The group fell into confusion. All of them exchanged gazes with one another, before looking back at the woman - all of them very much worried and nervous.

  “Hiding a monster? Unsure what you mean by that, but we aren’t hiding any monsters.”

  The woman chuckled before exhaling heavily and looking at them with deep blue, glowing eyes. Afterwards, she lifted her right arm in front of her mouth, as she closed her eyes.

  “Very well - If you refuse to bring it out, I’ll just force it out myself.”

  She stated, before suddenly vanishing from sight.

  The entire group tensed up, however before any of them could react, Earl was struck down - his armour shattered to bits, before he himself was launched straight into a tree - which snapped in half as soon as he crashed into it.

  “Earl!”

  The others called out to him, before Alex and Fea began to rush over to him. However, as soon as Alex took just two steps, the woman appeared next to him, glaring at him with shining eyes before pummeling him into a tree as well. Fea quickly reacted, spinning her staff and forming several red circles around her.

  “Fire-!”

  Before she got to finish her statement, her body was suddenly tied up with blue flames - which constricted her movement and caused the circles around her to shatter.

  “Wha-?”

  “Magic Casters are always so overconfident in their abilities.”

  The woman smirked before lifting Fea up high into the air and then creating a whip of blue flames, which she whipped up at the magic caster and tied it around her, before pulling her in a circle, eventually pulling her down and crashing her into the ground - knocking out the magic caster.

  Alex just managed to get up from tanking the earlier attack, looking over at Fea and the mysterious woman, his pupils dilating into shock.

  “Fea!”

  He called out to her, before gritting his teeth. He grabbed a hold of his sword, before dashing at the woman - slashing it at her. The woman easily dodged the initial slash, before using her bare hands to block and reflect the next wave of incoming attacks.

  Alex lifted his sword up high, the blade suddenly sparkling with a bright golden light before he slashed it down towards the woman. However, before it could connect, the woman vanished once more - causing the blade to hit the ground and unleash a surge of energy, which caused a small explosion that knocked Alex back.

  The swordsman hit the ground pretty hard, however still managed to pick himself up to his knees, while the woman laughed.

  “My, my - that’s a rarity. Holy Magic?... No - it’s a bit inferior, so it must be Light Magic.”

  The woman appeared just in front of the swordsman, crouching down before lifting his chin up with her right hand - a wide smile across her face as she looked into his shivering and shock filled eyes.

  “You’re a special one - that’s for sure. But - unfortunately - not strong enough to face me.”

  She finished, before pulling herself back and then kicking the man up into the air via his chin, before once again whipping around her whip made of blue flames, tying it around the swordsman, before pulling him down into the ground - kicking up a large cloud of dust and dirt as he crashed into the ground.

  With those three out of the picture, the woman calmly turned to look at the final individual standing - the Elf whose shadow I was currently clinging onto. The elf girl was physically shaking from fear, her eyes darting around as she looked at her friends who had been decommissioned so fast. Not going to lie - seeing how fast she took all of these guys out, made me afraid as well.

  It was clear that day that she was far, far, far stronger than anything I have faced up until now. Even that scorpion boss from my first dungeon seems like an ant when compared to her…

  “Now then - would you kindly allow me to have a conversation with the monster you’re hiding?”

  The woman looked to be smiling, however the smile across her face was not one of friendliness or empathy - but a sinister one. It was clear she was cold as stone and one could even say infuriated sort of. And despite not possessing a single drop of magical energy… Her presence and leaking aura was so intimidating and strong, it made me feel like I was suffocating a little bit.

  Anna shed a sweat, before her eyes teared up - the elf dropping to her knees, as she began to cry.

  “I-I swear there is not a single m-monster I’m hiding! P-Please don’t kill me…!”

  Anna cried out, her entire body shaking violently. The woman looked at Anna with a cold glare, before exhaling heavily and disappointingly.

  “I was hoping that perhaps you would try to fight as well to keep it interesting, but it seems like you’re just a pathetic, young and overconfident girl…”

  The woman stated, before lifting her right arm up in front of her mouth again, closing her eyes. A small orb of flames appeared next to her, before growing in size and then flying at the elf girl. It felt like time slowed down as the orb approached the elf girl. Despite being in the world of shadows, I felt afraid - like the orb was going to incinerate me alongside the girl.

  It felt like I could see my own life flash before my eyes for a second.

  I could hear my breath as well as the crying of the young girl. Seeing her in the state she was in as well as hearing her crying made my stomach turn and twist. As the fireball approached closer and closer, I sighed.

  “Screw it.”

