Without a second thought, Sera manifested seven more chains and wrapped them around her body. The chains amplified her strength until it rivaled that of a weak Eminence-stage Egomaniac.
But that didn't seem to be enough, as she still found it hard to follow Asana's movement. The little lady moved way too fast for her to react properly.
Wham!
Asana slapped at Sera's back, blowing a sharp gust of wind outward upon contact. The force from the slap made Sera stumble a few steps.
A searing pain from the spot that was hit raged at Sera's pain receptors.
"Oh, your power is unique." Asana tilted her head, and her eyes glimmered with amusement. She had struck with enough force to completely kill a seeding Egomaniac in that one strike. "What's it called? What's your Ego Form?"
"Like hell I'll tell you that!" Sera turned and closed the distance between them.
Three chain links snapped off, dissolving into light—and with them, a surge of raw energy flooded her limbs. She lunged forward, wanting to return the gesture, slapping toward Asana with a force that cracked the air.
Pat!
The two forces collided, creating a rippling wave of Idra pressure.
"I see…" Asana smiled faintly. "These chains can grant you more strength than you naturally possess. They're boosters." She muttered, and her thoughts began drifting elsewhere.
She acted as though she were messing around with a child.
"Shut up!"
Seven more links on one chain broke, granting Sera even more strength, to the point where veins in her body protruded underneath her skin. With no more links on that chain, it vanished into thin air, leaving Sera with just six chains wrapped around her body.
Sera kicked, however, she still missed her target as Asana jumped back.
Asana whistled, "Now you're emitting a proper Eminence stage Idra."
Not even a second after she said this, from the corner of her eye, she noticed four bronze spears heading for her faster than a bullet.
With no time to dodge, Asana aggressively released more Idra from her core, creating enough disturbance in the air to stop these spears.
As though they had hit a wall, the spears floated midair for a second before turning into threads that went straight back to Nyla.
She had already dealt with scientists that around her. Filling all four of them with holes shaped like a clover.
"You also have a scary ability. What's your Ego Form?" Asana spoke as though they weren't trying to kill her. It was as if she didn't take them seriously at all.
"Argh! This bitch!" Tomas emerged from the rubble he had been buried under, fully engulfed in his Anvil Heart's power.
He was furious. With each exhale, steam exited his nose.
Tomas's entire body became metallic black.
His chest was a bit caved in as Asana's strike had broken his ribs, and yet, he was still standing.
Blood seeped down his lips, but soon evaporated as his body began heating up.
Just like Sera, the Idra that came from Tomas was no different from that of an Egomaniac at the early ranks of the Eminence stage.
With a step, Tomas leaped into the air, soaring as though gravity was ignoring him, and the next second, everything changed.
He descended in a flash, right over Asana.
Not expecting a heavy person to drop on her, Asana only reacted when Tomas was a few inches away from her, crossing her arms over her head.
Boom!
Tomas's weight pressed down on her, burying her in the ground. Not letting it end there, Tomas began marching on her hands, striking them as hard as he could.
With each step, the ground caved in, burying Asana deeper.
After a few seconds, he stopped.
She was nowhere to be seen. While scanning the hole, steam continued to radiate from Tomas's body. He was still heating up.
"Come out, bitch! It shouldn't be this easy!" He shouted. "I'm still freaking angry! Come ou—" Before he could complete his statement, Asana ascended from the earth and held his throat so hard it restricted his voice.
"Another special one," she spoke, observing Tomas. Her mangled arms started to heal at a rapid pace, so fast that her bones could be heard grating against each other.
"How are there so many talented Maniacs in one place?"
Tomas grabbed her hand and attempted to escape her grip, however, it was as though her grip had always been a part of his neck. He struggled and saw that she wasn't even paying attention or putting any effort into dealing with him.
His anger surged, at the same time, it provided him with even more strength.
Anger being his catalyst, it was both a blessing and a curse. Technically, the angrier he got, the more powerful he became. But at the same time, the angrier he gets, the more damage he does to his body and mind.
It could also reach the point of no return where he goes insane with anger until he dies.
And at the moment, Tomas's anger was slowly filling his body with even more power than it could handle.
His metallic skin became even hotter, scalding Asana's hand and forcing her to let go of him.
With a roar, Tomas punched her chest, crushing her ribs and sending her out of the hole. His figure blurred and followed right behind her.
In a few more seconds, he dealt more damage to her than she thought was possible, forcing her to take him seriously.
A storm of Idra exploded forth from her body. One so powerful it made Tomas stop, even though he was angry. Even part of his instincts told him he would die if he approached her.
Just when Asana thought she could catch a break, Armand reappeared.
This time, the halo over his head only had a few specks of blue on it.
Over his skin, red marks like tattoos slowly emerged, imprinting themselves on his skin.
He moved so fast that Asana didn't know that she had been hit.
Boom!
She crashed against the building, burst through the walls.
A tense silence filled the parking lot as the glow from Armand was menacing.
Almost like Tomas, Armand's catalyst is Wrath. In other words, he too could get more powerful the more furious he became. And he could also lose himself if he lets the wrath consume him.
But unlike Tomas, Armand's wrath comes with benevolence. While his wrath represented the red on his halo, his benevolence represented the other.
Each glow has its own effects on his powers. Benevolence filled him with a nurturing type of energy, while Wrath filled him with a menacing type of energy.
Asana emerged from the building, soaring through the air and landing on the parking lot. She had a look of confusion, then surprise. "Another special one?" She uttered as she observed Armand. "Your powers… in a few words… an Angel, and a Demon in one?"
Just as she said this, Armand was already before her, moving so fast that she couldn't respond.
He landed more than a dozen blows on her within a second, flinging her around. The more he hit her, the more injuries she accumulated. To the point where her healing powers couldn't keep up.
"Enough!" An even more powerful Idra exploded from Asana.
Blowing the parking up. Even the cars laced with explosives began setting off, causing more destruction around, however, there was an energy that warded this explosion away. Like a bucket of water snuffing out the fire of a matchstick.
She's not at the Eminence Stage, her realm is way beyond that… An Apotheosis? But how? Armand thought in dread.
As for the rest, they immediately took cover. They too could tell that something was absolutely wrong. All they could fear now was a primal kind of fear, one they had never felt before.
"You measly excuses of Egomaniacs! You're all doing too much. Would an ant think it can kill a giant?" Asana spoke and her figure began to float.
The other scientists who all looked like they had been killed, moved, rising into the air. Their bodies deconstructed, turning into particles that flowed towards Asana. As she absorbed these particles, all the injuries on her body began healing faster than before.
Because of the Idra that she was emitting, Armand and the rest felt as though they had lost control of their body. They couldn't move.
"I've had enough fun with you guys… time for me to—"
Whishh!
Like lightning, a blue ball, as big as the average man's head, struck Asana's back. It melted her skin, organs, and bones around that area, before flying off into the distance, slowly withering as it moved.
"A… velocitronic shot?" Asana struggled to mutter as she looked at the gaping hole in her chest.
As though she had lost all strength, her body fell to the ground, and the Idra she had been emitting vanished into thin air.
Armand and the others suddenly found it hard to maintain their balance as they gasped for air, as they had been freed from the pressure coming from Asana.
Looking up, they saw an injured Narvel walking towards Asana.
Blood flowed down the side of his head. With the way he was limping, it looked as if his leg was also injured. However, the expression on his face remained neutral.
Stopping right before her, he spoke; "I beat you."