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 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! Although, 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 with laughter, casually defending his strikes. 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.”
59THE RAVAGER AND THE SHADOW
(PART TWO)
“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. Prana Channeling 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 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. 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 as 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.”