Yuriko bent low, her nose almost touching the ground. She pushed off to the side with her fingers, snapped an Edge at Monument, then clicked her tongue when all it did was create a two-inch wide gash, half an inch deep, on his ankle. The Monument wasn't wearing anything, but it wasn't as if he was naked either. His body was covered in obsidian armour, shaped by his power, though it barely blocked her Edges.
It was his flesh that was fortified by his Anima and the darklight.
She passed under his legs and kicked the back of his knees in the process. He was so tall that even if she was upright, she wouldn't have needed to duck that low to pass. Of course, his reflexes allowed him to kick at her, and the knee she hit just bent forward a bit. She used the kick to propel herself away, and she twisted around to land on her feet. Her Anima flared and she condensed an orb to slam at the Monument's chin, but the kinetic force she could leverage using just her Anima was woefully short of what she could do with it if she was in her true body.
The Living Monument grimaced and continued his attack. His swings were frantic, angry, and more than a bit reckless. He didn't show that many openings earlier, and it was as if he wanted her to destroy him…
In hindsight, and considering his expression, he might have. That collar…how long did he have it on him? He was an enemy she faced before but she respected his prowess. Whoever put that on him, and on the Crimson Apes for that matter…
She focused on the fight before she got too distracted. The orichalc collar converted his darklight to regenerative energy, and the way she killed the Crimson Apes was to remove the collar. But she didn't know how touch orichalc was, or if she could even break it. She would have to knock the Monument unconscious to get the chance, and her usual way of fighting wasn't conducive to that.
She pulled in all of her extraneous Anima. About a third of it was used to protect her, a hundredth to keep her perceptive aura up. Now, she used the rest to empower her body.
She lunged at the Monument, ducking under his staff, only to need to jump back when he anticipated her move and kicked her out. She didn't intend to get hit again considering he had an Ennoia that could pierce some of her protections. Ah, her arm was fine now, and the bruises healed.
She danced to the side, snapping her fingers to send distracting Edges aimed at his face. His eyes and some other sensitive bits were a bit more vulnerable than the rest of his body but aiming there meant he knew what to protect. Her control over the Edges that didn't have Swordlight infused wasn't enough to alter the trajectory significantly.
Of course, she could step on thin air, anchored by her Anima, and manoeuvre along three dimensions instead of two. Midair from her leap, she kicked off and leapt over the Monument's arm, blasted towards the Monument's head, and slammed her fist into his jaw.
Boom!
The Monument staggered back, and swiped at her with his arm. She spun around his blow and kicked off his forearm. Her blow struck him again, at the same spot, which rocked his head back. His roar cut off as his jaw snapped shut. Blood seeped out of his lips as he probably bit his tongue. His eyes were dazed, but the daemon was a creature of war. He fought through the pain and retaliated.
But she was already within his reach. She stepped on solidified air and danced around his attempts. She rained blow after blow on his head, but he tucked his chin down. She aimed at his cheeks, at his forehead, and tried to hit the back of his neck.
The beatdown was brutal. Stone crumbled under her fists and her heels, soon followed by blood that seeped out from the cracks. The mist didn't cling to her body though it stuck to her Anima. It sizzled, burning in the air. She could feel some damage to her Anima, but not enough to be a concern. If she was still in Actualisation, the fight wouldn't have been so easy, and the realisation that she was only toying with the giant was soon painted on his face.
For some reason, that didn't upset the Monument at all. Instead, there was a fierce determination that shone through his eyes. But instead of doubling down on the fight, his defences and attacks grew sloppier and sloppier, until a full-powered punch to the chin knocked him down.
He collapsed on his back, chest heaving. His eyes swam but he gritted his teeth and growled, "End it."
Yuriko nodded and pressed down on his frame with her Anima. He didn't fight the pressure and was pinned easily. Her fingers traced the orichalc collar and she probed its secrets with her perception. There was a latch, she was sure, and a lock. She found it and read the runescript lines. Opening it required an infusion of energy.
Radiance.
"That simple?" Yuriko muttered as she touched the runescript lock with a finger infused with Radiant energy. The collar flared with power, and she half expected it to explode. But no, the lock opened and she was able to pull the collar off the daemon.
The Living Monument murmured, "Thank you." Then his body withered away, just like the rest of the Crimson Apes.
Yuriko stared at the collar curiously. She couldn't read all of the inscriptions yet, but she was determined to find out. She had some ideas considering her past, but she wondered if she could afford the time to find out. She looked back at the others and found most of them were staring at her instead of attempting to escape. She chuckled to herself, then ran back. Learning about what this was about would satisfy her curiosity, but not to the point that she'd allow companions to risk danger. Then again, she could wipe out the remaining apes as they were unwilling labour.
"We couldn't push through," Christine blurted out.
"I suspected as much." Yuriko shrugged. "Let me try."
