[22] The Phantasm That Protects

Jihyo looks at yet another strong opponent in front of her.

Shintel, a subordinate of the Koul'in General Khera.

She looked calm and relaxed, even in the face of two Manifest wielders. From that look, Jihyo knew Shintel had experience in the ways of combat, and she isn't going to let them go anytime soon.

Next to her was Benedict, a Manifest wielder from New Zealand. Just like Zeke, he was stranded in this hellhole for months now, with only his Manifest and his smarts as his survival tools. He had so much anger in his eyes---determined to destroy whatever was in front of him. He knew that if they fall, then he would never see his wife Callie again. His son wouldn't meet her mother.

He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

"Get ready, wielders! Here I go!" Shintel says as she charges towards the two.

"Phantasm... lend me your strength..." Benedict muttered as the switchblade glows in power.

"No breaks for me, I guess..." Jihyo takes a deep breath as her cane sparkles into a katana.

Jihyo and Benedict charged at Shintel, but she was faster than them as she thrusted both her rapier and her claw at unimaginable speed towards the two.

"Artic Blades: Lacerate!"

The two wielders were caught off guard and tried to block the attack, but the Koul'in was lot quicker than they are. She vanishes for a while and reappears behind them as she slashes them with fierce might.

Benedict sustains a deep claw mark on his right arm as he falls with a thud. Jihyo takes a deep cut to the shoulder from Shintel's rapier as she kneels in pain.

"She's too fast..! I... I didn't even see her attack..!" Jihyo said to herself.

Benedict struggles to stand as thoughts flooded his mind.

Having a Manifest sure was a huge help for him over the years that he was taking care of his son in Callie's absence. He had it since he quit his job as a barber in New Zealand. He thought he would need a souvenir---something so that he can remember the work he's done--- so he took one of the barber's scissors and left. Little did he know, it contained power beyond compare.

The night he first activated it, he was at a fruit stand with his son, buying him strawberries.

As he and his son was walking in a darker part of the city, they were ambushed by thieves, who had an intent to kill. He was beaten senseless while his son watched.

He never wavered, however, and his desire of protecting Glendale grew stronger. Soon, the Manifest heeded his passionate goal, and the scissor activated, burning a thief's head with such intense flames.

He never asked why, or how it has all these powers. The only thing that came into his mind was how he can use it to protect his son.

Benedict stood up, bloodied and beaten, looking back at Glendale as he gave a reassuring smile.

"I'll be your hero!"

Those were the words he said to Glendale before fighting with the thieves.

He won single handedly, and from then on, his son calls him a "superhero".

The sudden improvements in his strength and stamina were noticed by his family members. But only Glendale knew about his Manifest and it's unique abilities. His family members speculated that he was exercising alot, and that there was "someone guiding him and lending him strength, like an ancestral phantom or ghost." Thus, he named his fiery Manifest "Phantasm", and has since used it to protect his family---especially his son.

And even in a face of an otherworldly being, he knew he had to uphold that promise.

A shout snapped him from his thoughts and as he looks, he sees that Jihyo was now charging toward the enemy.

"Crystalline Blanket!" Jihyo unleashes a blanket of slashes towards Shintel, to which she blocks with her claw and rapier with alot of effort. Despite Jihyo's exhaustion from her previous battle, she still manages to wound Shintel with a few cuts to the face, a sign of Jihyo's steadily growing strength.

"What an astounding speed..." Shintel thought. "Finally, after weeks of killing weak humans, I'm now fighting experienced warriors... my work... is going to be fun!"

Shintel breaks Jihyo's attack soon enough, and her rapier glows in icy might.

"Frost Teardrop!"

She unleashes a barrage of fast, piercing thrusts toward Jihyo. The shockwave that the attack generates sends Jihyo flying to a car nearby.

Jihyo groans as Benedict rushes to her.

"Cool, right?" Shintel said. "But I'm not yet done!" She said as she once more dashes at full speed towards the two.

"This is going to leave a scratch... Tipping Glacier!"

Her claw glows in icy power as she spins, swinging her claw full force towards Benedict.

Benedict quickly reacts to her incoming attack as his switchblade glows.

"Ravenous Kea!"

Benedict thrusts the Phantasm forward as it unleashes a clock of fire that looked like a bird, eminating from the blade's tip. It strikes Shintel's claw, but she manages to swat it off and retaliates with her own piercing attacks. Benedict retreated a few feet as he painfully exhaled.

"Too slow, wielder." Shintel lunges at him again.

"She's too quick... I'll have to delay her before we get more injuries!" Benedict said as he readies to swing his Manifest.

"Wild Fire Wall!"

The Phantasm glows as Benedict swings sideways, creating a huge circular wall of fire that shrouds Shintel effectively. She stops at the sight of the fiery wall blocking her path.

"Trying to trap and fry me?" Shintel said from the inside.

"Yeah. I can't let you get our Manifests." Benedict replied.

"Well, this isn't an effective way to do it." Shintel scoffs.

Benedict suddenly feels Shintel appear behind him and as she looks, she immediately lands claws his back.

"Guh!" Benedict falls as he grunts in pain.

"Daddy!!" Glendale screams as he rushes down the stairs.

"Glendale! You can't...tsk! Hey!" Zeke immediately follows the kid.

Jihyo attacks with her Manifest, but Shintel slightly overwhelms her with her own slashes, and kicks her to the side.