Anput PoV


    I rolled my eyes as I watched Jahi flirt with Leone, the two lost in their own world of pink roses as Jahi kissed the Vampire Princess'' wrist, before trailing her lips up towards her cheek - all while Leone was melting beneath her, swooning quietly as she blushed and yfully swatted Jahi''s arm, enjoying her attention and affection.


    Personally, I could never understand the whole courtship thing that the Empire had, the cultural difference one that never truly ''clicked'' for me - even when I tried to shift my personality a bit to conform to this ces norms for the one I loved, hoping it would secure my spot even further...


    Looking back, the moment Jahi robbed me of my virginity was the moment that I was guaranteed that spot, as the political discourse that would have overtaken the Sultanate and Empire would not have been worth the single session of sex between us.


    Besides, Mom would have willingly waged war against the Asmodia''s for that, and considering her personal strength is somewhere just above the Marquess'', well...


    The Empress might have just bound us together anyways to avoid dealing with the problems that would have popped up...


    So as I turned away from the flirting Demoness and Vampire, I instead watched as Monkeykin woman spun her bo staff and knocked away a thin needle that sped towards her throat, her furry arms moving around in a blur as she defended herself.


    Caressing the metal rod hanging from my belt, I wondered just what I should use as I watched the fight below, hardening my resolve toe out on top when I nced over at Roman, who was now standing silently off to the side, back to ''normal''.


    His eyes wereplicated as he stared at the fight as well, likely experiencing a mixture of anger, shame, fear, and more as he reyed the fight in his mind, and that sight made me want to seed even more than before.


    I wouldn''t EVER want to feel like that again; to feel fear after a battle, to be thinking about how I could have done something different to achieve an oue in which I won, and not lost.


    I had ''lost'' enough already, I had been ''defeated'' more than enough times.


    Not again.


    Never again...


    My thoughts had already been gued by enough ''what if''s'' and ''I could haves'' for a lifetime, and I never wanted to have to ask those questions again.


    Something that I had swore once before, but now?


    Now I decided to do ANYTHING I could to guarantee that, even if it meant pushing my body to it''s absolute limits.


    Setting my jaw, I approached the edge and watched as the Monkeykin grunted, her shoulder dislocated as the spined hound mmed against her, before she growled as it bit deep into her side, trying to tear away flesh.


    Grabbing it, the woman dug her fingers into its body and pulled, yanking out its ribs and stabbing it repeatedly with it, even as arge chunk of muscle was pulled from her side.


    Blood poured from their wounds, but the monster was the first to fall, the various stab wounds and broken bones finishing it off.


    Leaning on her bo staff, she dragged in a haggard breath before falling backwards, where she was enveloped in Lady D''Arcon''s golden light.


    Before anyone else could, I dropped into the arena, nodding to Kat as I did so and taking my ce at the center.


    Not even a secondter, a giant Firefang stalked over towards me, the feline monsterden with muscle and covered in thick orange fur.


    Seeing the familiar monster from the upperyers of Zhu''Rong, I frowned before shifting the rod into a naginata, the curved de and long spear shaft giving me shing power and reach needed tobat this agile, yet powerful monster.


    Sharp fangs, resistance to fire, speed, heavy weight, power, control, talons...


    Firefangs were versatile hunters, with mortals being their favorite prey.


    Normally, they weren''t too much of a problem for me, but this had been nurtured specifically for me.


    Likely stronger and faster, given an even mix of the two since I was a speedster myself, whilst its arcane prowess was likely tuned towards resistances...


    Adding some weight to the naginata''s de, I jabbed it forwards to see what the monster would do, beginning our dance with a simple thrust.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Dodging the attack, the Firefang then lunged forwards as a counter, raising itsrge paw and pping it down towards me, hoping to turn me to paste.


    Instead, I retrieved my naginata and rolled towards it, slipping beneath the outstretched limb and jabbing the weapon once more, stabbing it into the monsters fur.


    I grunted as the monster hardened its fur with mana, the red glow of Fire Mana making the orange strands glimmer, stopping the naginata from pushing deep into its muscr torso.


    With one theory proved right, I rolled away again, instantly making the decision to aim for any avable orifice and deal damage from that; or if Inded a lucky wound somewhere, I could add onto that and slowly kill the monster.


    The Firefang began tounch itself at me, pressing an attack constantly as it swiped, snapped, wed, and swatted at me, trying to hit me.


    Each hit it tried tond was enough to kill, the weight and added sharp fangs / ws breaking and slicing into my body if they didnd.


    I doubt that I would be able to keep up this game of running away, but I needed an opening for the ability to do anything.


    Few other weapons would give an advantage here, and I would rather the reach and weight of a spear over anything else...


    Dodging yet another sh, I found the opening I was looking for - recognizing the feint as well, and ying into it - and stabbed the naginata towards the monsters eye.


    Shifting its head, the Firefang tried to bite the weapon and tear it from my hands, only to yelp as I too feinted, stabbing not at its eye but at its nose.


    The spear cleanly sliced into the soft flesh, and blood began to weep from its nostril, the monsters eyes wide as it tried to back away.


    Stimting the Metal Mana inside me, I shifted the naginata''s curved de into a ball, bursting the material and digging spikes into its snout, surprising it.


    Yanking back as it froze, I tore off arge chunk of its nose and grinned, blood sttering my body as I shifted the weapon once more, transforming it into a giant cleaver as I capitalized on the monsters shock.


    Two deep gashes cut through its face, one of which robbed the creature of an eye while the other deepened the wound on its nose - what was left of it, anyway.


    Growling in agony, the Firefang burst into mes and pounded towards me, making my grin fade as I coated myself in metal and created a shield, meeting its charge.


    I nted my feet into the gravel and encased my legs in rock, while I began to encase my shield in it as well, stopping the monsters frenzied charge.


    My arms burned as the metal of my shield began to glow red, the heat from the monsters magic almost as bad as Leone''s...


    As I stood firm beneath its various attacks, I traced a finger over the back of my shield and began to formte a spell, creating a Ritual Circle despite its onught.


    Tapping the set of runes, I activated the spell as soon as it finished, listening closely as pirs of rock erupted from the ground, spearing into the Firefang''s body and impaling it.


    Despite receiving various wounds, the monster shed through my shield and tore into my arm, its ws razor sharp and cutting through the metals.


    I had to clench my teeth hard to avoid screaming as I felt the muscles and bone tear and break, and the globs of condensed venom dripped onto my chest, sizzling through my mana and chewing into my flesh.


    However, as I was receiving wound after wound, the Firefang was being impaled by dozens of spears, each one bursting inside its body and shredding its organs and bones, killing it.


    When it copsed in front of me, I broke free from my rock casing and staggered towards the arena, trying my hardest to ignore the pains of ame left arm and the venom slowly eating away at my stomach.


    Blood dripped from my lips, but I sighed as a warm, gentle golden light was wrapped around me, sapping the venom from my body and mending the damage done.


    Another Knight dropped in as I was lifted out, Lady D''Arcon''s mana doing me wonders as I basked in its brilliance, before a different kind of warmth enveloped me as Kat pulled me over towards her.


    I could feel her Water Manapping at my body, doing a double check as well as cleaning me off as she held me, and I smiled at her as I rested against her, enjoying the attention.