"Misaki, let's kill that giant monster now," Kitsune said as she rushed forward, her nine tails glowing faintly in the moonlight.
I decided to let her engage the enemy in close combat while I focused on attacking from a distance.
"Shape-shift: Sniper."
Kitsune charged directly at the monster, aiming to immobilize it. However, the creature responded with a massive kick, its enormous icy foot crashing toward her.
"Oh? Is this all a local deity can do?" Kitsune smirked, catching the monster's foot effortlessly with one hand. It reminded me of our fight before—her strength is unreal.
"Let me show you how a real kick is done."
With a single motion, Kitsune kicked the monster's foot, sending it stumbling backward and crashing to the ground.
"Misaki, now! But don't use the bullet that drains life force."
"Sniper: Spirit Calibre."
I fired a shot that landed squarely on the monster's face. However, despite the direct hit, it didn't seem to be affected at all.
"What now, Misaki? Is that the best your gun can do?" Kitsune teased, a sly smile on her face.
"Shut up. We're dealing with a tough opponent here," I snapped back, annoyed by her taunts.
Realizing my sniper wasn't going to be effective without using Soul Calibre, I decided to switch tactics.
"Kitsune, don't let it get up!"
"Fine..." she replied, leaping high into the air before delivering a powerful axe kick to the creature's stomach. The impact caused the ground beneath us to tremble violently. The monster groaned in pain, its icy form cracking under the force of Kitsune's attack.
As soon as the creature was immobilized, I seized the opportunity to attack.
"let's see if your hard skin can handle this"
"Scythe: Light Breaker."
My scythe, along with my body became enveloped in a dense, dark aura, enhancing my physical power. With a single leap, I brought the scythe down on the monster's neck, severing its head cleanly and leaving a deep fissure in the ground.
To my surprise, the fight seemed to end quickly. I turned to Kitsune with a smug grin.
"How's that for a finishing move? Think you could top that?"
But Kitsune's expression was far from pleased. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with shock.
"Misaki! Watch out!" she yelled.
Before I could react, Kitsune grabbed me and leaped away just as the monster's body regenerated entirely, its severed head reforming as if nothing had happened. It swung a massive fist toward me, narrowly missing thanks to Kitsune.
"Thanks, Kitsune. That was close."
"Don't thank me. You nearly got yourself killed celebrating in the middle of a fight" she snapped.
"To think it can regenerate like that… So this is how Tria was defeated by this mindless beast," Kitsune muttered, her lips curling into a grin.
"Can I use Soul Calibre now?" I asked.
"No," Kitsune replied firmly. "This regenerative ability must have a weakness. Itmust have a core. If we destroy it, the monster will die for good."
She dashed toward the monster, her movements swift and calculated.
"What's the plan?" I asked, following behind her.
"Just stay back for now, or you might get caught in my attacks," Kitsune instructed.
I stopped and watched as Kitsune charged forward. The monster swung a massive fist at her, but she stopped it effortlessly with both hands.
and then she chant a spell
"Assert power and dominance befitting a queen: Absolute Authority"
She leaped into the air, aiming directly at the monster's chest. The creature raised its other fist to counter her attack, but as their blows collided, its icy fist shattered into countless shards.
"Kitsune, what was that?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"That spell cuts an entity I touch its physical power in half and transfers it to me," she said with a smug grin.
That's ridiculously overpowered
Kitsune landed a devastating punch to the monster's chest, causing massive cracks to spread across its icy form. The force sent the creature crashing to the ground. Without hesitation, Kitsune unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, each strike shattering more of the monster's body.
The ground beneath us trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and the monster's groans of pain echoed through the mountain.
"Misaki! I'll keep it pinned down. Find the core and destroy it!" Kitsune shouted, her exhaustion evident in her voice.
"Got it!"
I transformed my weapon back into a sniper rifle.
"Sniper: Hunter's Instincts."
My vision became sharper, allowing me to see through the smoke and debris caused by Kitsune's attacks. After a few moments, I spotted a faint blue glow in the creature's stomach—a core.
Lining up my shot, I fired a single bullet, shattering the glowing orb into pieces.
The monster froze mid-movement, its groans silenced. Its massive body collapsed and began to disintegrate.
I approached Kitsune, who was breathing heavily.
"Misaki, absorb its life force before it dissipates," she said, her voice strained.
I transformed my weapon into a knife, which has a skill to drain life force.
"Knife: Life Devourer."
As I activated the skill, I noticed something unsettling. The monster we had just killed didn't have any life force.
Its as if it is not alive in the first place.
"Kitsune… this thing wasn't alive. It's not the local deity," I said, my voice uneasy.
"What? What do you mean?" Kitsune asked, confused.
"This entity… it's something else. It had no life force to begin with," I explained.
Before Kitsune could respond, a deep, male voice echoed through the air.
"So, you finally figured it out, ancient spirit Arcana—or should I say Misaki?"
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Kitsune demanded, her tails bristling with energy.
"Oh? And the ancient spirit of the nine-tailed fox, Kitsune Ishi, is here as well? This is quite the gathering," the voice continued mockingly.
"S-spirit? Misaki, what does he mean?" Himeko asked, stepping closer with Nishi and her siblings at her side.
"Don't listen to him, Himeko. He's trying to confuse us," I said quickly, trying to calm her down.
"Oh, I'm only speaking the truth," the voice replied with a chuckle.
"Enough games! Who are you?" I shouted, my patience wearing thin.
"Me? I'm the one you're looking for… the true god of this mountain,"