151: The Ravager and the Shadow (Part Two) (Patreon)

“We need more firepower,” Vir said. “It’s obvious we aren’t hurting him.”

“Right. So what—Vir!!?” Maiya shouted in panic, right as Cirayus pummeled Vir with his tower shield, sending him flying.

They’d both kept their eyes on the four-armed giant the entire time, yet it was as if their enemy had used Blink, giving Vir no hope of dodging.

Despite that, he’d concentrated his body’s prana into his arms, cycling prana just in time. Parai’s technique acted like Empower for offense, and Toughen for defense, except its effects were superior to both.

Instead of replacing those Talents, the cycling technique worked in tandem; Vir simply couldn’t Channel all the blood he could shunt to his limbs. Some of it had to be dumped in the crude, old-fashioned way. Perhaps eventually, he’d learn how to channel it all, but for now, this was the best he could manage.

Vir guarded with his arms in the nick of time—more out of reflex and instinct than any intentional action—but even with his defenses, his arms still throbbed with pain. Without his defensive abilities, the bones in his arms would’ve been crushed to dust.

“You really think I’d let you strategize in the middle of a deathmatch? Naïve. Far too naïve.”

This guy’s really trying to kill me…

“Why’re you after me? What have I ever done to you? We’re both demons, aren’t we?” Vir said, stalling for time as he recovered his bearings.

It didn’t work. The demon was upon him in an instant, stabbing with his poleax, bashing with his shield, and sweeping down with the oversized greatsword.

The tide of the battle shifted in an instant. While Vir hadn’t been able to deal meaningful damage to the demon earlier, he at least inflicted some wounds.

But now, it was all he could do to stay alive, deflecting, dodging, and blocking when he had no other choice.

Even redirecting the demon’s attacks took a toll on his body, such was the force behind each strike.

The demon’s attacks, the dodges, the feints… They had changed. Gone were the direct, to-the-point movements. Now, they flowed from one to another. In a most familiar pattern.

No way. “Kalari!?”

“Ha ha ha!” the demon roared. “The real Kalaripayattu. Not the watered down form you know.”

It was true. Cirayus used the same thrusts, leaping attacks, feints, and blocks as Vir, but each landed with such pinpoint precision, it was if an unseen force guided them. Each strike was honed to the absolute pinnacle of perfection, and, despite fighting for his life, Vir couldn’t help admire the beauty of Cirayus’ form.

He thought he’d mastered Kalari under Riyan, but this demon’s technique was in another realm entirely.

Just when you think you’ve grown strong… Vir thought bitterly. Rather than fighting this demon, he wanted to train under him.

Forget getting a strike in, Vir was being pushed back. Farther and farther from Maiya, opening him up to strikes from the mercenaries. That went equally true for the giant, but while Vir had to dodge incoming magic, Cirayus simply allowed them to bounce off his skin.

There was no winning such an encounter. Charging Dance of the Shadow Demon, he sunk into the shadows…

But not fast enough.

Cirayus grabbed his arm, preventing him from entering the Shadow Realm.

“The Iksana are slippery foes, but I’ve fought more than my fair share,” Cirayus said with a vicious grin. “You can’t sink into the world of shadows if any part of you is stuck. And now, I have your arm.”

Cirayus squeezed slightly, sending blinding pain ripping through Vir.

For a moment, he merely stared at his arm, before his mind spun into action.

What can I do? How do I get out of this?

Never before had anyone caught him, preventing him from entering the Shadow Realm.

Not just that—Cirayus was pulling him back out.

“If you think this is bad, just wait until you fight a demon with the same ability. Have fun fighting in that Shadow Realm of yours. I would not tread there unless my life absolutely depended on it!”

Others!? Vir thought, panicking. Of course, the moment Cirayus identified the ability, Vir should’ve guessed that others could use it. That the Shadow Realm might not be an invulnerable safe haven. Terrifying, though his current crisis overrode all other concerns. He couldn’t use Dance, and he couldn’t Leap away.

Vir threw a chakram with his free hand, but the weapon harmlessly bounced off the demon’s skin, as expected.

While his katar could deal damage, the tower shield blocked most attack paths. Time ran out. Cirayus’ greatsword swung in for the kill, and Vir was forced to brace his katar.

The blade sped, and panic took over.

There were no options. No ways out.

Or so he thought.

“I can fight too, you overgrown oaf!” Maiya shouted, driving her dagger into the demon’s back.

She hit Cirayus with every bit of finesse Vir had, except her attacks blended both Kalari and the Kin’jal Balarian arts, striking at Cirayus in ways he couldn’t possibly expect.

