'Bones can't handle this alone! I sure hope this works! Summon Mount!'

When Lizzy appears with a flash I breathe a sigh of relief, the summon working is a pleasant surprise. Even before Lizzy can look around to see where she is she kills two panthers. Once she takes a second to look around she stops and takes a second look.

Lizzy 'Ash, where are we? What happened to you? I thought you died in the explosion!'

'No time to explain right now, keep the big one from eating any of the smaller ones!'

Lizzy doesn't argue and immediately starts chasing down and killing the smaller panthers. Her speed makes them look slow and soon between her and Bones no panther is getting close to the big guy. Still, I am amazed at how many of the smaller panthers there are, hundreds have died already and yet they keep coming.

It makes me wonder if the big guy is the king of the forest and the smaller panthers have no choice but to obey. If so I feel a little bad about massacring them, but not so bad as to stop Bones and Lizzy. The only chance I have of killing the big guy is to wear him down, which won't happen if he can heal.

So stopping the smaller panthers from reaching him is important, even if it means ending their species. Then again there may be other forests like this, I have no idea since I know nothing of the shadow plane. That is why I tried talking first, but since that didn't work I don't plan to stop until the big guy is dead.

As I continue attacking the big guy I do my best to keep an eye on the others. Thanks to Lizzy joining the fight not only are the small guys not reaching the big guy but their numbers are dropping. Bones has stopped chasing them around and is now moving to intercept the ones heading for the big guy.

Once he realizes that he isn't going to be getting any more food the big guy starts trying to shake me off or kill me. Thankfully, with all the training the dragon gave me, I have no problem dodging his attacks. I also find it easy to stay within attack range no matter how he moves around.

The problem is how little damage I am actually doing to the big guy. So far he isn't showing any signs of being affected by blood loss or that the wounds bother him. As strong as the naginata is, it just isn't enough against something this big.

Not to mention at this rate my arms will be too tired to lift the naginata long before the panther dies. It is time to try something new, but it takes me a few minutes to think of something. Once I do, I am glad none of the girls are around to witness it or I'd never hear the end of it.

Storing the naginata in my pouch I fly straight up for several hundred feet, then I turn around. As I fly downwards at top speed I put both fists out ahead of me and aim myself at the panther. My target is the panther's spine right between its front legs, which I'm hoping to break.

The impact creates a loud boom and an air pressure wave, almost like an anime style hit. The panther's front legs both snap with an audible crunch and the panther yelps in pain. Unfortunately, from the movement of the tails it seems I failed to snap its spine.

As I pick myself up off the panther's back I find that both my arms are broken, but that is easily fixed. A single healing spell fixes my arms, but I now have a new idea. So I take the naginata out of the pouch and fly underneath the panther.

I quickly jam the haft into the ground with the blade aimed up at the panther's chest. Then I fly back up into the air and repeat my superman move, again aiming for the same spot. Not only does this further break the panther's legs but it also forces it down onto the naginata.

After healing myself again I take a quick look around to see that the little panthers are under control and I don't have to worry about the big guy healing. So I fly up to its head and start punching it as hard as I can, since I have no way to retrieve the naginata. From my best guess it is now buried somewhere inside the big guy's chest.

After a dozen or so punches I need to stop and heal myself to fix the broken bones in my hands. The panther on the other hand, with no way to heal, is starting to look fairly beat up. I notice the next time it coughs that more blood is coming out of its mouth.

That should mean that my two superman attacks damaged it internally. If I get one more good hit in then this fight should be pretty much over. So once again I fly straight up into the sky, this time I don't stop until around a thousand feet. Then I turn and fly hard towards the ground, this time aiming for the panther's head.

The impact this time dislocates both my shoulders as well as breaking every bone in both my arms and hands. The pain is worth it though, the panther's skull collapsed under the impact. The remaining small panthers immediately try to turn and run away, but Lizzy and Bones don't let them.

A few seconds later the clearing is silent once again, the only sound is me and Lizzy breathing. The big guy's body starts to evaporate, leaving behind a large crystal and what looks like a crystal egg. The egg looks interesting but before I can take a closer look Lizzy comes over and head butts me.

Lizzy 'I'm glad you are alive! I thought for sure you died in the explosion! So, is this hell? Did you die?'

'No, this is the shadow plane, the explosion somehow threw me in here.'

Lizzy 'The shadow plane? Do you know how to get us out of here?'

'Not yet, Krenocia is looking into it for me. Until I hear from her I have just been exploring and fighting.'

Lizzy 'Okay, I am good with that.'

103 Rank 1 Shadow Beasts defeated! 103,000 Exp gained!

75 Rank 2 Shadow Beasts defeated! 150,000 Exp gained!

39 Rank 3 Shadow Beasts defeated! 117,000 Exp gained!

44 Rank 4 Shadow Beasts defeated! 176,000 Exp gained!

1 Rank 15 Shadow Beast defeated! 150,000 Exp gained!

Congratulations! You have gained a level!

Level 14: HP +200, DP +100, Stat Points +10!

'Wow! That was a lot of exp! Totally worth it!'

Movement draws my attention, the crystal from the big guy is moving towards the egg. As I move closer to take a look the crystal touches the egg and gets absorbed. Then all the small crystals from the other shadow panthers start moving towards the egg.

As it absorbs more crystals the purple color of the egg darkens and the egg itself starts to change. Before it looked like a light purple crystal, not much different from the crystals the panthers dropped. Now it is not only darker but looks more like a gem than a crystal.

Bones and Lizzy join me in watching the egg absorb all the little crystals. The darker the egg gets the faster the crystals move and get absorbed. Lizzy suddenly moves away and digs through a pile of ashes, when she comes back she is carrying the naginata in her mouth.

'Thanks, Lizzy!'

Lizzy 'You're welcome!'

Bones says "Master? What is it?"

"I have no idea! It looks like an egg, but in this place, who knows!"