150: The Ravager and the Shadow (Part One) (Patreon)

NOTE: Three parter for the arc 4 finale!

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Vir made the first move, launching an Empowered chakram at the demon, further augmenting his throw with Parai’s channeling technique. His new upgrade sent the disc ripping through the air, almost as if the chakrams had a mejai speed enhancement on them.

They didn’t; only Vir’s katar had the benefit of Maiya’s Enhance Speed, but he hardly even saw the disc before it collided with their enemy.

It bounced off, doing no damage at all, but Vir never expected it to. While the demon blocked the attack, Vir Leaped into the fray, exploiting the opening to deliver an upward slash. This attack had four augmentations boosting it. Empower, Prana Blade, Maiya’s C Grade Enhance Speed orb, and finally Parai’s channeling technique. It was the most devastating attack Vir could muster…

And it was blocked by the giant’s tower shield, pinging off, and leaving Vir’s arm vibrating from the force of the impact.

Maiya covered Vir’s escape with a C Grade Wind Blade. The very spell that had nearly ended Vir’s life in the Godshollow now tore through the air at his enemy, but the demon didn’t even bother to block it as Vir Micro Leaped away, narrowly avoiding the greatsword that slashed down. Its force sent a shockwave of wind crashing into Vir as it passed just inches away from his face.

That could’ve easily decapitated me…

“Oho? Kalaripayattu, is it? Surprising. Where did you learn that, boy?”

“You’ve got no reason to know.” Vir’s words hid his surprise; Kalari was hardly a common artform.

Vir dodged another attack, then a third. The strikes came right at the edge of his limits, though they were nothing he couldn’t handle.

The poleax was dangerous, but the greatsword the giant kept poised above his head was the real danger. Whenever Vir moved in, either the shield or poleaxe would block him, while the greatsword swung from above. It was an absolutely perfect defense that leveraged the giant’s inhuman strength and size.

“True, I suppose,” Cirayus said, taking one hand off his greatsword to stroke his black beard. If the weight of the oversized weapon strained his arm, he certainly didn’t show it.

Just how strong is this guy?

Merely attempting to attack the demon was like walking into a gauntlet of blades—Vir danced with death every time.

To think he’s only blocking… Forget Balancer of Scales or any of the demon’s other powers—the giant hadn’t even launched a single offensive strike of his own yet.

That’s… interesting. Why is that?

Vir shook off those thoughts. Thinking of how fearsome his opponent was would only lead to his loss. First, he had to get past the shield.

He was sure his attacks were deadly enough to do damage to the giant’s skin; the demon wore no armor, and it didn’t look like his skin was any different from a normal demon’s. If only he could land a strike.

Despite his size, the giant moved with the same grace Vir did, even without the aid of Balancer. For such a heavy, large opponent to match him—possibly even outmatch his agility… It was truly an unfair advantage.

Vir Leaped in, firing off strike after strike. He came in low with an uppercut. Bounding from the side, he slashed with every ounce of his strength. He even jumped and attempted aerial strikes.

Each encounter was a maelstrom of seric on steel. Attacks, blocks, counterattacks, dodges. All within the blink of an eye. And yet, Cirayus’ shield was there to meet Vir every time. No matter what the angle, no matter how fast Vir moved, the demon stopped every offensive he launched in its tracks.

Mobility was Vir’s greatest strength. A point of pride he’d honed and perfected, and with Maiya’s Enhance Speed, he was faster than ever before. He stood at the very apex of his strength and speed… and it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close to enough.

Worse, the tattoos that snaked around the demon’s body had yet to light up; he was doing all this unaided by magic.

I’m being toyed with.

“Is this all you have, boy? Weak. Pathetically weak! Show me what you can do!”

Vir wasn’t about to be swayed by his taunts. He tuned out the giant, searching for a way to deal damage.

Such a heavy opponent shouldn’t be able to move like Cirayus did. Yet, after a half-dozen exchanges, Vir was forced to conclude the demon was simply that skilled, relying on preternatural intuition and unfathomable amounts of experience to predict and counter Vir’s every move.

How many hundreds of battles has he fought?

“Your form is… passable,” the demon said. “Though even aided by magic as you are, you lack strength. And you lack the experience to make up for it. Your movements are far too predictable.”

Can he read minds, too!?

