I don’t know who made the first move, all I know is that the fight began nearly as soon as Howie gave his command. Dodging chains that erupted from the ground, I twisted my waist and sent a chakram spinning towards the person behind me, but one of the soldiers appeared instantly and blocked my chakram with a shield.
Not losing momentum, I kept my focus on staying next to Alice as I started to build up mana. Throwing out Chakrams, I stepped into the air with Alice holding onto me. I had no practice fighting in the air, but I couldn’t afford to remain on the ground. All twelve of the soldiers also step into the air as I grimace at the scene. Taking a breath, I dismiss the chakrams, which had only ever been blocked by the soldier with the shield, making my weapons useless for now. Using wind magic, I send myself speeding to the ground, out of their encirclement, but our situation is not in the slightest improved.
They move to form a halve circle around me and Alice as I surge darkness outwards and with Alice we both point at a target each.
“Primordial Corruption.”
Suddenly, another two of the soldiers shine a golden hue as they point at our targets.
“Holy Blessing!”
Our spells cancel each other out as my eyes widened.
“We are fully aware of your abilities. Now, you have a choice, either agree to our terms to withdraw yourself from the war or die here without any to witness your fall. What will your choice be?”
Ignoring him, I stared at the soldiers as I began to sense a problem. A strange magic is emitting from these soldiers, something is not right. What is this magic and why does it send a shiver down my spine?
“Hurry it, we don’t have the time to dawdle around.” Hearing Howie’s command, I breathed out as the soldiers drew their swords.
“Alice, stay in your cocoon.” I whisper to Alice as she nods. I can’t have her on my back, she’s too big now, but I knew her cocoon isn’t easily broken. I cleared my mind of all thoughts, focusing on all twelve of the soldiers approaching. They knew my magic, meaning it’s useless to use anything, I'd have to rely on my physical strength which they likely knew as well.
Not wanting to give them the advantage of surrounding me, I flash step in towards one of them, Level 75 Jethro (Boosted to Level 100)a punch with all of my strength directly at their face. Before it could connect, the soldier with the shield arrived in front of him nearly instantly, my fist slamming into it, tearing a hole through the shield as I heard several bones cracking.
Pulling my fist back, I dodge an attack from behind as I quickly flash step to the side, my hand very quickly healing, a worthwhile trade for breaking the shield. Four surround me instantly, using their own versions of flash step, swinging their swords as the others use various magic in an attempt to bind me. The order to capture me gave me an opening, they were using weak magic and the back of their swords.
With a yell, I stomp on the ground as I unleashed a Wind Explosion, causing those surrounding me to become unbalanced as I use my physical strength to break the bindings of various elements. Grabbing one of those that had surrounded me, I grabbed their neck and ripped it off. It easily comes off as I found myself shocked for a moment, is a level 100 really that weak? Throwing the head at the person behind them, I watched as they deflected it, uncaring that it’s the head of one of the comrades.
Using that chance, I release my monster form and using my bare claws with Flowing Strikes I rip into the person who failed to raise their guard. The others seemed to hesitate for a moment before moving to surround and bind me once more as Alice’s Shadow Creature magic emerged from the ground, grabbing half of them while she used Corruption on two others.
Weak. That’s all I could think of. These guys were too weak. Weren’t they some sort of special force, why are they this weak? Is this a trap, or am I simply far too strong for them? Undoing my monster form, I quickly surge my mana within as I raise a hand. The spell very quickly forms as I focus on only half of the soldiers, as to reserve my mana.
“Darkfall.”
Dark bindings shoot from the ground, binding half of the soldiers as silver beams fall from the sky, disintegrating them. I stood there, blankly looking at the charred remains before turning to a soldier who had a face full of pain, which is strange, I hadn’t yet touched them. I checked their level and found myself both surprised and intrigued by what returned.
Level 75 Jethro (Boosted to Level 100)
“Boosted?” Saying that word out loud, I looked around and saw all the remaining soldiers had a similar Status, though their actual levels varied. They certainly felt like level 100s, there is no mistaking that in the slightest, is it the strange magic coming from them causing their levels to be boosted? What does it mean to be boosted to level 100?
“Ah, you noticed. Shame.”
“W-wait, sir, we can st-”
With a flick of his wrists, I sensed a huge amount of overwhelming magic coming from the remaining soldiers and quickly raising my guard with a windwall around me, the remaining soldiers exploded into mists of blood, guts and ripped clothing. The blast sends me flying, hot air burning my skin heavily.
With a grunt, I roll on the ground before bouncing onto my feet, my regeneration quickly recovering my skin back to normal. Looking up at Howie, I grit my teeth and breathe out. Even the corpses had exploded, even if they weren’t near me. Small craters laid where they had once been, did he not want to leave their bodies here?
