n

n

nShamac growled in his wile feline form as he rushed toward Gerund, who maintained his stance with his Gale Spear.

nAs he advanced closer, Gerund lifted his spear and spun it, causing a whirlwind around himself. Shamac halted abruptly, unable to get any closer due to the wall of wind which served as a boundary between them.

nNot only that, but he noticed the floor around Gerund, where the whirlwind was spinning started getting cracked and damaged.

n

"That's dangerous...

" Shamac muttered.

nThe wind was not just for defence but offence as well, so Shamac knew if he moved any closer he was going to get skewered.

n

"Tch, let's try this then!

" He said to himself.

nHe immediately Shapeshifted into a hawk and took flight, diving into the sky.

nHe flew higher and higher until he could see the eye of the whirlwind.

n

"Heh, I've got you!

" Shamac grinned.

nHe dived back down, heading for the opening above the whirlwind where he could penetrate and hit his unsuspecting target.

n

"The whirlwind indeed is great for offence and defence, but in doing so it reduces his visual perception. He can't see my actions from outside the strong whirlwind. Which means...

"He won't see this coming!

" Shamac concluded.

nHe increased his falling speed and retracted his wings, causing a free fall of great force.

nSuddenly, Gerund looked up, locking eyes with him and let out a smile.

n

"H-He knew?!

" Shamac said hesitantly.

nImmediately, Gerund pointed his spear upward, and it started to generate a large proportion of wind. The winds swirled and concentrated on the tip of the spear, ready to be launched in one powerful strike.

nShamac, due to the instability of the winds and the force he was using to dive downward, coupled with the whirlwinds that surrounded him was, by definition, trapped. He could go no other way than down, which appears to have been Gerund's plan all along.

n

"Now die!

" Gerund smiled.

n

"Wind Strike

"

nHe released the concentrated wind and it launched straight for Shamac, parting the whirlwind that surrounded them both. Such was the force of the wind strike.

n

"Shit!

" Shamac groaned, unable to properly flap his wings.

nThe wind flew upward, causing even the clouds in the sky to part slightly due to the pressure. The earth around Gerund reverberated in shock due to the impact of the release.

nFinally, everything settled down, and Gerund placed his spear down, the tip touching the ground as he used it to support his own body.

n

"Huff, Huff...

" He let out in mild exhaustion.

n

"It's been a while since I released so much power. I suppose this is what I get for being holed up in my chambers and office all day.

" He said to himself.

n

"Anyway, looks like it's all finished... When I get back, I should take some more training and sparring sessions to get back into shape. The only problem is finding the right sparring partner. I definitely wouldn't want it to be Pheobe. That girl is just something else

" He muttered to himself, turning to the direction where Talia and Pheobe were located.

n

"...

"

n

"I know right? That girl gives me the creeps

" A voice appeared amidst the wreckage and dusty area.

nGerund's eyes bulged in shock as he heard the voice behind him. He turned back immediately and he saw what he didn't expect.

n

"You... How are you still alive?

" Gerund asked, looking at Shamac's slightly bruised body.

nShamac, now in his normal form, turned his neck to his side and cracked it, letting out a moan of relief. He had a slight smile on his face.

nWhether it was a smile of confidence, or that of gratitude since he survived, Gerund didn't know.

n

"... And she's such a beauty too. Ah, what a waste.

" Shamac continued grumbling, ignoring Gerund's query.

n

"Bastard! You dare ignore me?!

" Gerund let out in annoyance.

nShamac finally looked toward his direction and smiled at him.

n

"You want me to tell you how I survived?

" Shamac asked slyly.

nGerund gulped as his eyes remained fixated on Shamac, preparing himself for the answer.

n

"I don't wanna!

" Shamac finally said in a tease.

n

"You....

" Gerund growled.

nShamac's smile grew even wider when he saw Gerund's expression.

n

"I was lucky to come out of that with barely any injury

" Shamac said to himself, remembering how he narrowly escaped the Wind Strike's force.

nWhen he saw the wind approaching him at a fast rate and he also heading toward the wind, unable to dodge it's attack. The first thing he did was flap his wings to ensure his dive speed was lessened. After that, he had no other choice at the moment but to use his shadow.

n

"Since it's evening, I can still use a portion of it's power. Fortunately, since the wind attacks were concentrated on a single spot, I was able to cluster my shadow into a single shield to block by body. Ah, I'm so happy I had a small body then.

" He sighed.

nDue to his small mass, and the concentration of the wind, he was able to create a smaller shadow, which means more power than a wider spread one.

nOf course, some of the wind's force affected him, giving him slight bruises, but he was able to escape nearly undamaged.

nOf course, he wasn't going to tell Gerund that. He preferred the air of mystery that surrounded his survival. It made Gerund more wary of him and slightly hesitant. That works to his advantage.

n

"Now that I've seen just what your Relic is capable of, I suppose it's time I showed you my best as well

" Shamac said, taking a crouching stance.

n

"What are you doing?

" Gerund asked, feeling a sense of foreboding.

n

"I'll have to end this quick...

" Shamac muttered.

nSince it was evening, even if he used his Shadow Armor, it wasn't going to last long and the duration time would lessen. With the drawbacks outweighing the advantages, he had to look for another alternative.

n

"I don't like using this form since it makes me feel all jumbled up inside and out afterwards...

" He continued.

nHis main weapon in the current battle was shapeshifting. As such, he was going to pull his most powerful offensive card in that department.

n

"Not to mention, I look really silly in it... Ugly and gross.

" He added.

nBut...

n

"But, to defeat you... I'll be going all out!

" Shamac said, firmly maintaining his crouching position.

nSuddenly, a massive amount of built up power began to well up within him and his entire body started morphing rapidly.

nGerund braced himself for what was to come. His eyes widened at the sight before him.

n

"What is he turning into? Is that a spider? A bird? an octopus? Just what is.... That?!

" Gerund croaked as he saw the unbelievable sight before him.

nFrom looking down, Gerund's face began to rise, looking at the tall gait and stature Shamac was taking.

n

"N-No, that is... Oh God!

" He said in horror.

n

"Shifter Type: Shape...

"

nA deep and hoarse voice echoed throughout the entire area, emanating from Shamac's new body.

n

"Form: Chimera

"

nThe new body Shamac now had possessed six hands and four legs. He possessed an extra four spider limbs behind him. Wings also formed at his back, and a large reptile tail wiggled in his caudal region.

nHis six hands were from various animal species. The claws of a lion, the hoof of a calf, the large limb of a bear, the nimble hand of the wolf, the elastic hand of a serpent, and the talons of the mighty bird of prey.

nHis four legs possessed the speedy limbs of the cheetah and the pronghorn.

nAntlers protruded out of his head, and a horn came from out of his forehead. His hair was long and flowed with tentacles.

nHe had eight eyes, each with various features, from the compound eyes of insects to the sharp eyes of birds. His jaws and sharp teeth were sharper than blades and as he breathed out, steam proceeded from his mouth.

n

"Roarrrrr!!!!!!

" He let out in a terrifying shriek.

nWith Gerund facing this monstrosity before him, he could not help but quiver a little.

n

"You're going to die here... Imperial Knight.... I'll make sure of it!

" Chimera Shamac growled.

n