“What is that form?”

Maki’s eyes sharpened when faced with the transformed Tessa.

“Is that the form you were talking about Markus?”

Markus nodded to Darwin’s question.

“At Kimiko’s suggestion, I started to focus on teaching Tessa how to use the power of demon heritage. She was really eager about it so training her was fun. I taught her some demon arts which she used in her battle against Dragon Storm. However, she craved to go further down the path of a demon but she also wished to grow stronger as a Death Maiden. So she continued to train both her death powers and demon powers and ended up causing a strange mutation in her body. Her blood has too many lineages in it after all. I saw this and decided to help her turn that mutation into fighting power. Basically, her form is a fusion of both her Saevus & Mors powers. She didn't think a cat-like Beleth fit her image so she chose to go with a lioness.”

“A lioness?”

Ecko smirked.

“Maki is called the Celestial Huntress. So two female predators will go at.”

She leaned back and looked at the monitors.

“A clash of huntresses. How exciting.”

Tessa dove at Maki. Her body flickered and Maki crossed her trident in front of her. An explosion erupted. Maki was blown into a branch below. The branch shook vigorously when she landed. She lifted her trident overhead. Tessa’s claws clashed with it. Cracks spread through the branch. Maki forced her back and pounced at her. She thrust her weapon and dozens of tridents lunged at her opponent. Tessa swung her claw. The tridents shattered. Deep cuts appeared in the branch. Maki pounced at her. Tessa disappeared just as her attack was going to reach her.

*Bam!*

Maki’s body danced in the air. Her clothes were torn revealing bloody flesh.

“Ugh!”

She leaped off the branch. Tessa appeared where she was and dove after her. Maki threw her trident. Tessa twisted her body to avoid it. The trident disappeared and was replaced with Maki.

“?!”

Maki slammed her leg in the side of her head. Tessa was kicked into the colossal tree trunk. Maki thrust two fingers in Tessa’s direction. Tessa was hit by an invisible force and a star-shaped impression formed in the trunk. Tessa’s body released a burst of crimson and black aura. She blasted off the tree and cut the distance between them. The trident reappeared in Maki’s hand. She met her charge. With a thunderclap, the two clashed. Maki crashed through a branch. Tessa chased after her and threw a punch.

“Crimson Death Punch!”

Dark-crimson light rushed at Maki disintegrated her surroundings. She thrust her trident. It clashed with the blast and broke. Maki’s eyes widen as the blast hit her and forced her down the tree. She broke through several branches before the light dispersed. She fell through the sky with burns all over her body.

“….Celestial Magic:….”

She lifted her trembling hands in front of her chest. Two star marks appeared in her palms. She clasped them as if offering a prayer.

“Stellar Incarnation!”

A golden light peeped out of her hands. It spread and illuminated the surroundings. When the light faded, Maki was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did—”

An explosion erupted behind Tessa. A scorching sensation assaulted her back as she was propelled through the air. She twisted her body and landed on a giant leaf. She scanned the area and her surroundings lit up. She looked above her and her pupils trembled. The sky was filled with golden tridents, all aimed at her.

“Oh, shit!”

The trident rained down and tore branches, bark, and leaves to shreds. Tessa maneuvered through the shower of tridents with cat-like reflexes. However, she was unable to avoid them all. Cuts appeared over her body as she struggled to survive. The bombardment stopped and sections of the tree were decimated.

“……..”

Floating in the sky was a being dyed in heavenly golden light. They had a feminine appearance but they seemed sexless as they were naked with no sensitive parts visible. Behind them was a giant rotating five-point blue star.

“Oh? Didn’t know that Maki could use Stellar Incarnation already.”

The Quartus Guardian, Shina nodded at her mother, Ecko.

“She achieved it during her travels with Krul.”

“To be able to draw power from the stars at such a young age is promising.”

“Roar!”

A deafening roar shook the tree world. Maki looked above her. A monstrous lioness fell from the sky and devoured her. It crashed into the tree bark. A golden light pierced through it and it dissipated.

(She created a monster out of aura.)

She scanned her surroundings. The tree trunk exploded. Tessa emerged from inside the tree. Her body flickered. An explosive sound rang out as Maki was blasted out of the air. She crashed through several branches before kicking off a leaf. She slammed her fist into Tessa’s midsection. Tessa grabbed her head and headbutt her. Maki kicked her away. She lifted her hand and swung it down. Hundreds of tridents rushed towards Tessa. Tessa ran along the tree trunk avoiding them. She stopped and fired a crimson beam from her mouth. An explosion erupted in the air. Maki flew through these explosions. She blinked and a knee was inches away from her face. Tessa kneed her in the face. She grabbed her by the hair and flung her into the trunk.

