Nyx watched with a wince as the grisly sounds of Rakna’s bones snapping into place echoed. His eyes whirled until they were as otherworldly as she knew them, and he let out a loud growl. An aura many times bigger than what she had ever seen from him erupted from his body.

 

The temperature fell and the night became a misty one with only the full moon glowing through it like a glaring torch. Rakna’s body became chilly and his fur whitened. His size expanded until he was nearly eight meters tall while on his feet. He hunched with a snarl and started shaking.

 

Tairen at her side seemed to react at that. “This signature…!?” He gasped and five tails sprout out from the werewolf’s tail bone, raising the count to nine. Nyx’s eyes widened as the pressure turned to be ten times stronger in the split of a second. The minotaur stepped forward to protect her and tightened his muscles as he reinforced them.

 

“I was joking when I said he might offer a challenge…” He muttered laughingly. “But this is beyond everything I could have expected.” He was ready to charge at a moment’s notice but unlike what he expected, Rakna suddenly stopped moving. “Huh?”

 

The nine tails that had been flailing in a fan drooped to the ground and the aura disappeared until the only source of cold was his body. His eyes were closed and his head lowered.

 

Tairen raised an eyebrow. “What is he doing?”

 

“Maybe trying to regain control?” Nyx suggested.

 

“I don’t think so-”

 

“[Crystals of Frost Abide the Star’s Wrath.]”

 

Tairen opened his eyes wide and shoved the former goddess away with one arm, using the other to block an overhead punch that had suddenly appeared. Nyx held her breath from the push and impulsively covered her face as a shockwave sent her flying for dozens of meters. The sound of the earth splitting followed and she grew a pair of wings to recover her balance.

 

When she saw what had happened, she couldn’t help but be amazed. Tairen was restraining the massive fist of the nine-tailed werewolf with one hand, grinning, as they both stood in a falcate crater surrounded by fissures.

 

“Hah! Nice one, wolf! This packed the punch of a level 100 Host,” the minotaur commented but his opponent heard nothing of it. In fact, he was so silent and calm that Nyx was genuinely confused whether he was truly mindless or not.

 

Rakna’s eyes slowly spun and shifted from Tairen to her. “[Flash Step.]” When those words, colder and more detached than she ever heard, reached her, it was already too late. The werewolf was already towering over her, thrusting his clawed hand at her.

 

“This kid?!” The minotaur exclaimed and before Rakna could finish his attack, he appeared behind him and grabbed his neck. He pulled him away and threw him toward the forest. The strength of his throw was high enough to nearly break the sound barrier and the werewolf crashed through many trees before barreling to the ground.

 

Nyx sighed in relief and Tairen grunted while looking at where he had hurled Rakna. “Are we sure that he’s even berserk? He looked at both of us, deemed you as the lesser threat, and without a second thought, acted accordingly.”

 

“That’s…” Nyx squinted her eyes, remembering Flavia’s words. ‘He was hollow, cold, uncaring, and analytical. I had never been so terrified in my life.’ It was pretty obvious that the Rakna that they were dealing with right now was of the same ilk. “I think it’s his own… kind of madness. To kill all that lays before him with the best efficiency conceivable.”

 

Tairen scowled but before he could ask anything more about it, another line of chant was heard coming from the woods around them, “[Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.]”

 

A shadow shot out from the trees and hovered in the air. Tairen and Nyx gaped as they saw three pairs of wings releasing silver dust. But they were not able to think much about it as he extended his hand toward them.

 

“[Fly to the Heavens; Natcattiram Cataract!]” Twelve four-pointed stars rapidly condensed into a bigger one before being launched by a spring, all in less than a few seconds.

 

Tairen grabbed Nyx and kicked the ground, disappearing from his speed alone. The compressed star hit the ground and exploded into a massive sphere, nothing like the one used in the training room. It even exploded a second time, erecting a pillar that pierced the sky.

 

From at least fifty meters away, Tairen whistled at the destruction. “Damn, that’s damn close to a first-class spell,” he uttered and in a flash of silver light, Rakna appeared above them, his six wings boosting his speed beyond even sound.

