Zoey watched in slow motion as a long glowing staff headed straight for her stomach. She didn’t look at the person attacking her, she didn’t think about why someone was attacking her, and she certainly didn’t care about their reason for doing so. What Zoey did understand was that someone in the magji world was attacking her, and they were aiming for her life. Focus only activated when she was in life-threatening danger or felt her body was being pushed to its limits. It’s been a while since she faced off against a magjistar bounty hunter or assassin.

Zoey’s Fighting Aura was at max power as she responded to the attacker’s ambush. Her bare fist was coated in mahna as it clashed with the attacker’s glowing staff. Zoey fought with less than half of her strength. It was restricted by 90%! She was sent sliding back with a nasty burn on her fist.

“Ow. Ow. Ow.” She blew on her burning but not burning fist. “You’re not so bad if you can take 10% of my full strength and knock me back.” Zoey activated her Heart Oath.

By imposing a self-restricted vow on herself with her magji, the Balance of the World would respond to equal out the risks with a reward. If the fight lasted long enough, Zoey had the potential to increase her strength past her normal limit of 100%. She didn’t know how far the Balance of the World could increase it too, since she never had a fight last long enough to find out.

“Underestimating me will be your greatest and final mistake, vile creature.” They smiled as they looked at the wound on Zoey’s fist.

They rushed toward Zoey. Zoey focused solely on her opponent and blocked out all unnecessary things in the background. She didn’t think about the fact that she was in public right now. Anyone could recognize her, and if she was caught by the Council, causing another situation where the magji world could be revealed, no more magji. The only thing she thought about was kicking this person’s ass.

Zoey’s fists met with the staff skills of the attacker. It burned so damn badly each time she made contact with that glowing staff but training Overdraft was far more painful than something like this. Overdraft taxed her entire body! This only made her fists go owie. Zoey smiled as she realized that getting past the range difference wouldn’t be easy.

“My magji technique is called Combo Magji.” Zoey’s body was engulfed in a thin layer of mahna inside and out. “Combo Volume I: Combo Time!” Zoey’s fists continued to match the strikes of the long-ranged staff.

Gradually, Zoey’s punches began to throw off the staff user’s balance as she was forced to use more strength to keep up with Zoey. “It’s not that you’re getting weaker. It’s just that I'm getting stronger. The more hits I land within a certain amount of time, the stronger I become. My power, my speed, and my magji all increase together. No part of me isn’t strengthened! But if I don’t land a hit within that certain amount of time, all my built-up strength disappears into the wind.” Zoey explained, activating her second Heart Oath.

By revealing how her magji technique works, the Balance of the World will reward her for the risk she’s taken with her magji. Now she could feel her strength rising faster, and the time frame in which she needed to land an attack increased by a single second. It didn’t take long for Zoey’s attacker to suddenly break off from their repeated clashes and gain some distance. She repeatedly jumped away until Zoey’s built-up strength disappeared.

“That would’ve been the right choice if you faced me a couple of months ago,” Zoey smirked. “Combo Volume I: Supreme Trackstar!” Zoey ran at the staff-wielding girl.

By continuing her combo on the ground beneath her feet, Zoey kept her growing strength and could chase after her opponent. Nothing in the manual for combo volume said the only way she could continue her combo was by hitting someone. They could outrun her for a time, but eventually, Zoey would catch up as her body slowly grew in strength! Just like this girl was doing now by running away to ruin her combo.

Zoey caught up to the fleeing magjistar and struck with a sliding, twisting fist. The girl gnashed her teeth as she had to use most of her power just to defend now. It was more damaging blocking this Thing’s attacks! She had to change tactics and fast.

“I don’t know why you were stupid enough to reveal your techniques and continue to hold back against me, but I will tell you that you will regret it! I’m not going to hold back against you anymore, daemon. I don’t know how you possessed that human’s body, but for the sake of a better world, I shall exterminate you to purify their soul of your sins.”

Zoey looked at her as if she was stupid. She didn’t know what the fuck this bitch was going on about.

