Kayda noticed immediately, her smirk faltering. "Oh, really?"
Bang!
The shot rang out, the bullet grazing across her wing and leaving a scorch-marked line of blood.
"Ow, that hurts, Kitsu," she hissed, glaring down at me.
"Yeah? Then dodge it," I said flatly, holding the hand cannon steady, black lightning sparking across its surface.
"Tsk."
"Haha, now dance, you flying lizard!" I laughed, summoning a second hand cannon and opening fire. The air filled with thunderous cracks, sparks, and smoke as bullet after bullet screamed toward her.
"Shit, since when!?" Kayda yelped, rolling and swerving through the sky, her wings beating furiously as she tried to outmaneuver the onslaught.
"Class, baby! Rawr!" I shouted, leaping after her while still firing, cheeks heating in embarrassment at my slip-up.
"Haha, it came out again!" Katie's laughter rang from the sideline, her voice mocking.
Dong!
"Shut up, tomato girl!" I yelled, hurling a grenade against the barrier with enough force to make the ground quake.
Katie paled instantly, shrinking back. "Uh uh uh uh..." She shook her head, pale as paper, eyes wide like I'd just thrown it at her instead.
"Great-"
"Kitsu, hasn't your mother ever taught you not to take your eyes off your opponent?" Kayda's voice purred behind me.
A chill ran down my spine. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder, smirking. "Oh, Kayda, Kayda... You do know my mother, right?"
Her brow furrowed. "Huh? Yes?"
"Yeah, she would attack me in the middle of the night if she felt like it," I said, grin widening.
"She would!?" Kayda yelped, startled.
"Yeah~, and it seems you need that training as well," I said, my tail already tightening around her ankle.
Boom!
Her shriek of frustration echoed as she was slammed into the ground.
"Every time, Kayda," I taunted mockingly. "When will you-ugh-learn?"
Before I could finish, a blazing kick caught me across the chest, launching me back.
"Shut up already! Are you not already warmed up?" she snapped, shaking off the dust.
"Ugh, I guess I am." I winced, rubbing at my left breast where her strike had landed. "Man, you really chose the wrong spot to hit me."
Kayda's mouth twitched. "Oh, sorry, I didn't look where I hit you," she said, not sounding sorry at all.
"Right, you'd never hit your girlfriend's boob on purpose," I sighed, still massaging the sore spot.
"Yes, of course I won't," she said with thick sarcasm.
"Whatever." With another sigh, I flash-stepped forward at full speed, the scythe materializing in my grip and stopping mere centimeters from her abdomen.
Kayda didn't flinch. She brought her left hand down, mana coating her palm in a shimmering glow.
I ducked, rolling to the right, whipping the scythe back toward her head.
"Tsk." Clicking her tongue, she raised a scorch barrier, igniting a fiery explosion.
Boom!
The blast tore across the battlefield, and when the smoke cleared, I was standing meters away-my arms gone, half my right leg missing.
"Ah, fuck's sake, my pants!" I yelled.
Katie nearly fainted. "Wait, isn't that going too far!?"
But her voice cut off into a squeak as she saw my limbs regenerate in seconds.
"Pfft, don't pee yourself," I muttered, ignoring the way her face turned an even deeper shade of white.
The smoke shifted.
Bang!
Vrrrr!
Boom!
The sound of gunfire cracked through the haze, bullets tearing through Kayda's barrier. One slipped through, the explosion ripping the shield apart.
Her eyes widened. "Your clones!" she barked, whirling toward the left, where one of my copies stood, chains whirling axes and hammers at her.
"Too fast," I said, clicking my tongue as she evaded.
Three fingers raised.
Bang!
Her scream cut the air as the bullet clipped her leg.
"Now!" my clone roared, launching both chained weapons as I flash-stepped behind her, wielding a massive, bulky gun.
Bang!
The bullets hammered against her barrier, but she reinforced it instantly, patches of flame repairing the hole. The shots bounced off uselessly.
"Wait, it bounced!?" She shouted-only to see them detonate into a storm of explosions that sent her flying straight into the warhammer's waiting strike.
Boom!
And still, she didn't hit the ground.
"All that, and you still haven't fallen seriously," I muttered, disappointed.
Kayda huffed, sweat dripping from her brow as she held the warhammer mere centimeters away with one hand, the other gripping a spear she'd conjured from the earth.
"It really feels like you're trying to kill me, Kitsu," she said, breaking the spear and shoving the warhammer away, the force obliterating my clone.
