'I think I am getting the hang of it, Mask,' Tobey thought as he glanced at the dagger in his hand.
[Why, though?]
'I noticed that the physical prowess of this paladin leveled up greatly once he summoned his Soul Mirror. However, the same did not happen to me for some reason. However, I think I understood the reason. It's just a matter of getting used to this dagger. Although I can wield it like a normal weapon, it is not the same as wielding it as a Soul Mirror. This thing is not the common tool of killing that you can find on earth. It is an instrument of a different nature.'
[I was also thinking about it, to be honest. However, I myself still can't get how we can use it in the right way. The only thing I know is that you must try to find fix your relationship with your Soul Mirror. The same way you intimately know every single detail of your right arm and how to use it, you shall transfer this kind of intimacy to this dagger.]
'Hmm... I see. So, it's something more internal than external, huh? It makes sense. It's not as confusing as I thought it would be. It even makes sense to me. But, don't worry, I think that I can manage to do it based on what you just told me.'
[Good luck. And, remember, you are not fighting only against this paladin, but also racing against the other who left this parking lot to call reinforcements.]
Tobey nodded his head as he spun the dagger between his fingers and firmly grabbed it by its hilt.
'You need to learn how to use both your Soul Mirror and this new form of yours. Back some days ago, you did it because you were trying to survive, you were desperate, your mind overreacted to things and made your body move on its own. However, right now, you need to explore this new body by yourself, Tobey! You need to know every muscular fiber that got reinforced. Just then will you be able to come closer to compare to this paladin and win!'
The paladin was the first one to dash forward, followed by the demon who closed in just as fast as him.
The paladin's sword drew several arcs in different directions, the hiss of its blade slashing through the air was clear and sharp. Not only his raw power but also his technique was enviable. His proficiency when using his Soul Mirror was also clear.
Due to the speed at which he was attacking, even Tobey had a hard time dodging or parrying his sword. At first, he stayed defensive. He did it not only due to the constant pressure of the paladin but also because he wanted to carefully make a through analysis in all his body.
Suddenly, Tobey's footwork got faster. He was able to dodge the attacks with ease. Each step he gave swiftly moved his body to the sides and backward.
That leap on his agility disturbed the paladin, making him nearly gasp in surprise.
'Was he this fast before? I mean, he was fast, but... not enough to dodge my attacks like this! Is this bastard underestimating me so much to the point of still hiding his strength?'
After some more attacks, Tobey was certain that used all the speed that his Demon Form could provide him. Now the next was...
'Strength!'
He focused in front, watching attentively as the paladin sprinted forward and held his sword above his head. Clearly, he was going to unleash one of his brutal vertical attacks. They weren't hard to dodge, but their power was truly frightening.
However, differently from what the Paladin expected, Tobey didn't dodge. Instead, he planted his feet on the ground and prepared his dagger.
'Now, it's a matter of defending completely or have your body split in two! Either you do it right or you die! There is no other way around!'
[Yes, there is, you bastard! Dodge this f*cking attack, do not be a madman!] Mask yelled, concerned about his own well-being.
Tobey didn't listen to him and swung his dagger in the last milliseconds before the sword reached him.
Sparks flew everywhere and the sound of metal hitting metal resounded across the city's dark and empty streets.
The paladin looked in shock as he saw his blade getting parried to the side as Tobey swatted it with his dagger, his black eyes focused on him and its red outline getting brighter.
'I think I got it,' he thought as he grunted and slid his lead foot forward, facing another attack of his opponent head-on and swatting it to the side again, diverting the blade's course.
'This dagger isn't normal and I knew it since the first time I wielded it. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I can feel it pulsing. It pulses with power. I can feel it reverberating across my arm and shaking my entire body. It looks like an external heart. It's clear that I have a connection with this blade!'
As he thought about it, his body was reacting automatically to the paladin's assault, swatting nonstop so as not to get struck by his sword. Each swat was more precise and clear than the previous one; stronger, faster, more decisive...
Since Tobey couldn't match him in strength, swatting his attacks was the best option since he didn't need to take all the impact at once. By just diverting its course to the sides, he absorbed a great part of the damage.
Despite being a useful solution, it had its own disadvantages. It was not only risky, since a missed swat would clearly cause a lot of harm, but it exercised huge pressure on his wrist and shoulder, getting to the point where it seemed like his wrist was about to break any time.
Also, the paladin was noticing his intentions and getting bolder and wilder in his attacks, in a way that Tobey couldn't swat each of his attacks. Instead, some of them he needed to dodge.
'I need to do what I did last time. I know that the power of this dagger can go even higher if I use it in the right way and if I have the right feeling. It's not just about feeling the connection, but also using it properly, which gets me quite confused. The sensation I have while doing it might be the same someone would have if they suddenly needed to learn how to use a new limb.'
Tobey knew that he would end up running out of stamina before the Paladin. Also, even if he managed to hold that battle until the latter got tired, it would waste too much time, and he was racing against that female Paladin who left the battle to go find reinforcements.
[Tobey... the time is short.] Mask warned him, seeming somewhat anxious.
'I know! However, what the hell can I do until I figure out how to use this dagger properly? While I concentrate on developing this technique, I can't attack and defend at the same time!'
[If you don't kill him in a couple of minutes, you won't need to fight only one paladin! You will be sieged by an entire troop!]
'I already said I know, Mask!' he shouted, feeling another wave of heat striking his heart as he got as anxious as his alter ego.
Briskly, Tobey faltered for a moment, nearly getting struck by the paladin's sword but dodging at the last moment.
A faint smile appeared on his face, he was struggling not to show his enemy that he had something in mind.
'Mask, you are a genius.'
[Too bad for you that you noticed it only now. What took you so long?] his demonic self laughed soundly as he found that situation funny.
Mask wasn't the type of person to panic during a battle. At the time when Tobey got chased after inside the hotel, he didn't show any trace of being anxious. The only moment that was stressful to him for real was when Tobey got stopped by that high-graded paladin and could do nothing but just stand there in shock.
Therefore, it was quite strange that his alter ego was acting like that. So strange that it didn't even seem... real.
Indeed, Mask wasn't uselessly hurrying Tobey and making him feel anxious for no reason at all. He was just showing his human self the way to the results that he was trying to achieve there.
'Thanks to you, now I could realize that my Demon Form reacts greatly to my feelings, particularly negative feelings. No wonder I could unleash all my power on that rainy night while running away from an entire troop of laladins. After all, my confusion, anger, frustration, sadness, desperation... all these feelings piled up at once.
'The only thing I need to learn right now is how to control these negative emotions and use them in a positive way. I am not a common person; to be able to be the detective I am nowadays I needed to train hard and learn many things. The most useful thing they taught me was to use the negative reactions of my body in a useful way for different situations.'
Tobey's confident expression appeared in his eyes again.
'It's time to switch to offensive mode again!'