Canis stood there smiling, arms crossed as he looked at Derima. With a swift swing of his sword, Derima sent a Dark Air Slash streaking toward him – but Canis simply twisted his index finger in a circle, redirecting the attack with ease.
Derima felt a flicker of frustration at Canis's complete lack of reaction. He activated his wings and soared into the sky, pointing his sword directly at his opponent below. Canis's eyes widened with curiosity at what was to come.
Using his new technique "Dark Stride," Derima sent an invisible force piercing through Canis's head. Blood gushed from the wound, but instead of falling, Canis began to laugh. Derima and Altair stared in shock – neither could believe he was still alive.
"How is he not dead?!" they both thought at the same time.
The hole in Canis's head regenerated in seconds, leaving only dried blood behind. He looked up with a menacing glare.
[Canis]: "Your powerful.. but not quite."
Before Derima could react, his head twisted 780 degrees. He gasped in shock as Canis laughed wickedly, then turned his attention to Altair – his head rotating a full 360 degrees as he walked toward her. She'd hidden in an alleyway, her mouth clamped shut in fear. When she looked up, Canis was standing over her with a sadistic grin, his finger resting on her chin as he admired her features. Altair wanted to pull away but was frozen in terror.
[Canis]: "Your quite beautiful young lady.."
He complimented her, and she pressed her right hand over her mouth to stay silent. Just as Canis grew bored and reached for her neck, Derima appeared behind him and slashed clean through his throat, decapitating him. His body crumpled to the ground – but his head remained conscious, grinning up at them.
Altair sank against the wall, shaking with fear, while Derima looked down at Canis with cold calm.
[Derima]: "You idiot, you think that you can just simply kill me by twisting my head..?"
Derima activated "Dark Supernatural Healing" – a skill that let him recover at incredible speed and granted him partial immortality as a Dark Angel. Canis laughed with excitement and spoke loudly.
[Canis]: "How amazing of you!!.. i hope you'll entertain me to the end!!!!"
Derima smiled back at him.
[Derima]: "Yeah.. i'll make sure you'll never twist someone ever again."
Canis backed away, then twisted nearby houses until they shattered into pieces. Floating debris and rocks hurtled toward Derima, who dodged them all by flying through the air. He spammed "Dark Stride" repeatedly – it was the only way to attack without getting too close.
[Canis]: "IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT!!??"
Canis shouted down at him, then grabbed the ground itself and twisted it. Altair had already found safety and watched as the Town of Petheria was torn apart – buildings demolished, streets battered, and everything left in ruins. Derima struggled to keep up; every time his attack landed, Canis regenerated instantly.
[Derima]: "Dang it!.. he sure is powerful, i guess i'll use a new move.."
Derima drew his sword back at a 120-degree angle and slashed through the air, unleashing "Overwhelming Tide." An enormous wave of air halted all incoming debris, then crashed into Canis, burying him under rocks and rubble. But Derima was also injured – shrapnel had hit him, and his mana was running low from spamming "Dark Stride," slowing his healing.
Canis twisted free of the debris, blood covering his body but not a single wound visible. He grinned creepily.
[Canis]: "How weak of you.. you can't kill me like that."
His regeneration far outpaced Derima's – but then a powerful red gust of air slammed into him. He tried to twist it away but failed, crashing into the town's statue as Tzukaga appeared.
[Tzukaga]: "Sorry, i didn't know that there was a commotion and a dangerous fight going on here.."
Tzukaga drew his sword and swung five times in quick succession, striking Canis hard enough to slow his regeneration.
[Canis]: "Tsk.. i'll kill you next time.."
Canis teleported away, and Tzukaga sheathed his sword. He looked at the badly injured Derima as Altair ran over and hugged him tightly, her voice soft with worry.
[Altair]: "You idiot!!.. you made me worry too much!.."
Derima tried to smile but couldn't speak – rocks had damaged his vocal cords. He slipped into unconsciousness as blood seeped from his wounds. Altair turned to Tzukaga, her eyes full of fear.
[Altair]: "Is he going to be okay..?"
Tzukaga smiled reassuringly.
[Tzukaga]: "Yes.. hes going to be okay if he restores his mana and heals himself again."
Altair sighed in relief, though worry still lingered. The tragedy had claimed over 45,000 lives – nearly the entire town – leaving streets covered in debris, blood, and destroyed buildings. Getau arrived to find the scene of devastation; elves and humans cried for their lost loved ones, while children huddled together in fear. Altair, Tzukaga, and Getau worked to get everyone to safety as Derima lay bandaged in the carriage – most of his body wrapped, with only 3/5ths of his face covered.
Even in his sleep, the System appeared before him.
[System]: Battle of Canis
[System]: Casualties: 45,000
[System]: Injured: 5,000
The survivors were in immense pain, but help arrived quickly – the town was close enough to Shaul that aid was not far off.
Hours later, Derima woke at midnight to find himself in a tent. He yawned and stepped outside to see over 5,000 tents spread across the area. To his left lay the demolished town, and he fell to his knees at the sight.
[Derima]: "I.. it's my fault.. but it was his fault.. he kept twisting every houses and throwing it.. that bastard.. that bastard--- i'll get powerful and kill him somewhere in the future."
