One of the marine soldiers, who held a trident waved it through the air before pointing it in the boy's direction and large water balls followed.
"What is this? Some child's play!" Max mockingly asked as he deflected all attacks with his sword.
"Monthenia?" The marine soldiers in possession of the trident suddenly had on a mixed facial expression. One of confusion and that of fear.
"I guess you know my name after all," Max smiled as soon as he disappeared and reappeared before the beast. In one strike, his sword went through the his head and a clean cut was made, separating the head from the body.
Hillary, who on the other hand fared well with her transmit ability against the others couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Max. It didn't take more than a minute and the place was void of the so called Marine soldiers.
"How did you do th-?"
Before Hillary could complete her sentence, Max threw an attack at her that she was quick to dodge.
"Max, I know we're supposed to fight each other now but don't you think-."
Hillary slightly escaped his blade from sinking into her right eye.
"Stop cutting me short!"
"You beasts irritate me," Max sneered and continued attacking her. His attacks slowly weakened her everytime his sword came in contact with her skin.
"What's happening to me?" She thought as she could feel energy slowly leave her. She placed her palms against the ground. Mud and plants grew forth, making their way towards Max but it was already late as he had unexpectedly appeared in front of her. He struck her with his sword, sending her flying backwards. But he didn't stop there and headed in the direction his attack sent her.
Struggling to lift herself up from the sand, Hillary saw that Max had already come to finish her off.
"I just wish all beasts could just disappear," Max spoke with a look of disgust on his face.
"Beast?" Hillary asked.
Max shook his head. "They'll never just accept what they are."
Without wasting anymore time, he lifted his sword and as he was about to let it go through her flesh, he felt something hold onto his wrists and ankles.
"What is this?!" He shouted, only to notice the plant vines that wrapped themselves around him. Hillary quickly flew away from him with the help of her wings. She lifted her hand in the air and thick branches broke off from trees nearby and arranged themselves over her. Directing her hands forward and in his direction, the branches flew towards him.
"That's for shutting me up," She scoffed.
A faint smile appeared on his lips. "How about you shut up for real this time?"
His body was suddenly engulfed in flames which burnt the plant vines that bound him to a spot. Before the tree branches could get to where he was, they were all caught up in fire that moved to land in his hand.
Lava surged out from his palms and a huge ball of the hot gold molten began to form. Once the Lava had grown to his satisfaction, he speedily threw it through the air and it landed right on target. Hillary.
She screamed in pain as the lava melted through the skin. To make things even worse for her, Max threw his sword right through her forehead leading to an instant death and her burnt body dropped to the ground.
It was then Max returned to his senses as the vines around his arm retracted along with the fire aura.
"Huh?" He looked at his hand before his eyes landed on the smoky body not too far away from where he stood, slowly disappear into the air in the form of dust particles.
"Hillary?" He looked confused and surprised at the same time as he began walking towards her body.
"I know she's not really dead yet but how?" He quietly watched as the whole of her body disappeared, afterwards, fell on the Beast slayer. "This sword..."
He picked up the sword and looked at it for some time before he unequipped it.
[Congratulations, Shadow_Demon, you have emerged as the winner of the Beast slaying training mode]
[You are being transported out of the Area]
Blue lights struck him from the sky and immediately disappeared with him.
Soon, he was back at the receptionist's desk where they had been attended to. There he met Hillary who was obviously waiting for him.
"Congratulations on becoming the winner," The receptionist said. "200 gems have been rewarded to your account."
[ You have been rewarded 200 germs for emerging as the winner in the beast slaying training mode ]
[ You currently have 540 gems in your account ]
"Do you wish to opt for another mode of training?" The receptionist asked.
"No. That'll be a next time," Max replied.
"Alright then, Bye and thanks for coming," The receptionist said.
Max and Hillary then left the place just as they had come in.
"Max?" Hillary called as they walked.
"Yes," Max turned to look at her.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
Max lifted an eyebrow in question. "Why do you ask? I'm fine."
"It's just the way you acted earlier during the training when you equipped the sword with the black hilt. I mean, you seemed so different. It was like you didn't know or even care who I was and just wanted to get rid of me not because you wanted to win but because you held some kind of grudge against me and just wished to see me dead."
Max swallowed hard. He didn't even know how to explain what had transpired. Even he was yet to understand the function of the Beast slayer.
"Well, I don't really know how to explain this but that sword is made from a substance called Monthenia, which is known to be the weakness of beasts. It is more like a weapon that activates on the presence of a beast and anytime I equip it and there's a beast nearby, the weapon activates its power and completely takes control of me. Its aim becomes my aim and that is to kill beasts."
"So you're saying the Monthenia in you attacked me because I had absorbed a beast core that transfered all the beast's ability into me, making me a beast?" Hillary asked out of curiosity.
Max nodded.
"What if the sword is alive?" Hillary found herself saying. "I mean, don't you think there's a life in the sword."
"I've thought about that but I haven't come to a conclusion yet," Max said as his eyes moved to her wings.
"About your wings," He began. "Do you think there's a way to keep it hidden?"
"Yeah," Hillary smiled as her wings retracted. "Everything related to this ability is now a part of my memory."
"Wow," Max said, not because of the Grub moth's ability which he found lame but because of how beautiful she looked anytime she smiled.
*. *. *.
"I'm so tired," A young boy of about 17 years old sighed as he laid on the ground. "F*ck this game. It's supposed to be fun but no, they make me work my ass off as if they pay me."
He then took out a loaf of bread from his pouch lying beside him and he began stuffing his face. Just then, something occurred to him.
"Max! I forgot to search for him," He said and sat up before tapping on the device on his wrist.
[ Search for friends ]
[ Your friend list is currently empty ]
"That dummy always uses Shadow_Demon as his player name. What the hell is that kind of lame name?" He said as he inputed the name, Shadow_Demon.
[ Do you wish to send Shadow_Demon a friend request?]
[ Yes ]
[ Friend request has been sent ]
He took a long yawn and ate the last piece of bread before lying back on the ground.
"I wanna go home," He cried. His cry soon turned into a song.