“This could’ve all been easily avoided, yet you chose to fight, and for what? Pretentious bullshit like parental love? What is a child in the face of a country’s might? What is a child in the face of thousands of lives? No matter, I had planned to hold the two of you hostage in exchange for Alexander the Corrosive Dragon’s withdrawal in the war, but now you’ve learnt of our boosting magic, you’ll die here.”
Narrowing my eyes as I calm myself down, I watch as Howie slowly grabs his axe and steps towards me, still in the air. His eyes are like he is looking at an insect that he had to crush, there is no hatred, malice or bloodthirst. To him, this is simply a job he needs to do, and that is it. Applying a Lunar Blessing to myself, I focused my mind to the brink of Flowing Focus, but I avoided entering that form, I couldn’t risk the backlash if I got distracted, not with Alice here.
She’s safe, I knew she would stay behind me. When the soldiers attacked they were only ever interested in me and Howie’s eyes never left me. They didn’t see her as a threat, meaning they entirely focused on me which I wanted. Howie steps onto the ground before me, and without a word flicks a wrist. Sensing danger, I leap backwards as dozens of metal spikes shoot from the ground, a few scraping my body.
Howie disappears as alarm bells rang out in my head and using wind magic I blast myself from the side, dodging a powerful slice from his axe which left a fine cut along the ground. If that had hit me, it would’ve been all over. I realised that my assumption had been correct, Howie is far more powerful than the last Delta-Class, whose name I can’t remember. No, it’s likely he’s more powerful than the remnant of Lilith since she hadn’t been sound of mind.
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Without a word, he holds out an open palm towards me and closes it, a rush of magic surrounds me as I sensed death. Without a thought I flash stepped behind Howie and threw out the strongest punch I could. As if bored, he blocked my punch easily with his axe though I still sent him flying a short distance. I hadn’t harmed him, nor his axe, even with my full strength. Looking at the spot I had just flash stepped from, I saw hundreds of spikes from the ground and air, all intersecting in the middle. If I had been in that…
Summoning my chakrams once again, I start using Flowing Strikes as he walks towards me, unfazed by my relentless assault, parrying the chakrams as if merely shooing flies around him. I kept my cool, a plan slowly forming in my mind as I kept my distance. Suddenly Howie disappears as I sense danger from everywhere. Before I could react a blow came from behind, a large wound appearing on my back.
Flash stepping away, I felt my regeneration quickly healing the wound as I turned to Howie once more, looking at him as I grit my teeth in pain. The wound is deep, it wouldn’t heal quickly and would hinder my movements. Steadying my breathing, I lower myself slightly as I steel myself for what I need to do. Eyeing his axe, I focused once more as I dashed in, straight towards him as he raised a brow.
Before he could raise his weapon, a large talon erupts from the ground, its speed twice as fast as usual, gripping him tightly. He breaks it with physical strength easily, but it gave me the second I needed. Transforming into my monster form, I grabbed his axe arm with both hands and with a yell I snapped it as hard as I could as I heard him grunt in surprise as he dropped his weapon.
His eyes are covered in darkness the next moment, and using this chance I use my claws and Flowing Strikes to strike him with as much strength and speed as I muster. I knew the Blindness from Alice had already finished as I sensed more magic from her, an orb of darkness striking Howie’s side.
“IF YOU WANTED A FIST FIGHT YOU MERELY NEEDED TO ASK!” Unaffected by our assault, I felt a blow to my face as my jaw broke, sending my flying from where I had been. Rolling on the ground several times, I quickly get onto my feet as I exit my monster form and look at him. His arm had already recovered, his torso healing as quickly as my monster regeneration, his shirt ripped to pieces with blood splattered all around him.
I could hurt him and that’s all I needed to be sure of. I breathed out as I reapplied Lunar Blessing to myself. Taking up his offer, I dash towards Howie while keeping myself focused. My next plan came to mind as I narrowly dodge an attack and on reflex throw out a counter attack. I kept my focus on dodging his blows, only attacking in the form of counters as I kept my cool. Howie as well didn’t seem to become impatient, keeping himself calm as he continued a barrage of punches coming.
I started sensing it, his Domain becoming slightly weaker. I saw impatience start to slowly build on his face as his punches sped up. I felt his blows breaking bones, piercing my skin lightly, as I felt the sweat rolling off my skin as I kept dodging as fast as I could, the blood from my wounds slowly leaking as I felt my skin stitch itself back. I felt the very air from Howie’s fists as they skimmed past me. My breath was hot, as the sound of only our fight entered my ears as I felt my heartbeat, the blood flowing to every muscle, my mind reaching a strange nirvana. This isn’t Flowing Focus, this is something new.