 

What shocked Tairen however was the two compressed stars set onto their springs in each one of his hands. “No cooldown?!” He shouted incredulously.

 

“[Mystic… Natcattiram Cataract,]” Rakna intoned and the two spells zoomed toward their target at record speed.

 

‘Mystic Magic! Where does he even get this mana?’ The minotaur clicked his tongue and contracted his right arm. He brought his fist to his left shoulder and back-punched at nothing. The sound of glass shattering resounded and cracks appeared in midair. The two star-shaped spells halted unnaturally before being torn to pieces and vanishing. And it didn’t stop at them.

 

Rakna’s callous and unfeeling eyes spun and he tried to flap his wings to flee but he wasn’t able to avoid the damage in time. Half of his arm was twisted into many different directions before being ripped from his elbow down.

 

“[In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.]”

 

Tairen thought he had gone too far for a second but that didn’t last long. The werewolf didn’t even react to his arm being taken away from him. Instead, his fur became entirely white and tendrils of cold energy sprout out from his injury and reformed a limb before materializing as real.

 

“Oi, oi, is this for real?” Tairen couldn’t believe his eyes. He watched as Rakna flexed his new limb with a numb curiosity and he put down Nyx. He promptly jumped toward the werewolf and lashed out a punch that drove him into the ground.

 

“{Lady, plan changed. I don’t think I can pin him down for long. How fast can you extract the lunar energy in his body without getting close?}” He asked Nyx through telepathy, as it was evidently a faster way of communicating than verbal speech.

 

“{Unfeasible. I need to touch him directly to extract it,}” she responded immediately. “{However, I can set up an array that will cut off the moonlight. I believe that is the reason why he has so much mana. He might even be fueling his skills directly with lunar energy instead of his own reserves.}”

 

“{Get moving then. I’ll keep him busy,}” Tairen declared as he stood in midair. He looked down as Rakna stood up from the crater he had made with his own body. “Well then, it’s good to see you can take some punishment,” he uttered with a smirk and a toothed great sword appeared in his hand, emitting a nerve-wracking bloodlust of its own.

 

Rakna snarled quietly. His eyes turned golden and a white cross formed in the center. He opened his mouth and continued his chant, “[In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.]”

 

“That lexis… is not for a spell, is it?” Tairen asked with his weapon shouldered. He obviously didn’t receive an answer. “Well, it was rhetorical anyway. So… a Cōl Lāli, huh?”

 

The werewolf growled and deployed his wings wide. The surface feathers vibrated and hundreds of them were launched at the minotaur, each packed with cold energy. If he had been conscious at that time, Rakna would have seen that he had learned a skill; Projectile Reinforcement.

 

Tairen snorted and didn’t even bother doing anything. They all hit his skin and bounced off as if they were harmless insects. “It won’t work. My defense is out of your league. Though it’s a bit cold I’ll admit,” he jested.

 

Rakna’s eyes constricted at his words and he summoned an energy bow in his hand. “Alzero,” he muttered and the Cao sword weaved itself into existence. Tairen raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to stop him as long as he didn’t target Nyx.

 

The nine-tailed werewolf nocked the odd sword onto his bow and as he pulled the string, with a metal screech, Alzero turned into a shape more fit to act as a projectile. He then coated it with his mana and element before letting go of the string.

 

“As I said, it won’t-!?” Tairen stopped talking as the tip of the sword pricked blood right below his neck. He moved with stunning speed, leaving an afterimage in his wake, and deflected the sword before it could stab him any deeper. For a second, he had truly felt himself in danger.

 

He glanced at the projectile he had deflected and barred out the possibility of it being a powerful item. Just a single swing of his weapon had been enough to shatter it completely. ‘In that case… how did he do it?’ He wondered and noticed that Rakna was rooted in place. “What’s wrong?” He spoke up with a huff. “Ran out of ideas?”

 

The werewolf stayed silent at the provocation and he simply increased the output of his aura, his eyes thrumming with power. “[In Between The Heights and Depths.]”