Bang. Bang.
Two sniper shots cracked again, one obliterating her scorch ball, the other puncturing her barrier. But then-silence. The clone's mana signature winked out.
"Your clone only had four shots?" she asked.
"Yeah, but they're just clones," I answered from right beside her, scythe slicing toward her.
She flinched, blasting it apart with a scorch spell.
Bang! Bang!
I was already firing again, twin hand cannons blazing.
Boom!
Kayda cursed, dodging through the smoke, her wings flaring.
"Where are you going?" I called after her, tails whipping through the haze like vipers.
"Away from these raging tails of yours!"
"Nope, you aren't getting away," I said, flashing behind her with a smirk, katana thrust forward.
Drip.
The blade melted.
"Tsk, you raised the temperature," I muttered, tossing away the useless hilt.
"Of course I did," she shot back, steadying herself midair.
"No," I growled, forming an ice platform beneath my feet. Launching from it, I dove at her again, tails lashing out in a deadly arc.
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Chapter 139
"Tsk, you're like a stalker, Kitsu!" Kayda yelped, her voice echoing with frustration as she tried to keep my relentless tail and me at bay. Her wings beat furiously, scattering heat in shimmering waves around her, but I pressed on, every movement of mine designed to suffocate her with pressure.
"The best way to go against a long-range mage is being close range," I shot back, not missing a beat in my onslaught. My tails lashed like whips, the air itself cracking from their speed as I pushed her to react rather than think.
"I know that, but-fuck!" she cursed, teeth grinding together as she released a sudden burst of mana. A shockwave rippled out from her body, distorting the air and forcing me to stagger for half a second. Dust spiraled upward around her like she was the eye of some volcanic storm.
"Hey, now don't let your thoughts distract you," I warned, smirking as I ignored the wave's sting and flash-stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, I was right in front of her, arm cocked back, fingers curled, aiming to clamp down on her head.
"Tsk," Kayda clicked her tongue, eyes narrowing. Her hands rose, mana flaring as she began forming another barrier around her.
"Nope," I said before she could finish, my grin widening. I pulled out a giant slab of ice shaped into a shield, ramming it forward with all my momentum.
The moment my ice slammed into her half-formed barrier, the clash created a violent explosion. BOOM. Both of us were sent hurtling away in opposite directions, tumbling through the air.
Kayda recovered quickly, her wings unfurling to catch the air. She glared down at me, annoyance etched on her face. "Tsk, of course you'd prepare something other than your sniper," she said, immediately gaining altitude. Her body blurred as she ascended, clearly aiming to use her aerial advantage.
I landed hard, boots skidding across the ground until I forced myself upright. My shield dissolved into glittering mist, leaving me standing in a shallow crater. Looking up, I saw her climbing higher. "Yeah, well, knowing how to counter it makes things easier," I replied, brushing the dust from my cheek, "but the mana use is a pain."
"Yea!" Kayda shouted, her voice a battle cry. Dozens of scorch spells erupted around her, crimson spheres of molten energy forming in a dazzling halo. Without hesitation, she launched them all at me.
"This is why you always go for the kill against mages," I muttered under my breath, sprinting in erratic zigzags as the flaming orbs came raining down like artillery. Each explosion left smoking craters where I had just been a moment before.
Kayda's smug voice carried over the chaos. "Yes, but you don't want to kill me."
"...Kayda, why the hell would you say something like that right now?" I yelled back, heart skipping uncomfortably at the words.
"Umm, I don't know, sorry," she admitted, the awkward tone in her voice clashing with the fact that she didn't let up her barrage in the slightest.
I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes even as my body blurred into motion again. "Whatever," I muttered, disappearing into a smoke cloud with a Flash Step, masking my position.
"Kitsu~, don't try and hide now," Kayda chimed playfully, though her voice had an edge. The beams she launched next grew brighter and hotter, punching holes in the smoke to flush me out.
"Tsk, you are really trying to kill me, aren't you," I said from within the haze, my voice echoing.
A moment later, the air howled. Thousands of ice bullets erupted from the smoke cloud in a glittering storm, tearing toward her in waves.
"What the!?" Kayda yelped, clearly caught off guard. She doubled the amount of beams in desperation, lancing through the air to block the bullets. But I noticed immediately-the more beams she fired, the weaker each one grew.