  Right before the orb could collide with the girl, I quickly leapt out of her shadow and immediately activated ‘Devourer’ - the dark red mist leaving my body and quickly engulfing the blue flame orb, before seizing it in its path - slowly making it decrease in size more and more. Then, it fully disappeared, before the dark red mist returned to my body, as I landed in front of the young elven girl.

  Strong { Spiritual Energy } has been absorbed.

  The Energy has been repurposed.

  Epic Skill [Spiritual Flame] acquired.

  The woman's gaze sharpened as she looked at me with a cold glare. Anna looked up confused, looking at what was happening in front of her. Seeing the snake in front of her, the girl couldn’t help but fall into deep, deep confusion.

  “A serpent? Where did it… come from?”

  The woman exhaled heavily, before lowering her arms back down to her sides.

  “Finally you show yourself, monster. Now - Would you be so kind as to turn to ash?”

  Her eyes shined as she looked at me with a strong deathstare, before four blue orbs made of flames formed around her and then flew towards me - increasing in their size as they approached. I shed a sweat, before exhaling and looking at the woman with a serious gaze. I might not win this fight - but at the very least I can die protecting this elven girl.

  After all - she reminds me a lot of….

  I quickly tapped the shadows below me, creating a large wall to form out of them in front of me and the girl - blocking the four fireballs that were flying towards us, but also shattering as soon as the orbs dissipated.

  The woman looked a bit surprised, before exhaling and smiling.

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  “Impressive - I suppose I should expect no less from the monster who managed to kill my sister…”

  The woman mumbled to herself, before disappearing.

  I quickly looked at the elven girl, using the shadows below her to lift her up, before moving her over to where the magic caster had been knocked out, mere moments before the woman appeared in the same spot that the elven girl was on her knees just milliseconds prior.

  “Let’s see what else you can do.”

  The woman stated - a bloodlustful aura around her as she kicked me into the air with her right foot. I felt the impact pretty badly, however I didn’t have time to react to the pain that much, as the woman sent two pillars of blue flames towards me immediately after her kick - forcing me to quickly use ‘Devourer’. The dark red mist left my body, before forming an almost shield shape as the pillars of flames approached.

  The flames collided with the dark red mist, before being drained and decreased in size until both of them disappeared and the dark red mist returned to my body. The woman scuffed before leaping up towards me. I quickly created multiple small purple orbs around me, before firing off my other skill ‘Venom Bullet’ at the woman as she approached.

  She quickly used her blue flames to create a veil around herself, tanking the incoming barrage of bullets head on - before breaking through it and accelerating her speed.

  I shed a slight sweat, before looking down at the shadows on the ground.

  “Please don’t be out of range!”

  I thought, before activating ‘Shadowlord’. Luckily for me, the shadows on the ground immediately reacted, before firing off appendages towards me, wrapping around me before pulling me down towards the ground, right as the woman was about to land a hit on me. She looked down at me, scuffing again, before flipping around and creating a small orb of flames in her left hand, spinning it around - before firing it off as a beam of fire, towards me.

  I quickly reached the ground with the help of the appendages I had summoned from the shadows, before once again using the shadows to my advantage - forcing multiple pillars to rise up high out of them, before forming into a large round shield above me and the knocked out group of humans. Anna watched in horror and shock as the flames shot by the woman collided with my shield made of shadows.

  The impact was strong and heavy - it felt like I was trying to push back a plane that was crashing into the ground.

  I could feel the shield I had made using the shadows slowly weaken and crack - any second now, it would shatter. I really didn’t want to use ‘Devourer’ again to absorb the flames, as with every use of it, it drains my stamina - but if she keeps up these attacks I’ll be forced to do so. The woman kept her flame crashing down onto me, before narrowing her gaze and seizing it, before dashing down towards the shield made of shadows, easily shattering it with a kick of her right leg.

  As bits and pieces of the shield flew down, she glared at me with a wrathful gaze, while I shed a sweat.

  “Come on - surely you can do better than this!”

  She created her whip made of flames once more, before whipping it around herself and then sending it down towards me. I quickly leapt back, before quickly beginning to slither around and dodge her attacks - occasionally leaping into the shadows to avoid an attack.

  The woman landed a short moment later, before whipping her whip back and with a wrath filled gaze, whipping it in a circle above herself - creating a small tornado - before whipping it down and around - absolutely decimating the trees around. I quickly delved into the shadows, narrowly escaping just before the attack could slice me apart just as it had done to the nature around it, but when I came back out of the shadows, I looked around in pure shock.

  The forest around me, in an at least twenty meter radius, was completely levelled, with all the trees incinerated and blue flames just burning around it. I most certainly did NOT want to be hit by one of those attacks of hers.

  Looking at her with a nervous gaze, I barely managed to react and leap up into the air to dodge an incoming attack from her whip.

