“Watch out!” Selene shouted.

Right after, a heavy quake followed as the construct’s fist smashed into the ground. Miria nimbly avoided the blow, completely unfazed as the pieces and bits of rock rained upon her from the heavy impact. At her current level, she was way too fast for the Golem to catch her with its big square fists.

But, even if the full power of her lineage made her quicker and stronger by a lot, it didn’t help much against a colossal enemy whose outer skin was tougher than any other stone.

“It’s alright. I won’t get done by something like that.” The panthergirl grinned as she stopped by her sister-mate clad in cyan spiritual armor. “This kind of reminds me of the statues at the bottom of the Descending Spire.”

“Save for the part where there is no trick to destroying this one easily,” the fox lady replied while eyeing their opponent. “Unless we can power it down somehow, its surface will remain almost invulnerable to most attacks.”

“I know. But it doesn’t have an open visor like the bigger one. It doesn’t have any gaps, actually. Besides the joints and connectors. I can’t see a way for us to sneak an attack inside so it reaches the core or cluster,” Miria said while scrunching her cute muzzle. “And that still applies mostly to you and your spiritual energy. I can do much more now, but I lack training and practice. I’ll need to spend some time with Master, like in the very beginning. I’m honestly looking forward to it.”

The enemy grew bored of their chatter and tried to squash them again, both girls evading to the side. Avoiding the cloud of dust, they regrouped behind the Golem.

“There are still things you can do now that you couldn’t before, no?” Selene raised a brow at the other beastfolk. “Can you grow as big?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Miria nodded confidently. “I’ll need some time, though, since it’s still very new to me. And I’ll be completely naked again…”

“I’ll help you fix that issue when we get there. Not that anyone would be paying any attention to you when we all have our own fights to focus on.” The fox lady smirked warmly. “Do your thing. I’m going to keep this thing busy until you are ready.”

She took a deep breath and the external circuits that currently ran over her entire body began to glow stronger. A noticeable spiritual pressure emanated from her core, starting to gather in her arms. The armor covering them dissipated and her hands lit up too, the patterns spreading over them, shining with light blue light. Soon, the skin up to her elbows was replaced by the bright phenomenon, cyan serpents of spiritual energy coiling around her limbs.

The Golem decided to make another attempt and launched a fist at the women. Selene raised her gaze to stare at it unflinchingly and drew her right arm back. Just as they were about to be crushed, she launched her own punch with a valiant shout, meeting the construct’s blow head-on.

A loud thud echoed through the lands, the ground shaking from the sheer force of the impact. The Golem stumbled to the back as its fist was blown past its own torso, testing the durability of its joints as the stone limb had become twisted the opposite way in a matter of a second. Catching its balance, it brought its arm back and seemed to stare at it in confusion even though it did not have any eyes. Or a face for that matter.

“Woah! You did that back in the undead dungeon, didn’t you?” Miria’s expression was taken over by awe and a hint of concern. “Are you okay after that punch?”

Selene chuckled gracefully. “I’m not the same vixen as back then. At worst, my arms will tingle a tiny bit afterward. I’ll keep it at bay so stop wasting time. The longer you take, the longer I’ll need to monopolize Master to care for the aftereffects of this technique.”

“That’s cheating!” The panthergirl’s eyes widened and she hastily dropped onto her butt, starting to meditate.

With another snicker, her sister-mate and guardian pushed herself off the ground and met the Golem’s next blow mid-air. Not having anything solid underneath her feet resulted in her being launched backward just like its fist did, but the attack on Miria was prevented nonetheless. Not a single strand of fur would fall from the other girl’s tail while she was on watch.

For the next minute, Selene countered every punch and kick the construct aimed at either of them. Whenever it was possible, she tested its durability by attacking possible weak spots, like the joints. But, no matter how much force she put into her blows, they faintly cracked the nearby surface at best. And these hits would undoubtedly shatter half a mountain at this level.

Meanwhile, a low growl continuously tickled her sharp ears from behind. Miria was shifting as quickly as she could. Since growing to the size she had shown them in the underground facility would hardly be enough, she had to put more of her mind into it. That had already been incredible, so the fact that she was capable of increasing her size even further was more than commendable. It was a thing of legends. Not just one story would make it into their realm if Miria showed this ability to her people.

“It’s time to dance.” A louder and deeper voice resounded behind her and Selene looked up.

The Golem was kicked square in the chest with a giant furry foot, which sent it hurtling into the distance. Miria stepped over Selene, her size equal to the construct, cracking her fists in anticipation. There was just one issue that had been mentioned before, her clothes didn’t make it.

Lifting herself into the air with spiritual energy, Selene flew up until she hopped onto Giant Miria’s shoulder, feeling a bit like a doll more than a person. Especially when the panthergirl’s massive head turned her way, making it clear that she could literally bite the fox lady in half if she wanted to.

