The beast roared out, crushing the asphalt underneath it. It’s body lowered, eyes resting on Sebastian’s body as it slowly approached. Hasan, Chris and Sarah were trying to gather themselves back into a group at the side, while Sebastian could do nothing but try to back up ever so slowly from the monster as it approached. The look in it’s eyes angered him, but it was also the source of his fear, like a cat playing with a mouse. A look he was way too intimate with.

[Tier 1 Lv. 16 Burning Sun Cat]

[A creature that has awakened it’s Vitality, the Burning Sun Cat has begun to trace it’s bloodline back to its ancestors, becoming increasingly similar to a Panther as it grows in strength. It has a domineering Fire attribute, earning it the moniker ‘Burning Sun’]

The creature’s claws lit ablaze as it silently walked closer and closer to him, the heat only growing worse. Even his Vitality felt sluggish as it tried to circulate through his body, its chill confined only to his skin. Therin wrapped around his neck hissed out towards the creature, an action that caused the Burning Sun Cat to freeze in place for a moment, before a light that seemed eerily similar to disdain flashed through its eyes.

His hand gripped tightly onto the handle of his saber as Sebastian tried to calm his breath, control his erratic breathing and pull away from the fear that gripped him. The nightmares were brought forth from the back of his mind like a tidal wave, forcing him to endure her words that described him as a monster over and over even as he was stared down by an actual monster.

“A sinner.”

The words echoed through Sebastian’s mind as he pushed himself to his feet, fighting back the innate fear from his Vitality. Ice and fire don’t mix well, a trait they clearly share even among mana form. The beast’s presence alone had suppressed him miserably. His blood boiled even as it flowed through his body like melted lead. It was unbearable

“A thief.”

The Burning Sun Cat abruptly turned it’s head, it’s entire body suddenly coming to a stop as it tensed up, before it quickly leapt backwards with a growl. A saber cut through the air where it had previously been as Hasan moved between the two, his gaze stoic as he eyed down the creature. Sebastian saw his body shaking, but Hasan kept the grip around his Saber just tight enough anyways.

“A monster among men. They will never accept you.”

The animal once again leapt from its position as Chris stepped forth, sweeping across with his spear. The cat showed some fear at first, but the look in it’s eye quickly relaxed as it noticed what had attacked it. A simple Lv. 8 Human with inferior equipment. Sebastian could almost imagine it scoffing. Sebastian’s body still felt rigid, but he forced his disobedient Vitality into circulating amongst his meridians, resisting the fiery pressure placed upon him.

“The dragon among angels, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Sarah quickly appeared where the beast landed, moving swiftly on her feet as she slashed with her sword across it’s skin. The edge dug into its hide before quickly stopping, drawing only a few drops of crimson blood, radiating heat. Her expression changed as she felt the Burning Sun Cat’s muscles tighten around the blade. The creature howled as it turned and slammed a paw into the swordswoman’s stomach, sending her flying and leaving deep gashes and burns across her abdomen

A saber flashed through the air again as it cut off the beast’s path a second time. The panther-like monster decided to attack it’s aggressor instead of finishing the swordswoman off, sending it’s fiery claws towards the bladesman in the time between his attacks. Hasan’s eyes narrowed as decisively dropped his blade and jumped backwards. It again tried to press the attack when Chris pushed his spear into the small wound Sarah created.

The cat yowled as it felt the slightest hint of pain, leaping to the side and dissipating what force was left in the spear, forcing it to stop pushing into it’s skin whilst also pulling the weapon from the spearman’s hands. The duo’s eyes narrowed as their faces paled. Not a single one of them had their weapon anymore, and Sarah could be alive or dead after being thrown through the air.

A loud roar froze the duo in place as they felt a pressure that chilled them to their bones, the heat that filled their surroundings being forcibly swept away and being replaced with a similarly extreme cold that came from behind them. The Burning Sun Cat tensed up and it’s body lowered as it looked towards the source of the chill, the man it attacked first.

Sebastian’s body no longer shook as it stared down the beast, gripping his saber comfortably. His eyes showed a deep icy blue, and the mana within the surroundings gathered around him like peasants to a king. Sebastian felt bitter at his earlier display, but even more so he felt furious. An oversized flaming cat sent fear to the depths of his soul?

He, Sebastian Albrecht, the Prime Aspect of Ice and Snow, was intimidated by a random fucking cat in the middle of winter? The first to awaken his affinity, the first to control ice mana, the strongest of his group who had decapitated a hivemind practically alone was intimidated and brought down by this pitiful excuse of a fire?

Even the Vitality within his body flowed throughout his meridians like a tsunami as if synchronized with his rage. He felt it slam against his blocked passageways as it circulated throughout, loosening the bottleneck he felt.

