My magic rune was working well. I could recover around 10% of my mana capacity per second. It wasn't top grade but it was just barely enough to get the job done. I faced the Chaos Beasts again. I flew really high up and the dragon and phoenix immediately followed me. I extended both my hands.
"VOLKANO"
I fired two energy waves at the both of them and they crashed back into the ground. I then created multitudes of magic circles in the sky and pointed them towards the Chaos Beasts.
"HEAVENLY BAPTISM"
Hundreds of mana blasts rained from the sky. They were flailing around trying to move but I had made the blasts really dense so it made it really hard for them to move. They were being pinned down. I then spawned dozens of magic circles to their sides.
"HAKUSHI BARRAGE"
A never ending beam of compacted mana bored into the sides of the Chaos Beasts. It pierced their sides as blood started coming out from among a few of them. I had them completely surrounded with barrages of attacks but I didn't want to simply stop there.
"Now TO END THIS!"
I cupped my hands in front of me. I didn't spawn a magic circle this time. Instead I poured huge amounts of mana into my hands and a ball of fire attribute mana manifested. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I tried to keep the ball compressed. It grew a bit larger until it was ready.
"SAMAHADHI TRUE FIRE!!!!!!"
A huge energy wave escaped from my hand and went straight for the Chaos Beasts below. The clash was humongous as it completely engulfed the beasts. It was like a huge dome. I didn't cancel the energy wave at all since I feared they would survive if I did this half-heartedly. I emptied all of my remaining mana into that one shot. All my magic circles disappeared as the mana that supported them was cut off.
*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*
As the smoke cleared, there was a huge crater. In the middle of it were the Chaos Beasts and I confirmed it with my eyes that they were dead. Their energy signature and heat signature was rapidly decreasing. Their bodies were almost completely burned. Only the bones and some remnant flesh remained. I flew down and sat at the edge of the crater. I looked at the bodies of the Chaos Beasts. I sighed.
"This wasn't enough. I don't feel...fulfilled at all. I did slightly improve but it still wasn't enough."
I looked at my arms. They had a more healthy appearance and there was a bit more muscle. My skin had also become slightly harder and had a healthier colour.
"Maybe I should go to Winchelin first before heading off to Arma-"
At that moment, I heard a woman's voice behind me.
"You're right. That wasn't enough."
I felt a sharp kick to my back as I was sent flying. Before I could even recover, I was hit with a heel to the face, instantly sending me down to the dirt. She was about to kick me again but I had recovered enough to block the attack. I got up only to be met with a punch to the gut that sent me down to my knees.
"Pathetic."
She hit me with a furious barrage of punches. I was entirely helpless to block any of them.
"I-I can't see them at all."
"ISAAC!!!"
Ashley came charging in and almost managed to land a back heel kick to her head, only for it to be blocked with one hand. She tossed me away and took to fighting with Ashley. They were exchanging a flurry of moves. I groaned as I got up.
"Argh damnit."
As I opened my eyes, it was only then I properly looked at her. She had brown skin and long white hair. She was wearing ragged clothing that she seemed to have picked up from one of the dead female Aryan soldiers however, the most prominent feature were the nine fox tails flailing about and the immense pressure she gave off. She immediately sent Ashley flying and she looked over at me. She vanished and instinctively, I looked behind me, ready to block, only for her attack to be too quick for me as I barely managed to block it. She smiled.
"Oh? Impressive."
I tried hitting her multiple times. I launched feints and vanished behind her, on top or under her but she still blocked my attacks. Ashley rushed in also. We took the chance to rush at her. Ashley was unleashing her dagger skills while I supported with long range attacks. I flew into the air and made dozens of magic circles. I fired fireballs and ice lances at her. I even made rock pillars under her to disrupt her movement but she simply flowed like the water as she danced away from my attacks like she knew they were coming. I jumped up to land a kick on her head but she used one of her tails to catch me and threw me into the nearby cliff face. I got up and healed myself. I opened my dimensional storage and drew out my giant sword.
"Hey Ash. Take a step back for a while. I know I'm weak but I want to see where my limits are."