Though aided by Enhance Sharpness, it wouldn’t be enough to penetrate his hardened skin. Vir thought Cirayus would ignore her attack, but the giant instead aborted his strike and twisted, deflecting her blade.

Maiya’s Wind Blade and Icicle spells fired at the same time, bouncing harmlessly off the demon as well.

Of course! If her blade had struck at the same time as her magic, she would’ve penetrated.

Cirayus recognized her tactic and had reacted accordingly.

Except, turning to face Maiya exposed the demon’s flank. Vir activated every ability he had and drove his katar into the exposed flesh.

The blade sunk deep, earning a pained grunt from his enemy. The distraction was enough—Cirayus released his grip on Vir.

Instead of fighting on, Vir promptly sunk into the ground, and this time, did so unimpeded.

From within the Shadow Realm, he saw Cirayus aiming at Maiya, his greatsword sweeping on a course to decapitate her. Nor could she escape; he’d activated Balancer of Scales, pinning her in place, preventing her from moving a muscle.

As if I’ll let you.

Vir snaked his hands out and grabbed Maiya’s ankles, sucking her into the Shadow Realm with him. Cirayus’ own ability drove Maiya down and out of harm’s way, pushing her into her shadow as the gleaming blade blurred past, hitting nothing but air.

He relaxed only when Maiya was safely inside the Shadow Realm with him.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been under, so he knew she wouldn’t panic. He took the full ten counts to choose an exit.

While the forest afforded numerous hiding spots, Vir hesitated to choose the most optimal one.From what he’d seen, the demon didn’t possess any special sensory abilities, instead relying on his enormous combat experience to predict Vir’s movements.

Which means he knows the prime hiding spots. I bet he knows Dance’s range as well.

Cirayus didn’t need Prana Vision or any other sensing Talent. He could simply deduce Vir’s choice.

So instead, Vir picked a less optimal hiding spot. Somewhat closer to the demon than he’d have liked, but if he was right…

Vir brought Maiya out of the shadows, inside a bush that hid them from view.

“He’ll find us in a few seconds. Here’s the plan…”

— —

“Tch. Iksana are always a pain to fight,” Cirayus muttered as his opponent sank into the ground. Dance of the Shadow Demon wasn’t an ability he’d expected to see in this realm. It was a pleasant surprise, even if it was a pale imitation of the real thing. That he gained the ability at all without the Iksana bloodline tattoo and years of training was worthy of great praise. As far as he knew, no other demon had managed such a feat.

But he is sloppy. Simple. Among demons, Vir, as he’d named himself, would be on the lower end of the strength scale, even for his age.

Far too weak. And he seeks the Ash? What utter folly.

Without looking, Cirayus swatted an incoming arrow aside and crushed the mercenary archer’s neck with a slight application of Balancer of Scales.

Despite the boy’s shortcomings, Cirayus simply couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. For the first time in over a decade, his heart pumped with excitement. His blood boiled.

“Show me more!” he cried, identifying where his foe would reappear in a split-second. A feat that would’ve been impossible with the real Dance of the Shadow Demon. Its range was incomparable; if Vir had mastered it, not even Cirayus could guess where he might appear. Unless his opponent had intentionally deceived him—possible, but unlikely given his straightforward mindset and fighting style.

“You cannot hide from… Hmm?” Cirayus said, thrusting his poleax into a bush, only to find it empty.

“Oho. Good. Good!” he laughed.

Neither was his foe at the second most likely hiding spot. By the time he found Vir and his friend at the third spot, they’d concocted some kind of plan. Not that it mattered. No matter how determined the boy was, he had no chance. His weaponry simply couldn’t overpower Giant Hide, the Bairan bloodline tattoo that turned his skin into armor.

Few warriors ever could. It was one of the many reasons Clan Baira was feared and respected, in even the farthest reaches of the Demon Realm.

When they reengaged, the boy used different tactics. Instead of attacking fruitlessly as he’d done before, he now dodged, ducked, bobbed, and weaved, giving up ground to avoid damage.

It’ll keep him alive longer, but how does he intend to win?

Whenever Vir Leaped or Danced away, Cirayus was upon him in an instant. Balancer of Scales was not a simple ability to learn, even for those precious few given the privilege of earning Baira’s Ultimate bloodline art. It took decades, sometimes centuries, of practice.

Most could only alter the weight of their own body in full. Manipulating other objects, laying down suppression fields, and selectively altering the weight of parts of objects faster than the blink of an eye… These feats were in another realm entirely.

But Cirayus was a veteran of thousands of battles. Barring a single exception, there was no demon, dead or alive, who’d mastered it better than he had. The exception, of course, being the fabled Narak the Destroyer. That legend was in a league of his own.

When Vir escaped, Cirayus merely reduced the weight of his upper body, allowing his legs to launch him as he pleased.

