"Ah!"
Ross and Julia groaned as the beam struck them head-on. The beam carried the force of a moving star and the explosive power of a supernova, blasting them hundreds of lightyears back.
The impact shook the surrounding space for hundreds of light years. However, as the cheats that Ross and Julia were, the power behind that explosive beam could only superheat their armour, causing them extreme discomfort and disorientation.
The two managed to dispel the momentum of the attack after several seconds of flying. They quickly distanced themselves while searching for the void creature.
"There it is…" Ross said through heavy pants.
The attack may have not injured them much, but the force still shook their system, leaving them gasping. The void creature floated on the opposite side of the dying explosion with gleaming red eyes, having no intention of attacking.
"Are you close to figuring it out?" Julia suddenly asked.
"Yeah… I just need a bit of time." Ross nodded and looked over to her. "How about this? One of us engages the void creature while the other focuses on breaking through."
"I call dibs on breaking through first." The Knight princess grinned victoriously. "Also, men first." She gestured towards the creature.
"..."
Ross was left speechless for a second. Sure, he had the intention of engaging the void creature, but the fact that Julia didn't even consider taking charge left him annoyed.
"You could have at least let me finish."
"Sorry, Ross." Julia giggled. "Giddyup. The void creature is waiting…"
Ross could only sigh in defeat. Because both hunters were condensing their mana within their bodies, they were not at full strength. That also meant they were no longer using 100% of their mana to boost their physical stats.
In that case, Ross could make use of his abilities once more. And while it won't deal enough damage, it was enough to hold down the void creature and any attempts it could make towards Julia.
"Fine." Ross muttered and took off with a bang.
With his greatsword in his left hand, Ross directed his right hand at the creature and made a grabbing motion. Instantly, thousands of flame spears condensed around the creature and swiftly closed in.
SCREECH…!
The void creature snarled, swiftly employing manoeuvring techniques to evade the spears charging towards it. Without hesitation, the void creature closed in on Ross as well.
'Yeah, that's right.' Ross grinned behind his helm. 'Come get it.' The redhead made another gesture that shifted the spears through space to instantly hit their mark.
BOOM…!
"Now then, let's breakthrough." Julia turned her back to the explosions and looked within herself. "The organelles are still condensing mana… what follows next?"
Julia observed the process within her cells, noticing how rapidly her reserves were being devoured into a concentrated state.
'I need more mana…'
The surrounding mana surged around her figure as she began absorbing into the condensing organelles. This was where things got interesting.
Because Julia was condensing the mana within the organelles instead of just storing it, the organelles began behaving differently than normal — they were vibrating as more mana was condensed.
'Let's focus on just one for now…' Julia chose one of the organelles and focused on directing the mana there. 'The process has sped up.' She noticed with a grin.
As the organelle continued to tremble as it got filled with mana, it soon reached full capacity. Common sense would have told her to stop at that point, but she knew better.
Julia continued to push more mana into the organelle until it couldn't handle the input. As such, the organelle was forced to change state to accommodate the incoming mana.
The Knight princess felt the organelle explode within her body, instantly unleashing a wave of mana that spread out from her body. It was very subtle but was still caught by Ross and the void creature.
SCREECH…!
The creature seemed to understand what was about to happen and turned its attention to Julia. When it attempted to move, Ross appeared before the creature and lunged his sword forward, taking the creature by surprise.
"Pay attention!"
BOOM…!
Ross unleashed a point-blank explosion within the creature's body, opening a wide hole in its belly before being sent flying. Not wanting to give the creature any openings, Ross stayed on the creature, unleashing one attack after another.
In Julia's body, the organelle that exploded churned chaotically as if it were about to dissipate. But then, this chaotic mana rotated and spun until it formed a vortex, devouring the energy it had just lost.
'I did it!'
Julia was about to celebrate when Alex's voice resounded in her ears.
'Not quite.' Alex chuckled. 'Remember, that was just one.'
Realizing her blunder, Julia quickly focused on every other organelle and began absorbing more mana like a vacuum pump, creating an energy storm around her body.
'It should take no more than a minute to complete the breakthrough.'
Alex pointed out as he gave Julia a push. He manipulated the primordial flow of time energy around Julia, speeding up the process. Julia had done the heavy lifting, it was time for him to set in.
'She should be done in a few.' Alex said to Ross. 'Hang in there a little longer.'
'Roger!'
Just as Alex predicted, the process reached its peak. The mana storm around Julia swirled violently, coalescing into a whirling mass of energy.
BOOM…!
A massive energy explosion erupted around her, sending shockwaves across thousands of kilometres. But then—just as suddenly—the dispersed energy began to freeze, solidifying into crystalline matter as an intense cold wave spread outward from Julia's core.
"Shit!"
The void creature had finally reached its limit. It tore through one of Ross' explosions, barreling straight toward the redhead. A single swipe sent him flying before the creature shifted its focus entirely to Julia.
SCREECH!
In a flash, it lunged at her from behind, claws pressed tightly together to form a razor-sharp edge. It ignored the biting cold that had already begun to slow its movements.
"Hmph!"
Julia snorted, her enhanced senses already predicting the attack. Without opening her eyes, she moved in one fluid motion—her gleaming cold steel held vertically—before slashing backwards in a deadly arc.