Cani finds herself ensnared by Slythra's serpentine coils, the pressure intensifying as she gasps for breath. The cavern's moisture amplifies the tension, and Slythra's laughter echoes off the damp walls. Cani gasps again, shrugging for words.
"I won't… be trapped… by you!" Fire explodes as Cani jumps through the flame. Slythra slides back, now in her full human form. Cani jumped forward, reeling her fist back.
"Molecule Combustion, fire fist!" Cani punches Slythra in the face. Slythra slides back and head butts Cani. Cani spins around and kicks Slythra. Slythra quickly becomes her serpent form and tightly wraps around Cani again, making sure to tie her hands down this time.
"Let's try this again…" Cani can't breathe as she tries to claw her way out. 'Can't… breathe…' Cani quickly tightens her fist, slamming her foot into the ground, releasing a powerful shockwave of frozen air, freezing Slythra. Cani punched her way out and took several deep breaths. The ice suddenly shatters, sending Cani flying back. Slythra flies at Cani in her human form.
"Stop messing around!!!" Cani parries the first attack, delivering an elbow to her face. Slythra spins around kicking Cani back a bit. Cani plants her foot and clenches her fist.
"Molecule Conundrum! Fire fist!" A massive fist of fire appears behind Cani as she punches Slythra into the ground with flames. Slythra twists away momentarily, spinning around to strike Cani in the side, a shockwave echoing.
"You think you can outdo the Flame princess!" Cani regains her footing, swinging her hand to create a large barrier of flames. Slythra attacks again, delivering a strong uppercut, pinning around and throwing a wall of water at Cani.
"Wall of water, ay?" Cani smirks and reels her fist back.
"Molecule manipulation, evaporate!" Cani thrusts her fist forward, a wall of flames engulfs the water, evaporating it instantly, releasing tons of steam. Slytha shouts.
"You're clever, but I can adapt as well!" Slythra appears behind Cani, delivering a kick to her back. Cani catches herself and spins, retaliating with a flaming punch. Slynthra stumbles back.
"Fine then! Prepare for the ultimate power of the serpent!" Slythra's body convulses and expands like a balloon. Her eyes turning red, her hair growing long. Her skin turning into thick scales, the large cavern now with a serpent the size of Kuona Svese, Cani gulps. In an instant Cani is slammed against the wall by her tail, then grabbed and slammed on the other side of the cavern. Cani's eyes go blank as she coughs blood. 'I can't… die here…!' Cani grits her teeth and punches Slythra's tail away, jumping forward.
"Combustion!" Cani jumps into the air and reels her fist back.
"Barrage!" Cani starts ruthlessly punching Slythra' in violent succession. A non stopping onslaught of punches. Slythra suddenly slams Cani into the ground and goes to pick her up. Cani rising to her feet.
"Celestial…" Cani swings her fist sending a massive fireball at Slythra, nearly burning her to a crisp. Cani clenching her other fist and jumping forward.
"Freezer Burn!" Cani punches Slythra and freezes the entire cave into a glacier. Cani drops her fist and exhales cold air. Slythra's eyes were white and she wasn't moving, Cani rolling her sleeves up.
"This is over… I win"
-----
Grimwald wastes no time and charges forward, his massive sword of shadow cleaving through the air. Boombox, quick on his feet, leaps to the side, narrowly avoiding the swing. His wings extend, catching the air, and he hovers momentarily before diving back in, daggers spinning in his palms. Grimwald laughs darkly, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room.
"You can't outrun the night." He swings again, this time sending tendrils of darkness from his sword. They lash out at Boombox, who barely manages to slice through them with his daggers. His wings propel him back, keeping distance. 'Those blades are dangerous, I can't dodge forever'
"I don't have to outrun it," Boombox smirks, flipping his daggers into a reverse grip. "I just have to survive until dawn!" He dives in, aiming for the gaps in Grimwald's armor, but every strike is met with a block from the shadow sword. Sparks fly as metal meets dark energy. Slashes of blades, tremors shake the room, shockwaves fill the room. The two locked in constant sword combat.
