Shadow Realm

Buio arrived out of the shadows with his hand already flying forward. Before it could connect however, Buio temporarily lost control of his motor functions then remained in place for a split second.

The delay wasn't detrimental but it was just enough for Hitei to evade his incoming attack. By the time he wrestled control of his body away from Mächtig, Buio was surrounded.

Mächtig was keeping back while Hitei, Dosuru and Fade were in closer yet varying proximity to him.

It was obvious that as the one with abilities which were going to find it more difficult to get past his defenses, Mächtig would be the group's ranged fighter.

Especially since she would serve as a better distraction than she would as a damage dealer. Which Hive already knew due to their previous encounters.

The Guild master who had the ability to manipulate heat could serve as both close and mid ranged fighter due to his two separate abilities.

While Hitei and Fade had their perks. Despite all of their combined abilities, it would be difficult for them to best him, even if he was only able to manipulate the shadows. Shadow manipulation would be more than enough to evade and counter their attacks if need be.

As long as he had sufficient mana that is... and considering Hive's intellect she had certainly taken that fact into account. So how did she intend to get the upper hand on him in this situation?

Certainly she could have prepared more and where were their Permaclones? Something was off, Buio didn't know what but figured he would find out in due time so he put it out of his mind for the time being.

It hadn't taken Buio much time to begin and finish his train of thought. As soon as he had done so he sensed as one of his opponents began to accelerate towards him. As he suspected, it was Hitei but Dosuru was also closing in from the other direction.

Even tho he could have easily prepared a counter, Buio decided to observe and give them enough time to initiate their attack.

In the next few seconds Hitei's fist was already closing in on him, Dosuru had stopped some distance away likely to avoid getting within range of the impending attack.

Just as he had suspected the moment he attempted to retaliate, it immediately became difficult to control his limbs. 'Oh, so that's how it's going to be.' He thought ruefully.

Got it. Before the guild master's attack could land, Buio swiftly poured mana into morphing himself into shadows.

No sooner than he had done so, Hitei's fist reached his stomach.

Buio fully expected Hive to attempt to kill him, so he was not surprised.

In the next second, Dosuru arrived and Buio felt a smouldering heat permeat his surroundings. By this point Buio's shadowy stomach had been ripped apart and was just now reforming from said shadows.

Since the heat he could give off needed to be at levels which the others could bare, Dosuru's attack was more than bearable. Compared to the flame of Dragon's his attack was like lukewarm tea at best.

Buio could have dealt with Dosuru quite easily, if he intended to kill him that is. Due to the current situation he could not kill him, since everyone present was an unwilling accomplice to Hive's folly.

So he needed to beat them without killing them, which would be tedious to say the least and could cause major issues in the future for one major reason.

If Buio opted to use multiple different means to overpower Dosuru in particular, it would eventually allow him to adapt to whatever abilities happened to be thrown at him.

Buio couldn't have that. If it was simply Dosuru himself which would be able to use this against him, that would be one thing, one probably completely inconsequential thing. However since this was Hive he was dealing with, Buio was more cautious and this made him pensive.

Which was why he hadn't retaliated since the other Guild Master arrived within close range. 'Very smart move Hive... but that won't work. Hm, what to do what to do?' Buio thought. 'Compartmentalize!' He thought as a wide grin appeared on his face beneath the mask.

In the next second, several dark tentacles materialized from beneath them, enveloping the now struggling guild master in shadows.

Hitei who had been preparing to attack Buio once more, averted his attention towards the tentacles immediately, choosing to attack them instead.

The shadow tentacles were quickly ripped apart by a devastating attack but it was too late.

Apparently Hive must have already allowed Dosuru to adapt to Hitei's attack power prior to their current confrontation. If not, she would not have allowed Hitei to initiate that attack in such close proximity to him.

Where the shadow tentacles had been only mere moments earlier, there was now a fading sensation of smouldering heat.