Ashley jumped away and landed next to me.
"Are you sure Isaac? You couldn't even land a strike on her before."
"Don't worry. If I'm knocked out or rendered unable to move, then you can fight her next."
"If you die, I'm taking your body for experiments."
Ashley vanished from my side. The fox looked at me.
"I hope you won't disappoint me human."
I increased the stage of my Kansatsume to the 6th stage as my pupils changed shape into a 6-petaled lotus.
"Don't worry. I won't."
She vanished and almost hit me with a front knee attack but I blocked it with my sword. The clash pushed me back a bit but I used the opportunity to swing around my sword with great force. She sucked and she charges in, taking advantage of me being currently open. I smiled as I stretched out my hand.
"GREAT FLASH"
A magic circle appeared and a blinding light was released. It was enough to burn the eyes of anyone who looked at it. She stopped her charge and writhed in pain. I took the chance to swing my sword at her but she blocked it with her tails. I aimed the sword for her stomach and it almost struck her but she parried it with her hands.
"You're becoming too arrogant."
Her eyes recovered. Chaos Mana surrounded her body as she flung her hand and grabbed my face in a firm grip. Her tails restricted the movement of my other limbs and sealed my acupoints. I tried to breathe out fire but my throat acupoint was sealed. She spoke.
"You rely too much on this."
She began absorbing all the mana in my body. Both my eyes slowly started reverting back to normal and the runes on my body slowly disappeared. She tossed me up in the air and swiftly kicked me away. Ashley tried to jump in, only to be immediately immobilised as she was slammed into the ground by one of the tails.
"You're not the one I'm after nor am I interested in you so leave."
Ashley got up and wiped her mouth. Aura manifested around her. She smiled.
"I'm not done just yet."
Ashley vanished and aimed a right hook at her face. The Fox dodged. Ashley began a series of combos. She tried a spinning heel kick and when she was blocked, she turned around and tried a sweep motion. The fox kept dodging or parrying while her smile grew wider.
"Pretty impressive human. I can tell you put hard work into your combat skills. You're already incredibly strong for this realm but it's useless in front of me."
She grabbed her by the neck and slapped her multiple times. She then flicked her forehead and sent her flying and followed up with a series of furious attacks. I felt helpless as I watched. My body was basically crippled from having all of my mana leeched out. I couldn't move at all and my core hurt painfully as it had cracked from being dried up. Ashley was getting beaten one-sidedly. To the Fox, this was just a game, a way to pass time. As time passed, Ashley was getting weaker and weaker. The wounds on her body were becoming more numerous as she blocked less and less of the attacks. No matter how hard I tried, my body couldn't move. Everytime I tried crawling, my core would feel like it's about to break apart. The Fox looked at me as she held Ashley by the neck. She frowned at me.
"Tch! Not enough resolve."
She continued torturing Ashley with attacks that targetted her vital spots. The onslaught never ceased until Ashley was on her knees coughing up blood. She then walked over to me and grabbed me by my head.
"Is this really all you have?"
She punched my gut.
"Are you content with being a failure?"
She punched me again.
"Did I expect too much from you?"
And again.
"Is this all the man I've favoured can amount to?"
This time she hit me with her knee.
"If that's the case, then there's no point in this anymore."
She slammed me head first into the ground. I felt an incredible pain in my core due to being suddenly moved and slammed into the ground. I coughed up blood. It was mixed with a blue substance. I immediately and instinctively knew what happened as tears started flowing from my eyes.
"No no NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I felt nothing from my core anymore. The very faint traces of mana I had immediately dissipated. What happened right now was equivalent to all my words of hard work being thrown away at that single moment. I...was crippled. Ashley screamed.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
She unleashed relentless attacks but it was futile. All it took was one swipe fro her to be knocked down to the ground. Before Ashley could get up, a foot was placed on her head. The Fox looked at me as I struggled to stand up.
"You're useless. It seems I had placed too much hope on you."
She stepped harder on Ashley's head. She cried out as her screams pierced the skies. Then abruptly, it stopped as the silence was followed by a sound I never wished to have heard.
The sounds of a skull cracking.