“?!”

Tridents suddenly surrounded her. They mercilessly stabbed into her from every direction.

“Ahhh!”

She roared and denoted like a bomb. The flames from the explosion lit the nearby branches. It quickly spread and the tree was set ablaze. The cheers rained down from the audience. In the flames, Maki and Tessa were going at it. They ran along a burning branch and head straight for their opponent. Maki formed a trident and thrust at Tessa’s head. Tessa slid underneath it and swept her feet off the ground. She quickly stood up and aimed a kick at Maki. Maki rolled out of the way and sprung to her feet. She blocked a flying kick with her trident. Tessa followed with a punch overflowing with Death Magic. Maki twisted out of the way and slapped her with the trident.

Tessa held her ground and lifted her with a liver shot. A shockwave blew Maki off the Branch. It broke and fell towards the earth. Tessa jumped off the burning branch. A golden light pierced through her stomach. She cried and Maki appeared above her. She smacked Tessa through dozens of burning branches. The star on her back detached itself and floated in front of her. It fired a gigantic beam that blew a hole through the tree trunk.

(It missed?!)

Maki clasped her hands and the star multiplied. They formed a net around her and fired beams in every direction. The gigantic tree was being cut to pieces. Burning branches and leaves fell around her. Tessa held on to one of the falling burning debris.

“Found her!”

Maki immediately fired at that debris. Tessa lunged at the beams. Crimson and black aura formed a gigantic lioness. The beams ripped it apart. A bloodied Tessa continued to head towards Maki, who formed hand signs in front of her.

“This is the end!”

Blue orbs appeared around them as if forming a constellation with them in the center.

“Cetus!”

The orbs merged into a giant whale monster and crashed into Tessa. The whale forced her into the tree trunk. It then forced her body down the center of the trunk. Immense pressure and pain assaulted her body causing her to go in and out of consciousness.

(It’s gonna slammed me into the earth at this rate. I’ll definitely lose if that happens!)

She released her Vita to the max.

“Absorption!”

The whale’s size was reduced to half in an instant.

“Ahh!”

Blood leaked out her eyes and nose.

(I absorbed way past my limit. It feels like my body is going to burst!)

Her muscles tensed up.

“Even so!”

The whale slowed down until it came to a complete stop.

“Get this shit off me!”

She threw the whale. It burst through the tree trunk. It flew towards Maki, who made another handsign. It stopped and turned back towards Tessa.

“Did you come back for the power I stole?”

She pointed her palm at the whale. Aura gathered around her palm and took the shape of a lioness’ head. It opened its mouth and Tessa fired a gigantic beam from her palm. The beam hit the whale and caused a deafening explosion. The audience saw the gigantic tree beginning to tumble over. Tessa flew out of the trunk and landed on the side. Maki dove down at her.

“She’s well past her limits but I still have some power left even if it’s not much! It’s now or never!”

With blurry vision, Tessa watched Maki coming at her.

(She’s coming for the kill…)

Her transformation faded away. She fell to her knees panting for air.

“I…”

Maki formed her trident in her hand and locked on Tessa’s face with her eyes. Her eyes gradually widened when she witnessed a smirk crawl onto Tessa’s face.

“I win.”

A black-light spread out and engulfed the area. Reality itself pulsated and all color and sound faded. Time came to a halt. Time resumed with the sound of the burning tree breaking apart. The flames extinguished and the tree broke into pieces. It was reduced to dust before it could fully tumble over. Without a foothold, Tessa fell into an abyss. Maki’s golden appearance shattered like glass. She fell lifelessly into the abyss. The dimension distorted and they were moved to a rocky area. They laid on the ground closed to each other.

“……..”

Tessa slowly got to her feet and stood over Maki. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her head. Her skin had become pale and showed signs of shriveling.

“Maki got baited.”

Sophie clicked her tongue.

“She thought Tessa ran out of gas and went in for the kill only to get hit with a burst of Death Energy.”

“Well, Maki wasn’t wrong. Tessa was well past her limit. She just forced all the death energy inside her into a single burst in an act of desperation. It just so has it that maki didn’t have the strength to defend against such an attack “

Alec smiled.

“Sometimes it’s desperation that decides who the victor is.”

“………”

Tessa silently stooped down and took an emblem with the #4 on it.

(To think that actually worked. If she had somehow escaped or blocked my Death Energy it would’ve been over for me….)

“I got lucky but I’ll take it.”

(The Primus Branch has gained another 10 points, giving them a total of 30! They lengthen their lead!)

“ Whether it’s ugly or pretty….A win is a win.”