But, even if Miria had become a scarily huge titan, she was still Miria, and the cheerful grin twisting her adorable muzzle made it more than clear.

“What now?” she asked loudly, not by intention.

Selene sat down atop her right shoulder and entered deep meditation too. The spiritual armor disappeared from view, melting into cyan tongues of energy. More of them surged out of the foxgirl’s form as she drew on her reserves. So much power leaked into her surroundings that she became a small blue lamp, forcing Miria to shield her eyes. Through her fingers, she saw it drip down her frame.

When the visual assault ceased, Miria’s jaw almost dropped.

The spiritual armor pieces Selene always had on herself now covered her own fur, from shoulders to feet. Most areas were fully protected, save for the sections that bent and twisted, of course. The design was the very same so it truly felt like she was wearing her sister-mate’s gear made of pure mana. It was even still connected to its owner, who sat on the panthergirl’s shoulder with a proud smile.

“That is awesome!” Miria jumped with joy. “Now I can totally kick that Golem’s ass! Hang on tight!”

Selene didn’t have much to say in that matter as she was completely anchored down. So, she could only gasp quietly as Miria suddenly dashed forward, appearing in front of the construct in a literal blink. Her gauntleted fist struck its white body with a thunderous impact, knocking the Golem back noticeably while leaving her knuckles unharmed.

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Taking advantage of her momentum, Miria barraged her opponent with a flurry of blows. Only after the sixth one did it manage to block her, taking a hit on its guard. They began exchanging attacks, standing on a more even ground between them. But, while the Golem kept receiving whacks all over, Miria was lighter and faster, regardless of her equal size. She dodged most counters, letting them scrape against the protective layer created by Selene.

When her enemy accidentally overextended, she took advantage of its rookie mistake. It definitely lacked hand-to-hand training, contrary to Miria. Her mom had made sure to instill every possible lesson into her when she was young, which gave Miria a leg up over the other hunters so many times. And now she even knew why her mother had been so serious and strict about it, learning about her parent’s dangerous past.

So, in one swift motion, the experienced panthergirl reenacted the memorized movement without a second thought, grabbing the Golem’s outstretched arm, twisting it as she passed her target, and smacking her opponent with her hip. All those things combined sent the construct flying into the air, which she followed with her gaze and a big smile on her face, watching it crash into the ground with an explosion of rocks.

“Damn, this is so fun, but I hardly do anything to its tough shell.” The panthergirl sighed. “Are you okay with getting a little bit cold, Selene?”

Her vulpine sister-mate frowned in confusion and observed as Miria briefly closed her eyes to focus again. Something changed and Selene could sense a formation appear on Miria’s back. It was fairly familiar and she soon recognized it as one of Ast’s Summoner techniques, reminding her that the airheaded feline girl was now capable of using them on her own, without his input. That sounded like something quite unprecedented, but she would have to ask their master for his opinion first.

Still, as Miria had said, the air around the giant panthergirl grew colder, the temperature dropping significantly. They had taken long enough that the Golem was already charging back at them, but it failed to surprise either of the ladies. Opening her eyes, Miria once again met its fist with her own, but this time, a wave of white frost in the form of thick mist followed the motion, bathing the construct in an icy breeze.

Each single attack, be it a punch or kick, covered the Golem with more frost. Its movements slowed down and became stiff, earning itself even more smacks from the powered-up panthergirl. And since the cold snuck into the tightest gaps in the construct’s joints, it was only a matter of time before it completely froze up.

Unfortunately, while that made the entire fight super easy, it didn’t help much with the aspect of damage. The spell wasn’t powerful enough to pierce through the enchanted stone. Miria’s strong blows cracked the weakened surface more, but that was all. Unless she somehow affected the circuits on the inside, she wouldn’t be able to fully take down her opponent.

Realizing that, she jumped back, her actions buying the two of them some time to think things through. The Golem wasn’t going anywhere for a minute or two, frozen solid in an awkward lunge forward mid-punch. It was roughed up but would come at them again the moment its motor functions were restored.

“I really wish the weapons would grow too.” Miria grunted quietly. “I can sharpen my palm, but it won’t be as effective as with an actual blade compatible with mana.”

“Perhaps your elf friends might think of something to fix that issue of yours.” A new voice appeared by her left ear and she flinched, her face snapping towards its source to find Abyss perched on the other shoulder. “For now, though, allow me to offer you some support.”

Similar to Selene, the mysterious mocha-skinned woman extended her aura towards Miria’s frame. The dark energy flowed down the panthergirl’s fur, making her shudder as she watched it consume her limbs and torso. Soon, she was sitting inside a smooth black one-piece suit that swirled ominously like smoke, the only untouched region being her head.