 

He gritted his teeth and howled at the sky. His call echoed for miles but there was nothing around that could respond. However, that had never been his intention. Countless puddles of shadows immediately appeared under the night sky, spitting out hundreds of red-eyed wolves.

 

“A King?” Tairen remarked as if he had seen this kind of display before. “So? What do you intend to do with all these weaklings?” He looked around briefly before turning back to Rakna who had cast a miniature constellation at high speed.

 

“[Gemini – Thirty Star Variation,]” he uttered and the star energy shone.

 

Tairen merely blinked because of it and when the light died down, his expression twitched when he saw nothing but weak shadow wolves. “A spell that imitates aura and appearance? This could be annoying…” He muttered whilst trying to find Rakna in the crowd of wolves.

 

At the same time, he kept an eye on Nyx’s location to be sure that she wouldn’t be attacked but the werewolf didn’t seem to be willing to do so for now. In fact, all of the shadow wolves were staring at him with blazing eyes.

 

The unproductive stalemate lasted for an entire minute until every wolf suddenly howled. They simultaneously conjured some sort of thorny rope that targeted the minotaur from all sides.

 

“So, these things can use basic shadow magic, huh?” He snorted and released a wave of mana that pushed them all back.

 

But that didn’t deter the wolves as they merged with the ropes to instantly travel to where he was standing. At least a hundred of them lunged at him out of nowhere and he grinned. He grabbed the first wolf in range and crushed its head without difficulty.

 

He threw the fading body at a few others and gripped his sword. The ‘teeth’ of his weapon started rumbling before turning into a pseudo-chainsaw. He hacked with it and the very atmosphere was cleaved. A depression of air was formed and at least twenty shadow wolves were destroyed with that swing. An entire area of the forest below was deracinated at the same time.

 

Tairen let out a laugh and swung his weapon again. This time, he slashed a 300° angle around him. The repercussions were enough to excavate the ground and create a mini-tornado.

 

The shadow wolves were shredded to pieces by the attack but they were replaced just as fast by a new wave. Tairen gave them an annoyed glance. “Come on now; swatting flies gets boring after a while,” he uttered and a transparent aura wrapped his weapon as he lifted it.

 

“[Fracto Groa,]” he intoned and swung it. At first, nothing happened, but the sound of glass being reduced to pieces resounded loud and clear. The world shattered, the sword’s teeth pierced reality itself, and the earth quaked. The soil and stone were defragmented and the chunks were rocketed into the air.

 

Every single last wolf was caught in the blast and obliterated. Yet, instantly after, a rain of swords and spears fell from the sky, aiming at the minotaur. “Haven’t you learned yet?” Tairen muttered and batted away the weapons before turning around. His hand grasped the neck of the werewolf sneaking up behind him who had shrunk to a smaller stature.

 

“Why don’t you rest while your friend finishes her job?” He quipped and hit him with the flat side of his greatsword. The werewolf’s neck nearly broke and his body was further damaged as it crashed on the ground. “Now, stay sti-”

 

“[Antanasia.]” Tairen’s eyes widened as a voice came from behind him. It was followed by another intonation as something grabbed the back of his head, cold enough to make him halt, and polluted his mind and soul with a kind of parasite, “[Soul Scourge].”

 

The minotaur managed to get a glimpse of his attacker’s appearance through the reflection of one of the swords’ remains before he lost focus. He had underestimated his opponent far too much and had nearly fell unconscious. Reflexively, he released his internal energies and punched Rakna, who had somehow bypassed his detection.

 

“I’ll give it to you, that was close. It won’t happen again.”

 

Cracks spread as his fist struck the werewolf’s abdomen. Rakna coughed blood, his internal organs being violently twisted. But even then, his Cold Star Reinforcement forced everything back into place. Tairen didn’t let him finish, however.

 

“Survive this, kid,” he muttered and turned his fist into a palm. “[Fracto Des Mea,]” he muttered and without warning, Rakna lost a chunk of his abdomen and an entire leg before being blasted toward the ground.

