Tatsumi was still tearing through the forest, her crimson aura flaring wildly as she punched, kicked, and destroyed everything in sight. She didn’t care. She was furious—furious at Ketsuki, furious at herself, furious at everything.

  Yet, she was completely unaware of the presence lurking in the shadows.

  A tall figure emerged from the darkness, standing at nearly ten feet. Its massive, egg-shaped body was pure white, smooth yet unnervingly unnatural. It had dull, lifeless eyes and a massive mouth stretched into a grotesque grin, lined with large lips and an unnaturally long tongue that slithered out like a snake tasting the air.

  Tatsumi froze. For the first time in a long while, something sent a chill down her spine. But then, her pride snapped her back.

  "Am I seriously afraid of this thing? A giant egg? GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, TATSUMI MATSUTANI!!"

  She clenched her fists, her crimson aura intensifying as she bared her teeth. "THAT WEIRDO ISN’T BETTER THAN ME! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

  With a roar, she charged, fists crashing into the creature’s massive body with enough force to shatter trees. Shockwaves rippled through the air as she unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks. Each punch landed. Each kick connected.

  And yet, the creature didn’t move.

  Instead, it let out a deep, inhuman chuckle. "Young girl... Delicious..."

  Tatsumi’s eyes widened as the monster’s long tongue shot toward her like a spear. Reacting instinctively, she spun and kicked it away, but the creature’s tongue recoiled instantly and struck again. And again. Relentless. Unyielding.

  Tatsumi snarled, refusing to back down. She dodged, countered, and struck back, but with every passing second, her breath grew heavier, her limbs slower. Bruises formed along her arms and legs. She was getting tired.

  Then, the creature let out an ear-piercing cackle—its laughter layered, distorted, as if multiple voices were speaking at once. "Weak... Too weak..."

  Its tongue shot forward, this time aiming to pierce her.

  And then—

  SHNK!

  The monster’s tongue was cleaved in half.

  Tatsumi barely had time to react before someone stepped in front of her—a tall figure with black hair, his posture relaxed yet unmistakably sharp.

  Ketsuki Onizawa.

  He exhaled, sounding more annoyed than anything. "Alright, you bootleg Humpty Dumpty, who said you could attack this cute one? Don’t you know we still need ones like these?"

  Tatsumi’s face burned. "EXCUSE ME—?!"

  The monster recoiled its tongue, its grin never fading. With another twisted laugh, it regenerated its tongue instantly and launched it toward Ketsuki instead.

  Ketsuki’s twin daggers, Apollo and Artemis, flashed as he moved with effortless precision. Each slash cut the tongue before it could reach him.

  For a while, it was a deadlock.

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  The monster kept its distance, launching its razor-sharp tongue from unpredictable angles, while Ketsuki continued slashing it away, never allowing it to land a hit.

  Then, an opening.

  The monster recoiled its tongue, leaving its body exposed for a split second.

  Ketsuki lunged, driving Apollo into its skin—

  CLANG.

  The blade bounced off.

  Ketsuki’s eyes widened slightly. "Tch—"

  The creature smirked and struck. Before he could react, its tongue pierced through his side, sending a sharp, burning pain through his body.

  "ONIZAWA!!" Tatsumi screamed.

  Ketsuki gritted his teeth, stumbling back as blood seeped through his clothes. His vision blurred. His breathing grew heavy.

  This thing was different.

  Then, it clicked. This wasn’t just a level 5 monster. It was an Ichored Monster.

  It had absorbed someone with Ichor. That’s why its body was so tough.

  Ketsuki had no choice.

  He took a slow breath, falling to one knee. His mind sharpened despite the pain. He opened his eyes—

  They glowed bright blue.

  "Negate..." he murmured, then roared, "NEGATE!!"

  The monster’s body began to change. Its once-unbreakable skin loosened, sagging unnaturally like a peeled boiled egg.

  Ketsuki, despite his injury, didn’t hesitate. He tossed Apollo directly into its exposed flesh.

  "Apollo... IGNITE."

  The blade erupted in flames inside the creature. The monster screeched, thrashing wildly as fire consumed its body—until there was nothing left but ash.

  Ketsuki swayed, his body giving in to exhaustion, and collapsed.

  Tatsumi rushed to him, panic flooding her chest. "Oi, wake up! You better not be dead, weirdo! HEY!"

  Then—

  Mist.

  A soft, ethereal mist drifted from Ketsuki’s mouth, swirling until it took shape.

  A woman appeared.

  5'2". Silver hair with a single long bang between her fox-like orange eyes. Flawless skin. Multiple fox tails swaying behind her. A beauty mark under her right eye... and another, teasingly exposed, on her right breast.

  She wore a silk kimono, its design elegant yet deliberately revealing, as if she relished the attention. Her long, polished nails gleamed in the moonlight. Her body was inhumanly perfect, her pale skin flawless, her bright orange slit-pupiled eyes gleaming with amusement. Her shoulder-length silver hair was messy yet refined, a single strand falling between her eyes. Multiple fox tails swayed behind her, and atop her head, a pair of fluffy ears twitched.

  She was completely, utterly, breathtakingly ethereal.

  And yet—her expression was anything but divine.

  She grinned down at Tatsumi with an infuriating smugness, one hand resting on the exposed curve of her ample cleavage. "Ara~? What’s this? The weirdo actually found himself a little delinquent pet? How adorable~."

  Tatsumi, still in fight mode, immediately bristled. "HAAAH?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

  The fox-woman let out a mocking giggle. "Ufufu~! I should be the one asking that. A feisty little cub, aren’t you?" She leaned in, tilting Tatsumi’s chin up with a single clawed finger. "I wonder~… do you even realize how cute you look when you’re mad?"

  Tatsumi slapped her hand away, her face burning. "I— YOU— WHAT?!"

  The woman only chuckled. "Relax, little one. You should be thanking me." She gestured at Ketsuki’s unconscious form. "If I weren’t here, your little weirdo might’ve bled out. Poor thing."

  Tatsumi hated how smug she was. She clenched her fists. "Tch… Then who the hell are you?"

  The woman placed a delicate hand on her chest. "Oh my, how rude~! Introducing myself to a child like you is beneath me, but I suppose I can make an exception." She flashed a fanged smirk. "Tenshiko. Goddess of many things. And this idiot’s keeper."

  Tatsumi blinked. "…HIS WHAT?"

  Tenshiko hummed. "His… guardian? His burden? His curse?" She tapped a finger to her lips. "Mmm… actually, his first woman might be more accurate~."

  Tatsumi’s entire brain short-circuited. "WH-WH-WHAT?!"

  Tenshiko just grinned wider. "Oh? That reaction~ Could it be? A certain little delinquent is jealous?"

  Tatsumi shot up, her face completely red. "SHUT UP, FOX!!"

  Tenshiko just laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

  They both then realized, the weirdo is bleeding out. Tanshiko's attitude quickly dropped as she panicked "W-What the hell are we supposed to do now!?"

  She wasn't as divine as she seemed to be no more, it seems like her attitude was just a facade to hide how dumb she actually is...

  They both picked up Ketsuki and ran to his house to heal him.

  What do you think of the story's pace so far?