"Damn, to think you could use the clone skill like this," I mused, stepping calmly out of the smoke as it cleared. My form was steady, my breathing controlled. Four massive guns hovered in the air above me-each one four meters long, half a meter thick, their barrels glowing cold blue with the energy cycling inside. They spat out bullets like unending thunder, tracking her wherever she flew. And most noticeable of all-I only had one tail again.
Kayda's eyes locked on me, or rather, on that single tail. "I see... so that's how your clone skill works," she murmured, half to herself.
"Hmm. Surprisingly, this sort of cloning doesn't even use a fifth of what it takes to make another body," I admitted aloud, rolling my neck with a faint pop. "And most importantly, it's way easier to use." I rotated my wrist, and the massive guns shifted in unison, obedient to my will. 'Instead of five thousand mana, it only takes a thousand,' I noted in thought, satisfaction settling in my chest.
"New guns, huh? I like it. Let's test them out," Kayda growled, grinning wide. More than a dozen scorch beams and blazing fireballs appeared around her as she prepared to retaliate.
"Ah, fuck," I cursed, kicking off the ground as the sky rained destruction. I darted upward, narrowly slipping through the storm.
Kayda's smug laugh followed me. "Now that you're in the air-whoa, I forgot you could do that for a second." Her smile faltered as she saw me leap effortlessly from one conjured ice platform to another, bounding toward her while my hovering guns never stopped firing. Each icy foothold shattered behind me, leaving only a trail of glimmering shards.
Closing in fast, I created another chain in my hand. This one was smaller and denser, the mana compressed into something razor-sharp and thrumming with power.
"Now that is something," Kayda said, narrowing her eyes at the sight.
"I know, right," I replied with a grin, Flash Stepping directly behind her.
"Ugh! No way!?" Kayda yelped as sensation suddenly drained from her wings.
"And now we fall," I said calmly, even as I glanced down at my own mangled body. My limbs were twisted, fractured, and broken from the strain of forcing the technique.
"Wait, why are you in that state?" Kayda asked, worry flashing across her expression.
"Huh, to get those pesky wings out of the way," I said with a bloody smile, moments before gravity reclaimed us both.
Bang!
Boom!
The impact rattled the entire training ground. I grunted in pain as I crawled out of the crater my body carved into the earth.
Kayda staggered nearby, shaking her head. "Kitsu, you really are way heavier than you look," she muttered, staring at the difference between the two craters. Hers was deep, yes, but mine was nearly double its size.
"Kayda, are you really calling your girlfriend fat right now?" I asked flatly, my eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"No, I said you don't look so heavy," she corrected quickly, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
"Kayda... "You're calling me fat right now," I accused, flash-stepping right up to her face and reaching for her head again.
"No, I wasn't!" Kayda yelped, jumping back just in time to avoid my hand.
"You were, you fucking lizard. Fuck it. Now we can start all over," I snapped, clenching my fists together. Frost spread across my hands, coating them in jagged ice gauntlets as my floating guns returned to my side.
"Tsk," Kayda clicked her tongue again, leaping away as I slammed the ground where she had been. The impact sent shards of frozen earth exploding outward.
"Keep on moving, keep on moving," I muttered, driving her back with strike after strike. My fists hammered at her, claws slashing, tails whipping like serpents.
"Fuck off!!" Kayda roared, stomping her foot down with force. A wave of molten heat erupted outward, the ground glowing before it began to melt into lava.
"Woah, calm down, Kayda," I said, though my tone carried zero sincerity. I raised my hands, frost spilling out and instantly freezing the spreading magma into a brittle shell.
"Shut it!" Kayda snapped, eyes blazing with anger.
My ears twitched, warning me. "Oh shit," I muttered, eyes widening. I leapt away just as her body exploded with light.
Gwaaaah!
Her roar thundered through the chamber, rattling my bones. Heat washed over me as her form elongated, wings stretching wide, scales glinting crimson.
"I didn't think you'd actually do that," I admitted, for the first time putting real distance between us.
"We never said we couldn't transform," Kayda said, her dragon voice rumbling as she loomed above me.
"I thought it was an unwritten rule, but okay," I shrugged.
"No, it was just that you couldn't use yours, so it was no fun using mine," she explained, her massive tail swishing behind her.
"...Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, flicking my ears.
"Yes. Why?"
"Okay," I said simply. My body blurred, bones twisting, fur bristling. In a flash, I was beside her in my fox form, claws gleaming.
"What the hell was that!?" Kayda yelped as I slashed, her wings flaring too late. The strike left a long gash across her side.
