Seeing the rush from the demon, Koku could discern that by the speed and strength it displayed, he himself would have to engage in a defensive battle. At the moment, the demon seemed much stronger in every aspect, except perhaps skill and technique.
Before the demon made contact with Koku, it smiled creepily and grew four sharp, spider-like arms out of its back. Two of them extended forward towards Koku, prompting him to jump back, attempting one of the four techniques Celestia had taught him of the Iron Maiden. "Thorn Parry!" Koku yelled. Thorn Parry involves positioning the sword in a diagonal angle, intercepting the opponent's strike with the blade's edge.
The goal is to deflect the attack while simultaneously applying pressure to the opponent's weapon, making it difficult for them to maintain their offensive moves. By using this technique, Koku was able to keep moving back while blocking the incoming attacks. The demon's expression transitioned from a creepy smile to an angered one because even after revealing a glimpse of its true demonic body, it couldn't break Koku's defense. "If it hadn't been for Celestia teaching me these techniques, I would've died on the first night," Koku thought to himself as he continued to fend off and counter the attacks. "DAMN IT," the demon yelled aloud, showing frustration due to its inability to push forward with its assault.
"Now I'll use Iron Blossom next time the arms on its back attack." When thinking about this, the expected attack finally arrived, allowing Koku the chance to use Iron Blossom. Iron Blossom is a counterattacking technique used after successfully blocking an opponent's strike. With precise timing and coordination, the user swiftly transitions from defense to offense, delivering a powerful and unexpected attack that catches the opponent off guard, turning their own momentum against them. So when the spider-like arms attacked, Koku parried them, creating a small pause due to the body of the demon feeling this vibration, which caught it off guard. Koku rushed forward, stabbing the demon in the heart. In the same second, he jumped backward, cutting the spider-like arms and the demon's other limbs.
After creating the gap, Koku sighed, seeing the demon's angered expression as its limbs reattached themselves. "When I cut you apart… I'll make sure to enjoy the things that'll follow you next, and by that, I mean the things I'll do to you!" Hearing this threat, Koku simply looked at the demon, getting ready for the next attacks.
After it reattached its limbs, the demon rushed at Koku without a plan. Noticing this, Koku continued to fight the demon for hours. Being only around an hour and a half away from sunrise, Koku found himself still not out of energy. "I'm still not tired…" he told himself, feeling that something had been somewhat hugging him from behind. "What is this feeling?" Koku wondered.
This was a mistake because, thinking of that feeling, Koku's attention went elsewhere, and the demon took this chance to attack Koku. The attack was pretty bad, and Koku felt the full force of it, a cut that ran down from his shoulder to his waist. "Now I've caught you," the demon excitedly stated loudly. Koku tried to jump back but couldn't since the spider-like arms stabbed into both of his shoulders, making a clear hole through.
Now holding Koku's body up by the shoulders, his arms and hands tensed up, seemingly locked in place, with the sword Celestia had given him locked in the palms of his hands. "I can't move my arms," Koku told himself in his thoughts as his mind raced, looking for a way to turn the tables of the situation before he died.
However, the demon had other plans for Koku before killing him. "I will make you suffer and feel the pain you inflicted onto me, then I'll get a kick from seeing your horrid expressions. THEN…" the demon was more excited than he had ever been in the time these two had met simply because he now had Koku in a vulnerable state.
The demon pulled its spider-like arms out of Koku's shoulder, letting his body fall onto its back. On this fall, Koku's vision seemed to become blurred, and the burning sensation throughout his body eased up, almost as if there was no pain. He felt calmer the deeper his vision blurred. Then, as his body touched the ground, Koku suddenly found himself not on the battleground, but in a meadow full of flowers, bright green grass, bright blue rivers, and the sun's warm rays above him. The flowers scattered when Koku's body touched the ground here.
What Koku did not know at the moment was that his consciousness had retreated into his overloaded mind. In the center of this dream-like haven stood a woman, her form composed of silky perfect skin, hair seemingly washed with moonlight itself. Her eyes looked like green emeralds condensed into pupils, each holding a universe of wisdom and power. "Koku," she spoke, her voice like the tinkling of winds against bells. "You fight valiantly; however, raw strength alone won't win this battle."
"As for the question lingering in the back of your mind, no, I am not just a power, like the Void, and yes, I am female." Koku, speechless, could only stare. This was… The world's will herself? Here, in his mind? A wry smile played on her lips. "Surprised, are we? Don't worry, Void-kin. I've been watching your struggles. You possess the skills, the determination, but that thing within you, though suppressed, hinders your true potential." She had been referring to the Void. Her words struck a chord deep within him.
The darkness, the source of his power, a cage as much as a weapon. "I offer you a choice, Koku," she continued, her voice firm yet gentle. "Embrace the raw power of nature itself. Let it flow through you, not as a destructive force, but as a conduit for good. In return, I can grant you the strength to vanquish your foe and asylum from the Void." Power. Strength. The temptation to gain more was intoxicating.
But a flicker of Celestia's teachings flickered in his mind. Control. Balance. Was this power a gift, or a gilded cage? He looked at the world's will, his voice raspy. "What are the consequences? What happens after I use this power?" Koku asked worriedly. A flicker of sadness crossed her features. "There is always a price, Koku.
Nature's power is a chaotic force. You must learn to wield it with respect, or risk becoming consumed by it." Koku closed his eyes, the weight of the decision pressing down on him. He thought of Celestia, her unwavering faith in him. He thought of the darkness, a constant struggle within. This was a path untrodden, a gamble with unknown stakes.
He opened his eyes, a newfound resolve burning within them. "I'll take it," he said, his voice steady. "But I won't be a slave to power. I'll control it, use it for good." The world's will smiled, a radiant warmth spreading through the meadow. "A wise choice, Koku. Now, face that demon, and remember, you are not alone, for I am watching over you." After saying this, Koku began to leave the nature scape in his mind.
Meanwhile, the will of the world thought to herself, "Because of what this child's father did, the offense to me. I did something so foolish and harbored dislike towards the man's family. I did not take the child and give him my protection. And because of that, a child who had both the… and no magic was born... the Void's perfect vessel was born. I have to take him while I have the chance. I don't doubt that it'll try everything in its power to rip him from my grasp as soon as the child's body is no longer under the constraints of potential death. I have to win this tug-of-war against the Void."
The world's will had referred to the reason Koku could not use the Void's powers currently. The reason being his body was under too much stress when he entered the Void form in his fight against Celestia. So, the Void could not offer Koku any power, and it had to retreat so that his body did not crush itself under the stress and power of the Void. Similarly, the Void had gotten rid of Koku's bad memories, as a way to prevent him from acting rashly and potentially trying to fight others in his weakened state, which had no powers. Of course, the Void had known this was a gamble since it would've made Koku pure and anything of what it was really trying to create, so it had been sending those bad memories through the form of nightmares. "The Void protects you… however, I will take you and atone for my foolish actions against you, Koku.
You did nothing wrong or against me. However, you did nearly kill the hero I've appointed. If I win against the Void in this tug-of-war, I will appoint you as my hero, and cast aside the other." With this thought coursing through the Will of the World's mind, she could only wonder... The world he found himself in dissolved, and Koku found himself back in the hellscape he was in when he was defeated for a moment. After returning, Koku's body healed up instantly, and that warm, calm sensation which had been over him for the last 2 days was now flaring out with power. Sensing and seeing Koku's body heal faster than light could travel, the demon quickly tried to kill Koku in that moment. However, Koku had managed to move away in a blur.
"Ready for round 2?" Koku asked aloud, with magic flowing out of his body by mass amount and a smile on his face.