“I am no mind reader. I leave that mystic art to our seers. Though, after centuries of fighting, experience becomes its own form of prescience, I suppose.”

“You’re centuries old?” Vir asked, allowing his shock to overcome him for a split-second.

The opening earned him a shield bash to the face.

Acting instinctively, Vir crossed his arms in an X and sent prana to his limbs, absorbing the impact with Toughen. Further augmented by Parai’s channeling technique, he could now tank strikes that would’ve broken bones just days ago.

He went flying nonetheless.

“Vir!” Maiya shouted, sending a barrage of Wind and Ice magic at Cirayus, who allowed them all to hit. A tattoo flared to life, and Maiya’s spells died out without so much as grazing his skin.

“Four hundred fifty-three, I think,” the demon said as Vir impacted a nearby tree with a sickening crack. “Though I could be off by a decade or two. The years tend to blur together when you get to my age, I’m afraid.”

Vir Leaped beside Maiya. “I’m alright.”

“This was well before my time, but there was one who could fight above his weight class, so to speak,” the demon said. “Parai the Ancient. Heard the name?”

Vir’s eyes widened. “How do you—”

Once again, the distraction earned him another blow.

“Vir! Get your head in the fight!” Maiya berated, firing a Wind Blade to counter Cirayus’ attack. Her orbs, while ineffective at hurting him, served as a useful distraction.

“You should listen to your pretty friend. You are far too easily distracted.”

Vir got back to his feet, more confused than angry. Why was the demon toying with him to this extent? Why hadn’t he simply gone in for a lethal strike?

And why hasn’t he attacked Maiya?

“Can’t even use my ice orbs,” Maiya grumbled. Ice magic moved too slowly to accurately target fast-moving foes. To an outside observer, their battle must’ve looked like a blur. “Wait, Vir, look out!”

An Ember spell launched out of nowhere, forcing Vir to break off and dive for safety. Cirayus allowed it, casting his scornful gaze on the newcomers.

Mercenaries poured out from the forest, and not just one or two. Vir counted a dozen prana signatures, with more likely on the way.

“It would seem we have some unwanted company,” Cirayus said, dissatisfaction practically oozing off him.

“Why don’t we take a break, then? As you said, they’re a nuisance. You won’t be able to enjoy our fight this way.”

Kill my enemies for me.

“Aye, you speak the truth, lad.”

Good. It’ll give us a chance to regroup and strategize, too.

“However,” the giant said with a knowing smile, “warriors rarely have the luxury of picking the time and circumstance of their battles. Consider it an added challenge!”

There was no warning. Cirayus thrust his polearm with unbelievable speed. Vir called upon Toughen and Empower, Leaping at the ground to throw himself out of harm’s way.

“Maiya! Take out the mercenaries! And time your magic to my attacks if you can!”

“Already on it!”

Vir’s world was consumed with Cirayus. A single moment of distraction meant his end; he couldn’t spare time to check on the mercenaries. Maiya would have to keep them off him on her own. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his heart that she would.

Confident in Maiya’s backup, he launched a flurry of attacks at the giant, but it wasn’t just more of the same; he’d learned something from their prior exchange. Just a few times, he’d attacked without Prana Blade, lacking the time and coordination needed to activate it in his flurry of attacks.

The demon hadn’t blocked those strikes. For good reason—they did no damage—but he did block all of Vir’s Prana Bladed attacks.

Can he see prana like I can? Or is it his incredible intuition again?

Either way, it meant the demon feared Vir’s attacks. Enough to block them.

“Lass, it takes grit to defend your friend to the death. I respect that. I’ve no intention of harming you. But if you come in our way, I’m afraid I’ll have to end you, too. Spare me the guilt of robbing this world of a fine warrior like yourself, will you?”

“I appreciate the flattery, but if you really feel that way, end this fight. I’m here until the end. So why don’t you just get grakked, you Ash-damned chal!”

Just as Vir was about to admonish Maiya for riling up an enemy who could end them whenever he wanted, Cirayus roared with laughter. “That is indeed the correct response. I apologize for questioning your resolve, human. May I have your name?”

“Maiya,” she replied while launching a pair of Icicles at a mercenary drawing his bow for a shot at Vir.

The man didn’t even see the attack coming. Her darts impaled him and he screamed out in agony. The mercenary’s mejai healer went to work, but Maiya took that one out the moment he’d started to administer care.

