"We shall" Mane nodded in agreement. "But for now we should focus on the task at hand" Mane continued. "So how do we defeat it" Abelard wondered. He had tried all he could yet the possessed never truly died.
"There is a device implanted in them that keeps the power of Possession active. We need to destroy it. I would keep it occupied as you try to locate it." Mane instructed. Initially he didn't need any help finding the device and destroying it even while fighting against the possessed and making conversation with his masters. It was different now. Whatever was going to be born from the combination of two possessed was going to be difficult for him to handle alone. Mane wasn't confident in destroying it by himself. But it would be impossible for Abelard to handle it himself. So that was the only option. He would have to keep it company while Abelard used his scholar abilities to locate the device.
"Alright" Abelard nodded and sat down straight away. He didn't worry about his safety. His actions brought a smile to Mane's face. It was nice to see someone entrust their life to you. As for finding the device, Mane wasn't so worried. Ananse wasn't wrong when she said that Abe was more talented in the path of scholars. Just like Mane he was a beginner scholar. After he had comprehended Alexis' manual, a mutation had occurred. Because of this he skipped the trainee scholar stage like Mane and went straight into the beginner stage. But he was a small stage behind Mane. Mane had just recently advanced to the peak of the early beginner scholar stage. Abelard was in the early beginner scholar stage as well, but he was only at the initial stage.
"Whatever is going to be born from that thing is going to be very strong. The stronger the possessed, the more difficult it is to locate the device. You would have to hold it off for quite some time" the 2nd informed Mane. Mane nodded his head. He was thankful for the information.
"If only you were a Mid-Level Scholar" 3rd sighed and left her sentence hanging. She didn't have to finish it for Mane to understand the message. A Mid-Level Scholar was equivalent to an earth realmer. If he had such power he wouldn't need to try so hard to find the device's location. He would have been able to sense it immediately he sought for it. But it wasn't the same when his scholar level was lower than the opponent's wielding ability. Unfortunately he couldn't use his Spiritualist abilities for this. Spiritualists didn't have such abilities. If they did he could have just asked 3rd to find out for him.
"Prepare yourself. The transformation is almost over" 1st advised. Mane accepted the advice with thanks. Since he needed to keep the possessed away from Abelard, he would have to be the one to strike first. His leases were still active so he didn't need to change anything there. But there was something else he needed if he was going to keep Abelard safe. He didn't want to take any chances.
"Takeover" Mane activated the glow he was proficient with. He had two glows that could vastly boost his strength, but he wasn't as impressive in using Endless Wave as he was Takeover. Once he activated the glow he inherited from his mother, his hair turned crimson red and his eyes took on the same color. A black aura surrounded him and a domineering presence engulfed the battlefield. But Mane wasn't done.
"Brimstone" He also activated his father's glow. Mane couldn't use Takeover and True Flames at the same time. They would quickly drain him of his inner energy. Besides, although his body wielding had progressed significantly, it was still too early to use two extremely powerful breaths at once. He could use Absolute Darkness with Takeover, but that was only because the darkness element preferred to stay in the shadows. Although it also required a large amount of energy it could be used in the background to reduce its consumption. Unfortunately True Flames wasn't the same. But it was okay. Brimstone was a powerful technique. It would do for now.
"The protective bubble will disappear in five seconds" 3rd anxiously reminded. "Okay. Thank you" Mane said his thanks and prepared himself.
"Now!" 1st shouted.
*Boom*
The ground below Mane's feet shattered as he propelled himself forward like an arrow leaving the string. The aura bubble that had been protecting the possessed from outside influence disappeared right before Mane got to the region it affected. Blade in one hand; sword in another; Mane furiously struck the figure that had just been revealed after the bubble dissipated.
"Prideful Sword: Dance of the Half-Moon"
"Bloodied Blade: Crazed Cut of the Blade King"
*Wack*
The newly 'born' possessed was sent flying backwards by the unexpected attack. It traveled for several feet before it struck the ground thunderously.
*Boom*
"What a crude welcome" the possessed spoke out, much to Mane's surprise. On its belly were two deep cuts, no doubt caused by Mane's ruthless assault.
"Don't be so surprised. Since it can speak, that must mean that it is only a step away from the Heaven Realm. You must be very cautious" 6th kindly explained.
"I see" Mane nodded after hearing his master's words. Although possessed generally had no consciousness, that was only for those below the heaven realm. Those who had a foot in the heaven realm and above, you more like reborn beings. They had no recollection of their lives before they died, but they were capable of thought, and had feelings. Unfortunately most of those feelings were negative emotions. They craved for blood and death, and were more than eager to taste the blood of others. The only other feeling they had in addition to this was the obsessive need to please their master.
"It is strong" Mane stated seeing the two long gushes on its abdomen heal at visible speed. His power was increased threefold and his strength was staggering and overwhelming for any earth realmer. However the attack that was capable of killing any 9th stage earth realm expert only caused wounds on its body. And since it could heal unconditionally, those wounds meant nothing.
"But the healing process is slower" Mane noticed.
"That is because it has its own consciousness. Since it can think for itself, it has to regulate its own healing. However, after some time – maybe in a few hours – that would no longer be a factor" 3rd informed Mane.
Her words were enlightening. This made things a bit simpler for Mane and Abelard. Since it was now figuring how its body processes worked, they had a better chance at killing it before it fully discovered all its abilities.
"I will kill you" the possessed hissed in pain and dashed towards Mane. Unlike the previous possessed, its movements weren't sluggish. It looked coordinated and well oriented.
*Bang*
Mane crisscrossed his weapons to block the blow. The attack sent him back a few metres. Once he was stable again he jumped backwards to avoid the angry possessed, narrowly avoiding a powerful jab from the strange creature.
"Prideful Sword: Dance of the Half-Moon" Mane replied in kind, creating another wound on its body. He then flung his sword into the air so he could free one of his hands.
"Extreme Burst"
"First Strike"
"Second strike"
"Third strike"
"Fourth strike"
"Fifth strike"
"Sixth strike"
*Bam*
Mane executed his preferred fist technique masterfully before his sword landed right back into his open palm. Immediately it did, he finished off with his sword and blade techniques.
"Prideful Sword: Dance of the Half-Moon"
"Bloodied Blade: Crazed Cut of the Blade King"
*Bang*
For the second time in just a minute, the possessed was sent flying backwards. This time however, its torso and its lower body flew to different areas. For the first time since its inception, the possessed experienced death. The fire from Brimstone burned the separated halves of the possessed mercilessly, causing the smell of barbecued meat to fill the air, and prompting Mane to ask his masters a question that caused their brows to twitch.
"Are possessed edible?"