 

Tairen watched on as the beast’s body dug a new crater. He glanced at the other werewolf that he had struck with his sword previously only to see it disintegrating into blue particles. “A clone…? No, that looked more like a magic puppet,” he commented.

 

“{I’m done. I can activate the array whenever,}” Nyx’s voice abruptly entered his head.

 

He nodded. He was about to reply when Rakna’s voice interrupted him.

 

“[Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.]”

 

The werewolf limped out of the devastated land, his leg still in the process of restoration. His aura had also begun to increase in size again, much to the minotaur’s amazement.

 

“He’s getting stronger as time passes... He’s probably getting close to the strength of a level 200 or 300 Host. Is it because of the still rising moon? How powerful would he get if the moon was at its peak?” He muttered to himself. “And his Cōl Lāli… he’s already at the sixth line… how many does he have?”

 

“{Is something wrong?}” Nyx inquired.

 

“{No. Activate the array.}”

 

The former goddess nodded from her spot afar from the combat zone and placed her hand on the ground where she had drawn one of the four magic circles surrounding this entire zone. “[Castle of The Lunar Realm Cast in Shadows.]”

 

The circle shone and connected to the three others, enclosing the area where Rakna and Tairen were fighting. At the same time, a large magic formation formed in the sky, and the supply of lunar energy became naught.

 

Tairen looked up at the giant magic circle above him and hummed. ‘How interesting. This is a high-level application of auxiliary circles. Just as Gray said; this woman’s not banal.’

 

Rakna also looked at the magic circle but his reaction was much more frenzied. He sensed that he was disconnected from the moon and the lunar energy inside of him was inciting him; saying that this was an affront to him that couldn’t be forgiven. He snarled and his nine tails contoured his body and pointed at their target.

 

“[Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.]”

“[Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.]”

 

All of his mana and lunar energy traveled to the circuits contained in his tails which then filtered it to create a sphere of raw destruction. A black, red, and blue amalgam of energy given form by the joint effort of all his nine tails.

 

“You can’t be serious…” Tairen grumbled. “{Young lady, distance yourself. Your friend is about to use everything he’s got to shoot a Tailed Pearl.}”

 

“{A Tailed Pearl?}”

 

“{The inborn Nirvana Skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Wolves and Foxes. This thing he’s making right now is strong enough to level cities down. I have to face it head-on. If I dodge it, there is the risk of it harming a nearby settlement or even get close to Black Steel. Let’s hope that your array can survive.}”

 

“{As long as the cardinal beacons aren’t damaged, it should be fine.}”

 

“{I’ll try to quell it then,}” he replied and dismissed his sword. He brought his hands closer as if he was holding an invisible ball and closed his eyes. Several reality cracks opened between his palms and a transparent spherical membrane enveloped them. He increased the distance between his hands and the sphere became proportionately bigger along with the cracks it encased.

 

At the same time, Rakna finished his Tailed Pearl and his Cross Sight spun, unconsciously adding dimensional power into his attack.

 

“[The One, They Offer Harvest!]” He howled the last line of his Cōl Lāli and the Pearl was propelled with a detonation and a terra-forming shockwave.

 

Tairen opened his eyes and let go of the sphere. It hovered in front of him and right when Rakna decided to unleash his ultimate skill, he punched the transparent orb, “[Fragor In Fractura!]”

 

The two world bending attacks collided in mid-air but didn’t burst right away. The sky darkened and something akin to thunder roared as red lightning spewed from between the two spheres.

 

Ultimately, the one that lost its integrity first was the Tailed Pearl. With a brief flash of light, the Pearl expanded and caused an effect similar to a reversal of gravity. Once it was big enough to touch the ground, it erased the matter altogether and an earthquake ravaged the Plateau.

 

Rakna clawed at the ground to stay stable and then, from within the explosion, the odd sound of glass breaking made itself known again. The Pearl abruptly stopped expanding and was consumed by a white pillar of energy. A resulting force, worthy of a natural disaster, was the last thing the werewolf saw and heard before it knocked him out.