Joseph felt the pressure rising, his arms trembling as one hand gripped the profane spirit's arm and the other pressed its neck to the ground. 'Why the hell isn't that idiot running?!' He could still feel the girl there, frozen like her feet were glued to the floor. 'Fuck it!'
With no time to think, Joseph released the spirit's neck and pointed an open palm toward Charlotte. 'Repulsion!'
An invisible wave exploded from his hand, striking Charlotte. She screamed as her body was thrown backward, straight through the warehouse entrance and landing outside.
But the price for his decision came swiftly. Without both hands holding it down, the profane spirit twisted on the ground.
'Damn it—' Before Joseph could reinforce his guard, the creature's bony elbow slammed into his ribs.
The silver aura shattered at the point of impact, breaking like thin glass.
A searing pain burst from Joseph's side, and the force of the blow sent him flying.
His body spun in the air, crashing hard onto the dusty floor. He rolled twice before slamming his hands into the ground and pushing himself up, landing firmly on his feet, eyes locked on the profane spirit. 'Looks like I'll have to take this seriously.'
Clapping his hands together, Joseph muttered, "Veil of silence, come to close. Sound and sight, let them repose. None shall hear, none shall see. Let this space forgotten be."
A pulse of spiritual energy radiated from him, and a translucent barrier began to rise from the outside, sealing off the warehouse and cutting it off from the world beyond.
"Well then..." Separating his hands, Joseph released all his spiritual energy, the air around him crackling with power.
The profane spirit, spinning in place searching for Charlotte, turned abruptly, its eyes now fixed on him.
"Oh? Got your attention now?" Cloaked in silver energy, Joseph surged forward, just as the spirit did.
In a second, they were face to face and clashed in a brutal exchange. Joseph punched and kicked, each blow charged with spiritual energy, but the spirit blocked with its arms or absorbed the attacks with its own corrupted energy, a red aura that began to cover its body.
The spirit was stronger and faster, its corrupted energy denser than Joseph's. That's why each blow from the creature crushed and surpassed his silver aura.
Sharp claws tore through the air, too fast for Joseph to dodge, and slashed his chest. Blood ran down, staining his shirt, but he didn't flinch and responded by breaking the creature's forearm with an elbow strike.
The red energy, however, acted quickly and stitched the damage in seconds, the creature's arm returning to normal with a grotesque crack.
"That's cheating!" Joseph growled, dodging a punch that made the air hiss. He counterattacked with a punch charged with energy, hitting the spirit's jaw. The jaw flew off, torn away in a jet of dark fluid.
Without missing a beat, Joseph advanced, feinting a straight punch. The spirit raised its arms to block. At the last second, Joseph slipped to the side, the movement fluid like water, and spun into a roundhouse kick.
His heel collided with the side of the creature's head, snapping the freshly-regenerated jaw and launching the monster against a wooden pillar, which cracked with the impact.
The profane spirit got up in a second and lunged at Joseph, who pointed his hand and murmured "Repulsion."
The spirit was pushed back, but it resisted, digging its claws into the ground to stabilize itself, and leapt toward Joseph right after.
'This thing doesn't stop' he thought, moving his hand downward. "Gravity Slam."
Gravity around the spirit suddenly increased, halting its charge and pressing it to the ground as if an invisible mountain weighed on it. The floor beneath it cracked with loud snaps, but the spirit refused to be defeated.
The red aura around it began to glow more intensely as it fought against the gravity and slowly rose.
'Now!' Taking advantage of the opening, Joseph advanced, focusing his spiritual energy into his fist at the same time he used his technique. "Gravitational Impact!" The punch collided with the spirit's chest, unleashing a blast of force that made the air tremble.
The creature was violently thrown backward, crashing through the warehouse wall and slamming against the barrier outside.
"Was that enough?" Joseph muttered, knowing the answer was probably no.
BAM!
As expected, a red explosion flared brightly, and the spirit began to rise, its eyes burning with even greater rage.
'Shit, I need to end this quick—'
!!!
Sensing the danger, Joseph leapt, narrowly escaping a series of spikes that burst from the ground where he had just stood. 'It's evolving... there's no other way'
'I'll have to use that' Suspending gravity on himself, Joseph floated in the air, his blond hair waving in ripples. 'Haa... Remember, Joseph... remember...'
The ground below began to tremble from the pressure of the energy emanating from him. Stones, crates, and wooden fragments began to float around him, orbiting like planets around a star.
With his eyes closed, Joseph slowly raised his hand.
For a moment, small red sparks flickered from his arm, contrasting with the silver aura.
"Singularity Cage." His voice echoed through the warehouse with an authority that made the air vibrate.
A gravitational field enveloped the spirit in a square prison that distorted the space around it. The monster roared, thrashing against the intangible walls, but the cage held firm.
Joseph began to close his hand slowly, fingers trembling with the strain. With each inch his hand closed, the field shrank, compressing the creature into an ever-smaller space.
The profane spirit kept fighting fiercely, claws tearing the air, spikes projecting in vain against the force restraining it. Its roars echoed, growing more desperate as the space around it shrank more and more.
Joseph, still suspended, felt the weight of the effort. His spiritual energy burned like fire in his veins, consuming him from the inside out.
Drops of blood began to trickle from his eyes, staining his face like crimson tears, but he didn't waver.
"You... won't... escape..." Joseph muttered, clenching his hand tighter.
The gravitational cage shrank further, until it became a tiny square.
The profane spirit, reduced to a contorted form, let out one final scream before being completely crushed into a cloud of black and red.
A dry snap echoed, followed by a heavy silence.
'I did it...' were Joseph's last thoughts before crashing to the ground.