Jaune

I let the storm fade. I released Bai Hu's final gift. I even undid the cloak of Accelerated time I kept around myself, waiting for a long minute as my MP returned.

When it was all but full, I closed my eyes, including the third one, drawing my senses back into myself. Even without them, I knew my Elementals were here by my side, in spirit if not meaningless flesh. I felt them waver and grow at the same time and let my uppermost Chakra open.

"Keter," I called, releasing him along with the breath.

And there was light.

___

Its power, however, was undeniable. It had fallen upon us abruptly after I'd unleashed the power of my Light Elemental—of my soul—to level everything around me and slaughter countless Grimm. Though that brief glimpse of power had been exhausting, all that had remained was a field of scorched earth, cleansed of the touch of the Grimm. I'd seared away all traces of the creatures, down to the roots of the Lotus Eaters, and slaughtered thousands, granting me my level ups in the process.

And then the Humbaba had appeared in the midst of the clearing. For all that it was a good ten stories in height, it had moved quickly enough that someone else might have thought it had teleported, and had struck out at me at once.

In the face of that attack, I'd immediately triggered the second of my contingencies, using a maximized heal I kept stored with Patientia and returning to full a moment before the attack could hit me.