Viessa gripped the chain tightly, swinging it forward in a wide horizontal arc. The chain surged through the air like a living whip, its metallic body bending with precision, aiming to land a devastating blow and finally silence the pirate whose antics had driven her to the brink.
Tarot, ever quick on his feet, pulled a set of grenades from his jacket and tossed them forward. They detonated mid-air, erupting into dense clouds of smoke that cloaked him from Viessa's vision. Using the cover to his advantage, he darted through the haze, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Reemerging at her front, he spun his staff in his hands and delivered a crushing uppercut to her jaw, the force of the blow lifting her off her feet. Without hesitation, he yanked his staff back, spun low to the ground, and struck her midair form with a wide, sweeping arc, sending her flying backward. Her chains whipped around her, mirroring her trajectory like frantic spider legs.
Viessa twisted in midair, flipping backward with surprising agility. She landed in a crouch, one hand skimming the dirt for balance as her feet carved grooves into the ground. Her golden eyes burned with fury as the chain behind her writhed and coiled like an enormous serpent. With a flick of her wrist, it sprang forward, its many segments unfurling into the sky before diving at Tarot like a cascade of falling avalanches.
Caught momentarily off guard, Tarot's eyes widened as the metallic storm descended upon him. "Whoa, easy there!" he muttered, leaping back with startling agility. As one chain struck down, he performed a backward flip, narrowly avoiding its deadly tip. Another shot toward him, forcing him into a cartwheel to the side, where he balanced precariously on one hand before springing to his feet.
The next attack came fast, and Tarot twisted midair, tucking his knees and rolling out of the way, only to rebound off a nearby rock and launch himself higher into the air. With a cheeky grin, he stretched his legs into a full split mid-flight, narrowly dodging two chains as they crashed together where he'd been moments before.
"Close, but no cigar!" Tarot teased, landing on one foot and immediately propelling himself into a handspring to dodge yet another strike. As he flipped and rolled, his motions became almost playful, his acrobatics bordering on a choreographed dance. He bounded off trees and rocks, weaving between the chains with the carefree agility of a monkey swinging through the jungle.
Finally, with one last vault, he landed at a safe distance, brushing invisible dust off his jacket. "Nice try," he called out, wagging his finger at Viessa. "But you'll need more than fancy chain tricks to catch me!" Behind him, the chains slithered back to Viessa, readying themselves for her next move.
"Jumping around like an idiotic monkey..." Viessa's fist trembled with growing rage, her frustration escalating with every moment she endured facing her infuriating opponent. Her yellow eyes gleamed with malice as she sneered, her voice trembling with barely contained fury.
"I'll rip that smug grin off your face!" she roared, throwing her arm forward in a violent motion. The ground behind and beneath Tarot trembled before it erupted violently, splitting open like a rift in the earth. From the gaping fissure, an enormous chain burst forth, its massive, jagged links twisting and writhing like the body of a demonic serpent. Its metallic surface shimmered with an unholy glow as it arced into the air, its maw-like end snapping as if alive, locked onto its prey.
The ground shuddered under its weight, and the force of its ascent caused the wind to howl around Tarot, dragging his focus rearward. The sheer power radiating from the monstrous chain froze him in place, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What the—!" he shouted, panic gripping him as the monstrous chain lunged downward.
Before Tarot could react, Viessa's clenched fist directed the serpentine chain with ruthless precision. It descended like the wrath of a god, crashing into him with terrifying force. The jagged links coiled around him, squeezing with relentless strength as the full weight of the chain bore down. It slammed Tarot into the dirt with bone-crushing impact, driving him face-first into the unforgiving ground.
The force of the attack reverberated through his entire body, a shockwave of agony exploding from the point of impact. The crushing weight pressed against his ribs, threatening to snap them like brittle twigs. His muscles screamed in protest, and the jagged ground beneath him scraped and tore at his skin, leaving bloody gashes in its wake.
The impact sent tremors through the earth, the sheer brutality of the attack leaving Tarot immobilized. His breathing was ragged, each inhale a struggle as pain radiated through his fractured body. Viessa stood above, her sneer widening as the serpent-like chain slithered back to her side, dripping with dirt and blood like a predator savoring its kill. "See how quickly the fool breaks," she spat, her voice laced with venom.
Tarot struggled to lift himself off the ground, his body trembling from the devastating force of the attack. The serpentine chain slithered back toward Viessa, its links clicking like sinister laughter as it retreated to her side. Dirt and blood mixed in streaks on Tarot's arms as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, every movement a reminder of the damage he had endured. His chest heaved with labored breaths, his limbs screaming in protest.
Despite the pain, he remained silent, his sharp eyes fixed on Viessa. His normally carefree demeanor was replaced by quiet determination as he assessed the situation. His arms hung battered at his sides, and the cuts and bruises scattered across his body made it clear he couldn't endure another blow like that. Viessa's confidence radiated from her, her grin widening as she took a step forward.
"Finally quiet, are we?" she taunted, twirling her chain idly in her hand. The faint clinking sound echoed ominously in the mist-filled air. "You can leap and dodge all you want, but at the end of the day, you're still just human flesh—soft, fragile, and easy to break. A single strike, and you're down like glass underfoot."
