Ethereal Link - Part 2

One year passed by since Chiaki began her training on Hailstone Island. She learned how to regulate her powers more efficiently and with less trouble and worked on her combat skills in her free time.

She didn't make much progress and decided she needed someone to teach her how to fight, and that day arrived. She strode through the village to gather the ingredients Glaze asked of her. And once she did, she noticed a familiar face standing before a food stall, slobbering upon seeing the delicious meat.

The woman bought an entire stall and ate everything in less than a few minutes. That woman was Amber, who helped them flee the Cyber Refuge and play the role of Torque.

Amber bit into the squishy meat, driving her skin to turn red from its spiciness and breathing out fire. She squeaked and coughed, spotting Chiaki standing in the distance.

She gazed at her with a full mouth and observed her in bewilderment. She bit into an onion and scratched the back of her head.

"You're the last person I expected to see to be around here. Aren't you cold, little one?" Amber wondered, stuffed the onion into the bag, and folded her arms to appear somewhat dominating.

Chiaki seemed speechless, sweat dribbling down her face from the meeting she didn't expect to come across. Amber approached her and inquired about her reasons for wandering around in such frigid weather and terrain.

Neither knew how to respond with the correct words, creating silence between the two as the Hailstone nationals strolled around them. Chiaki found an opportunity to speak and introduced Amber to the contract she signed up for.

At first, she didn't know how to introduce it to her, but after a while, she found the perfect words and explained everything.

"I'm learning more about soul-linking and medical treatment. I planned to improve my martial arts, but unfortunately, I don't have anyone. I would love to learn how to exert more pressure from my attacks. I want to be helpful to the crew once we regroup."

Amber received an idea and grinned after setting her palm on her hip. She expressed friendliness and calmness, understanding what she should do.

"Well, if you need a master to teach you how to fight, I have a confession. I could instruct you in martial arts. However, you'll have to memorize my fighting style if you want my assistance. I created my own style I named Spirit Press. It consolidates on inserting pressure into other people's spirits to harm them from the inside out. It's not fatal if you know how to control it."

Chiaki's grim expression sweetened instantly. She beamed excitedly and agreed to accept Amber as her master for the remaining year. Knowing she found someone to teach her how to fight, she introduced Amber to Glaze to earn his permission.

Due to her enormous success in improving her soul link, Glaze agreed without hesitation.

Amber shrugged her shoulders and smirked. It allowed Chiaki to grow closer to Amber and, through time, became friends. It took more effort to learn martial arts than soul-linking due to her lack of skill and talent. However, Amber turned out to be an incredible teacher and taught everything Chiaki needed, including her unique fighting style.

-

Present day.

"What are you planning, dear? I've already told you. You can't stop me. Whether you do it or not, your real adversary will awaken. Even if you enhance your power, it won't be enough to obstruct Yerachmiel's path. Should I remind you? You have only three minutes left."

Chiaki bent forward, slowly extending her arms behind her rear, shoving her knee onward. The white flames heated, growing in temperature, and became more assertive.

Her body blinked and flashed from Hywel's sight. All he could see was a cyclone formed from an unknown force. It kicked up the pebbles, dust, and dead bushes, flinging them around like a tornado.

Hywel didn't expect much but lamented those thoughts upon seeing Chiaki emerge before him with a bent back leg, lifted in the air.

"I'll pay you back... Tenfold!" Chiaki extended her leg and plowed her foot onward, ramming her heel into Hywel's midsection.

She exerted force inside him, suffocating him and preventing him from moving. The impact destroyed the ground and carved an enormous hole beneath his feet. It blew him rearward, through the air like a thrown spear.

Chiaki spun on the floor and pressed her foot to the ground. She vanished and appeared behind her foe. She kicked rearward in the air and crashed her foot into his back like a hoof.

It hurled Hywel skyward, giving Chiaki enough time to smash the ground with her feet and blast herself above the hard ground.

She was fast enough to overcome the speed of Hywel's flight and overturned once above him. She dragged her leg along and circled with her body, bashing her instep into her opponent's face, busting his skull.

She kicked him back into the ground and reached into her cleavage, her breasts bobbing in response. She hauled out a white lasso that shone with blue hues and swung it forward like a whip.

It expanded and trailed Hywel's body, wrapping around him and forming a binding spell. It shaped a flower around him and squeezed his body, thwarting his movements.

She raised her two fingers and gazed between their gap to examine Hywel's immobilized body. "You're rigged to blow. Bloom Fulmination." She yanked her lasso back and detonated the flower into a powerful ray of light.

It exploded, stretching in the air, and gleamed pink, covering the dead zone with pink particles. Once they came in contact with the withered terrain, it revived them and retrieved some of their nature.

Like a reborn soul, the grass regrew, and the water became purified. The trees and flowers flourished, recovering their gorgeous shades. The created light divested, and Chiaki's vision returned.

She saw the beauty as the lasso in her hands disappeared in bright sparkles. She dropped to the ground and landed by spreading her arms to keep her balance. She straightened and gazed forward, seeing the one terrain she repopulated.

Hywel rested in the middle of the blooming flowers, unconscious. "It's a done deal..." She waited to see if Hywel would stand up and braced herself if he would attack.

However, he didn't.

She approached him and examined him to see if he was alive. She was fortunate as she realized it would be ideal to tie his body before he could recover.

She used her own lasso to ensure he wouldn't escape, which would shock him if he moved or exerted too much pressure.

She was calm, but even after her victory, she was yet to be free from the trouble. In the next sixty seconds, Yerachmiel would awaken. It was evident because of the dark sky and the worse thunderstorm.

"It's almost time..." She peered into the air and studied the storm. She knew she needed to be careful and barely had time to recover her strength and treat her own wounds.

To be continued...