Chapter 206: Plan C

"What are you doing, Ned?" Twali said after blocking another attack from Ned.

Ned's response was another slash of his Butterfly.

This made the werewolf growl in irritation.

"Clearly you've been consumed," he said, "by that black energy. Then you left me with no choice."

Twali howled, and purple mana came bursting out his chest, his fur illuminated with purple light as the energy kept on flowing out his body. He moved, leaving afterimages to where he once stood, and appeared behind Ned and hit him with an open thrust.

Ned was thrown toward Moloatiss. They both rolled and ended up in a tree.

Ned shook his head after the attack. His eyes were adorned with consciousness as the black energy faded away from his face. "You?" He said. "I… what am I doing?"

'And so the puppy came,' the voice said. 'Bastard.'

Ned jumped off Moloatiss in surprise at the voice. "You!" Ned shout of rage. "Rassus!"

'Ah,' Rassus said, same old; same bony voice. 'Now, we're talking. Too late, I'm enjoying this body.'

After Rassus's voice—that was filled with animosity—spoke, Ned's body flared of black mist once again. His consciousness faded as the black energy wrapped his body.

'I'm not done here, Ned,' Rassus continued. 'I wonder how the puppy will taste.'

"No… " Ned muttered as his eyes were covered with black energy. He then jumped with the Butterfly in flaming black.

Moloatiss scrambled out of his crab-like feet and issued another command. This was his chance, and he took it. Moloatiss was then surrounded by a handful of goblin archers as he made his way toward the depths of the forest. He ran with his extended legs fading between trees, his direction to the fifth settlement.

"Don't let the quest escape!" Twali growled, issuing orders to the Hallowguard team. To whoever got the will and energy to follow Moloatiss.

Seeing that there were a handful of beasts left. Surprisingly, it was Baso who impressed the team. He pulled straps holding his bag and ran toward the fleeing quest—-sword ready for action. He was then followed by Sujiro, and Margaret stayed to protect the remaining team. Margaret must adapt to the current situation, leaving the team wasn't a part of his hunter code. Aside from Twali, she was the strongest of them. She needed to maintain her appearance. So she stayed, protect the team, while Twali protects them from another enemy—Ned on a rampage.

"Ned," Twali cried. As the purple energy coiled his feet, he sprung toward Ned. Both blades brandished midair. With a cross slash, Twali triggered something that he shouldn't as Ned blocked the attack with his Butterfly. Deflecting both Twali's twin blades.

Distorted black energy appeared under Ned's waist. A long, and dark, and stretching tail whipped Twali like a mere rabbi. Before being thrown, the tail stretched and coiled around Twali's canine-like feet and pulled him back to Ned. The werewolf spat a mouthful of blood as the tail slam him left and right the ground.

Holly and Molly's mana surged and Twali as the trigger.

As time passes, the black energy enveloping Ned was thickened. The Devouring did help to accumulate more mana from the beast. Ned's tail whipped Twali toward the approaching Twins. The twins scampered with their feet as they caught Twali and rolled with the weight they carried.

Hunter Jo and Hunter Ja jumped behind the fallen Twins and rushed at Ned with their spells on display.

Team leader Jo conjured a massive blade in the form of crystal while his brother, Hunter Ja, gestured a complex spell and formed thick mana defending his body. While the tip of his spear formed orbs of different sizes and colors and threw them to Ned.

Although his face was obscured of black energy, Ned smirked in the most mocking way possible as Rassus controlled his body in the most indescribable way possible. Ned's joints popped and his wound leaked blood while Rassus forced black energy out his body.

'Ah!' Rassus cried, satisfied. 'Your mana! How in Draconheilm's name you made this mana so pure! Ahhhh! Ned! This body is mine! Ohh, great—this fuckers of yours are relentless!'

Ned then conjured a dark fireball exploding between him and the brothers. Hunter Ja's attack dispersed before they could even hit Ned. While hunter Jo's massive crystal sword cracked since he used it to defend himself.

The two smiled like victory they reached.

Eight throwing knives darted behind Ned, attached with explosives. Ned's tail whipped the explosive knives as soon as they entered the tail's reach. The tail whipped, the knife exploded, the process was a repeat until one knife left. Ned looked over his shoulder at the hiding rouge. As he was about to whip the last remaining knife, to his surprise, or Rassus's surprise, even Ned has a blind spot. The knife shadowed another knife, hiding over the original. It stabbed at the tail's base, exploded, and momentarily cutting the mana link between Ned and the tail, vanishing it completely.

