If anything, to you it looked like it was far easier for her to project her chi in massive quantities than it was to precisely channel it. The energy was fluctuating wildly, to the point where you felt grateful that all this power was being wielded by a master, and not a high school freshman.

“Get clear! All of you!” Young demanded, somehow increasing the pace of her punches and palm strikes. “I'll hold them off!”

“Are you crazy!?” Delphyne asked.

“There are too many for you to handle alone!” Carn shouted back.

“No! She's right!” you said, standing back to back with the Amazon Queen. “She's still holding back because of us. Let's give her some room!”

Ward, knowing full well the capabilities of the Bloodstone, was the first to retreat. Carn and Delphyne required a bit more convincing, but after seeing Young single-handedly serve as their vanguard, they decided to leave the heavy lifting to her for a little while.

You threw down a smokescreen and sent out several flashbangs before clambering up a nearby wall alongside Carn. He might’ve been faster than you on a flat stretch of land, but he was nowhere near as agile.

Not even Ward and Delphyne could keep up with you in your current state. In fox form, you didn’t even need a grappling hook. Between your claws, fox magic and Mercy’s bandages, you barely had any need for a traditional toolbelt. For once, you were feeling pretty super all on your own!

“Whoa…” Delphyne breathed as she watched you scale a building like a cat would a short fence. “No wonder she beat you up, Ward. That girl's got some serious moves!”

“If you think you would fare better, then perhaps you should issue a challenge of your own, Gorgon.” Ward shot back.

“Children! Behave!” Young called out.

Even from this far, you could sense the chi projections that Young was sending out to keep the zombies at bay. They had her rough silhouette, but were nothing more than dense energy projectiles that matched the stance she took at the time of their creation. Some had their arms extended to strike out at the undead with a tightly clenched fist or an open palm, while others were poised to block or parry incoming blows. It was like watching a flipbook play out before your very eyes.

As mesmerizing as that was, however, you had a job to do. And that job was draw Simon's attention.

Using Mercy’s cloth, you pulled yourself into the air and sprang off of an adjacent wall to reach a nearby balcony. From that balcony, you flipped yourself into the roof, and bounded from one building to the next, each pass requiring only a single leap. You kept this up in rapid succession, your tails fluttering behind you.

Your inhuman agility allowed you to close the gap between yourself and Simon in no time. He barely had time to turn around before you were on top of him. Instead of tearing his throat out with your claws, though, you had Mercy wrap him up while you clung to his back.

(Cont.)