Amaterasu lay on the ground, her body battered and broken, pain coursing through every fiber of her being. The once bustling streets of Whifur now lay in ruins, a testament to the fierce battle that had raged between her and Regal. She struggled to draw breath, her vision swimming as she gazed up at the darkened sky above.
In that moment of defeat, Amaterasu felt a profound sense of failure weighing heavily upon her shoulders. Tears filled her eyes. Was this really it? She, the head mage of Whifur lost to a traitor like him? She tried to chant and move her fingers in hopes of casting magic. But it was to no avail. Regal knew where to hit to cut her breath and the damage she endured due to hit and flying back paralyzed her body.
“Crying already? And here I thought that you were resilient.”
Amaterasu was afraid of death and what it brought. She was afraid that she would die without leaving an heir to pass her family’s magic. She was afraid of not seeing Arslan again. She was afraid of leaving Morrigan alone.
But all of that was preferable to being defiled. She has seen the eyes of the women after they were rescued. She has seen the marks on their bodies when she healed them.
“Mom, Dad and Ancestors. I am sorry for my weakness. I pray that you will still welcome me.”
Regal may have bested her in battle but her spirit was still unbroken. Slowly she manipulated her mana. As a mage mana running through her body moved with more precision than someone using it to simply reinforce their bodies. To master a spell a mage had to carve the formation of that spell to their mind and soul by tedious study and practice. After that, it can be cast by the right triggers, mana control, and mental power. These formations also were connected to a bigger, all-encompassing formation which made one’s mana stream. With enough time and skill, one can even turn it into a magic crest and share it with their relatives.
Amaterasu planned to break her all-encompassing magic formation. Doing that would cause her mana to go berserk. If a low-tier mage did that it would have killed or crippled them without damaging the area surrounding them too much but with Amaterasu’s greater mana pool and fire affinity, she aimed to take Regal with herself.
Her eyes desperately searched for any trace of Arslan, hoping and praying that he would come and save her despite knowing that he had no chance of beating Regal by himself.
As Regal’s dirty hands reached out for her body, Amaterasu got ready to unleash her final gambit.
“Bark.”
A wall made out of countless ice spikes cut between her and Regal, blocking him from touching her. Regal cursed as ice pierced his skin. Amaterasu felt something dragging her away. As her eyes darted around to see her savior, Amaterasu’s gaze met with a familiar, small, and white thing.
“Gökbörü.”
Amaterasu thought to herself. If he was here then Poyraz was also here. A small hope lit up in her chest.
“You little thief! You dare to steal my woman from me?”
Regal broke the ice wall into pieces as he charged forward. His charge was met with another wall of ice spikes but it didn’t end there. More and more appeared out of thin air. Even the temperature which rose rapidly due to Amaterasu’s fire magic dropped considerably. While Regal tried to get over the wall, Gökbörü stopped dragging Amaterasu. His mouth reached down to his shadow and pulled a bag from inside the shadow. Amaterasu recognized it as the bag of holding Poyraz had. His muzzle searched inside the bag before exiting out with a flask in his mouth. With a dexterity Amaterasu hadn’t expected from him, he opened it with his paws before pouring the contents into Amaterasu’s mouth. She didn’t resist as she was sure that it was a healing potion.
Amaterasu felt her body heat up as the potion instantly took effect. In just seconds she was able to cast healing magic to fasten her healing even more.
“Thank you.”
She patted the pup’s head, her voice still hoarse.
“Bark!”
“Is Poyraz here?”
Gökbörü shook his head from side to side.
“Is he fighting in another place?”
This time he nodded.
“I see. Will you help me defeat him?”
“Bark!”
Gökbörü wagged his tail before turning to Regal and barking aggressively. Even though she was ready to take her own life just a second ago, Amaterasu smiled. Poyraz and Lily had returned and were fighting and now she had another chance of defeating Regal. She quickly buffed herself and Gökbörü despite the pain still lingering in her chest.
“You think you can defeat me because a puppy joined you? Pathetic!”
