Silence permeated the atmosphere as they stared at each other.
At this moment, Max had forgotten all about the fear he felt, the stifling effect Kitsune had on him, and even the fact that she was currently choking him.
All he felt was pure, unrestrained hatred.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at her. Before him, there was no fox beauty, instead, all he saw was a monster that took everything from him.
He had hoped for a better life after waking up in this world. Everything was perfect, it was all going well up until the most important moment.
All because of this self-absorbed bitch before him, Max had lost everything and now his future was in jeopardy.
How could he not hate her?... She basically ruined his life.
Suddenly, Kitsune tightened her hold on his throat, causing Max to grab her wrist. "You seem quite feisty even as you are still so weak. I should put you out of your misery."
Max gasped for air as he replied. "Then you'd better kill me now, else, I will make you pay for what you have done."
Kitsune chuckled, amused by Max's declaration. "I will let you go this time since you have been such a wonderful host. But know this… the next time you come in here, I will not be so lenient."
Before Max could reply, she applied force to her hand and snapped his neck.
Like she was handling trash, she casually let go of his lifeless body and watched into sink into the water.
"Useless." She muttered after which she turned and made her way back to the pillars, snapping her fingers as she walked.
***
Max opened his eyes as he gasped for air. He collapsed to the ground while struggling to calm his breathing.
Regard saw this and quickly rushed to his side. "Max, what happened?... Calm down, take a deep breath." He glanced at the two old frogs to find that they were still unconscious.
Suddenly, they awoke as well, similarly gasping for air but they were able to recover quicker.
Max on the other hand needed a little more time to regain himself.
Regard was unable to hold himself as he asked. "What happened in there?... How come you all are like this?" he was visibly confused and he needed answers.
Frog grandpa was the first to speak as he jumped off Max's shoulder. "Reggie boy, this student of yours has found himself in deep trouble."
Frog grandma followed up. "Very deep trouble." Her voice carried a deep sense of foreboding.
Their words caused Regard to knit his brows. "What do you mean?... What did you see in his subconscious?"
The frogs exchanged looks before sighing heavily. "Kitsune. Kitsune has taken residence in his subconscious."
Regard remained silent as he tried to remember if he knew a name like that. A minute passed before his expression darkened considerably.
"Kitsune… isn't that the Asura also known as the Nine-tailed Fox?"
The frogs nodded. "Mn."
Regard almost lost it. "How is that possible?... History deemed her dead since the time of the first War for Supremacy and now you are telling me that she is alive and what's more, she is inside Max?"
Frog grandpa also had a look of disbelief. "Even we can not understand how it is possible, but that is the truth, Max is indeed Kitsune's host."
Regard looked even more confused now, unsure of what to make of what he heard. Instinctively, he looked down at Max to find the latter having calmed down but his expression remained blank.
"…Why is she in his subconscious?"
Frog grandma shook her head. "We have no idea but one thing we do know is that her presence is never a good sign. It's possible that if nothing is done, Max could very much be in danger of dying at her hands."
Regard had known there was a problem but he had no idea that the problem involved such a personage.
Asura was known as unreasonable and extremely powerful, what's more, Kitsune was one of the upper echelons amongst them with a very troubled past.
Who would have thought that Max would somehow be linked to her?... Regard was completely lost.
Just as he was about to get lost in thought, Max's voice was heard. "She is the reason for everything."
Regard looked down just in time to watch Max sit up. "What did you say?"
"Kitsune… Yeah, that's her name… she is the reason that I can't manifest my magic… all these years I thought that I was the one at fault… not knowing that…" Max paused, trying to find the words to express what he felt but there was nothing.
His emotions took center stage and at that moment, "Ahhhhh!!!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, slamming his fist into the ground.
He tried to throw the second punch but Regard caught his arm. "Calm yourself, Max.".
Max turned to look at him, his eyes bloodshot as tears streamed down his cheeks. "She took everything from me… she has been feeding on my magic… I hate her…
"I HATE HER!!!" Max's aura exploded at that moment, shocking everyone present. Regard was forced to let go of his arm while the frogs covered themselves with magic to ensure they were not hit by the shockwaves.
Seizing the moment, Max brought his fist down and punched the ground, creating a small crater.
After that, he did not move again. He remained still as he looked down at the crater he created. "Mentor…"
"Yeah?" Regard approached him cautiously, ready to act if Max did something extreme, it was clear he was very unstable at the moment.
"I have one more reason to become strong now…" he trailed off as he put his head up to stare directly at Regard, the next words he spoke full of conviction. "I want to kill that damned fox."