Brutal, Vir thought with a shiver. Badass.

“Maiya…” Cirayaus said, nodding. “A good name. I shall remember it.”

“And I’ll remember yours, Cirayus, when my friend and I are standing over your cold corpse.”

“She’s a good one,” Cirayus flashed a grin at Vir. “Too bad you’ll both die here today.”

“Will we?” Vir said, Leaping at Cirayus. It was a feint. Using his momentum, he disappeared into the giant’s large shadow, freezing time.

He’d refrained from using the ability until now, hoping to save it for an opportune moment, but he now knew he was mistaken. He didn’t have the luxury of holding anything back against an enemy like this.

The daylight restricted his exit options, but luckily, the forest’s trees compensated.

With time frozen, Vir saw a nearby mercenary’s C Grade Wind Blade spell ripping at Cirayus.

He’ll ignore that. The demon shrugged off A Grade magic. A Wind Blade would be as lethal as a kiss. There was only one gambit that had a shot of working.

The demon sensed him, but Maiya fired an Icicle at the demon’s eyes, distracting the giant just long enough to give Vir his opening.

Vir shot out of the demon’s shadow, his four-fold enhanced strike blazing to Prana Vision.

The katar plunged into the demon’s back and Vir twisted the blade for maximum damage.

The instant he pulled the blade out, Maiya’s own Wind Blade gouged into the same spot, enlarging the wound even further.

“YES!” Vir shouted. “Nice, Maiya!”

The wound wasn’t deep, but just a few more, and the demon wouldn’t be able to ignore them.

We can do this. They’d finally found a strategy capable of harming the demon. All they had to do was keep up the pressure.

A blue blue tattoo on the demon’s back flared, and the wound closed before Vir’s very eyes, undoing all of their effort.

Even worse, it was the same ability Vir coveted—had hoped Parai’s channeling technique would grant him.

It was a cruel irony that his enemy had that exact power. Not even A grade healing orbs worked so quickly.

Vir paled. How are we supposed to defeat a monster that can regenerate?

“Dance of the Shadow Demon? To have learned the Iksana bloodline ability without its tattoo! Or perhaps not quite… Hmm. I wonder,” Cirayus remarked with a hungry smile. “You might be pathetically weak, but you’re full of surprises, aren’t you? Show me more! Show me everything you have!”

“You talk too much!” Vir shouted, Leaping in for another attack.

Cirayus bellowed in laughter, defending his strikes casually. Easily. Maiya continued to fire off Wind and Ice spells, timing them to Vir’s attacks as best she could, but it wasn’t enough.

“Vir!” Maiya shouted, throwing him an Enhance Sharpness orb even as she fired an Icicle at another group of mercenaries, forcing them away.

Vir caught it and swapped it with the Enhance Speed that was currently slotted.

Good call. Speed was his strength, but Cirayus negated that advantage. What he needed most was penetrating power. Maiya understood this, and without even needing to be prompted, sent Vir exactly what he needed at the perfect time.

That wasn’t just her skill as a warrior; it meant she’d been monitoring the state of the battle, analyzing Vir’s attacks, all while fending off opportunistic mercenaries. It was the hallmark of a good leader. A commander.

You’re amazing, Maiya.

“True. I admit, I’ve been quite casual about this bout. I wanted to test you. To witness your limits. Such opportunities are hard for me to come by, you understand? You’ve done well, but I’m afraid you’re far too weak. It is… disappointing. I came here for some exercise, but I fear this won’t even serve as a warmup.”

Vir jumped back to Maiya, sensing a change in the demon’s attitude.

“As a courtesy for a fellow demon in these wretched human lands, I’ve refrained from attacking. Now, it is my turn. Do try not to die too quickly.”

Cirayus’ expression was neutral, but there was no mistaking the insatiable hunger in his eyes. A zealous, feral craving that wouldn’t be satisfied even if he killed a thousand people.

Every hope Vir had about the giant not intending to harm them went out the window.

“You alright?” Vir asked.

“Vir, listen to me. Whatever happens next? Whatever he launches at us… we will deal with it. Together.”

“Together,” Vir confirmed. To the death… Cirayus’ words rang in his ears.

Yet as he braced himself for the impending destruction, some force pulled his eyes up. To the white cliffs that towered above the forest.

Or maybe not to the death…

“Hear me out. I think I have a plan.”