Vines then shot out the mud, binding Ned with magic. The vines then snapped of thorns, making Ned's forearms and legs bleed.

The Hallowguard's attack didn't end there. Holly's eyes closed—visible of sadness, yet conjured magic that restricted Ned's movements, then terra magic exploded underneath Ned's feet, and formed a thick cage, trapping him.

"Sorry, kid," Hunter Jo said. Raised his hand, and gestured. Then the cage slowly closed, completely trapping Ned.

Now, with air and vines binding Ned, with terra magic trapping him. Ned let out a chilling cry. Black energy rippled under his feet, cracking the ground as it traveled.

The terra conjured cage cracked and hunter Jo conjured another to supplement it.

The eight-foot werewolf appeared in front of Ned.

"Sujiro," Twali said, eyes glowing with yellow, sometimes green in right angles. "Where's Baso?"

The rouge seemed stunned with Twali's look. Black suit was torn, and fur waving with the wind. He shook his head, looking away from Twali's eyes to examine Ned.

"He was with the quest, Gon," Sujiro said. "The caterpillar beast was captured."

"Good," Twali said. "Now, how do we proceed with Ned?"

"Last chance," Ned said under his clouded face. "Fucker let me go before I Devour you all."

"Ned?" Sasani said and lifted the mask off her face. This took a lot of her courage.

"My lady." Twali jerked forward his Lord's daughter.

Sasani waved a hand, dismissing Twali.

The servant turned-werewolf bowed with his head lowered to lowest.

The Hallowguard team gasped seeing Lady Sasani under the guise of Swift.

They all bowed, even lower than Twali.

As Sasani walked between the team, Twali's muscles shrunk and fur grew in reverse. Slowly, his skin turned normal and his feet cracked and popped returning to its normal form. Twali dropped with a thud on both knees. He looked up at Sasani in front of darkened Ned.

"Will your magic hold?" Twali asked, looking up at Hunter Jo.

Hunter Jo nodded with sweat running down his forehead. He was consuming mana faster than his usual consumption. He gestured and muttered the complexity of his spell and conjured another cage-like terra magic. Caging Ned even further.

"Ah," Ned said. "The bastard's bitch. I'm in for Toni—I like her cold—unlike you, too obvious, and warm. Full of life, yet meaningless. You better make a stand, bitch."

Sasani fingered her ginger hair, she had rather choose Ned's flat voice than the current's grating and vile, she smiled—

And threw a straight at Ned, passing between the gap of the conjured cage. Flesh against flesh, Ned's nose bled of blood, and Sasani's hand bled of guilt and satisfaction. Guilt as she didn't want to hit Ned, yet, satisfied for hitting the one inside of Ned. Seeing him with wide eyes made her smile. She knew this wasn't the real Ned.

Ned growled a laugh. The air then stilled, and the ground cracked. Appendages of dark energy reached out the ground, trying to grab whoever was around Ned.

Twali launched himself to Sasani, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her away from Ned.

"Wake up, Ned!" Sasani yelled for the last time before they landed behind the team, away from the battle scene.

Seeing that their lady was safe, the Hallowguard team conjured spells and threw everything at Ned.

After a moment of magical bombardment and exploding, the team stopped attacking. And refreshed themselves by drinking blue and red potions handed out by the twins. But even though with all the mana and health potions involved, their breathing was still far from okay. Aside from hunter Jo and Ja, the rest were at their limits.

They waited for the smoke to settle, the scene created a hole. Parts of beast bodies: limbs, heads, entrails, scales, and furs scattered around the settlement. Smoke of woods and flesh mixed anew.

'Too many,' Rassus voice resounded inside Ned's head. With Detect on, Rassus could see all the team's position even obscured by thick black smoke. 'Plan C then, right, Ned? Never go out in a fight without Plan C.' Rassus voice hissed. "Time to say goodbye!" And laughed.

Ned cried gloriously. Dark energy burst out his body, making waves after waves of mana that flowed endlessly around him.

The team jumped away from the sea of black energy.

Living and non-living things around Ned dissolved while the sea of black energy flowed over them. As the black energy touched the limbs, and guts, and woods, and heads, and even the natural flame sizzled and dissolved in the tiniest particles.

Plan C was enacted.

Black energy coiled Ned's leg. With a grunt, he jumped and escaped away from the fight.

'No,' Rassus retorted in-flight. 'This is strategically leaving. This kid's body is too unique—I can't let him die yet.'

Ned then disappeared inside the forest, leaving toward the fifth settlement.

Behind them was Margaret with shining Sphere he held in his hand and a smirk over her face.