Chapter 6
But the phenomenon was gathering more mana than he could absorb until it eventually reached a point where it collapsed on itself, which actually cracked the space-time continuum. And from that crack, a long carapaced hand in the shape of a sickle that looked like it belonged to a mantis reached out from the crack towards Ash,
who was peacefully absorbing mana which was excreted out, making his protective shell even denser. And if it wasn't for that protective shell, the sickle-like hand would have hit him—but instead, it hit the shell, which forcefully brought Ash out of his meditative state and sent him flying, hitting the wall of the opposite building.
Ash slid down the cracked wall, dust trailing his descent as tiny chips of stone crumbled beneath his weight. His feet landed with a soft thud, and despite the collision, his body remained unharmed. He took a deep breath, gathering his bearings while surveying the warped alley around him—walls bent from force,
the air buzzing faintly with leftover mana. Something had changed. His body was brimming with strength, pulsing with mana that flowed through every cell. The translucent film clung tightly to his skin, a second layer of armor that buzzed faintly, amplifying his strength even further.
His gaze slowly turned forward, drawn to the residual remnants of the phenomenon—and there, reality itself cracked. Like glass under pressure, the rupture spiderwebbed outward, expanding within seconds until something forced its way through. A strange, monstrous creature emerged—a giant crab encased in a deep blue carapace that shimmered with power. Its head was long and blade-like,
antennae twitching with eerie awareness. It had folding claws shaped like twin scythes, which snapped open with a hiss, doubling in length as it entered what could only be described as rage mode. Ash's heart skipped a beat. "Well, shit," he muttered as the crack behind the creature briefly exposed a world drenched in overwhelming mana, a suffocating realm of raw energy, before sealing shut with finality.
The blue crab clicked its massive pincers together before turning its knife-shaped head toward Ash. With terrifying speed, it lunged. Ash didn't hesitate—he activated his mana in an instant. Unlike before, this wasn't a trickle or a surge, it was a flood. Strength coursed through him like lightning in a metal cage—his muscles bulged slightly, strength peaking to human limits.
His agility surged, making his movements feather-light. His reflexes sharpened like blades, allowing him to sense and respond before thought even registered. His endurance hardened, making him feel like stone, while his perception exploded—colors were sharper, sounds clearer, everything slowed.
The pincer, once too fast to track, now moved like a slow blade. He shifted his torso just enough for it to pass, then drove a perfect jab at the joint, the exact weak point in the scythe. Bone crunched, and the entire pincer broke off.
The creature screeched in rage, its monstrous cry shaking loose debris from the damaged buildings around them. Its fallen limb evaporated into glittering mana particles that drifted like ash in a breeze. Ash grinned. But the battle was far from over.
The creature retaliated, swiping with its remaining pincer, trying to skewer him with its razor edge. Ash ducked low, spun, and slammed a palm against one of its legs, targeting the joint again. The crab skittered back with shocking speed, leaping against the wall, then clinging to it with unnatural ease. Ash followed, leaping upward using a broken crate, hurling a strike that the creature barely avoided. It lashed out, trying to catch him mid-air, but he twisted, bouncing off the wall to avoid the sweeping claw.
Back on the ground, the creature suddenly slowed its attacks, acting dazed, wobbling as though weakened. Ash dashed in, aiming to break another leg—only for the crab to release a powerful jet of pressurized liquid from its carapace. The stream hit Ash square in the chest. He flew backward, crashing into a pile of trash bins, metal crunching beneath him.
Steam hissed from the impact site. He groaned but stood—his protective film barely held, cracked but intact. Had it failed, he would've been split open. yet instead of feeling fear, like a barbarian, ash was excited. The creature clicked in triumph and scaled the wall again, its scythe-like claw extending and retracting with metallic shrieks, readying another ambush.
Ash didn't relent. His blood was pumping with mana, and his mind burned with focus. As the crab leaped, he rolled to the side, the claw slicing the stone behind him. He lunged, sliding beneath the creature, striking one of its rear leg joints. The limb cracked, snapped, and tore off as the crab shrieked and clung to the wall with one remaining pincer.
Ash leaped high again, kicking off a broken pipe to reach it, dodging another pressurized burst, then landed a powerful upward punch that shattered the last pincer's joint. The weaponized limb fell away and turned to mist. The crab screeched, antennae twitching wildly as it retreated along the ceiling.
Ash sprinted up a leaning plank and launched off a wall pipe, flipping mid-air. He landed behind the crab just as it twisted around—and with one smooth motion, he slammed a mana-infused palm straight into its neck joint. The creature's head severed with a clean pop. For a breathless second, it stood still—then its entire body dissolved into pure mana particles, floating gently upward like dying embers in a night wind. Ash stood in the center of the alley, breathing hard, surrounded by falling light. The fight was over.
"Monsters made out of mana, coming out of a portal from a world full of mana, guess goldie forgot to mention this or is this part of this world" he would be surprised if it was, but this was a perfect tool for him to grow stronger, and he was not going to waste it, so Ash didnt hesitate, despite the noise he made which would definitely attract others,
he didn't care now, he sat in a cross-legged position and meditate, gathering the mana left behind by that crabs, since his activated his mana, mana was burned, so he had to recover it, but his protective film didnt disappear,
it was permenant, a sign that he has reached the second stage which he was proud of, so using his special breathing method, he got to work, absorbing the reaming mana, not only recovering his burned mana, but he even further add more mana to his protective shell, making it denser and once he had absorbed most of the mana here, he left before the police came.
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A/N you see i don't plan on the monsters being just an exp for ash, they will have impact, really impact, and not just on ash himself, but on the world at large, i have plans for them. so they are not in the background or just a stepping stone for ash.
PS: guess the name of the monster? its is from the monster hunter universe, if you guessed correctly, i will give you guys a cookie.