“A creature as strong and as wicked as you cannot be saved by the light of righteousness. Humanity would be doomed if you were allowed to grow any further. It is my job as the sole core disciple of the Four Monks to purify you for sake of humanity!” She continued to spew nonsense.

Just as Zoey’s fist drilled toward the crazy bitch to shut her up, the girl held up her left hand. Her index finger and middle finger glowed just like her staff was earlier. Zoey felt something inside of her start heating up. An instinctive demand for her to get angry. Was this some type of mind control technique or something?

“You started this.” Zoey smashed her fist in the grinning girl’s face.

She had twenty-two levels in Abnormal Conditions! Wait, it was twenty-three now. It would take a lot more than that to affect her in a fight! A small thought flashed in Zoey’s mind about dragging this fight out longer to grind more experience for that skill. She didn’t know exactly what was that glowing magji that burned like hell but knew it wasn’t any fire magji she’s felt.

An unintelligible noise escaped the girl's mouth from the punch. Zoey grabbed her staff and used her built-up strength to yank the surprised girl closer to her. Another punch found itself at home in her guts as Zoey grabbed her hair. With a tight grip, Zoey began to pummel the girl’s face in with a mad grin on her face. Each punch grew in strength, and Zoey’s inner restraints slowly loosened as she felt herself on the verge of victory.

“H-Heaven’s Purifying Light!” The bloodied, bruised, and swollen lips of the girl shouted something.

It happened in an instant. A blinding light engulfed both magjistars, and if Zoey thought, the burning from before felt bad. This time she felt like her entire soul was burning! Zoey dropped to her knees from unimaginable pain as something inside her was being erased.

Unknown to Zoey at the time, something was being erased. Symbiosis was erased from Zoey’s skills. Caroline's ultimate technique purified the daemonic parasite that found itself at home within her body during the joint case. At the cost of her lifespan, she was willing to do everything to exterminate all of the daemonic presence within Zoey. Unfortunately, the poor girl believed that Zoey’s entire body and soul were possessed by a demon. Not that a daemon was hatching a ride onto Zoey’s human body and soul.

The two girls lay next to each other, completely exhausted. Zoey was forced to her knees while Caroline was completely unconscious. She panted like a dog as all of her built-up power was gone to the wind. Her eyes glanced over to the familiar face with confusion and anger.

“The girl I beat in my first boxing match...” Zoey slowly looked around and noticed that there wasn’t a single soul on the streets beside them. “Did I really beat you that badly? You had to do something like this?” She came at her with the intent to kill, and now that Zoey had won, she was a little pissed off.

“Wake up.” Zoey slapped her.

It didn’t work, so she slapped again but a bit harder. This time, she jolted awake and stared into her face. Then she tried to slap Zoey back, but Zoey caught her weakened wrist. “Mind explaining why you tried to kill me?” Zoey asked.

“You’re not dead...?” Caroline channeled her barely remaining internal energy into her eyes. “Your soul is human, after all?”

“What are you talking about? Please explain clearly, or I'll punch you again.” Zoey was losing patience.

“I thought you were a daemon possessing the body of a magjistar.”

“They can do that?” Zoey had to remember to write that in her journal later.

“It isn’t common, but it’s possible. I have the rare ability to see into the soul of living beings. With that ability, I use it to purify the earth of those filthy daemonic creatures and help the sinful souls of mankind become pure.” Caroline explained.

“So, you’re like a nun on a religious retreat?” Zoey thought of the closest comparison that came to her mind.

“I’m not a nun! I’m a monk. A holy monk disciple of the Four Monks!” She clarified.

"You're not bald either?"

"I'm not a Buddhist monk!"

“Right, right. So, what does my soul look like now?” So, there were religious magjistars, too, huh?

“Still sinful but more human sin than inhuman evil.”

“Sounds about right.” Zoey nodded.

“I apologize for attacking you and mistaking you for a daemon. I will make up for this one day. For now, farewell.” Caroline got up and pulled down the air. The space around them started cracking. Just as Caroline was about to limp away severely injured, she felt a tug on her arm.

“You have to teach me that if you want to make it up to me,” Zoey told her.