Jason laid on the ground, his body numb, with his eyes flickering,"I can't feel my body… d-damn, now I've done it … my entire body is… i-in pain, I'm s-starting to feel cold."
Azumi's eyes widened in horror, as she saw Jason's deep scars, lying on the ground. "You idiot… what were you thinking!? Just hang on Jason."
The pack leader let out a massive roar, with that roar, all the beasts charged toward Azumi and Jason.
"Damn! T-They are charging towards us. I need to do something fast. Even though I'm still fatigued…I will by all means… protect Jason!" Azumi thought.
Azumi steadily stood up, moved her hands in a dynamic pattern, "Alright then, BLOOD MANIPULATION: STRINGS OF FATE. Come at me all at once!" Azumi exclaimed.
The threads tangled and intersected, forming an intricate web that intertwined cutting down the beasts that were caught in it, one by one, "Dang! They just keep coming, at this point I will get cornered." Azumi thought.
Some of the beasts managed to break through Azumi's defenses, swiping their claws profusely at her, as she struggled to move and barely dodged their attacks, narrowly missing fatal blows.
After taking down so many beasts simultaneously, their numbers didn't seem to diminish, their intense blood lust drove Azumi into a corner, overwhelming her as she fought to protect Jason as well.
The pack leader locked it's gaze at Jason who was on the ground, it readied its claws once more, as it was about to deliver the killing slash, Azumi quickly rushed and grabbed Jason before he was about to be killed at the very last minute and ran as fast as she could.
"Great! I can move again. I have to find a way out of here. I don't know what effects that thing's claws has. I'm lucky enough it only managed to get my forearm. I have to avoid getting slashed again." Azumi thought to herself.
With Jason on her shoulders, "Damn he's hurt pretty bad, if I don't do something, he may end up dying from losing so much blood, I have to stop his bleeding quickly.", she spoke to herself.
She places another trap, using "STRINGS OF FATE" to slow down the pursing beasts and their leader.
After running as fast as she could while carrying Jason, she finds a nearby cave, hoping to shelter them both. As they stumbled into the cave, Azumi puts Jason down, and tries giving him first aid treatment, as she was doing, her body began to feel numb, "W-what is happening to me? My arm… why is it… this painful all of a sudden!?" She panicked to herself.
She felt her strength being zapped out of her body each second, then the beasts from a distant searched for Jason and Azumi. "Seems like they are still searching for us… my body feels heavier by the second, I don't have much Mystica left, I will just have to hit this thing with everything I've got!" Azumi stated boldly.
But as they caught their breath, the moment was short lived as Azumi heard the beasts approaching from a distant. She stepped out leaving Jason at the entrance of the cave. As she awaited the beast once again, she set numerous traps to slow down the beasts.
Azumi stood boldly, trying to gather Mystica.
Moments later…
The beasts charged towards Azumi and the pack leader, seemingly revitalized, lunged at Azumi with brutality. Swiping Its razor sharp claws through the air, once again narrowly missing Azumi's face.
Her body swerved through the attacks, and countered with an attack, "BLOOD MANIPULATION: PIERCING BLOOD!" She shouted, but the pack leader was as resilient as ever, to her surprise it did not leave a single scratch on it, "Come on! What… the heck is this thing's skin made out of!? It is as if it's absorbing everything I send out." She thought to herself.
It's eyes started glowing brighter, it was surrounded by Mystica aura then it let out an echoing roar.
"This… thing seems to be getting stronger," Azumi thought, alarmed by the situation, she says, "I need to end this in one shot before it powers up even more."
With explosive speed, Azumi struck the beasts with simple attacks preventing it from powering up, the pack leader roared, stumbling back.
"Now's my chance. It's all or nothing!" Azumi thought.
She summoned all her remaining Mystica, crafting, molding and concentrate it into one single unit. The air around her shimmered, as she created a javelin with all that she had.
The pack leader, looked at Azumi with an intimidating gaze, it's body surging with power.
"It's not yet ready, I can't seem to be able to draw Mystica fast enough." Azumi thought.
The pack leader burst forth, with its razor sharp claws ready to slash Azumi. Her face flooded with despair, then suddenly the pack leader stops charging, unsure of what was happening, Azumi used this opportunity to draw all the Mystica she had.
"All.. most there." Azumi thought to herself, and in that moment the pack leader gained its composure, with a few seconds to spare, Azumi completed gathering all her remaining Mystica.
"It's finally ready. No choice but to use it… I may not have mastered this technique but… there's one thing that for sure I'm gonna use everything in my arsenal to stop you, right here, right now!! This is everything I've got! BLOOD MANIPULATION: JAVELIN OVERDRIVE!!" With her voice exploding through out the forest.
As the pack leader charges towards Azumi, she locks on him, visualizing the javelin's trajectory. She takes a very deep breath, as she tightened her grip on the javelin. As soon as she released her breath, she begins her approach run, building momentum, her arm extends, aligning the javelin with her shoulder, and she momentarily stops, still locking her aim at the pack leader, she unleashes the javelin like a bolt of lightning.
As the pack leader and the beasts were charging towards Azumi, and the javelin launching at them like a projectile, as soon as the javelin collided with it, it exploded producing an intense shockwave, surrounding all the remaining beasts caught in that intense explosion.