"That's enough!" Grimwald slams his sword down, causing the room to shake. Darkness spreads from the impact, enveloping the ground in thick black fog. Boombox jumps back, falling into the darkness, becoming seemingly blind.
"What the-" Boombox's sharp eyes dart around, but the shadows are thick and oppressive, obscuring Grimwald. He tries to hover above, but the tendrils of darkness rise up, wrapping around his wings, pulling him back down.
"See how the darkness consumes everything," Grimwald's voice booms, his figure emerging from the shadows like a living nightmare. His sword is now an extension of the dark fog, massive and overwhelming. Boombox grimaces.
"Looks like I'll have to light up the place." He flips his daggers again, and with a flick of his wrist, he activates his Mantra.
"Sound Mantra, Echo of the light!" Sound waves ripple from his blades, briefly illuminating the room with bursts of light as the sonic pulses reverberate through the air. For an instant, Boombox can see Grimwald's hulking figure. Boombox spins on his foot, jumping through the air and throwing his dagger straight at Grimwald, which zip through the air, aiming for Grimwald's exposed neck. But Grimwald, as quick as he is powerful, deflects it with a casual swipe of his sword.
Undeterred, Boombox bolts forward, following up with a dive toward Grimwald's legs, his second dagger ready. His wings create a gust of wind to disorient his opponent, and he slashes at Grimwald's knees. The blow lands, but instead of flesh, his dagger strikes more shadowy armor, and Grimwald retaliates with a brutal kick that sends Boombox crashing into a nearby wall. Grimwald grins beneath his helmet.
"You're not as fast as you think you are..." Bruised but not broken, Boombox spits out blood and gets back on his feet. Breathing heavily.
"I haven't even started yet." Boombox muscles bulge as a shockwave echoes out, bolting quickly around the room. 'Basic speed won't be enough, I need to go faster!!' Boombox spins full speed around the room.
"Sound Mantra: full force!" red lines stretch across Boombox's face, his hair floating as his eyes turn pure white. He stretches his wings, creating a concentrated sonic boom that shatters the lingering fog of shadows around them. The light from the sound waves briefly bathes the room, revealing Grimwald's true form—a monstrous figure made entirely of condensed darkness. Boombox moving faster than sound, several shockwaves follow him.
"Let's see how well you handle the noise!" Boombox shouts, thrusting his hands forward as powerful sound waves shoot out like cannon fire from multiple angles.
Grimwald roars, his shadow sword absorbing much of the attack but cracking slightly under the pressure. Enraged, Grimwald charges again, swinging his sword in wide arcs. Boombox ducks, rolls, and flies up into the air, each movement leaving behind sonic echoes to disrupt Grimwald's sense of direction. The room begins to hum with the energy of Boombox's Mantra as the two continue to clash, each attack rippling with sound and shadow.
"HAAAAAA!!" Finally, Grimwald raises his sword for one final devastating blow, but Boombox sees his opening. With a burst of speed, he uses his wings to propel himself forward, spinning in midair and plunging both of his daggers into Grimwald's chest. A shockwave of sound explodes from the impact, disrupting Grimwald's shadow form.
"You think this is enough?!" Grimwald growls, but Boombox isn't finished. With the last of his strength, Boombox pulls back and channels his Mantra into a final sonic pulse.
"Sonic Barrage!" A torrent of sound waves erupts from Boombox's wings and daggers, sending powerful vibrations through Grimwald's body, straight to his chest. His shadowy form begins to unravel, cracks forming along his armor. Grimwald swings one last time, but it's weak, and Boombox dodges effortlessly.
"I WON'T DIE!!" With a final echoing scream, Grimwald's body disintegrates into the darkness from which it was formed, leaving Boombox standing alone in the now eerily quiet room, panting heavily. Boombox wipes the sweat from his brow, smirking.
"Guess you weren't the night after all."