Hannah vs demonious kaiju

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.

"How far from the river are we now?" Tobi asked meekly. They had covered a good distance since Hannah fought the first Kaiju, but the memory still haunted him. He could barely breathe when the first one showed up.

"We're about halfway there," Hannah replied, studying the map. A trace of disappointment touched her voice. She had hoped to face something even stronger by now.

"I've been wondering," Shu said, walking calmly ahead of the group. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned. "What are Kaiju, exactly? They seem like mutated beasts, but their kantar isn’t anything like that of a beast, human, or even demon."

Hanz looked over his shoulder with a casual shrug. "Kaiju are monsters born from negative kantar—both human and natural. See, nature's kantar has two sides. There's the yang side, which arcane users like your mage buddies tap into. And then there's the yin side—darker, more chaotic. Demons love that stuff."

He turned back and added, "When enough negativity builds up between people and the world around them, the energies merge. Boom—Kaiju are born. They’re beings of darkness, but not all of them are evil."

Just as Hanz finished speaking, the group froze. A heavy, suffocating wave of kantar swept over them.

Without hesitation, they entered the domain from where the kantar originated. But the moment they stepped in, their bodies grew heavy.

Hannah and Tobi could barely move.

Shu and Hanz, however, quickly surrounded themselves in protective barriers of kantar, negating the pressure. Hannah watched them intently, and within moments, mimicked the technique flawlessly. She then extended her barrier to Tobi, allowing him to breathe and move again.

"How is this possible?" Hannah asked, genuinely surprised. "Even the Supreme Demon King—whose power rivals the Celestials—can’t cause this kind of gravitational pressure. Sure, their kantar is oppressive, but this? This is something else."

"Looks like you’re rusty," Hanz said with a grin. "That’s just the Kaiju’s natural ability. Still, the strength of this one is on another level."

"It’s coming," Shu warned. They could feel the kantar growing even denser.

"You all should leave. I’ll handle this one," Hannah declared, her kantar flaring. "We don’t have much time."

Hanz looked up through the canopy—the sun was dipping low.

"Alright," he said, placing a hand on Shu and Tobi. "Don’t die, alright?"

Hannah smirked. "I might not be in my prime, but I’ve still got more than enough to take this thing down."

"That’s what I like to hear," Hanz said before teleporting away with the others.

As the forest returned to silence, Hannah whispered to herself, "This Kaiju is stronger than I expected. Olethros… let’s fight together."

Her kantar surged explosively. Layers of violet energy formed a thick armor around her, a spectral skull mask covering her face. Her eyes blazed with power as she let out a monstrous scream.

With her transformation complete, she dropped into a battle stance, ready to face the deadliest foe she’d encountered in this lifetime.