Hannah Vs The Kaiju of The West

Before the group left for their quest, the mage called out to them and said, "It’s important you know that many Kaiju await you on the path to the Chanduln River. They are the guardians of the river, and only by defeating all of them can you gain access. Also, I sense Dracula’s kantar growing stronger. At its current pace, he’ll fully recover before sundown. I suggest you go with haste."

The day was still young, so no one in the group appeared too worried.

"Worst case scenario—one of us stays behind to fight while the others move forward. That’ll save time," Hannah said with a serious look.

"Thanks, old man," Shu said with a smirk. "We really appreciate it."

The mage responded with a slight nod and a rare smile.

Shu and the others followed the map until they were deep within the forest. The path to the river was well hidden, known only to the mages due to their access to the arcane state. They weren’t expecting to encounter any humans along the way.

After traveling further in, the group spotted a shadowy figure in the distance. It had glowing green eyes that shone brightly against its dark form. The moment it noticed them, it locked its gaze on the group.

The kantar radiating from it was immense and heavy—so dense that Tobi struggled to breathe or move.

The creature began slowly approaching, and with each step, the ground trembled. Shu instinctively entered a battle stance, but Hannah placed a hand in front of him.

"You need to conserve your strength. We’ll need you for the final Kaiju. I’ll handle this one. The rest of you, keep moving."

"But—" Shu began, only to be cut off.

"Just do as I say. I’ll be fine," Hannah said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Shu noticed something startling—his normally calm and nurturing mother was grinning with unrestrained excitement. She was eager for battle.

The Kaiju emerged fully into view, towering over them. With a guttural roar that shook the forest, it threw a punch at Shu, but Hannah intercepted it with ease.

"You’re mine, ugly face," she growled with a smirk. With her free hand engulfed in violet kantar, she launched a devastating punch, sending the creature flying backward.

Knowing it would need time to recover, Hannah turned to the others.

"Go!"

Hanz looked at her, saw the thrill burning in her eyes, and nodded. His doubt now gone, he said casually, "Alright, cool—let’s bounce."

With that, he teleported away with Shu and Tobi.

Hannah sighed in relief as they vanished. "Awakening my powers again… it's reignited something in me. This battle lust—it’s hard to suppress. But now that they’re gone… I can cut loose."

Her eyes glowed dark purple as her kantar exploded outward, distorting the air around her.

"Your destruction will be beautiful," she said, grinning fiendishly as the Kaiju recovered.

The Kaiju, overwhelmed by her overwhelming kantar, charged anyway, lashing out with everything it had.

Hannah dodged effortlessly, weaving between its blows. "You’re disappointing. Your power is like that of an insect. Your destruction will not be beautiful."

She placed a hand on the Kaiju’s arm.

"Begone."

In an instant, the creature turned to ash, its screams fading into the wind.

Hannah returned to her calm state and teleported to the others’ location.

When she appeared before them, they were stunned.

"Let me guess," Hanz said, raising an eyebrow. "The Kaiju didn’t live up to your expectations?"

"Yeah," Hannah replied with a faint smile. "I still feel the urge to fight. I’ll take the next one. Let’s keep moving."

Hanz chuckled and muttered under his breath, "Guess some things don’t change no matter what era we’re in."

The group continued down the path to the river—and toward the next Kaiju awaiting them.