She pressed her hands against the invisible barrier stopping them from escaping, but this time, instead of just brute forcing it, she called up her Radiant reserves and infused several motes of Radiant energy into her fingertips. Then, she drew out several strands of Swordlight and combined all of it, then unleashed it. The resistance she felt vanished, and the gap became visible around the edges when the starry mists rushed inside.
"Go, quickly!"
The other eight did so. Michael grabbed her arm.
"You're not thinking of staying behind, are you?" She chuckled awkwardly. "Come on!"
Alexis prodded her side and nodded towards the bridge. "Better to go now." He looked back over the dusty plains. "Let's not risk things. And I think you'll have to close this."
"Oh," Yuriko muttered. The edge of the cut wasn't healing over. "Go."
Both young men nodded, and she followed behind. She grabbed the edges of the barrier with her Animakinesis, but that only served to further disintegrate it.
"Rotter," She muttered. Well, she couldn't stay here, and there were six more barriers along the bridge. Hopefully, those wouldn't crumble as easily.
As they ran back the way they came, her thoughts churned over what happened. As far as she knew, the Crimson Apes made peace with the Karcellians, though this might be from an unaffiliated tribe. The Living Monument had fled when she defeated him, so perhaps there was nothing to link Karcellia with the mess here.
They reached the first bridge tower, but when they tried to push through, the barrier's resistance was stiffer. She didn't try to cut it this time, and it took ten minutes of pushing before they made it through, and that was with her Anima covering everyone.
The following towers were less resistant, thankfully, so it took less and less time to pass. Finally, they reached the sixth tower which represented Hotel De Lune. They pushed past the resistance and ran along the bridge, which ended a couple of longstrides later.
"Huh," Yuriko muttered.
"So if we went right instead of left, we would have already made it out," Haley murmured. Yuriko felt the others' eyes on her, and she shrugged.
"Was it not an adventure?" She smiled. "All of you made it out in one piece."
"Right," Alexis said drily. "Before we step out of the threshold, can we talk about what happened? And the repercussions to our careers?"
"I'm sure you were Altered before all of this happened, but I understand," Michael said. "What about you three?" He asked the camera crew. They wouldn't be as affected, but as celebrities, Yuriko and the others' careers and popularity would either be damaged, or improved.
"I'm not going to tell anyone," Victor said, and Sandra agreed. However, the third cameraman looked hesitant.
"I've the power to heal," he started, "I…I'm not sure I should keep it a secret."
"You don't know how your power works and what its limits are," Alexis interjected. "I suggest finding out first. I can help you there. Besides, you could always spill the beans later, but once it's out, it's out for good and you can't take it back."
"I…yes, I guess that's reasonable," Graham answered. "I'll follow your lead, Doctor Dunn."
"Good," Alexis nodded happily.
"So keep everything a secret for now," Yuriko asked, and this time, everyone agreed.
"We'll need Divine mercy to get through this," Michael said. "We've been gone for hours."
Yuriko hummed but did not comment. Her true body only noted that only a couple of hours had passed, so it wasn't as bad. They held hands and she covered them with her Anima, then pushed through the threshold.
They appeared in the middle of a field.
Riiiing!
Michael's smartphone rang, as did everyone else's. Yuriko drew in her Anima and concealed everything, though she still had the ostentatious golden collar on her hand. It was as wide as her palm, and almost as long as her arm. She folded it over so it didn't dangle.
Half an hour later, a visibly distressed Director Hopper and the rest of the crew fussed over them, some clearly upset, and others wondering what happened. The shoot was cancelled, of course, and by mid-afternoon, they were back in Neo Prism City. She was picked up by an anxious Scarlett.
"What happened? The director didn't say why they cancelled the shoot," Scarlett asked even as she clung to Yuriko.
"A supernatural event," Yuriko said dryly. "We slipped into another dimension and came out a few hours later."
"Divines, why do these things happen?" Scarlett whined.
"Who knows, but at least it kept things interesting," Yuriko smirked. She didn't mind being hugged and would like to cuddle. Maybe this would push the smol girl to settle her doubts?
They returned to their home to rest and recuperate. The orichalc collar, she left on her desk. If she hadn't kept her perception up, she wouldn't have noticed the brief flare as the runescript absorbed and discharged energy. But when she examined it later that night, she couldn't find what caused it.
__________
The Emperor of the Divine Empire felt it when the collar was unlocked. It was opened by a key and not broken. A mystery to ponder, and something to look forward to once the beachhead was established.
The Anima signature is familiar, the voice in his head said.
'Does it now?' The Emperor mused, 'A rival?'
Perhaps. We would need to be there to know.
'And what happens then?'
Either you dominate them or kill them. There's no other way.
'I wholeheartedly agree. My engines of war are ready. How long will it take, I wonder?'
Patience. You've waited long enough.
'That still doesn't make it easier.' But the voice was right. Besides, it was better to savour the meal than to choke on it.
End of Book 15