I sank myself further into this feeling as I began to move on reflex completely, dodging each of his attacks with little effort, conserving my energy, as I slowly started attacking more, no longer on the defensive. My blows get faster as a message from the System appears, but I ignore it as I punch out with stronger hits, the bones in my hands cracking with each strike, healing before my next blow. My eyes capture every single movement of his, my body moving itself to avoid his blows.
I felt magic coming from behind, I knew it to be from Alice. Her magic intervened with magic cast by Howie, deflecting it with talons, not obstructing me in the slightest, her movements and spells perfectly syncing with mine. I saw Howie’s eyes, they held a new emotion within them. Fear. Pure fear. He is looking at me with such fear, as if he had never expected this. I cleared my mind of all thoughts, sinking into this feeling as this fight continued, dodging his blows.
I didn’t dodge them all, I felt the pain of them scraping my body slightly, the very air from his fists cutting into me. My body coming close to its limits, I could tell whatever this new feeling was wouldn't last much longer as I kept my assault up. I don’t know how long it’s been, Howie’s been hit by multiple spells from Alice, his resistance becoming lower each time. I could see darkness slowly infecting his body from Alice’s spells, wounds covering his torso and jaw from my blows which weren’t healing.
He tried to gain distance, moving fast. I pushed myself, gaining more speed as I kept on him, not letting up in my assault. He tried moving into the air, I followed. Even though I hadn’t practised fighting in the air, for some reason I could do it now. His Domain trembled with each punch I delivered, the fear in his eyes growing as his attacks grew desperate. He shouted, I couldn’t hear what he shouted but I knew he had.
He’s getting slower, or am I getting faster? I feel my body pushing past its limits, every muscle and bone cracking as I kept the pace going, pushing more and more, my healing reforming those muscles and bones as they became stronger, faster.
His eyes flicker to a spot behind me, where Alice is. I knew what he wanted, I wouldn’t let him touch her. I felt a massive surge of mana, a desperation attack to get me off him, but at that moment an opening formed. His concentration slipped as he focused on his spell, a darkness infected his eyes as Alice’s blindness hit him. I unleash my strongest punch on his jaw, sending him flying into the ground as his Domain disappears. He hits the ground, soil and snow smashing in all directions as I crouch in the air upside down and like an arrow launch at him, wordlessly releasing my Domain.
As my body becomes empowered by the night sky in my Domain, I see him stand with a stumble, bewilderment in his eyes as he looks at me. It’s too late for him to dodge as I slam into him, a punch so heavy and strong that it breaks my arm as I bury him into the lake. That punch had torn through his chest, his heart disintegrating from the energy and force of my blow. The mana he had started gathering dispersed as I grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up, my Domain shattering as we once more stood in the massive crater caused by my punch.
“W-what are you…?” The fear in his eyes had grown to a height I had never seen, the life in them fading fast. “W-why are you…”
“No one touches Alice, bastard.” As I shout those words, I tore off his head, arms and legs, dropping them all into the crater. It’s over, right? I saw the System message, telling me he is dead. My tension snapped as I felt my entire body heavily exhausted. I sway on the spot as I look up and see Alice running over to me. Glancing towards where others were staring at me, I saw Henry, Beth and Terry staring aghast at me, not in fear but amazement.
Hugging Alice tightly, I saw the condition of my body. Wounds covered me, not a single spot on my body had been left unbruised, my regeneration not able to keep up with the insane amount of healing my body demanded. My fists were covered in blood and bruises. My breathing is heavy, I don’t know what happened, but I did it, somehow I had done it.
You have stepped into the realm of a new form of fighting, one that is unique to you. Your speed, tenacity and strength is paving the path for this form. You have started on the martial path of The Fistweaving Fox.
This form combines your instincts, Flowing River and senses to create this new martial path. When you enter this martial path, you gain heightened senses, become hyper focused and will be unrelenting in your assault, allowing none to escape.
During your battle, your body became stronger, faster and tougher. You, who have time and time again faced those far stronger than yourself, have stepped into a new realm of strength due to your own efforts.
Stat Rank Increases:
Agility: A -> S+
Strength: B -> S
Toughness: D+ -> A+
Fatigue hit me like a dragon, my mind dizzy from the tiredness as I bit down on my tongue. I felt like I would collapse at any moment, but I held strong. Sensing a strong presence heading towards us, I helplessly looked in the direction of it and saw a large gate form in the air, a beautiful symbol that I knew on it. The gate opens as a man steps out of it, looking around before his eyes locked onto mine, disbelief covering them as he takes in the crater I stood in.
“You’re late.” As I leave those words of complaint with Roland, I pass out.