"What the..." Kreyna's pupils trembled in disbelief.
With all her soul she tried to rid herself of the fear trying to consu her mind. Previously she had only felt fear of one being, her partner, Arnoth.
It was fine with her.
Kreyna knew that Arnoth would not kill her. She was his subordinate, his ally, but not his enemy.
But... a Phantom in front of her, a girl she was ready to kill just a second ago.
She looked at her as her prey. Hunter and prey switched places, and Kreyna could feel it.
Red streams ca out in a single flash, completing Risha's new ability, her Branch Order.
Risha's eyes lowered, staring at the beastly paw coming from her elbow, yet there was not a single hair or fur on the paw.
A red layer of flesh, as if dozens of muscles stitched together in an indistinct patch, covered her arm, an eerie and frightening sight.
Three sharp claws erged from her hand, smooth blades ready to tear through both flesh and darkness in their path.
Yet, Risha's eyes stopped on sothing else.
An open, actual jaw was on the back of her palm, sharp fangs indicating that it was a beast's jaw. Inside was darkness, offering a power known only to Risha.
"What the fuck is that?!" Kreyna shouted, she could no longer control her emotions.
Very rarely was anything out of her control. Even when Vorx caught her off guard, she didn't get so nervous since she knew she had a trump card.
However, the dark sphere was her last resort.
If Risha's beast paw could stop her in any way, it was over for Kreyna.
Risha slowly raised her gaze.
A strange feeling consud her. She had done the sa as Adam, but instead of cold anger or elation, she felt only gratitude.
To Adam and Radiant Mirage.
"So... This is what I wanted..." Risha muttered.
Then, a slight smile appeared on her face.
"Good, I got another step closer to my goal. Perhaps, I can get to you after all, brother.
"But..."
Her gaze headed towards Kreyna.
"I have to deal with one, overly arrogant bitch first!"
Kreyna stepped back, holding her blade out in front of her. Her aura intensified to the extre, while shadows enveloped her silhouette.
"Don't think so useless ability will help you defeat ! I'm still much stronger than you!"
Risha tilted her head. "Yeah? Then why did you go into defense instead of attacking?"
It was a good question.
The answer was obvious, though.
It was much easier to defend yourself. Moreover, Kreyna didn't know what Risha was capable of now.
'Shit, it's not just her ability,' Kreyna internally grunted. 'Her aura's gotten a lot stronger, there's more energy. Fuck, it's not just her trump card. She actually opened the fourth lesser gates right now?!'
Unfortunately for Kreyna, she was still too far from the evolutionary frontier to try and do the sa.
'To hell with it! I'll just dodge and attack at suitable monts! I have enough energy to sustain the dark sphere for a very long ti!'
Well, all of Kreyna's confidence vanished the mont Risha pointed her left arm straight at her like she was a target.
'What?' Kreyna's eyes went wide. 'What is she going to do? Is she going to shoot a beam from her claw at ? Or... Is it going to be a projectile from her palm? Maybe it's just a preparation for a swing or a dash?'
A multitude of options raced through Kreyna's mind. She was an experienced fighter, the list of possible outcos just overwheld her.
It turned out to be much simpler than that.
"Run my prey." Risha's echoed through the darkness. "Or else you will die right where you stand."
Then, Risha clenched her fist tightly as the jaw on her hand closed sharply.
The outline of the crimson jaw ford in front of Kreyna, scarlet light falling on her pale face.
'What the hell...'
Yet, she wasted no ti. Listening to her instincts, she turned into a shadow, stepping back a few ters. Her speed was the sa as moving to the purple star.
It wasn't enough.
In a heartbeat, Kreyna's face twisted in savage pain. Her eyes darted to the left - a piece of flesh the size of her fist was missing from her shoulder.
If she had lingered in place for even a fraction of a second, the jaw would have ripped her torso in two.
What's more, she couldn't see where part of her shoulder was - her flesh was simply gone.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sound of clenching jaws ca from the side.
Kreyna's eyes darted to Risha's paw. The small jaw on her hand was actively chewing sothing, with only drops of blood flying apart.
Then, a long tongue erged from the jaw, it licked the blood off the fangs and back into the darkness.
"Fuck... That's my..."
Step.
Risha tore forward, using all the energy she had on this single leap.
Under her focused gaze, she brought the axe down, right on top of Kreyna. She acted much faster than before, now her axe seed lighter.
"No!" Kreyna exclaid, with difficulty blocking Risha's attack.
But now Risha had two weapons, and Kreyna saved herself from the least dangerous one.
Thrust.
Before Kreyna realized it, three long claws plunged into her stomach. After a flash of pain, she tried to jump back, but Risha's hand gripped her wounded shoulder tightly. Risha's axe sank into the ground, she would no longer need her Nexus in this battle.
"You know, the other Phantom who decided to help the serpents as well as I did. His na is Adam."
Risha's eyes grew deeper.
"He told about his toughest battles. That all of his main opponents turned out to be worthy fighters. I could feel the respect for them in his voice, but..."
Her claws sank deeper into Kreyna's flesh.
"Toward you bitch, I feel nothing but hatred. I don't want to hear anything from you, no last words."
"Just die!"
Then, the crimson jaw rose above them, clenching before Kreyna's terrified eyes.
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