Sparring Before trouble-
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Max parried a blow with two rapiers. Two of his amazon daughters pushed him back towards another. Vera and Silf were the daughters of the amazons from the beach. Boudicca was Vera's mother. With Silf mother being Makana. Along with Valentine and Grail they were here to defeat the Heart Monster that devloped inside them.
Which happened to be their sperm donor father. Max did not mind in the least.
"Togethor!" Vera shouted. She stepped back landing on her left toe. Hands out stretched as she sucked the air and focused it through her palms. Moving it forward as if she was forcing it into a ball. "Grail you are up!"
"Humpf!" Grail snorted as she followed the order. Besides her mother, Hippolyta, Tharna, and Donna she did like to many amazons. But Something about Vera made her listen. She had eyes like Max. "Take this present Max!"
*Schup!* Grail slip through open space with pure physical speed. The air vibrated following along. Magic amplifying due to Vera's magical focus. Fusion of spell and Cultivation technques were dangerous.
Grail slipped into real space right next to Max's side. Less than a few miliseconds to react. Her hand poised like a spear in a thrust.
*Ping!* The sound of glass breaking went off. Paying close attention, one could see the area shatter. The Max she attacked was a fake. Made of his mirrors.
"Nice. But reckless." Max formed from the glass attacking Grail. A simple arm thrust that hit her dead center in the chest. Strong enough to break her bones and send her back like cannonball towards Vera. "Do not leave you self open all the time. I told you this already."
As Grail went flying back, Silf spat at him. The water droplets turning to acid mixed with saliva. Max did not dodge them or put up a guard. She needed to see this clearly.
"Get the hell away are try to guard at least!" Sliff shouted. The moment her spit made contact, Max skin started to dissolve on the surface. She was a metahuman that had the bility to turn liquids into a corrosion. "I am not to blame if you get scarred for life."
"Hah!" Vera let loose a battle shout. A arrow made of wind shot out towards Max. She trusted he had some kind of plan. 'Lady Gaia said he is tough, so he better be ok.' Grabbing hold of the air, Max held the arrow in his hand. Letting it cut around the surface. "Ok.. your are tough old man."
"I think this is the time to take a little break Max." Mercy stated. Grail was already recovered and ready to continue. Mercy raising her hand up to stop though. "Her to face their Heart Monster you battle nut."
"HUmph!" Grail scoffed staying in place. "Whatever."
"See, I am fine. And your power is strong." Max held his hands up to show them. "Silf you must relax when using the power of yours, even in a critcal situation if you think it will hurt the others."
"It is just so hard." Silf grumbled. "I do not want to scar someone again while training." Despite fully grown, she still was a kid to Max. Her and all the amazons were for that matter. Despite looking in their early 20's maybe. Magic on the island was weird. "I just do not want someone dying because of me sneezing to hard or something."
"Try having to keep constant controll on your breathing." Vera walked over feeling tired herself. "I take a deep breath and weaker people are gasping for breath."
"Then just let go. Let your body and magic flow togethor." Valentine said. Her eyes lighting up having figure something out on her own from them fighting just now. "Just accept you can not control everything and it will be fine. People make mistakes. We will make mistakes."
*Swooosh!* Light bits of energy floated around her person. It left from Max prickling against her skin. Not regular enlightment, just small understanding the way something works. Max was showing her something that was locked away inside himself.
The insights from smarter and more peacful people. His cultivation cycling to added on to the,.
"Take a deep breath and let it happen." Max eyes glowed as he sent energy to the others. Slowly everyone lit up before taking a seat. In the center of their chest and foreheads, black swirls appeared forming little monsters that resembled Max and themselves fused in a horrible way. "Accept it.. or let it consume you."
"Gross..." Claire stated. The moment her Heart Monster appeared she stomped it out. A small gain to her cultivation but she would not accept it. She gave Max a small look over before turning away. 'If Edward becomes just a little more bold like him, I wonder what will happen?'
Off playing in the man made lake, Edward sneezed. He looked towards the capital and scratched his head feeling odd. With a shrug, he went back to having fun.
"Hmm, stronger if I accept it right?" Grail asked. Max nodded as she raised the Heart Monster up into the air eating it. This earned a smile from Max, but a look of disgust from Mercy. "MMmhh, taste so bad!" Her grin was something else. Her cultivation spun for a few cycles as she pushed her self further. "Almost there. Not much longer till I catch up with theat brat Helena."
"Haaaa." Vera exhaled finishing the process. "Despite being younger than us, she has attained more. I do not like it." She gave a nod towards Max before leaving. "Goodbye sperm donor, until next time."
*Swish!* In a golden wind of spirit energy she was gone.
The others staying to take care of this. But something odd was happening. Some energy was come towards Max. Taking a strange method that should have been closed off.
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Price of a Backlash and more-
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The moment the others finished, they left. Even the observers to go back to what they were doing. They wanted to have some fun still before heading back to work.
Max felt the backlash from space instantly as it entered Earth's Atmosphere. A lot of energy was directed towards.
Directed to him by Noveria using the ties that put them togethor still. Wanted Max to pay for not listening to her. Not doing what she wanted. She wanted to hurt him, and this was a way to do it. Showing the threat that was very present for him not taking higher measures.
Max's mind going foggy as he lost himself for a moment. It was at a terrible time to. Both he, Grail, and his daughter Valentine were sparring brutally.
*Whack!* Valentine swung a whip that caught him in the dead center of his chest. The blow lifted him up into the air and peeled off a part of his flesh. Which was harder than reinforced steel.
He slid to a halt as the two amazons felt something was wrong. They did not drop their guard. For good reason. Max landed on his feet but know one was home mentally currently.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Grail raised her spear up. Max's eyes eeked out black and red light. The "Rot" and the "Red Entity" feeding him energy. His life force plummeting to the lowest level. "Mercy!" She called.