His tone shifted from guilt to cold resolve. His red heptagon pupils faded back to their original white diamond shape, and he stood fully healed – his mana recovered in less than a day.
The next morning, they loaded food and supplies for the survivors into the carriage before leaving. Derima sat quietly, staring at his hands with guilt, until Altair placed her hand in his and smiled warmly. He returned the gesture, and she rested her head on his shoulder as they both fell asleep to the sound of the horse's hooves.
They arrived at the Large City of Authea, east of Shaul – known as the "Calm Town" for its quiet atmosphere and friendly but reserved people. Getau called out to wake them, and they sat up with a start, rubbing their eyes before climbing out of the carriage.
After stretching, Derima turned to Getau.
[Derima]: "Where are we..?"
Getau smiled back.
[Getau]: "We're in the Town of Authea.. it's a pretty calm city, with its people being mostly quiet and having only short conversations."
The System appeared near Derima's face.
[System]: Town of Authea, has a population estimated round 894,000 and mostly populated by humans but also Elves, Dwarves, Goblins and Demi-humans, and it's Population is high, but the town and the people is calm and silent.
Derima's eyes widened – he couldn't hear a single shout or loud noise. Altair's excitement broke the silence.
[Altair]: "Come onn!! We need to Explore it!! Let's goo!!.."
Derima smiled at her enthusiasm.
[Derima]: "Alright.. Alright.."
They entered the town to find people waving or greeting them with sign language. The buildings were spotless and impressive, including the Large Mana-Recovering Hospital (LMRH) – where those with dangerously low mana could be treated before it led to heart failure or cardiac arrest.
[System]: Mana only needs to be at low, but if its overused mana or very low mana, it can lead to Heart failure or a Cardiac Arrest.
The text glowed blue – a new feature for the otherwise black-and-white neon System.
Derima glanced at Altair, wondering if he should ask about her being the Ethereal of Snow. He held back, worried she might think him strange – but she interrupted his thoughts by pointing at a 20-meter statue labeled "Doc. Jakkido Eustachia." The System activated again as he looked up.
[System]: Doctor Jakkido Eustachia, the Promised Doctor, he was the doctor who saved everyone from a Plague around 1200 AJT, which is called the Darkshadow Plague
Derima was fascinated by the history and wanted to learn more. Altair's crystal-blue eyes sparkled as she admired the statue, and he sighed – he was growing used to her lively attitude.
Suddenly, a scream rang out from a distance. A man was impaled through the chest by a tentacle, his eyes wide with shock.
[Altair]: "What going on now..?!"
She spoke softly, fear creeping into her voice.
[Derima]: "I-i don't know.. but.."
A figure hovered in the air, his back covered in massive tentacles that kept him aloft. He began attacking people without hesitation, and the town erupted in panic as everyone fled. Derima drew his sword and faced the monster.
[Derima]: "I'll handle this.."
Altair nodded and ran with the crowd, glancing back to watch him.
Derima's pupils turned red and heptagonal, his black feathered wings unfurling – and for the first time, a halo appeared above his head. Tentacles lunged to crush him, but he flew away swiftly, slashing through three of them with his sword. They regenerated instantly and tried to pierce him, but his agility and battle sense kept him safe as he darted between them. He lifted his sword high, channeling all his mana into it.
His halo began circling the blade, which glowed with dark energy and turned obsidian black. The tentacle user looked up with interest, his eyes widening in anticipation.
Derima let out a shout – the effort of channeling 75% of his mana causing him intense pain – as he swung the sword, unleashing "Hellbreaker Slash." A wave of pure darkness with gleaming red edges cut through the air, slicing the monster in half along with all his tentacles. Derima flapped his wings carefully to stay aloft, keeping his guard up.
Getau watched in awe as the fight ended, while Altair stood beside him with her hands over her mouth in amazement. Most of the town had been evacuated to safety, but the System appeared to show the cost:
[System]: Injured: 120,000
[System]: Dead: 15,000
[System]: You have acquired a new skill: Dark Tentacles after defeating the Tenticle Monster.
Derima smiled slightly and used "Pain Adaptation and Nullification" to safely land, then activated "Dark Regeneration" to heal his wounds. His mana was low, but not dangerously so.
The crowd cheered and clapped for him as celebrations broke out. Altair walked over to poke at one of the massive tentacles, looking curious.
[Altair]: "Hey, what are we going to do for this large tenticle..?"
Getau tilted his head thoughtfully.
[Getau]: "Can we cook it..?"
Altair made a disgusted face.
[Altair]: "No, the Tenticles aren't for food, they contain chemicals that can kill people."
Getau looked down dejectedly as Derima spoke up with an idea.
[Derima]: "I have a skill that can nullify and remove chemicals from anything. For example.. if someone had too much carbon dioxide in their lungs, I could place my palm on their chest and draw it out."
Altair looked surprised, then nudged him with her shoulder.
[Altair]: "Thats my--!.. AHEM, now do it."
After Derima purged the dangerous chemicals from the tentacles, the survivors boiled and cooled the meat. At first, they were put off by its black exterior – but once cut open, the inner meat was delicious. Getau danced a traditional dance while Altair sang a beautiful song with her soft voice, and Derima ate steadily to restore his mana.