  “Too close-!”

  I thought, as the woman whipped her flames up and to the side, before successfully tying them around me. Strangely enough - despite the whip being made of flames, I couldn’t feel any heat coming from them. Not a single bit. However, while I couldn’t feel the heat of the fire, I could most definitely feel the whip wrapped around my body - constricting it. It was like a strong rope had suddenly been tied around me.

  The woman had a sinister grin across her face.

  “Now - Feel my wrath!”

  She shouted, before pulling the whip back, and me with it. She threw me into the ground, before whipping me back into the air and spinning me around, before sending me crashing down into the fiery, scorched forest - with the whip around my body disappearing as soon as I collided with the ground, as a cloud of dust and dirt was thrown up.

  I coughed a little, spitting out dirt from my mouth, as the woman's silhouette began to push through the smoke that was covering the scorched forest - her bright blue glowing eyes, piercing through the smokescreen.

  “You certainly aren’t weak - but I cannot comprehend how you managed to defeat my sister…”

  She stated, before coming out of the smoke and staring me down with a cold death stare - her gaze almost felt like it was piercing my soul. I shed a sweat, before backing up a bit. What to do now? I was basically cornered. None of my attacks have managed to make her even break a sweat it seems, and yet here I was using everything I had at my disposal - or at least, everything I knew how to use.

  The woman let out a heavy exhale, looking down and closing her eyes for a second.

  “But you’re nowhere near strong enough for the task you somehow pulled off.”

  She opened her eyes again, glaring at me with a strong and heartpiercing gaze. Then, before I got the chance to react, my body was suddenly restricted in place by multiple strings that seemingly came out of thin air.

  “The hell-?!”

  I thought, trying to free myself from the confines of the strings, but to no avail - I wasn’t even able to move my body all that much. The strings slowly lifted me up into the air as the woman laughed to herself.

  “Funny seeing you squirm like that would save you. Unfortunately for you monster those strings come from a very strong skill.”

  She stated, her eyes igniting with a sinister joy. I shed a sweat, before looking at the strings in an attempt to use ‘Erudition’. A moment later, a menu appeared above one of the strings.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Strings of Dominance

  [Part of; Legendary Skill {Beast Dominate}]

  These strings are part of the skill ‘Beast Dominate’. They allow their user to take control of monsters by making them into their servants or familiars - once tied around a monster, the monster is helpless and unable to break free.

  Additionally, the monsters skills and magic will be sealed.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Is this some kind of sick joke?!

  You’re telling me I can’t do absolutely anything to free myself!?

  The woman exhaled before closing her eyes and lifting her arms up in front of her mouth again.

  “It is a shame - were you not a dirty monster that killed my sister, maybe I would have been able to keep you. But as it stands… You gotta go. And it will be a lot easier to kill you when you’re under my control.”

  She looked at me with narrow and sharp eyes, a red shine in them.

  “Beast Dominate.”

  She stated, causing the strings to shake violently, before igniting into flames, which quickly approached my body. I shed a sweat as my eyes widened - is this really how I die? By being turned into a slave first and then killed off?!

  As the flames engulfed my body, I felt my mind suddenly start burning - it was like it had been set ablaze by the flames around my body. It was a painful feeling, like I was being incinerated from the inside. I hissed out in pain - as I slowly felt my consciousness fade.

  “N-No… this can’t be… h-how…”

  I struggled to keep my eyes open as my vision blurred.

  This was it I guess… This is how I die.

  As the flames approached Faofas soul - a sudden burst of energy was released from the snake's body, as a pair of abyss black eyes opened.

  YOU SHALL NOT TAKE CONTROL.

  A loud voice roared, before a massive burst of energy was blasted from Faofas body, shattering the strings tied around him as well as pushing the woman back stumbling, as her eyes widened in shock and her pupils shook.

  “What was that-?!”

  She thought as Faofa landed back onto the ground, coughing a bit as he rose back up, shaking his head slightly.

  The woman stared at him with a shocked expression, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The snake that just seconds prior was unable to do anything, suddenly unleashed a monstrous aura from its body. It felt like a DemiGod had just appeared before her.

  I felt my mind suddenly clear up as I looked around in confusion. I was… fine? But - how? Just moments earlier I felt my consciousness start to fade…

  I looked at the woman, who was breathing heavily, while grasping her chest. Though I did not understand what had just happened, I was not going to sit around and complain - for whatever reason, her skill had just failed and it looked like she was shaken up by something, as she was staring at me with a fright filled expression.

  The woman breathed heavily for a bit, before exhaling and gritting her teeth.

  She let go of her chest, before straightening back out and looking at me with a more furious expression.

  “Beast Dominate… Failed. Just - What the hell are you?!”