Xavier took a deep breath as he stared at Bignath with weary eyes. Sweat dripped from his body, the gauntlets were covered with blood and slime, and the cloth wrapped around his waist threatened to fall off. The fight had taken a toll on him, and he was just about to charge at Bignath when the interface screen opened up before him.
[Zenrokushu Gauntlets Mastery[100%]
[The host can now summon another weapon.]
[Would the host like to summon?]
[Yes/No]
Xavier stared at the text, his face morphed into relief. He took a deep breath and exhaled gently. 'Finally.'
He knew the gauntlets were not strong enough to beat her. He had fought against her once and he had failed miserably. Now this was his chance to get something that could maybe counter her. He just hoped the system would not get him down with his life at stake.
He stared at the grotesque creature before him, her expression unreadable as she stared at him. She frowned deeply, maybe even suspecting he had seen something or not. He was not bothered to care, and certainly he wasn't going to indulge her.
He turned back to the system. 'Yes.' He thought.
[Ding! Summoning weapon...]
[Host has been rewarded Shadowfang Daggers[A-rank]. The weapon has been stored in your inventory.]
Chase grinned in delight, and just from the name, he knew that the weapon was going to be awesome. Thus could be what he needed. The weapon needed to defeat her. There was no other choice. He had to use it.
Bignath, on the other hand, stared at Xavier with a calculating frown. Was he... smiling? But why? Had he run mad knowing he wasn't going to be able to defeat her? It didn't seem like it. She straightened, taking an ombat stance. She had to be ready for anything.
She watched as the gauntlets he wore vanished from his hands making her gasp. It was there again. How was he able to make that thing vanish into thin air? Was it a spatial ring he wore? It didn't seem likely that she couldn't notice a ring. Could it be his innate skill?
Suddenly, she saw two daggers appear in Xavier's hands and her breath hitched in horror and shock. She tried to breathe as she gazed at the weapons. She couldn't. She stumbled back in fear, her face a mask of horror, fear, and confusion mixed together.
They were wickedly curved and sharp as steel. It was sleek and obsidian and looked like it was covered in shadows. There was a skull etched on the hilt of the blades. Bignath could sense the dark, ominous energy of the blades. Blades that had surely killed a lot of people.
"How.....how....how do you possess a weapon?" She stammered, her cool, icy expression cracked in disbelief. "That's impossible and preposterous. You're a dog, so how come you have this weapon in your possession?"
She watched as the boy who was marvelling at the blades slowly turned his head up at her and smiled. A smile that dripped with eagerness and contempt.
"Why don't you find out?" He crawled, gripping the weapon expertly like he had done it for years.
There was a dreadful moment of silence in the chamber before it snapped. Bignath watched as Xavier suddenly threw one of the daggers at her, causing her to stumble back in shock. She raised her hand as if to try to stop the blade, but that's when her face morphed in shock.
He was in front of her, in the air, holding the blade he had thrown, a sadistic grin on his face.
'That's impossible!' She screamed in her mind. 'He vanished! I couldn't sense or even see him!'
Xavier gripped the blade tightly before driving it straight into the forearm that Bignath had brought up. The Demaranian screeched in pain and swung her arm as she was throwing a fly. Xavier wrenched the dagger out of her forearm with practiced motion and dodged the swing.
He stepped back a little as he watched Bignath begin to inspect her hand as she was experimenting on a scab that had become troublesome.
Bignath groaned in pain as she gazed at the arm where Xavier had plunged the dagger. It had begun to turn purple, black veins visible right there, and her arm began to turn numb.
"It's laced with poison." The thing dawned on her. Her hatred shot to the roof as she glared at Xavier.
"You insufferable animal," she spat in fury. "You bloody, insignificant parasite! How dare you poison me!"
Xavier just stared at her for a long moment before he suddenly slipped into the shadows leaving her stunned.
He vanished.
The shadows swallowed him whole.
Bignath snarled, her claws slicing through the air, her eyes darting across the chamber. But he was gone. No sound, no trace. The mutants chained to the walls whimpered, sensing something unnatural moving among them. The Demaranian's ears twitched, her monstrous form tensing, but she couldn't sense him.
'I can't sense his mana.' She thought in panic. 'Where is he?''
Then the first strike came.
A slash across her shoulder—fast, precise. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling against the steel floor. She roared, spinning, claws tearing through empty air. Xavier was already gone, slipping back into the shadows.
Another strike—her thigh. The blade cut deep, severing muscle. She staggered, her scream echoing, but again, he vanished before her claws could reach him.
The vault became a storm of unseen violence.
Xavier moved like a phantom, emerging from the darkness only long enough to strike before dissolving back into shadow. His daggers flashed in arcs of crimson light, slashing across her arms, her back, her legs. Each cut was shallow but relentless, bleeding her strength piece by piece. The sound of steel against flesh echoed from every direction, disorienting her, enraging her.
Bignath unleashed a sonic scream, the vault vibrating violently. Consoles shattered, pods exploded, mutants shrieked—but the shadows absorbed the force. Xavier slipped deeper into the void, untouched, his daggers gleaming as he prepared the next strike.
He appeared behind her—slash.
Above her—stab.
At her side—cut.
Then gone again.
Her monstrous form twisted, claws tearing through walls, her voice shaking the chamber. "Coward! Show yourself!" she roared, her sonic fury rattling the steel beams. But Xavier was everywhere and nowhere, his strikes carving her body into a map of wounds.
Blood dripped from her claws, her breath came ragged, and her yellow eyes flickered with frustration. She spun wildly, her movements growing desperate, her screams less controlled. The predator was being hunted.
Xavier's voice whispered from the shadows, low and sharp:
"You can't kill what you can't catch."
The daggers flashed again—this time across her chest. The cut was deeper, forcing her to stumble back, her roar shaking the vault. She swung blindly, claws gouging the steel floor, sparks flying. But Xavier was already gone, slipping into the darkness, preparing the next strike.
The vault was no longer hers.
It was his hunting ground.