That was the aftereffect of a fully unleashed attack by a mantis shrimp, which could temporarily produce temperature that would make water boil.

'She's definitely been preparing for this moment.' Buio thought slightly amused. As soon as Hitei discovered that the tentacles were already empty, his body made a swift manoeuvre turning towards him, then prepared to attack.

Buio had created a small pocket dimension and sent Dosuru there, instead of allowing him to be sent into one of the translucent containers where he could slowly adapt to the time alteration.

Hitei had already closed the very short distance between them and was now within arms length of him. His leg was heading towards him in an arch. Just then Buio sensed as Fades shadow abruptly became nonexistent.

'That again, i wonder if he remembers that i can sense him no matter what?' Buio thought as he willed his body to become one with the shadows.

Just then he felt as all of his remaining opponent's began attempting to siphon mana from him. 'Hm, you don't say!' Buio thought then chuckled. Aloud he said: "If you wanted something from me you should have asked nicely."

Buio did not fight it, instead he enveloped the entire area in even more shadows, then flowed through them to where Mächtig was. He felt as the female guild master tried to pull on his blood to manipulate his movements.

When her attempts were proven to be futile, Mächtig's entire body morphed into blood just in time to evade a punch which went right through her stomach.

Mächtig immediately made her now blood based form coagulate around his hand, trying her best to hold it and possibly him in place.

Just then Fade arrived behind him and several tentacles grasped Buio's limbs. Hitei was now above his head and plummeting down with alarming speed.

However neither Fade nor Mächtig seemed to be attempting to get away from the vicinity of the incoming attack.

Buio could have easily made himself intangible despite all their futile mana siphoning and meaningless attempts at restraining him, however he was interested in what would happen next. So he didn't...not until the very last second.

Fade simply made himself intangible, as he had expected but to his surprise Mächtig had also become intangible.

He had wondered if the woman would have taken the direct hit, since even in her blood form Hitei's attack at full force would have evaporated her significant portion of her body.

Buio hadn't been paying attention to the fight between Fade and Float during the Elite Force tournament, so he didn't know about him being able to transfer his abilities onto others and hadn't asked. So he was understandably surprised.

"Since i don't intend to kill any of you this is going to take a while huh?" He muttered in an almost inaudible tone.

"Yes, it will...." Hive's voice uttered from all three of the vessels.

Buio who was still intangible after avoiding Hitei's attack, quickly withdrew his body from all of his opponents.

Fade's beast bond's tentacles grasped at him without effect, Hitei sent several punches flying at his body to no avail and Mächtig attempted to pull on his blood once again.

He began his descent into the deeper shadows below him. Then sensed himself being slowed. This was not at all like what he felt whenever Mächtig tried to use her blood manipulation on him.

Intead, it felt eerily similar to the time alteration ability which he and his Permaclones had began to master only just recently.

'Osoi's ability... but she hadn't been here earlier though. As a matter of fact her original body is far away from here locked in combat with guild master Fukutsuno.' Buio thought with a grim expression forming on his face.

Osoi was indeed still locked in combat with Fukutsuno. Her Permaclone however... was not. Buio sighed audibly. "Let me guess, you have a lot more vessels to throw at me than you were letting on." He said aloud, addressing Hive.

Buio was right...because at some point during his stalled descent into the shadows, he sensed as a massive release of mana took place and several humanoid figures materialized into existence within the dome of shadows which he had created.

One of Hive's vessel's or subbordinate's had the ability to shroud their existence and that of others from him... their shadow, mana and mana distortion altogether at that.

Hive's subbordinates and vessels did not need to be teleported, they could simply hide in plain sight almost anywhere. No wonder they were having such an arduous time finding the civilians.

With an ability to hide their presence like that, not even shadow sense would be able to locate them. There was yet another very troublesome foe at hand.

Buio sensed as he was gradually surrounded, then a nauseating wave of mana began to pour out in his direction and he felt as every single thing slowed.

Time, his perception, his body, his senses, his breathing, the shadows.