Chapter 15
Ash's knee rocketed upward, smashing into Gao's abdomen and lifting her off the ground before she flipped back and landed hard, sliding across the cracked stone floor. The ground quivered again as the Phenomenon behind him howled louder, the swirling mana tightening like a storm about to touch down.
Gao rose, slower than before, her posture perfect but her eyes weary. Her hands shook slightly as she raised them, but Ash was already moving. He shot forward like a blur, shell gleaming with renewed mana, his fist cutting the air like a cannonball aimed for her chest.
She intercepted it with both hands, skidding back several meters as her shoes tore through the earth. Ash didn't let up. He spun, elbow crashing against her shoulder, flipping her sideways. She tried to strike with her palm, a flicker of chi sparking from her skin—but the blast fizzled before it could form. Ash caught her wrist and twisted, slamming her into a beam with a deafening crack.
The metal support groaned, buckled, and then snapped, collapsing part of the ceiling behind her. Gao's lips were bloodied, her breath thin. She lunged again out of reflex, but Ash was faster—his hand met her chest, and with a surge of mana, he launched her across the chamber.
She hit the wall with brutal force, the stone behind her cratering from the impact. Her body slid to the floor, still conscious, but barely. Ash stepped forward, arm raised for the finishing blow, the mana in his body coiling like a compressed explosion.
But then—it happened. A deafening crack echoed through the tunnel as the Phenomenon reached its limit. Reality itself split open like shattered glass behind him, a jagged black rift erupting midair. Light and shadow danced together in a violent spiral as time bent inward. Everyone felt it—the shift. The walls trembled. The lights exploded. The air became heavier than lead.
Ash's eyes widened, glowing bright white as he realized what was coming through. He turned to the others behind him, voice booming through the chaos. "Run to the elevator!"
Daredevil immediately moved, grabbing Elektra's arm and pulling her along. Danny Rand, bruised but alert, scooped up his discarded shirt and followed. Colleen ran with him, blades still wet. Luke Cage shielded Jessica and Claire as chunks of stone fell from the ceiling.
Together, they sprinted across the collapsing chamber, the elevator at the far end shaking in place from the quakes. The defenders didn't look back. They didn't need to. The sound of something massive moving in the cracked reality behind Ash told them enough. Something had arrived.
The elevator groaned as it ascended, scraping metal echoing above the crumbling cavern. Madam Gao, weakened and still kneeling, turned her head toward the cracked veil behind her. The rift pulsed once, then tore open fully with a low, vibrating hum. From it crawled a monstrous shape, four-limbed, body rippling with strength.
"What is this?" she whispered, just before a swipe of its claw sent her flying, crashing into the far wall with a crunch. The wall cracked, stone crumbling and falling as Gao slumped motionless. Ash turned sharply—just in time to see the beast rise fully from the void, claws digging into the floor, sparks twitching around its body.
The creature exhaled steam, turquoise scales shimmering under the flickering light, fur crackling with building energy. It didn't pause. It lunged, claws slashing at Ash with such force that his shell cracked at the shoulder, forcing him back. The floor shattered under the pressure, stone slabs uprooted as he slid. He struck back with a burst of mana-powered speed, aiming a heavy punch to its side, but the creature twisted midair, tail whipping into Ash's chest with a boom. His body flew through a metal pipe, denting it into a V-shape before rolling across rubble. Ash rose, wheezing, only for a bolt of lightning to shoot past his head and blast a crater behind him.
The chamber dimmed as the monster began to hum—its back glowing. Thunderbugs swarmed its body, vanishing into the porous horns and spines. Ash dashed forward, hoping to interrupt it, shell glowing white as he leapt. The creature saw him, reared back, then slammed its claws into the ground. A pulse of lightning exploded outward. Ash was caught midair and blasted sideways. The entire right wall collapsed, dust swallowing the room. Ash hit the floor hard, twitching as his shell flickered, scorched and cracked. The monster charged again, claws glowing, and slammed down. Ash rolled just in time, but the floor where he'd been shattered like glass.
He kicked upward, striking its jaw, forcing it back—but not enough. The beast spun, tail following, and it caught Ash across the back. He was thrown again, skidding past Gao's broken form. Blood dripped from his mouth. He stood slower now, chest heaving, his shell hissing as it tried to repair itself. The air was thick with mana, with thunder, with tension. The monster growled low and began charging its power again. Ash could only stare as it lit up like a storm in a cage.
Chunks of stone rained down from the cracked ceiling as Ash slammed into the tunnel wall, splitting it along the length. Dust hung thick in the air as he slumped beside a cooling corpse—a Hand ninja, jaw slack, eyes open. His fingers twitched and closed around the hilt of the fallen katana. He gritted his teeth and rose, lifting the blade with both hands as the monster snarled. It roared and bashed its horned head against the ceiling, splintering the stone as sparks danced across its back.
Ash channeled his mana through the blade, and it instantly heated, vibrating as cracks formed near the base. It trembled violently, almost shattering, until Ash's eyes widened in realization. "Of course…" he muttered, stepping back, avoiding a sudden charge. "Brutally forcing mana through a mundane item would destroy it." He shifted his flow. Instead of pushing through it, he coated it—wrapping the katana in a shell of mana, holding it together like skin to bone. The steel stopped shaking. It glowed gently, unnaturally durable, unnaturally sharp.
He took a deep breath, then another, steadying the tremble in his wrist. Threads of mana swirled around the blade like soft mist, each movement guided by sheer will, not force. The creature surged forward, tail lashing. Ash waited, exhaled, then slid sideways just before the claws reached him. The katana sliced upward, clean through the creature's side. Blood sprayed across the floor in a line, sizzling. For the first time, the beast staggered, wounded, its eyes flaring as it roared in pain and rage.
Ash stood with the katana extended at arm's length, his body shaking not from fear but from effort. Internally, he fought to stop his mana from overloading the blade, threading energy carefully through it, balancing raw power with control. The shell of mana surrounding the katana shimmered, a sign he had reached the third stage—extension. He had extended his power into something not his own without destroying it. The ground trembled again as the monster growled and lunged. This time, Ash didn't dodge fully. He stepped inward, blade dragging in a tight curve, slicing through fur and scale.
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A/N guess the name the monster, also, is ash progressing too fast? or is my pacing ok?