Jake stared into Shiro's eye.
"Seems like you were questioned about it already," he whispered.
Shiro frowned, confirming Jake's speculations.
Her obsessions must have been questioned by someone close or special to her, and her current self meant that she didn't reach a consensus with that person.
Jake arched his head back and gazed down at her, "Not like I care about it or you, in particular."
He kicked her away. He loaded as much strength as possible into that single move, forcing Shiro away for at least a few meters.
'The problem is that she made me question myself,' Jake thought as he looked ahead. Her movement skill meant she wasn't all about adaptation and could throw her enemies out of their flow with powerful skills.
What else did she have up her sleeve?
Jake should have asked himself that, yet he thought about his obsession more than the battle. He recalled his life and how he always treasured how understanding people around him were.
His parents and friends accepted this side.
He could be 'offline' for months, yet his friends would always respond to his messages or casually hang out with him after all this time. His parents were only worried about this side in his adult life but still believed in him.
'I made them proud,' Jake thought. 'I don't need any more validation.'
He didn't want to question himself for longer, as it would make him less focused on the opponent before him.
She wanted him dead, and so Jake desired to kill her with his archery.
Her presence was jarring.
That was when Jake recalled someone else's obsession. In that person's case, it could be mistaken as a passion. Or perhaps it was both. What mattered to Jake was that he was at ease next to that obsession.
He sneered. "You've opened my eyes. Let's get it over with."
"I'll fill you with obsessions," Shiro replied.
"I have enough of my obsessions," Jake said before rushing at Shiro. He turned his bow into twin short swords and bolted at her. It was a content Shiro had been wanting a lot before exchanging moves with him.
As the cold presence akin to an ice dragon's breath washed over Shiro, she jerked her head to the side and stared ahead, finding Jake in his shooting form.
That... was the moment she had been waiting for.
It was the only moment Wukong would stop attacking her and distance himself from her!
She rushed like a mad hound at Jake, discarding any sense of safety.
Her movement skill weaved around her, soon teleporting her to Jake's side.
She thrust her sword in, aiming at the wound on Jake's stomach.
Jake was gone, however.
He stood beside Wukong, whose little armor had two arrows tucked in.
A whistle resounded across the forest.
Its echo dispersed as fast as it came, though.
"Instant Devour," Shiro whispered as her katana made contact with Jake's arrow. It only took her a touch to devour the arrow's strength and velocity. No sparks whatsoever conjured, and the poor arrow fell like a dead fish.
Jake and Wukong stared at it with widened eyes.
It was... unbelievable.
Shiro locked her eyes on Jake's. "Four Phrases Of The Moon."
[You have been impacted by The Four Phrases Of The Moon Skill.]
[Each attack coming from Shiro will lead to The Full Moon.]
[Upon The Full Moon, you'll be executed.]
"My adaptation skill comes from Tsukuyomi, the legendary trace. She's the Goddess of the Moon, who was worshiped a long time ago in this game's Asian Continent, more specifically, on the island that represents Japan. In this game, Tsukuyomi had been led by a nose by those who called themselves true humans. They unsealed her from the Moon to kill her.
Sealed for eons in The Moon, Tsukuyomi developed a Mirror Moon Skill and reflected this world, conjuring her own world. She believed she'd be able to turn it real with the help of those true humans and demons and be once again worshiped and loved by everyone else."
Wukong's eyes welled up.