A massive burst of pressure exploded from the centre of the room and dust filled my sight. There was no need to see her, with a presence that strong it would have been impossible not to sense it.

Both Chakrams flew out from my hands and their green hue lit a path. They cut through the cloud of smoke and she broke out of the smoke a moment later, she darted towards me on all fours. Her paws gripped the cracked stone floor, barreling towards me like a beast amid a hunt.

I widened my stance and kept my body facing towards her. “Chain skill, shadow trail burst!” I teleported behind her but she reacted just as quickly.

She placed all her weight onto her front paws and launched her back ones into the air, flipped her body around and landed in the opposite direction, towards me. With a kick from her hind legs, she summoned an explosive speed that sent her my way.

I grinned and raised my hand. My shadow had been stretched out beneath her and connected from the point where I teleported from. The long path of empty black shadows rose beneath her, her eyes jolted down at the rising spikes and she grit her teeth.

Suddenly a trail of black spikes burst from the ground and caught her in its snare. She disappeared in the mess and I made my move. I held out my hands and summoned my blades back to me through the air.

Fast–I have to be faster! I thought.

With them in hand, I raced towards her. She flexed her arms and broke through the snare. The shadowy stakes shattered like brittle sticks and her enraged eyes met with mine.

“Die,” I muttered.

I brought my arm towards her head and delivered a powerful slash that narrowly avoided her face. She met my challenge head-on and caught the blade with her claws like it was child's play. The overwhelming difference in strength was far too vast, my hand wouldn’t budge under her grip.

If I let go, I was afraid she would have broken it but I’d rather escape with my life than my weapons. I felt her bloodlust approach me and ducked.

Her massive paws rushed through the air and slashed it, I pulled away and left my blade behind. I cast out my free hand and shouted, “Dragons Roar!”

The raging head of a dragon formed from my mana and filled its jaws with fire. Scarlet flames shot at her and she brushed them aside angrily, waving her hands through the air like a mad woman.

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Her sadistic smile grew and nearly touched the ends of her cheeks. The more she fought, the worse it looked. It appeared more and more that she was enjoying it. She only saw this as a hunt, nothing but entertainment.

I flipped through the air with a wide spin and created some distance between us which she then closed effortlessly. She rushed on all fours and slammed the back of her hand against my chest plate. My body blew into the wall and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

{User has activated Shadow Step}

{Proficiency for skill has been reached, Shadow Step has increased to its final form}

{Bonus effect: Third Step has been added}

I felt a wave of mana rush through me as if my body had been rejuvenated. I grinned as the small burst of shadows rose from the ground beside her and I stepped out of its void.

The skill reached its final form, I guess that means even the effects have changed slightly. Is the range larger than before, it feels faster too?

The beast woman flipped back with surprise, there must have only been a split second between my disappearance and when I resurfaced from her shadow and yet, she managed to react. She was fast but not fast enough to move in time.

Her body was in the process of turning when my Chakram rose to her neck. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her claws, both of them flew to my body and were about to pierce me. I gritted my teeth and continued out the scene that felt all too familiar to me.

Her claws pierced my body and I burst into a tight explosion of shadows that disappeared like a blip. I appeared behind her once more and her shoulder arched back. Her back lowered to the ground and met my attack with a counter from below.

Claws pierced the air and rushed at me with a blinding speed, it showed just how terrifying she was up close. No matter the angle, she always found a way to land a devastating attack.

So she expected my second step, huh? She’s not just an idiot after all, she’s been anticipating my movements and reacting to everything I do in crazy short times. Against the old me she would have won…but I’m not losing here. Never again.

“Third Step–!!” My body shifted black and ran down her arm as a shadow, I jumped out from the shadow connected to her feet and she was still in the middle of her attack. Her eyes followed my movements and glared at me with an intense stare.

“Too bad for you, demon.”

I plunged my Chakram into her chest just beneath her breasts and a pool of blood rushed out the back end of her body. Purple liquids ran down her backside and stained the ground as well as my hand.

My eyes grew wider and her body rose back to an upright position. Her intense glare grew deeper.

“You get it now, don’t you? I’m a demon, so stabbing me in the chest won’t work since there’s nothing in there to hit!”

With both hands, she pulled the sides of her chest out wider for me to see the massive gaping hole that dripped with blood.

An immense aura filled my senses, right in front of me, that demon woman was surrounded by a powerful surge of mana.

“Now what was that, about killing me?”