That state didn’t persist for long, however, as Miria felt the darkness creep up her neck too. It slithered upwards from the back, climbed over her scalp, and descended onto her face from above. Stopping at the level of her nose, it formed a half-mask covering the upper part of her face. Touching it all over, Miria noted that it even had cute protrusions to emphasize her rounded ears. And even though she could see perfectly well, some kind of protective layer kept her eyes safe.

She wondered if that was how her mother felt in her own night operation suit.

“Bring your hands away from your face, please,” Abyss requested calmly.

It still made Miria jerk a tad and she quickly extended her arms forward. She jumped when something suddenly popped out from above her wrists and her eyes widened in shock. Two dark purple claw-shaped blades of energy poked out from her knuckles on each fist. They glimmered dangerously and looked ready to slice through anything like it was heated butter.

Just then, the Golem chose that moment to wake up from its forced nap, filling the air with the noise of breaking ice. As it escaped its temporary prison, Miria grinned viciously. Spreading her arms to the sides, she lowered her posture and roared with all her might.

The hunt was on.

She rushed forward with renewed vigor, excited to test out her new toys. Her opponent was still cranky after its cryo-sleep and failed to fully escape her new range. Slashing at its torso, she managed to slice into its upper arm, the blades leaving fairly deep marks in the white stone. They didn’t pass through with no resistance, but this much was nothing.

Happy that she had a way to injure the Golem, Miria didn’t let it catch a break. Her swipes rained upon its frame like an unending hail and its shell was soon covered in cuts, marks, dinks, and grazes. She wove some kicks and martial arts moves into her attacks to keep things fresh in case the construct was capable of figuring out her patterns with time.

Nevertheless, it didn’t have the time to do so when it was receiving a one-sided beating.

Finding a perfect opportunity after one of her mid-kicks, Miria spun around and sunk her right claws into the side of the Golem’s head as far as to smack her knuckles against its hard surface. And while it didn’t turn the construct off with enough damage for it to cease struggling, it showed her that hurting it on the inside was possible and very much viable.

The blades retracted from the created holes without a problem, unaffected by friction and the shifting of stone, making the holes narrower. She avoided a quick counter by ducking underneath it and made a pirouette, slicing at her opponent’s leg. The joint was directly hit and locked up, dropping the Golem to one knee.

Appearing behind it, Miria drove both sets of blades into its neck and twisted. Sparks flew as she made half a circle with each hand and fully separated the Golem’s head from its shoulders. The huge square block bounced off its frame and smashed into the ground, creating a small crater.

But, that was not enough.

Seeing that the enemy was still trying to grab her, she grabbed it instead, taking hold of its wrist. Lifting it above its head, she plunged her free fist into the construct’s torso, the energy blades sinking all the way in. Letting go of its arm, she did the same with her other fist, having both of them driven into the Golem’s chest.

Before it was able to try anything, Miria let out another roar and raised her opponent over her head, flexing her powerful muscles even through the tight black suit. She pulled one hand free and sank it into another free spot. Then the other, mirroring the motion, with the bloodthirsty cry still on her lips.

She stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until there were more holes than the undamaged surface.

Ceasing her shout, she watched the Golem cease to move, its limbs hanging limply off its mangled torso, which lost some of its golden glow. She threw it aside with a growl, the mutilated construct landing on the ground with a small earthquake. It didn’t move anymore, dead for good. One of her stabs had to have hit its energy source.

It would be surprising if it hadn’t, considering the state of its chest.

Taking a deep breath, Miria sighed heavily, letting all the tension she had built up leave her body. A sound of clapping reached her ears, both of them, and her head swiveled from side to side. Selene and Abyss were applauding her, one with an impressed smile on her face and the other with the usual emotionless expression. But, both conveyed their approval of her battle.

“Thanks. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without your help.” The panthergirl grinned sunnily, then glanced at the sharp energy blades. “I’m going to miss these greatly when we are done here.”

“You won’t,” the creepy lady said, capturing her attention. “They, just as the suit, are now part of you. While you don’t exactly share the affinity for any elements yourself, that doesn’t matter in front of the almighty bond you share with your True Dragon mate. You’ll be able to bring these forth with just a little bit of energy borrowed from the Little Shadow. It should be simple for you thanks to the connection you all share, no?”

“Really?” Miria beamed at her and started hopping in place.

“Calm down!” Selene chuckled gently, reminding her that there were still people riding her shoulders.

“Sorry!” The feline woman apologized shyly and cast a glance in the direction they had initially come from. “Looks like the others are doing fairly well too. I think we should regroup soon and help Master—”

She froze when her gaze wandered to the spot Asterios was at.

They all did, including Abyss.

“What the hell is that thing?” Miria asked, suddenly feeling a deep shiver that reached her very soul.