Chapter 96: Opening

Howard looked out at the beautiful crystal clear water on his left and right side.

His stomach still rumbled, but he smiled. He'd been left incapacitated for almost an hour after eating the Light Core Fruit. However, he still had a feeling they could win.

Squeezing his hand, Howard noticed that his body had gotten close to reaching the B rank. His muscles throbbed with every movement, and even his ability to use Ki Projection had increased.

'I guess my body wasn't strong enough, heh, but I can finally use the gauntlet of Fire King Embrace pretty well.' Howard had been trying to practice Fire King Embrace their entire walk from iron gate to iron gate. They literally had to walk through five gates, and had come across dozens of bodies of Varlen.

A few Aresoul had also been killed, but it seemed this year the Varlen had come unprepared. Their dream beasts seemed to have been shattered by the magical Ki of the Aresoul. The remnants left behind spoke of a powerful slaughter, however, even Arlok didn't seem that concerned.

"Heh, I'm sorry again for trying to steal from Paula. However, I couldn't believe my eyes. They had over a 1000 Bristol Night Fruit! Heh, I figured me taking 2 or 3 wouldn't hurt anyone."

"You almost lost an arm, idiot," Monica laughed and gently squeezed Howard's hand. "If Howard here didn't save you. You'd probably be sleeping with the fishes!"

"They-they did listen to Howard," Alrok sighed and crossed his arms. "It felt like that entire army of Ki Enigmas was trained just for you. How does it feel to have so much given to you Howard? You have a girlfriend who wants you to branch out with other girls. I wish! My wife would kick my ass!"

Howard laughed and shook his head, gently squeezing Monica's hand. "Hah, I still don't think Monica actually wants me to have more than one girlfriend. That was just because she wasn't used to Dark Ki earlier right?"

"Howard, I do feel like it's not a bad idea," Monica smiled and gently leaned into his lips, kissing him lightly and causing him to blush. "Mmmm, imagine all the rest I could get if you were constantly occupied. No more nights staying up having to deal with the terror of you being unable to sleep!"

"We can talk about it after," Reece shook her head, "I really do need a boyfriend Monica. However, maybe just two girlfriends wouldn't be a bad idea for him. Heh, I'm not like you! I'd get jealous!"

"Stop!" Arlok pushed Howard back, his muscles instantly bulging before a powerful energy surged through his flesh. "There is a trap up ahead. I owe you guys enough to help you handle it," Arlock cracked his knuckles, his body instantly growing in size, while his shirt slowly began to tear. "There are Aresoul over there! I can sense it."

"Are you sure? How can you tell?" Howard looked ahead of them. They still had a mile over to the end of the dock. "All I see are some small boats. How can you tell?"

"My body is much stronger than yours. I can sense subtle vibrations," Arlok sighed and dropped his arm. "Keep walking naturally. However, when we get close, I'll charge them at my top speed. Howard, don't you worry, the Mocralin are a perfect counter to the Aresoul. You just watch!"

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"On three. Begin to channel the largest attacks you can," Arlok cracked his knuckles and neck and prepared his entire body for the large battle ahead. "Heh, don't worry about me, either. I may not look like it, but I'm in the B rank!"

"Don't die," Howard took a deep breath. Deep inside of him, he could feel the Dark Ki he's stored safely inside of him beginning to swirl. Tapping into it, his power would explode, his reflexes increase, and his muscles unleash more damage. Moreover, he'd also be more ruthless, he'd aim for the kill without a second of hesitation. "I will use all my strength immediately. You might be impressed."

"Thank you," Reece patted Arlok on the back, "We know you're tough, but that doesn't mean your wife deserves to lose her husband. You're a good guy besides for the fact that you steal sometimes,"

"Heh, thanks. However, her, pregnant? She'll want me to get her food all the time! Ugh, i might just have to die today to keep that from happening," Alock laughed before he pushed his foot back into the pier.

Boom!

He shot forward like a bullet, causing the dock's wooden planks to shoot in multiple directions. Screws sprinkled into the water, and the air seemed to get shattered.

"He's fast. What is that 300 kilometers an hour!" Howard held out his hand, suddenly causing a massive fire to birth to life in front of him. A dark flame began to swirl inside of it, causing it to look like a moon fusing with the sun. "Heh, he's so fast, I bet even Barabin would have trouble catching up to him!"

"Howard, focus!" Reece also created a massive flame that flowed naturally into Howard's ballooning ball of energy.

In the last month, they'd gotten much better at combining Ki, almost to the point that their energies acted as one. When Howard had been training, the Varlen sometimes attacked, and Barabin made Howard train with Reece and Harley.

With their flames together, their energy seemed to enter into the realm of the A rank!

Seeing Alock turn the corner and get burst into by a beam of light, Howard instantly sent his attack shooting forward.