Her voice carried a chilling calm, the rage that fueled her earlier attack now tempered into cold, calculated malice. She tapped the chain against the ground, sending small tremors through the earth, as though reminding him of the power she wielded.
"You may be fast," she continued, her golden eyes gleaming in the fog. "You may be nimble and clever. But when I hit you, it's like a mountain crushing a pebble. You crack, you crumble, and eventually… you'll shatter."
Tarot clenched his jaw, his fingers digging into the dirt as he forced himself to stand. His legs wobbled, his vision blurred, but he didn't back down. Instead, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and squared his shoulders, staring Viessa down.
She smirked at his defiance, swinging her chain in wide arcs. "What's the matter, monkey boy? Got nothing to say? Or are you finally realizing the difference between us?"
Without hesitation, Tarot spun in place, his movements swift and fluid as he hurled his staff forward. The weapon spiraled through the air like a blazing boomerang, its mass cutting through the mist.
Viessa, ever watchful, recoiled her chains and drove them into the ground with a thunderous crash, using the momentum to launch herself high into the air. From her elevated position, she unleashed a torrent of chains that cascaded toward Tarot like an unrelenting metallic waterfall.
But before the chains could strike, Tarot's form shimmered and dissipated into a wisp of cloud, vanishing from sight. In an instant, he materialized where his spinning staff had flown, directly beneath Viessa's airborne figure. With precision, he clutched the staff mid-flight, its cool metal steady in his grip, and ignited a roaring orange flame from its tip that illuminated the foggy battlefield.
"Let's turn up the heat!" Tarot bellowed as he hurled his flaming staff upward. The weapon erupted into a blazing star, its fiery tendrils scorching the air as it sped toward Viessa. However, the chain-wielding fighter was unfazed. Reacting with practiced ease, she summoned her chains to encase her body, forming an impenetrable cocoon of interlocked steel. The fiery star collided with her shield, sparking violently before ricocheting harmlessly to the ground.
Seizing the brief moment of distraction, Tarot teleported once more, appearing beside the staff as it descended. He gripped it tightly, spinning his body mid-air for added momentum. With a loud cry, he swung the staff toward Viessa's cocoon with all his might.
The strike landed with a resounding clang, but the chains held firm, unyielding to his assault. In retaliation, one of Viessa's chains shot out from the cocoon, its movement swift and serpentine. It struck Tarot directly in the stomach with brutal force, sending him hurtling back to the ground.
Tarot crashed into the dirt with a bone-rattling impact, pain shooting through his body as the world spun around him. Viessa landed gracefully moments later, her chains snapping back into position with a menacing metallic hum. She raised her hand, and from the shadows, twisted demonic figures emerged, their grotesque forms stalking toward the fallen Tarot. Their distorted growls filled the air as they closed in, their eyes glowing with a sinister light, ready to rip into their prey.
The grotesque figures moved in unison, their distorted shapes lurching closer with clawed hands and gaping mouths that dripped with malice. Tarot, still sprawled on the ground, gritted his teeth as he forced himself back onto his feet, clutching his staff tightly. His body ached from the chain's earlier strike, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Alright, freak shows," Tarot muttered, spinning his staff in a tight circle. "You want a piece of me? Line up."
The first demon lunged forward, its claws swiping through the air with unnatural speed. Tarot ducked low, the claws barely missing his head, and jabbed the tip of his staff into the creature's chest. The blow sent it staggering back, black smoke hissing from the impact point. Before it could recover, Tarot twisted on his heel and delivered a spinning strike to the side of its head, sending it crumbling into a puff of dark mist.
Two more demons charged simultaneously, their grotesque forms moving unnervingly fast. Tarot smirked, reaching into his jacket to toss a pair of small cloud bombs at their feet. The bombs exploded on contact, engulfing the creatures in thick, swirling mist.
"Let's see how you like my personal brand of fog!" he quipped, leaping into the air. Using the distraction, Tarot landed a crushing downward strike on one of the demons, splitting it in two as it dissolved into smoke. The second demon lunged blindly from the cloud, only for Tarot to sidestep and slam his staff across its back, shattering it into nothingness.
From the corner of his eye, Tarot noticed three more creatures circling him, their glowing eyes locked onto him like predators stalking prey. They moved in sync, darting in from different angles to trap him. Tarot crouched low, spinning his staff defensively in a wide arc to parry their clawed attacks. Sparks flew as claws clashed against the metal, the impact reverberating through his arms.
"Alright, no more playing nice!" Tarot shouted, using the spinning motion to propel himself upward. He hurled another cloud bomb at his feet, the explosion launching him into the air and scattering the demons below. From his elevated position, Tarot twisted his body mid-air, channeling a surge of energy into his staff.
The tip of the weapon glowed with a fiery light as he descended, slamming it into the ground with a thunderous roar. A shockwave of orange energy rippled outward, engulfing the nearby demons in flames and vaporizing them instantly. The battlefield momentarily cleared, the grotesque figures reduced to ash and mist.
Panting, Tarot straightened up, resting his staff on his shoulder. "You guys need to work on your teamwork," he said, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
But his moment of respite was short-lived. The ground around him began to tremble, and more figures emerged from the shadows, their forms even larger and more menacing than before. Tarot smirked despite the odds, twirling his staff in anticipation.
"Round two, huh? Alright then," he said, taking a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"
To be continued..