The Burning Sun Cat stumbled back as it met Sebastian’s gaze, his eyes sending a chill that seeped into it’s soul. It roared out in indignation at the human that once cowered on the floor in fear. Chris took the chance to run over to Sarah while Hasan hastily picked up his saber and stood between the beast and his two comrades like a wall.

Giving Hasan a nod, Sebastian began stepping towards the monster. Every muscle in his body taut and brimming with energy, the cold winter air only intensifying with every step. The beast similarly prepared itself, standing tall as it looked down at the bladesman. A vicious cycle was created, Sebastian’s fury at the monster’s disdain and the monster’s disdain towards his increasing fury.

Chris dragged Sarah back, away from the scene of the fight that was growing increasingly cold as the ice affinity mana in the surroundings grew turbulent and violent, too much for their bodies to bear. His spear was still lodged within the cat’s right side, even if it had hardly damaged it at all

Hasan frowned at the cold, but stood strong even as his body began to shake. “Got a plan, Sebastian?”

“Nope.”

“Any confidence?”

“Way too much.”

“Enough to share?”

“Not really.”

Hasan nodded at Sebastian, smiling wryly. If Sebastian had participated from the get-go, they could have encircled and whittled away at the beast. Instead, it had to get a little dangerous. If they can get the spear from the animals side, they could have Chris rejoin the fight, but otherwise it’s just them two.

Sebastian didn’t put that much thought into it. He hated the way the beast looked at him, hated the way it made him feel, hated the person it reminded him of and hated the memories it brought back. The fact that it forced him into a state of fear he thought he’d long escaped from had infuriated him, something that synergized oddly with his title of Prime Aspect of Ice and Snow, creating the current situation.

Bending his knees, Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he dashed forward saber in hand, his speed far outclassing the other three as he approached the beast. It’s claw immediately came down from above Sebastian, forcing him to lower his body and step to the side whilst dashing ahead, refusing to stop.

Carrying the momentum forward from the sprint, Sebastian pushed through the blazing heat rolling off of his adversaries body, gripped his blade with both hands and slashed down towards the Burning Sun Cat’s side from overhead; creating a deep bloody gash even as the animal tried to move away and dissipate the force behind the blow. It cried out from the pain, unaware of the second bladesman standing where it was escaping to.

Hasan similarly brought his saber down on the beast’s hide, creating a small gash no deeper than the one Sarah inflicted earlier. The result shocked him, even as he was forced to back away from the monster again. The edge of the saber dulled while cutting through its hide and the blade wasn’t doing too well either.

“Sebastian! It’s hide is too strong for our sabers!”

The Aspect quickly held his saber across his chest as he listened from the other side of the cat’s body, his expression changing slightly as he heard the other bladesman albeit not having the time to dwell on it as he felt a massive amount of force travel through the blade and into his arms. He had blocked the counterattack, even if he was forced some few meters back. The light in his eyes darkened though as he realized what Hasan meant.

His saber was cracked. From blocking just one hit. Sebastian panicked a little at the sight, doing his best to once again evade a fiery claw as he thought about what that meant.

If the blade was breaking, then they only had a limited amount of opportunities to block and attack. Even though he felt himself incredibly close to a breakthrough, that would only increase the quantity of his Vitality, not the quality. He needed his saber to damage the beast.

Frowning, Sebastian dodged under another overhead paw. He instinctually brought his saber up to block the second attack but his expression quickly changed as he tried his best to dodge again instead, He avoided the paw but not the claw, quickly feeling a portion of his back burn as it’s slashed through by the beast’s claws.

He felt a random weightlessness to him as he tried his best to push through the pain with a breathing technique. A weight around his shoulders had disappeared-

Therin.

The water blue serpent had leapt from his shoulders and onto one of the cat’s legs, slowly making its way up to the body. Sebastian definitely saw a pained look in it’s eyes as the small thing resisted the unbearable heat, but he couldn’t go grab Therin now, he had to worry about staying alive just by being too close.

Sebastian breathed in as he saw the Burning Sun Cat approach. His vitality built up within his lungs quickly, surging into them like an angry river god. The sheer quantity of the buildup created an overwhelming chill within Sebastian’s body, one that he kept sealed within his body as long as he could.

The beast came closer, staring him down as it raised a paw. He rested his saber on his right shoulder, his left foot forward, legs bent and torso twisted slightly. His muscles tensed up and built up strength in tandem with the Ice Vitality building up within his lungs.

Just when the beast had brought it’s paw down above Sebastian, forcing him to bear the searing heat, the bladesman’s body abruptly twisted. The surrounding air exploded with coldness as the built up vitality within Sebastian’s lungs exploded outwards, not into a roar, but back into his meridians like a raging torrent. It moved through his torso, and then his arms, tearing through the blocked passageways within his hands and immediately clearing them up. His cracked saber burst into an icy blue light as it’s edge became similarly frozen. With the twist of Sebastian’s body, his saber slashed down.

And the fury of the Prime shot forth.