Regal broke through the ice wall and swung his fist into the air, releasing his invisible ranged attack. Amaterasu blocked it with her magic barrier as Gökbörü charged towards him. Regal laughed seeing the small pup running to him, his laughter echoing in the battlefield. He punched the air furiously, launching the same attack that managed to corner both Arslan and Amaterasu. Invisible projectiles hit the ground, each creating craters and raising massive amounts of dust.
“Hahahahha!”
Regal laughed out loud at the image of the annoyance turning into a paste and Amaterasu’s spirit being broken. However, he choked on his laugh as something small tore through the dust cloud aiming straight for his throat. If it was a split second late on raising his arm to block it, his throat would have been ripped open by the furious beast’s fangs. Instead, Gökbörü managed to bite a chunk out of Regal’s forearm before entering into a shadow and disappearing. Regal stumbled back out not out of pain but shock. He being stunned gave Amaterasu a chance to land her attack.
“Solar Flare!”
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The beam of concentrated red light flew straight for Regal’s chest. Despite his shocked state, Regal tried to dodge only to find his feet stuck to the ground with ice. The beam tore into his chest. The blast from Amaterasu's Solar Flare spell engulfed Regal, sending him hurtling backward with a deafening roar. His body slammed into the ground with bone-shaking force, his form engulfed in flames as he writhed in agony. Amaterasu watched with grim satisfaction as her attack found its mark, her heart pounding with a mixture of relief and determination.
“That’s right.”
Thought to herself Amaterasu. It may be true that Regal was now stronger. But she also has been training and studying with others. She stepped forward and started to dance, ignoring the lingering effects of Regal's earlier assault. He was still alive but Amaterasu was about to make sure that would change in a second. She pulled her arm back as if she was drawing an invisible bow. The fire burned brightly in her hands, turning blue and roaring proudly.
“Be honored to be killed by my ancestor’s power, if you know what honor is! First Tail: Radiant Blaze Arrow!”
With a fierce cry, she released her grip, sending the blazing arrow hurtling toward Regal with unerring accuracy. The arrow streaked through the air like a comet, leaving a trail of shimmering light in its wake as it closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Unlike the Fifth Tail she used against the giant beetle previously this spell was created to disintegrate whoever it hit instead of being an area of effect.
However, the satisfaction and victory Amaterasu felt disappeared quickly as the arrow was absorbed into the bandaged hand of Regal. Gökbörü barked bitterly as if to warn her as Amaterasu’s wide eyes met with Regal’s smug-looking ones. The bandages covering his arm came undone revealing blackened skin with red energy running through it like magma.
“You sacrificed your arm to a demon?”
Amaterasu blurted out with disgust. Regal chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement as he flexed his newly revealed arm, the corrupted flesh pulsating with dark energy.
“You call it sacrifice, I call it upgrade.”
Amaterasu's stomach churned with revulsion at the sight of the twisted, corrupted limb. It reminded of her how Adonis was corrupted against his will and this fool did it out of his own will?
"You fool," she spat, her voice laced with contempt. "Do you truly believe that power is yours? Demons never accept deals that are disadvantageous to themselves. You will pay for it dearly.”
Regal's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with manic fervor as he took a step forward, his corrupted arm crackling with dark energy. Amaterasu now understood why he was stronger. However, the power he acquired also created some questions. First was where her attack went. It was quite simple and she knew the answer: It was turned into mana and absorbed my Regal. She knew that since she could feel his mana increase the moment her attack was absorbed. The second and more important question was what were the conditions to absorb her attacks?
That kind of ability always had some kind of condition attached to it and if it could be used without any care Regal would have used it since the beginning.
Regal swung his corrupted arm, black energy laced with golden mana slashing towards Amaterasu. As Regal's corrupted arm swung toward her, Amaterasu's mind raced with thoughts and calculations. She knew she had to act quickly if she was to have any hope of defeating him and putting an end to his reign of terror. Drawing upon her knowledge of both beastkin and human magic, she formulated a plan in the blink of an eye.
With a deft movement of her hands, she summoned a swirling vortex of flames around her, creating a barrier of intense heat to ward off Regal's attack. The flames danced and crackled, forming a protective shield that absorbed the dark energy of Regal's strike and diffused it harmlessly into the air.
Gökbörü joined in, sending ice spears flying towards him. Regal shattered them, ice quickly melting because of Amaterasu’s flames.