When he swung his greatsword, he made it as light as a feather, increasing its weight a hundredfold at the moment of impact.

While only a crude human weapon, its force was nothing to scoff at. That Vir had weathered so many blows meant the boy had some durability. Not enough, though.

Cirayus held back, of course—he wasn’t about to let his first fight after sixteen years come to a premature end—but even restricting himself to a fraction of his power, he corralled the boy, making him dance in the palm of his hand.

His friend the mejai, while determined, was simply too weak to be a threat.

The mejai in this realm are all so pathetic. Yet they strut around, thinking themselves masters of their art. What a joke.

The battle went on, with Vir losing ground with each encounter, disappearing into the shadows. Cirayus let him. Dance made things more interesting.

No. There’s another reason, isn’t there? he thought.

Another reason he let this battle drag on for so long. The boy showed ingenuity, adapting the moment his tactics failed him.

Cirayus found himself hoping… yearning that, given enough time, Vir would show him something interesting. A strategy that might have a flake of Ash’s chance of dealing some real damage.

Show me. Surprise me. Adapt! Overcome!

Cirayus thrust his poleax again, as he’d done innumerable times in this bout. As expected, Vir sunk into the shadows, reappearing from behind.

With a sigh, Cirayus swiped, expecting the boy to dodge, but instinct forced him to pause.

The mejai held an orb—bigger and brighter than any she’d produced thus far.

Cirayus flared Giant Hide, and even leaned slightly into Spirit of the Ravager before she fired her Hail Burst. It proved unnecessary. While this attack was undoubtedly stronger than her previous spells, it was still far weaker than the Mejai of Realms’ spells that Giant Hide brushed off.

He turned his attention back to the boy, half-expecting him to have jumped away again.

Instead, Vir moved in… and stabbed his hand. Whatever prana-empowerment Vir applied to his blade broke through the armor of Giant Hide, skewering his palm.

For a split-second, the muscles in his hand relaxed, dropping the heavy polearm. Cirayus was already attacking, pinning Vir in place with Balancer while his greatsword descended with the weight of an executioner’s blade.

But the boy neither defended nor escaped into the shadows. He wrestled against the effects of Balancer of Scales… and sliced the polearm’s wooden shaft in two.

Cirayus grinned. “Good. Very good! You seek to disarm me. But did you forget? I have two more weapons. And if you think I need weapons to be lethal…”

Lightening his arm, he swung at Vir, canceling the weight that restricted his opponent while quadrupling the weight of his own arm at the moment of impact.

Vir wrenched his body, deflecting most of the blow, but the bit that hit him sent him tumbling to the ground.

“Maiya, now!” he shouted.

A flurry of Wind Blades ripped through the air, but Cirayus dodged all handily.

“I’m afraid your attacks cannot hurt me, girl.”

“You're right.“ The crimson-haired teen stared back at him, undaunted. “But who said I was aiming for you?”

— —

The cliffs bordering the forest were tall and vast and made of sandstone. Stone that easily broke apart.

Under the guise of fighting defensively, Vir and Maiya had lured the demon—and their unwanted mercenary pursuers—to this spot, directly under them.

Maiya’s spells cut deep into the rock, destabilizing them. Its weight did the rest.

Boulders crashed with terrifying speed, quaking the earth, crushing all underneath. The mercenaries, and Cirayus alike.

The mercenaries stood no chance, but Vir knew how fast the demon could move. If Vir could escape, so too could his four-armed enemy. So he charged relentlessly, attacking Cirayus with every opportunity, preventing his opponent from escaping.

Right until the shadow of the boulders eclipsed them. Without a moment to spare, he used the falling boulder’s own shadow to sink into the ground, escaping death by a hair’s breadth.

The demon was not so lucky. Boulder after boulder slammed into the giant, burying him under rubble.

Reappearing next to Maiya, Vir scooped her up in his arms and Leaped to her Acira. He never paused, nor did he ever look back. He simply propelled himself faster than he ever had, blurring past trees.

With every second, he expected the giant to catch up to them. To multiply their weight, sending them crashing to the ground.

The clearing finally came into view. Vir Leaped onto the Acira’s back, and it was only after the great beast flapped its wings and cleared the top of the tallest tree that he breathed easier.

“We… won?” Maiya asked in disbelief. “Vir, we won!”

Vir sighed in relief. “Well, we didn’t win. But we’re alive.”

He could hardly believe it. It almost seemed too good to be true. Too easy…

A red figure blurred, and Vir felt their Acira shudder under the force of impact.

“I’m afraid you have not,” Cirayus grinned, stepping lightly onto the back of their Acira. “And now, you have nowhere to run.”