesting Gate. "First, Identify it if you haven't before."

Clara tilted her head but did as was told. Slowly, a frown claimed her face, and when she finally turned to him, the question burning in her eyes was unmistakable. "This leads to a pocket dimension within the Void? You mean the same Void that fucked up the entire world?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah... And as someone who had the displeasure of traveling there once, you don’t want to go there as a basic human. I survived only thanks to luck. Doubt you want to risk your life just to make Holden happy."

Clara flinched as if struck. "Already doing that, but yeah, fuck that. I'm staying on Earth."

Good choice. No idea if I could protect you inside there.

Coming even closer to the portal, Leo turned to the woman for the final time. "Then I'm going in... You might want to hide somewhere near the exit. Just in case."

"I will do that," Clara nodded. "Good luck, Leo. I will be waiting."

And to think that not even two days ago, you were trying to put an arrow in my head. Leo chuckled and threw the woman the same mock salute she gave him. "Till then."

Okay... You did this before, Leo. Nothing to worry about. With this thought in mind, he took the first step into the portal, fully expecting to be spat on the other side.

Only it never happened.

Unlike the last time, Leo's steps never faltered. The portal just let him through, washing over him like a small waterfall. Hell, he barely had time to blink before the world of the Void greeted him once more.

Looks the same as the place where I found Nikra's shard. Leo mused, staring into the vast nothingness of black and red surrounding him. This is new though...

While Leo landed on a tiny rocky island that housed the Void Gate, a narrow passage led to another, much larger, floating isle. Anywhere he looked, his vision was filled with shadows, or rather constructs created from them.

Trees, grass, bushes, and even some barely noticeable ruins stood atop the island. To make it more interesting, Leo had already spotted several Shadow Tails jumping across the trees or entering different shadows and disappearing completely.

It's kinda beautiful. Leo admitted, his gaze falling to the dark mist that spilled from the island's edges, slowly fading into the vast nothingness. A true paradise for any shadow creature...

Hunter hummed within his mind, the beast finally awake. They both felt the pull towards the island, the natural attraction. However, they also knew that if they were to succeed, this place had to cease to exist.

Nothing good can last, eh? Leo sighed. Time to get to work.