A choking cloud of dust, as thick as a fog covered the whole area, blocking out all that was visible. The air heavy-Jason with his eyes barely open, "W-What's…. happening? W-What was … that s-sound, all… I see is… smoke." Jason thought as he was lying on the ground.
Unable to walk due to exhaustion, Azumi crawled towards Jason, her vision blurring, "I'm… out of strength, but… I've got to check… up on Jason." She whispered.
She reached Jason, placing her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. His heartbeat was faint yet steady, his eyes barely opened, a small sense relief washed upon her, "Great, he's still breathing. But he lost too much blood, I have to help stop the bleeding some how." She thought to herself.
The dust began to settle…
And in that moment, the full extent of the damage was became more clear, there were no remnants of the beasts but… somehow Azumi sensed Mystica gradually growing, "W-what the heck's happening." She thought. And as she asked herself that question, then suddenly a massive outburst was let out, a roar filled with rage made the ground tremor, and amidst the dissipating dust, the pack leader terrifyingly emerged, emitting a sinister presence, with its eyes blazing with anger, fixing its eyes on Jason and Azumi.
"T-this can't be… I used everything, everything I had, how… just how is it still alive, after all that, that damn thing is still breathing." Azumi thought to herself.
With its wounds very severe, half of its body was charred and burned, exposing bone and muscle that were visible underneath. It's right side was missing, from its shoulder to its hip.
It covered itself with massive Mystica aura, it's body began surging with power, slowly regenerating its muscles and bones, reforming and restoring its limbs, "I-it's regenerating!? Well that's an ugly sight to behold, it won't be long till it fully heals itself. Sigh* now what? I just patiently wait for my death… this will be a very pathetic ending. Looks like all I can do is just wait… NO Azumi! I can't just lose hope, not this way, if I am to go out, I will go out fighting, even though my body refuses to fight!" Azumi thought to herself.
With no strategy and no Mystica left, Azumi held onto Jason tightly, watching in awe, as the pack leader rose anew, it was enveloped in a dark glowing mystical aura.
The pack leader charged towards Jason and Azumi, as it poured all its Mystica into its claws, as it was about to slash them, Azumi eyes closed as she held onto Jason, then a sudden burst of energy materialized right before them. A force field casting a faint blue ethereal light, protecting the two from the pack leader's most deadliest assault.
Azumi slowly opened her eyes, as they widened in surprise, "W-what the… a force field? What's going on here?"
The barrier was filled with energy, pushing back the pack leader's attack. The beast drew back, with its claws cracking.
A figure emerged from the trees, a man in a robe and his face obscured. "Whoa… you kids look to be in a very rough shape. That doesn't look good, those scars… let's forget about that for now. Nice, did you kids do all that? I'm impressed, you were very helpful, relax I'm not gonna do anything to you two." The figure said with his voice low and mysterious. "Even though your body and skills have their limits, you managed to push through your limits and for that I am truly grateful. Allow me to assist."
The mysterious man stepped forward, with piercing brown eyes and spiky green hair, styled in a messy, angular fashion. His attire had intricate symbols etched onto his sleeves.
"W-what the heck's happening here? Hey who are you?" Azumi asked, wary
The mysterious man smiled, "I'm just a friendly stranger passing by."
He raises his hand in a gentle and almost playful gesture, as he walks towards the pack leader, with a flick of his wrist, the man sends a burst of energy directed at the pack leader, its power extremely destructive.
Azumi watches in awe, struggling to understand what she just witnessed. The mysterious man's mystical powers are far apart from anything she has ever witnessed. It was as if he effortlessly commanded the pack leader's extermination.
The pack leader's body slowly started to wither.
"Now that I'm done with that thing, would you let me take a look at those wounds for you?" The mysterious man smiled.
Azumi still in a state of shock, "Uhm y-yes, you can look at his wound first."
The mysterious man exclaimed, "Great! Let me get my-"
The pack leader roared in pain and it's rage intensifying each second, "Hey young lady, are you able to stand?"
"I think I-I can." Azumi answered.
"Okay then, get up and get you and your friend out of here… because this is about to get very interesting." The mysterious man said with his voice low.
Azumi nodded, still uncertain about this mysterious man's motives. She carefully stood, cautiously lifted Jason and began to retreat the pack leader's raging roars echoing through the forest.
As they fled, the pack leader's fury grew by the second, Azumi looked back at the mysterious man, "What's his plan? Why did he suddenly tell us to run?"
The mysterious man fixed its eyes on the pack leader once again, it's body beginning to twist as it cast of a dark ethereal glow. It's severe wounds and withering healing at an alarming rate, with Mystica surging out of its body surrounding it like an aura.
"What's that Mystica I'm feeling!? What's happening?" Azumi asked, apprehension creeping into her voice.
"It's transforming," the man replied with his eyes still locked onto the pack leader. "Into its final form."
The creature transformed at a rapid pace. The pack leader's thick hide darkened, became spiky, forming like armour plating, an impenetrable mask formed covering its face, its body altering, becoming more humanoid with razor sharp claws and sharp teeth. Its eyes burning red with a menacing look, sending a shockwave.
As the transformation completed, the pack leader rose and stood taller, its mystica radiated aura filled uncontrollable anger. The air thickened with as the pack leader let out a deafening roar, while fixing its eyes on the mysterious man.