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 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.
Of course! If her blade had struck at the same time as her magic, she would’ve penetrated.
Cirayus recognized her tactic and 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. She had no hope of surviving a blow like that. 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. 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 mastered it, not even Cirayus could guess where he might appear. Unless his opponent 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 stood 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. Rather than 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 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.