Chapter 4

They both lept into action and immediately, the power gap between them showed. Taros was being battered badly and was visually losing the fight.

Manxou was thrusting his tails in all directions, smashing into Taros many times and finally knocking him to the floor.

"Well that trick really has done a number on you." Taros wiped some blood from his jaw. "This may not be as easy as I first thought."

"Oh please, you're on the floor already. Just give in and I won't have to hurt you." Manxou slowly walked in Taros' direction.

"There's one thing you seem to not know about Astral Beasts, we are a race built on attack power, not defence." A large orange orb was forming from his mouth, it's started to glow extremely brightly. "Ready fox boy... Catch!"

Taros fired a fast and extremely hot beam from his mouth, it blitzed towards the captain at ridiculous speeds, causing huge gusts of wind and tremors in the nearby ground. It was an attack built on raw power, it would burn through any normal human with ease.

Fox Fire...

Manxou pointed his finger toward the oncoming beam and a stream of red and white flames burst from it and engulfed the beam entirely, dispersing it in the process, revealing the stunned Beast from the mist of the attack collision.

"Well I consider myself taken aback Captain, not many have repelled an attack like that with ease before." The Astral Beast, now smirking once again. "Only my elder siblings have managed so far, and my father of course." Taros readied himself, positioning his body to strike once more.

"You're father's still alive, he must be a fossil."

"Wha..What! I'm only 16 damn it!"

"Huh?! You talk like an old man though."

"What.. Why you little!"

"Don't call me little, you're younger than I am."

"Stop distracting me, were meant to be fighting." Taros shook his head and refocused. "Let's resume, eh."

"Fine by me."

Fox Fire! A blazing stream of flames rushed toward Taros, who was blasted away. He crashed and skidded across the road, parts of his tough rock like scaly body started to chip and break away. Small scale scarring was inflicted on the road as his rocky body tore away some of the tar.

Taros got to his feet and was blasted away, again and again and again. More of his body was being chipped away and broken, exposing a faint orange glow from beneath his skin. It was as if he had a flicker of life in his body, glowing beneath the surface of his skin.

"Keep breaking me captain. We have one thing in common, we both need to be broken down in order to grow." Taros lifted his broken body, all chipped and scratched. "It's finally time to become something more, to make my father proud.... And become a true Prince of the Astral Empire."

"Cool title, I personally have granted myself a title. I call it, Strongest Captain in the World."

The Astral Beast looked over his shoulder. "And who the hell are you meant to be?"

"The name's Major, Captain of Squad 13. I thought you'd have known what I look like since you were blabbing on about me to the news channel camera." Major sat down on a nearby bench and tucked into a chocolate bar. "You should really know what your target looks like y'know. It's kind of dumb to go in blind."

"So you are my target, it's about time. I have no time for you now fox guy." Taros turned to face Major. His grin widening as if he had finally achieved his life goal.

"Oh I'm not here to fight you. I just wanted front row seats." Major kicked his feet up on the bench and watched the show.

After a short fight, it was clear that Manxou had the upper hand. More and more of Taros was being chipped away, he was literally half of the person he used to be. He stood just barely, the glow inside his body was making up the vast majority of his being now. It took the form of a human shape and ran through his entire body.

"I'm not done just yet... human scum." Taros, barely being able to move his body spoke slowly and softly to Manxou, who was now almost completely relaxed as opposed to being on guard 100% of the time.

"How on earth are you still alive. You're literally in pieces." said Major, as he was snacking on a packet of crisps. "That's pretty cool lizard rock man."

"Will you stop fooling around Taros?"

Two portals were forming from the sky and two humanoid figures descended from the sky above. Both had two dinosaur-like teeth on their cheeks. One male, one female.

You're nearly broken, it's about time you joined us in evolution...