Mercy was already running over from the other room in the underground facility. She was not alone as Claire, Morgen, and Slade came out to. The good news, most were far away enjoying themselves.
"Max.. died..." Mercy mumbled. Tears welling up in her eyes as she drew her pistols. Spiritual arrays flaring up. ".. we have to keep him bogged down till he revives fully!"
*Pow!* Both guns fired at the same time. Curving as they hit Max in the shoulders. Barely making him budge a little.
Valentine attacked with her whip. Right before the tip hit, Max bent out of the way. He then stepped away shaking his head. Confused and a little bit lost. A black glow circled his chest once before vanishing. Something tried to get out.
"Grrr!" Max pushed in on himself. His body breaking a little from the strain. Which caused his life force to dip a little. But his spirit energy and magic went up. "Gr.. ahh." Drool left his lips.
*Tsh!* The saliva burned the floor. A wave of light pressed down on the room. Oppressive in nature and barely keeping track of them as allies.
*Fwip!* Several constructs formed from Max's body. Almost decrepit hands in a way with the amount of detail they showed. Little impressions of eyes tried to from before they were suppressed.
Right before touching each of them, Max forcefully recalled them. The arms were composed of technically him. Wagging back in forth in decisions to keep going or not. The Rot and the Red Entity were willing to kill the others to save Max.
"Hah!" Claire fired a torrent of flame. Making sure to increase the intensity to help. The flames flickered white for the briefest of moments. This pushed the arms back. "Well.. that worked. Just need more of that!"
"Easier said than done!" Slade felt the touch of death in the room. Something he only felt on the battlefield during a dangerous operation. "Let me take him on right now! Grail take over if I go down!"
"Right!" Grail felt fear as she looked at Max's form. Valentine actually shivering. Amazons do not shiver! "Fall back Valentine!" Grail's command shook the amazon free. She darted off but that drew Max's attention. "Shit!"
*Bam!* A clash between Slade and Max sent a wave of pressure out. Pushing everyone in the room outward. Grail secured herself by stopping with the spear end. The others hitting the wall getting embedded in an instant.
"You need to wake up!" Slade yelled at Max. But it was a no go. "Why now of all times did this happen?!" Delivering two hits to Max's chest, he tried to disrupt his heart a little. The body needed to be beaten down a little. 'Sonic Burst!' An echo of spiritual energy entered Max in two waves.
"Move!" Morgen yelled. She freed herself from the wall and unleashed a wave of magic at Max. Slade jumped away right as Max took a strike at him in retaliation. 'What the hell is happening to his magic?!'
The strike towards Slade ripped a small tear in space. Sucking in the air around it before closing. Black and rips left Max. Protecting him instinctively. The air turning stale as it Rot took in the microscopic organisms in the air.
"If you run out of spirit energy or magic get the hell out!" Mercy fired the moment she got free. The mana/spirit rounds went through the air going for fatal wounds. "No freaking way..."
*Shuum!* The rounds were absorbed and broken down in moments. Max turned to her with a haunting gauge. Mercy lit up in multiple colors. Pink and Red the most dominant. It immediately turned into yellow. Fear inched in.
"No.. no...no.. no!" Mercy refused to give in. She bit her thumbs and coughed up her lifeblood. Boosting her power temporarily at this time. "Hand of the Chosen!" Striking with her entire cultivation base, she wanted to stall Max for as long as she can.
*Schup!* A gold light shot from Mercy and flew towards Max. It turned into a golden hand that wrapped around him. But the technique was unfinished. Only a few fingers materalised.
"Ahhhhh!" Max howled in pain. His body thrashing as it burned in the grip. "Ahhhh!" Internally he was fighting to regain himself. But it was not easy. The backlash was made worse by Nekron striking inside his soul. "You can not have them!" It was the first lucid words he said since the fighting.
Nekron was trying to find out who was tied to Max. As well as find out who he was. But Max would not allow it. They were not ready. Earth was not ready. So he attacked back. Which caused his death in the process in a way.
Slade and Grail moved up to strike togethor. Both pushing their spirit energy out to attack. Grail's spirit glowing and Slade summoning a sword to his hands. The two energies were not in harmony but that was not needed at the current time.
"I am enjoying myself." Grail grinned as she attacked. Slade was not amused. "I like this version of him. He should die more often." Her spear stabbed Max in the chest, blowing out his right side. The energy running rampant inside of him. But the next moment she frowned. "Stupid Body Cultivation!"
*Schlick!* Max's body regenerated in an instant. Burning a good bit of his blood Energy up. The Red Entity going slightly dim. The Rot was good for a moment. Then the next attack hit.
Slade's sword stabbed in deep. The burning sensation was snuffed out by the Rot's energy. Slade's eyes narrowed as he jumped back pulling Grail with him.
"Detonate!" Slade triggered the destruction of his sword. It was defintely a loss for him but it needed to happen. "You owe me a new sword dammit!" Claire was done with her prep work. As well as Morgen.
The two paused for a moment. Feeling Max fight what was trying to get out was enough to make them second guess attacking all out. But Mercy looked pretty bad as she held Max in place.
"Do it!" Mercy ordered. Regular blood left her mouth as she turned pale. Wobbling on her feet a little. 'I think.. I am gonna die toda..' She could not even think anymore. Collapsing to her knees as the technique broke.
*Whoosh!* A tower of fire circled around Max. Spinning in place burning away at his refined body. A combination of Morgen and Claire letting it all out. During the process, Morgen lost her disguise and returned to her normal self.
A pair of small eyes watched everything unfold. Noveria looked on sadly as she could already see waht would happen next. But her task finished.