“Not exactly the dream team, don’t you think?”
Regal ran, his gigantic frame shaking the earth. Gökbörü ran towards him to intercept him from reaching Amaterasu. With a fierce bark, he launched himself at Regal, his teeth bared and claws extended as he sought to distract and disrupt the Tyrant Lion's advance. His fangs pierced through fur, skin, and muscle while blue sparks shocked Regal. However, this time Regal was ready and backhanded Gökbörü, sending him far, far away.
“No!”
Amaterasu shouted as the bleeding form of Regal closed in, his massive stature dwarfing her.
“Come on, show me your true face!”
Regal’s fist slammed into her barrier, pushing her back. Regal revealed his fangs and licked his lips.
“When I am done with you, I am going to find Arslan and show what I have done to you. What do you think his face will look like?”
Cracks appeared as a flurry of punches slammed against her shield.
“But don’t you worry. I am not going to kill you. It is hard to find a suitable woman to sire strong children after all.”
The barrier finally broke but Amaterasu was barely able to stop the punch with both of her hands. She raised her head, revealing markings on her face. Fire erupted all around them.
“Hahahah! You finally used it! Come on, let me overpower you like a proper male!”
With a primal roar, she unleashed a torrent of fire and fury, her mana flaring to life in a dazzling display of raw power. Flames danced and swirled around her, forming a blazing inferno that engulfed both her and Regal in its searing embrace. However, despite the power she demonstrated, all the flames were absorbed into Regal’s arm.
Amaterasu growled, revealing her large fangs before slamming her fist into Regal’s wounded chest. Even though her fist left a scorching mark, Regal kept laughing. Amaterasu’s claws sharpened as fur grew on her arms. With a final surge of energy, she unleashed a devastating barrage of claws and teeth, her attacks fueled by the primal fury that burned within her. Regal tried to quench that flame punching her so hard that she fell on her hands and knees but Amaterasu refused to stay there. She pulled a heavy piece of rock from the ground, infusing it with mana until it turned molten before smashing it on Regal’s head.
As Regal stumbled back she put her hands on his chest.
“Shock Wave.”
The shockwave rippled through the air, emanating from Amaterasu's hands and slamming into Regal with bone-jarring force. His form was thrown backward, crashing into the ground with a resounding thud as the force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the earth. Amaterasu staggered to her feet, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she surveyed the scene before her.
“Don’t get up.”
Amaterasu growled. She could feel herself slipping into an uncontrollable state as her muscles expanded. She knew that regardless of how much strength she gained from Primal Evociton, she still couldn’t fight against Regal like a bruiser. With her mana and stamina running low, she was on the verge of defeat.
But Regal rose up, his annoying smile still on his face.
“Mage Hand!”
Massive amounts of rubble rose into the air.
“Explosion!”
Using the same trick she used before, Amaterasu sent countless shards and rubble toward Regal. She also picked up a rock and hid it in her hand while infusing it with mana. Regal tore through the dust while ignoring the damage they caused to his body, dark energy crackling around him. Instead of retreating, Amaterasu ran towards him before throwing the rock high into the air before Regal realized it.
Amaterasu and Regal clashed in the middle, Amaterasu slamming another Shock Wave to his chest while her fingers dug into his skin. Regal didn’t bother to punch, instead, his hands grabbed her throat before crushing it.
“That was somewhat of a disappointing finish.”
Amaterasu tried to claw Regal’s hands but her stamina and mana were fully exhausted. She could only glare at Regal’s smug face as blood filled her mouth. That was until the rock she threw into the air descended down like a meteor, homing in on mana traces she left on Regal. The blazing piece of rock smashed over Regal’s head, sending both of them towards the ground. As they plummeted towards the ground, Amaterasu's vision blurred and her consciousness began to fade. Pain lanced through her body, her throat constricted by Regal's vice-like grip as she struggled to draw breath.
“Heya!”
A familiar voice rang out. Amaterasu raised her head slowly to see Lily. He was waving his hand.
“It is okay, Ama. Nice job taking care of the trash. I will help you so wait for a second.”
He disappeared from her vision before appearing on top of Regal.
“You and I are going to have a little chat before that.”