"To your side!" Monica pushed Howard off balance, causing his attack to spin off into the distance. A large beam of light shot between them at this moment. In the distance, a small boat with two mages could be seen shaking their heads.

Orel charged up one more attack, standing on the rocking boat frame, before another burst of energy came to life and shot at the dock.

Boom!

Planks shot into the air and went flying in every direction, the Horned scattered, and the lake began to freeze. Monica rushed towards Orel with a blue light spreading out from her body, causing the entire surface of the lake to begin white as snow.

A rage had suffused in her face. She looked like nothing could stop her from destroying anything in her path.

"You-you almost hit my boyfriend!" Monica stepped back before a beautiful blue spiral of light burst from her fist. Three dozen pillars of ice shot forward, full of sharp thorns, right towards the two Aresoul.

Seeing this, Orel just laughed before he instantly vanished into lines of flickering light. Blurring from his position, he seemed to appear 10 feet from Monica, his feet firmly planted on the ice while the boat behind him shot into fragments in the air!

"Hoh, I'm so excited!" Orel's body soon seemed to suffuse a powerful energy that turned into a set of white glowing armor on his skin. "Mm, you dance so well!"

"You're underestimating me," Monica smiled wickedly while she connected with the Dark Ki in her body.

In the last few days, the two sides of Monica had slowly started to switch back to their rightful places. The normal Monica, who was careful and cautious and hated being mistreated had somewhat resurfaced. However, now, she completely fell into the feelings of darkness in her heart.

'I can't let anything hold me back from growing. Even Howard! That monster will not surpass me!' Monica's hair began to rise above her head, the tips starting to freeze and turn white, while a black aura appeared around her body. "Ugh, come on! Come out! Come out damn it and kill him!"

"Hoh, you called?" Monica heard a voice before she felt a powerful surge of energy crush into her abdomen. Suddenly, the world in front of her started to spin counterclockwise. "Hah, she finally wants me! You're giving in, Monica? You tried so hard for three hours, and look. I'm back!"

"Kill him, please! I beg you," Monica wiped tears from her eyes. "I-I don't want to be my old self. Please. Please help me!"

"Hmmm? I am you, idiot!" The voice laughed before Monica seemed to explode with light!

Boom!

A large gale of energy surged out of Monica while Orel charged towards her in his white armor. Looking like an apparition of death, around Orel's body six doors appeared, all beginning to prepare energy to fire at Monica. In the B rank, Orel actually had few people to fight him in his age bracket!

His entire approach screamed off confidence, if not with a little lecherous intent.

"Ha! Take this! Get blown away so I can pick you up and take you to my dreams!" Orel's body burst with a pure Ki energy that went straight towards Monica's position.

Truthfully, Orel was already impressed. Monica required him to unleash his full nature and power in the attacks. He even summoned his armor to protect his torso incase she had used any surprises.

However, not only did she attack him from behind, she seemed to not move in the face of those spiraling six white lights. They fused together in the air, turning into a small string that aimed for her heart. Within inches of her face, Monica opened her eyes, a large wall of frigid ice instantly birthing on her torso.

"Ha, too late! Score! I get to play with a cute girl tonight!" Orel licked his lips and watched Monica's figure disappear in a cloud of white dust.

Hitting a Horned in the heart wouldn't kill them, but a perfect hit would incapacitate them long enough for him to put handcuffs on her. Back at the sixth station, he'd been many of the men who longed fro Una only for Kreal to take her into his room and do god knows what!

He couldn't help but smack his lips in excitement. So many people had bullied him over the years, called him fat, and now he finally would show them all! He'd bring back the prettiest girl he ever saw, and have her be his! She wouldn't be able to escape.

"You're fly is open," A voice appeared from the growing smoke to Orel's surprise. "Hahahaha! So pathetic! You're full of openings."

"Who said tha--" Orel felt a burst of energy come from beneath him, piercing through his armor. A large spike of ice seemed to be traveling up into his being, causing the entire world to begin to go dark.

Swoosh!

Monica appeared from under the water, smiling as she jumped through the ice and spun in the air. Her white shirt stuck to her skin, her blue skirt perfectly hugging her features, while she gently landed next to Orel.

She's come from underneath him, but in addition had left a perfect replica of herself back where she'd previously been. Once that happened, all she had to do is find a flaw in his armor, and poof, Orel's body collapsed to the floor!

"Hmmm, you're still breathing?" Monica smiled and watched another Aresoul, the one that had been in the boat, run as fast as he could away from her direction. "Hoh, did you want to do something to me punk?"

"Your boyfriend will die!" Orel stared up into Monica's beautiful eyes and smiled. "So will you if you kill me. Let me live, and I'll protect… Protect… You."

"Hmm, so annoying," Monica's hand seemed to slice through the air, causing Orel's body to get cut in half. "Heh, my boyfriend can't die. He has so many things to conquer hahahaha!"