CHAPTER TWELVE
THE FOREST
Edward walks through the forest in exhaustion, then he hears an explosion and falls down. "That bastard just had to make things worse by inviting his friend". Then he stands up and dust his uniform.
Then the sound of incoming footsteps frighten him, and he pulls out his blade.
"Don't think you can escape me". Vanessa stands behind Edward, her blade unsheathed.
"I wasn't trying to escape."
Edward turns around to strike, Vanessa notices this and kicks Edward's head, but Edward vanishes.
Edward appears behind Vanessa and tries to strike her again, but Vanessa blocks it, then the both of them start clashing swords.
Then Vanessa knocks Edward's sword off his hand. "Your sword skills are decent, but they are the same as they were on our first encounter."
The sword on the floor vanishes.
"Why would I have to stress myself on sword practice, when my awakening is overpowered."
"Over reliance on your awakening, I see."
Then Vanessa raises her blade up and brings it down at successive recession, but Edward doudges it and jumps into the forest. Suddenly a dozen copies of Edward appear on the trees surrounding Vanessa.
"OPTICAL ILLUSIONS, the ability to make illusions from ankou skin, an ability that for unknown reasons, is only passed through the 'Fox' clan. It is one of the most dangerous power. If used by one capable of welding it."
T/N: All weapons are made of ankou skin.
Edward's voice echoes from the clones. "Are you trying to say, I don't know how to use my own power?"
Then all the clones jump down the trees and run towards
Vanessa holds her blade with both of her hands. "This fight has been dragging on, it isn't exiting at all". Then she brings it down and a large mass of crystals encases everything 130 metres around Vanessa. Including Edward's clones.
ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST (Stephanie)
Stephanie observes from afar, as a student, with light green hair and gold earrings, rests on a tree. She walks up to him and touches his shoulder to wake him up, but then she jumps two steps backwards and the student was already behind her.
The student smiles deviously. "You are such a nice girl, victory was in front of you, but you just had to be a do gooder."
Stephanie grabs the student's arm and flips him over, but he slips through her grip and lands a few feet away from her.
"The reason I tried to wake you up is because fighting an opponent who lacks the will to fight is not the way of the 'Fox' clan, but it seems I was mistaken". Then Stephanie takes off her jacket. "Now I know you want to fight, I will bring it to you.
Then a giant orange fox with nine tails, comes out of Stephanie's back. "Let's make this quick, there is a certain man I plan on fighting."
The student looks at the nine tailed fox, and starts laughing. "Now, this will be fun". Then the student jumps up to the fox's face and punches it consecutively.
The nine tails stabs the student on his abdomen, with its claw and throws him to the floor.
Stephanie falls to the floor, tears roll out of her eyes. "You are not supposed to kill him, this is just a friendly test."
"It must be it's animal instinct". The student lies in the floor, with a hole on his abdomen and dislocated joints.
Stephanie look at the student, with a frightened expression on her face. "H-h-how are you still alive?"
The student's bones slowly go back in place. Then he stands up. "Shit, look what your silly fox has done, now I'm going to have a hole on my stomach forever."
The nine tailed fox shoots an energy blast at the student, but he pulls out his blade and cuts the blast in half. Then he goes a step further and cuts the fox in half with a flying slash.
He raises his sword up to his face level. "After all that practice, I still can't use a sword well."
"It is not possible, there is no way a student is able to destroy the fox sage". Stephanie unsheathed her blade and slowly walks forward. "Who are you?"
The student drops his sword and zooms towards Stephanie in an attempt to puncture her eyes with his fingers, but she blocks it with her sword. Then he breaks it and uses his other hand to stab her on her abdomen.
"Now we match, so it means you deserve to know my name. It's Kam and I am a member of the death spectre."
Stephanie's life flashes through her eyes .
The 'Fox' clan used to be one of the four great Clans, (Now the; Za, Lukong, Olisa and Aqua clans), Because of the nine tailed fox could only come from someone with thier blood. But, in two centuries, a successor of the nine tailed fox has not appeared, until Stephanie.
Being the successor of the nine tailed fox meant that all the attention was drawn to her and everyone treated her with respect and care, and her brother was being neglected.
Edward, jealous of his the praise his sister received decides to start hitting her whenever she made a mistake in his presence. Eventually he is found out and casted behind bars in the clan's prison.
Stephanie actually loved her brother dearly, because he was the only person who treated her like a human and she was always clumsy in front of him so he would hit her and be happy.
Everyday, Stephanie would go to her brother's prison cell to keep him company. She even goes as far as faking her age to take the selection exam with her brother.
When Jack stood up for her and hurt her brother, Stephanie was going to kill him if Eliza did not intervene.
Stephanie has lost the fight against Kam, but the person she actually wanted to fight was Jack Lukong, but that was never going to happen because she was already dead.
Winner: Kam
ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST (Vanessa vs Edward)
Edward kneels on the floor, his face filled with despair, he starts murmuring. "It's not, no it's, it's. Illusions can't be frozen". Then he smashes his head on the floor and shouts at the peak of his voice.
"You don't handle loss really well". Then Vanessa places her sword on Edward's shoulder. "Get stronger and come back for me."
Edward gets completely enclosed in crystals.
Winner: Vanessa
ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST
Teresa and KC land in the midst of trees after jumping down from the helicopter.
TO BE CONTINUED