"Just to confirm, no magic is allowed, correct?

" I asked, right before my duel with Amane began.

"Indeed. I would like to see a battle of physical strength, not magic,

" the catwoman - matriarch of the Neko Clan and Amane's mother - said in response.

Alright...that makes it easier for Amane to take me down, which in turn makes it easier for me to accomplish my goal in coming here. Besides, my mana is also quite low, so I would like to avoid using any more if possible, until I get it refilled again. In any case, good start so far.

"What about guns? If I shoot a bullet and Amane ends up not being able to block it, wouldn't that kill her?

" I asked.

"Do you have another weapon?

" the matriarch asked, raising an eyebrow.

I thought about it for a second, then made my decision.

"Yeah, I do.

"

I summoned my twin katanas - Weapons of Chaos, and swung them around a feel times since I hadn't used them in a while. I had been debating whether or not to reveal them here, and eventually decided there wasn't anything that could potentially harm me coming from this.

"Oh? What are those weapons? I feel a powerful energy radiating from them...though I cannot quite place my finger on what exactly it is,

" the matriarch murmured thoughtfully, genuinely intrigued by my two katanas.

"Er...honestly? I don't really know either,

" I replied, feigning ignorance.

"My parents bought these for me as a gift when I turned 12.

"

"Hm...well, your parents must be pretty rich - or just lucky - people to be able to get their hands on such weapons,

" the catwoman said with a chuckle.

Lucky? Haha...if getting assassinated by your own family is considered 'lucky', then sure.

"Alright...if there are no more questions, then get ready. You will start your duel on 'go',

" the matriarch continued, looking at the both of us.

We both nodded in confirmation, and the matriarch smiled.

"Very well, then. Three...two...one...go!

"

*****

- ? -

(Mei Gui's Perspective)

Where...am I? What time is it...? My head hurts. My body hurts. Everywhere hurts. Master? Where is Master? Master!

I slowly blinked my eyes open, and saw white. I was sitting in a white room...but then I noticed the metal wristcuffs, chaining me down and preventing me from getting up from the chair. I looked around quickly, despite still being in a dazed state. This made me a bit dizzy, which didn't help my already hurting head.

I tried breaking free, but it didn't work. In fact, the cuffs seemed to lock down even tighter. Not only that, but I felt as if my mana was being restrained somehow, as well.

...Damn it...I have to get back to Master...

"Oh? Finally awake, are you?

" a man said, walking into the white room through a sealed door.

"Welcome to Exurtra Labs. The last time you were here...I'm afraid I did not give you a warm welcome. I apologize.

"

I narrowed my gaze.

"...What do you want with me? Where is Master?

"

The man smiled.

"'Master', is right here...

" he said, pointing at himself.

I widened my eyes.

"What...

"

"Soon, very soon, I will be your new Master,

" the man said with a crooked grin.

"Yes...my ultimate product will be made from you.

"

I gritted my teeth. This chair was draining mana out of me, and right now I didn't have enough to cast any spells, so I couldn't get out of here. I was completely trapped.

The last thing I remember...we were fighting that Holy Emperor in the bathroom...and then...? Did I...get kidnapped? Ngh...I am so useless...nothing but a burden to Master.

"I must say...I have never seen someone like you before,

" the man said, turning to a computer nearby and projecting some holoscreens.

"Your mana...is weird. I'm still in the middle of getting samples, but one thing is certain - there aren't distinct elements in it. Instead...it seems like a mixture...of all the elements?

"

He turned and stared at me straight in the eyes. I stared right back, not showing anything on my face. After a while, he turned away and continued.

"But of course...that would mean you can use all 21 Elements - and we both know that is impossible.

"

"I will ask one more time...what do you want with me?

" I asked in a dark tone.

The man smiled innocently.

"Nothing too big. Just...turning you into a machine.

"

*****

- Meanwhile, Back At The Neko Clan -

"Go!

" the matriarch yelled, signaling our battle's start.

Amane was the first to move. She immediately leapt onto one of the tallest pillars with a single jump, and began closing in on me at an insane speed. But alas, she was going to have to do better than this to catch me.

I stood still, waiting for the right opportunity. And then, she landed on the pillar right in front of me, preparing to leap at me. But just as she thought she was about to hit me, I jumped upwards, and onto another pillar. Amane's momentum nearly sent her flying off the field, which would have resulted in a win for me. However, fortunately for her - and me, truth to be told - she was better than that. Using her tail to wrap around the pillar, she managed to forcibly pull herself back into balance.

But this left a slight opening while she was using her tail - and I took advantage of it. I jumped towards her, aiming for her throat with one of my two katanas. She seemed surprised, and went into a bridge position - an unbelievably low one. I soared past her, and landed on the pillar behind.

"Heh...nyot bad, Xuwan Kwai,

" Amane said, getting back up to a standing position.

I looked down at her.

"You too.

"

She then prepared to launch herself at me again, and I immediately dodged this time. We chased each other around the pillars for a while, but alas, I couldn't keep up with her catgirl speed and stamina. And so, realizing I couldn't keep running, I spun around suddenly, thrusting my katana while keeping the other one in a defensive position. This surprised Amane, since she had expected me to just keep running like before.

Demihumans, however, have quick reaction speeds as well. Had it been a human, I most likely would've won right then and there, taking them by surprise. But Amane merely changed her position midair, using her left hand with the claws extended to parry away my attacking katana, sliding her hand across the blade while getting closer to me. The metal hitting metal caused sparks to fly off, but it bothered neither of us.

But Amane wasn't quite done yet. Using her free hand - the right, also with her claws extended, she reached for my defensive blade, attempting to brute force her way through. She managed to get ahold of it, and now that my defense was completely gone, her other hand, which had slid all the way down to the hilt of my blade, was free to attack.

However, I wasn't going to go down like this. Maybe if I wanted to just give her the win for free, but not now. I noticed the matriarch staring intently at our fight, watching every one of my smallest movements.

Damn it...sorry, Amane.

Right before she could reach for my throat with her left hand, I spun around my attacking katana by the hilt, and stabbed towards myself, but it was going to hit her first, of course, since she was in between my blade and my throat. Taking advantage of the fact that my weapon was longer, I knew that I was going to hit her first before she could hit my throat. She realized this as well, so she used my body as a foothold, launching herself upwards before doing a backflip and landing back on the pillar she had came from.

I managed to regain my balance, and Amane looked at me in amusement.

"Nya...you're weally strong.

"

I shrugged.

"Just one of the downsides of your weapon - range.

"

She considered my words for a second, then smiled deviously.

"Hehe~you just haven't seen the weal potential of these claws...

"

Saying this, she crossed her arms in an X-shape, and then launched her claws at me.

I was caught by surprise - so surprised that I remained fixated on the pillar for a good few milliseconds before finally responding. But by then, it was too late to jump to a pillar. My brain ran at hypersonic speeds, and I realized there was only one option left.

I jumped - off the pillar. Using one of my katanas to hit the ground below, I used it as a support to 'handstand' without falling to the ground as the claws flew by overhead. But that was not enough - the claws then circled back around, and began heading down - straight towards me, who was still in a...complicated position.

What the hell...they're homing?! Goddamn it...the Neko Clan and its advanced technology!